5.30.14b – (LAA) – Constitutional Amendments Q&As

APFA Special Hotline – Constitutional Amendments Q&As – May 30, 2014

 

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS BALLOTING – [email protected]
As you know, voting on the Constitutional Amendments is underway. The deadline to submit your ballot either online or via telephone is 1000 AM CT June 18, 2014.

The proposed changes to the APFA Constitution were drafted in order to accommodate several significant upcoming developments for the structure of our union. Domestic and International operations will be combined, and as a result of the American-US Airways merger, changes will be coming to American’s operation requiring our union to adapt, including APFA’s certification as the representative of the combined Flight Attendant workgroup and the addition of new APFA bases.

Other proposed amendments clarify, update, and correct provisions of our current Constitution, and change the dues obligation structure for Flight Attendants on an unpaid leave of absence. These proposed changes were unanimously approved by the APFA Board of Directors, which is comprised of the 16 Base Chairs and the National Officers.

• Summaries of Constitutional Changes – 5.19.14
• Markup of Constitutional Changes – 5.19.14
• Constitutional Amendments Sample Ballot – 5.19.14
• Constitutional Amendments Ballot Instructions – 5.19.14
• Letter From the Board of Directors – 5.14.14

Below are some more Q&As regarding the proposed changes.

Q. Why will the changes for dues obligations of Flight Attendants on unpaid status apply only on a “going forward” basis?  Why won’t they apply to the dues owed between the last time the Constitution was changed via member ratification in 2010 and now?
A. In 2010, the membership voted to change dues obligations, and APFA and the Flight Attendants affected by that were governed by those rules only on a going forward basis; the membership was not asked to consider going back and assessing dues for the period before the effective date of the change. To maintain consistency with past practice, the same process is being followed now. If the membership votes for Item #5, the changes will apply only to dues obligations after the date of ratification.

Q. With the Base elections in the beginning of 2015, wouldn’t it be more cost effective to just postpone the elections until the Domestic Operation and the International Operation are combined?  
A.  Of course there will be a cost involved in holding a new election once the operations are combined, but stability within our union structure is very important. We don’t know for sure when that combination will happen, and it wouldn’t be wise to have Base Officer terms that are open-ended.

Q.  Why do we need to change the constitution for a one-time issue?  
A.  While there are a few proposed amendments that address “one-time” issues such as transition provisions connected to the combination of operations, the vast majority of the proposed amendments are not “one-time” issues. Instead, they will accomplish necessary changes and improvements that will govern our union’s operations for many years to come. Although other issues are “one-time”only, they are governed by our Constitution and changes cannot be implemented without the approval of the membership.

Q.  In item #3, why change some BOD or officer responsibilities from “shall” to “may”?
A. When our Constitution was written more than 20 years ago, there were tasks that were expected to be performed on a regular basis. Over time, some of those no longer need to be done automatically every year. For example, the Constitution states that the Board of Directors shall (must) review the APFA Policy Manual at every Annual Convention. The proposed change says that the Board “may” review the Policy Manual – but only if the need arises.

Q. Why do we need to clarify “elected” vs “duly elected” now? Doesn’t the term “elected” cover both without a distinction being necessary?
A. In most places, the Constitution properly references officers and representatives who are “elected” by a vote or, if there is only one candidate running, “duly elected.” The proposed changes simply add “duly elected” where it was mistakenly left out. Although it is a “technical” correction, we want to be sure that the Constitution accurately states our governing rules.  

If you have questions about the content of the Constitutional Amendment changes, please email [email protected].

If you have any questions about your ballot and/or how to vote, email [email protected].

AmericanAirlines + US Airways 
“On Our Way”

Leslie Mayo
APFA National Communications Coordinator