3.14.14 – (LAA) – Negotiations Survey, APFA Convention, VC Bidding, Profit Sharing, Equity, FSA, WINGS, Reminders

Representatives spent Tuesday lobbying Congress on issues important to Flight Attendants such as inflight cell phone use.

On Wednesday evening at the banquet, APFA bestowed Honorary APFA Memberships to Peter Goelz and Anthony DeMaio of O’Neill and Associates, APFA’s Washington-based lobby firm, as well as Leon Szlezinger, Alex Rohan, John D’Amico and Steven Koch of Jefferies, LLC, the investment banking firm APFA hired to assist our union throughout AA’s bankruptcy.

The Jefferies group very generously donated $10,000 to the WINGS foundation during the festivities. Deb Roland, Wings president happened to be in attendance and was overjoyed to be able to accept the check on behalf of WINGS. APFA would like to once again express our gratitude to Leon, Alex, John and Steve for the generous donation to our Flight Attendant workgroup.

The Convention Delegates (your Base Chairpersons) elected Lenny Aurigemma (BOS-I) to the Executive Committee (E.C.), Ad Hoc Place 1, and Steve Watson (IDF) to the E.C., Ad Hoc Place 2 to serve 3-year terms. Congratulations Lenny and Steve!
 
Minutes of the Annual APFA meeting will be available 30 days following the final day of the Convention at www.www.apfa.org.
 
Vacation Bidding
Primary Bids were posted today and Secondary Vacation bidding is now open. Bidding will close on Marcy 24^th at 0800 Central Time. For more information on bidding, click here to view the Primary VC Award Summary by base and the Secondary VC Slots Available.
 
Equity Distribution and Profit Sharing
A 90-day equity distribution was made on Monday, March 10th to eligible pre-merger AA Flight Attendants. We anticipate another distribution on the 120th day following the date of the merger. We will communicate that information when it comes available. 
APFA members also received Profit Sharing on Thursday this week of approximately 1.5% of eligible 2013 earnings. Pay stubs for both issuances are reflected in ePays.

2013 Flex Spending Account Funds Expire March 15, 2014
If you elected a Healthcare FSA or a Dependent Daycare FSA for 2013 and have money left in your account, you have until Saturday, March 15, 2014, to use these funds for eligible expenses. You will have until June 15, 2013 to file claims for reimbursement. More information about FSA eligibility is available online at www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ or www.wageworks.com.

WINGS – 25 Years
Wings is celebrating their 25th anniversary. They will have representatives in Ops according to the following schedule. They look forward to seeing Flight Attendants throughout the system.
March 17:JFK, EWR, LGA, DCA, RDU, ORD, STL, SFO and LAX
March 18: DFW and MIA
March 25: BOS

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Staffing
As a reminder, if you have reports concerning staffing related issues, please email details to [email protected]. 

Prefunding Refund 
APFA continues to work with the company on the refund of the company’s prefunding match. It is important to note that no labor group has received a refund of their company prefunding match. We know many of you are anxious to put this issue behind you as are your union representatives. Stay tuned to this hotline for developments.

Share Your Photos!
We received some great pictures this past week after our first request for members’ photos at work and on layovers. Please remember that in order for the photos to be useable, they must include the names and employee numbers of all Flight Attendants, as well as contact information (if available). Otherwise, the photos are unusable. Photos may be incorporated in future APFA web and print projects, including upcoming issues of Skyword, press releases, our APFA New Hire guide and a welcome booklet for our future members from US Airways. Please email your high-res photos to: [email protected]. If you are emailing several high-resolution photos, please limit your photos to 3 per email as our server will block files over a certain size. If you prefer to mail a hard copy, send to:  APFA Communications 1004 W. Euless Blvd. Euless, TX, 76040 Photos must be:

• Be the sole property of the sender. By sending in photos, you are giving APFA permission to use them in APFA communications.
• Contain the name(s), employee number(s) (if you can obtain your coworker’s employee number easily), email and phone number of each person in the photo in order to obtain permission to publish.
• Be tasteful in content.

A “WINGS Option” for Retirees’ Gift 
If you are retiring or taking the VEOP do not forget to request your retirement gift. All company retirees can choose from the crystal or bronze eagle, or a gift certificate to the CR Smith Museum gift shop. And, thanks to the efforts of retired Flight Attendant Jackie Phillips, Flight Attendants can elect to have the value of their retirement gift donated to Wings. Contact your Flight Service Manager for this option. All of the retirement gifts to Wings are sent in one large payment at the end of the month. This is a great way to have one less thing to dust, and to  help your fellow Flight Attendants in need.

WINGS Foundation Recycles For Flight Attendants
The WINGS Foundation reported a total of $101,564.49 in recycled cans last year. That’s 480,486 pounds of aluminum. WINGS has extended its recycling program to JFK, DCA, BOS, DEN and DTW. By recycling on every flight, you are helping AA Flight Attendants in need nationwide. Make sure when you store recycled cans, they are placed in an insert and back into the carts. The cans can be mixed with unopened cans. They should not be placed in any cart with fresh or perishable food.
 
For more information on recycling, check out the WINGS FAQ here. You can also email WINGS at [email protected].