4.25.14b – (LAA) – Openers, Earnings, HKG Layover, Contract/Sched Training, Triple S HMO, Hotel Updates, Legislative Update, Palcohol, EAP

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As you know, yesterday, the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) presented our openers to the company. Over the next two weeks, the team will be in several AA and US Airways’ FA ops to meet with Flight Attendants and discuss the process going forward as well as answer your questions. Yesterday morning, APFA President Laura Glading presented opening remarks during our first session of bargaining with the company. To read Laura’s statement click here.

American Airlines 1Q Earnings
Also, as we mentioned in our APFA Press Release, yesterday’s AAL earnings report broke a record – it is the highest 1Q earnings in American Airlines’ history – a $777 million improvement over the same quarter last year – even with the thousands of flight cancellations due to weather this winter.

Scheduling Department – [email protected]
APFA is pleased to announce that the DFW-Hong Kong (HKG) trip initially slated for a 17-hour layover will begin operations with a layover of 41.55 hours for the Flight Attendants and the pilots. APFA supports this decision in light of the 16-hour scheduled flying time to HKG and the 16.20-hour return leg. We believe this is the safest way to operate this trip.

Contract and Scheduling Department Training – [email protected]
Earlier this month, our National Scheduling and Contract Coordinators conducted a two-day Scheduling/Contract Training class. This class prepares members who have expressed an interest in becoming APFA Scheduling / Contract Representatives on Duty. The class is also very useful to members who would simply like further training in our Scheduling and Contract. If you are interested in attending a future class, please send an email with your name, employee number and contact info to [email protected] or [email protected].

Health Department – [email protected]
Triple S HMO in Puerto Rico – The APFA Health Department was recently notified by AA’s Human Resources of an error that affects the health benefits of some of our members who reside in Puerto Rico. The error occurred during 2014 Benefits Enrollment, and was only recently discovered thanks to APFA members who contacted the Union. The employees affected by this error are those who had Triple S coverage in 2013 and did not complete a Benefits Enrollment for 2014. These employees should have defaulted to the same coverage that they had last year, but they were erroneously put in the BCBS Core Plan as of January I, 2014. HR is putting together a list of employees who have been affected and will make every effort to correct the problem as quickly as possible. The Triple S HMO is still an option for AA employees who reside in Puerto Rico. If you should have coverage with Triple S and have had problems with your insurance claims please contact the HR call center at (800) 447-2000.

Hotel Department – [email protected]
We have several layover cities that utilize more than two hotels, so on the monthly bid sheet you will notice “see HIHTL.” For these cities, the company manually assigns trips to hotels based on the layover length, room cap, etc. Once the company completes the assigning of hotels, it sends the info to APFA for publishing on our website. In most cases, this information will be posted before bids close so you’ll be able to research which hotel will be used for a particular flight prior to submitting your bids. The May hotel allocation information is currently listed here.

For POA layovers: We have worked out an agreement with our current hotel for May. Please refer to the APFA Hotel Page for information.

MIA and SDF: The APFA Hotel Department’s page also has a list of “temporary relocations.” MIA and SDF currently have temp hotels listed, so please check here for further information.

LAX: The HIHTL information for LAX listed a hotel in San Pedro that is incorrect and will be updated shortly by the company. Due to a large increase in long layovers for May there was an additional hotel added to this market. Please visit the APFA Hotel page for information on the new hotel and which flights have been allocated to the hotels in this market.

Government Affairs – [email protected]
This November, a total of 36 Senate seats are up for grabs, including 3 special elections. Recent polling suggests that the Republicans could win enough seats to take control of the Senate. If that happens, Republicans will control both Houses of Congress. Although APFA enjoys good relationships with many Republican members of Congress, recent House votes indicate that support for labor is in serious jeopardy should Democrats lose control of the Senate.

Earlier this month, House Republicans voted against considering bills to raise the minimum wage, reform mine safety law, and expand equal pay and discrimination protections. Instead, they moved legislation aimed at undoing pending NLRB reforms that would likely make it harder for employers to disrupt union drives and intimidate pro-union workers.

In the current economic climate, collective bargaining rights are more important than ever. For Congress to step in and make organizing more difficult would be a terrible blow to American workers. That’s why the 2014 elections are so vitally important. Among the close races APFA is watching is Kay Hagan’s re-election bid in North Carolina, where we already have hundreds of colleagues and will soon be welcoming many more due to the pre-merger US Airways base at CLT. Click here to view the “Battle for the Senate” map.

To find out how you can get involved in APFA’s grassroots political activities, email Julie Frederick at [email protected].

Safety and Security Department – [email protected]
APFA is aware of the possible federal approval of the sale of powdered alcohol packets (Palcohol), which, when mixed with water creates an alcoholic beverage. If passengers are allowed to purchase the powdered alcohol packets and carry them on board, passengers would then have the ability to mix and serve their own alcoholic beverages during a flight, which is against federal regulations. We will closely monitor this issue and update any changes on this hotline.

EAP Department – [email protected]
Flying a trip with a coworker that you don’t get along with can make the best trip miserable. Conflict, whether at work or at home, can be emotionally upsetting and most of us do not have adequate rules of engagement to productively resolve conflict. Think bad couple’s fight – anger, name-calling, threats and no resolution, just frustration and anger mixed with bruised emotions. If you are having a conflict that is sapping your emotional energy and time, the following are some helpful rules to follow to end the fighting and get to problem solving:

• Conflict is a problem to be solved.
• Conflict is not about winning; it is about understanding and problem solving.
• Find ways to manage your emotions and use moderate behavior.
• Be tough on the issue not on each other and stay on topic.
• Be curious about the issue to better understand the other person’s perspective.
• Be flexible in your thinking and have a couple of possible solutions to propose.
• Talk about yourself by using “I” statements and complete the statement with what you need.
• Be respectful and use neutral language

If you are having a conflict that you have not been able to resolve productively, your APFA Professional Standards representative in the APFA EAP department can offer assistance with effective conflict resolution tools and emotional support. For confidential assistance, call 817-540-0108 ext. 8701.

Industry News
Congratulations are in order to the pilots at JetBlue who voted to unionize this week. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) will represent JetBlue’s 2,500 + pilots. They are the first work group to unionize at JetBlue.
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REMINDERS!

Vacation Trade Bulletin Board at APFA.org
Vacation awards were finalized last week. If you would like to move your 2014-2015 vacation, APFA offers an electronic bulletin board at www.apfa.org to post your trade requests. Click here and follow the directions to post your requested VC trades.

APFA “Flyer” iPhone App
APFA’s Flyer App, Version 5 has been updated and is ready for download from APFA’s website. To download the app, click here.

APFA Website Update
If you’re an APFA member / pre-merger AA Flight Attendant, and don’t yet have access to APFA’s website, go to www.www.apfa.org and click on “Create An Account” under the Log In Form from the main page. Once you fill out the form, a verification email will be sent to you. Click on the specified link within the email, and you will gain immediate access to the members-only portion of APFA.org. Get to know it!

Cell Phones In The Cabin: Call to Action!
HR 3676 prohibits the use of mobile devices for voice communications during the in-flight portion of any scheduled domestic commercial flight, exempting any on-duty members of the flight crew and Flight Attendants, or federal law enforcement personnel acting in an official capacity. There’s still time to contact your Congressperson today and ask them to support this important piece of legislation.

Staffing
Do you have a report concerning staffing-related issues? Please email details to [email protected].

Share Your Photos
We continue to receive some great pictures from our members both on and off the plane. 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 pre-merger US Airways. Please email your hi-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 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.

AmericanAirlines + US Airways
“On Our Way”

Leslie Mayo
APFA National Communications Coordinator