7.11.14 – (LAA) – JNC Update – Hours of Service, Vacation International Flying, Crew Rest, Reserve, Leaves of Absence, Crew Accommodation

This week your JNC met in Philadelphia and continued negotiations. Sections in discussion this week were:

• Hours of Service
• Vacation
• International Flying 
• Crew Rest
• Reserve
• Leaves of Absence
• Crew Accommodation

We will continue to keep you up-to-date as we continue down the path to a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA).

As of today, there are 30 face-to-face scheduled meetings remaining between the JNC and the Company in the 150-day path to a Joint Agreement as agreed to in the Negotiations Protocol Agreement (NPA).

Negotiations will continue in Dallas/Ft. Worth the week of July 21, 2014.

QUESTION: Will the membership vote on the Tentative Agreement (T/A)?
ANSWER: Should the parties reach a Tentative Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement, it will be put before the combined membership for ratification. Should the membership not ratify the agreement, or if a Tentative Agreement cannot be reached between the JNC and the company, the disputed issues would then be submitted to a panel of arbitrators. Only the disputed contractual items would be subject to binding arbitration should a T/A not be reached.

REVIEW: The Path to a Joint Contract – An Update on the Process
APFA, AFA, and new American management entered into a Negotiations Protocol Agreement (NPA) that governs talks for a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) between the parties at the New American.

While the collective bargaining process governed by Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act (RLA), otherwise known as “Section 6 Bargaining” is the method of bargaining we are most familiar with in this industry, these joint negotiations do not fall under Section 6 bargaining.

The NPA governs the current bargaining process for the JCBA and contains a number of unique terms distinguishable from the RLA.

FIRST: The NPA provides for an “adopt and go” process. “Adopt and go” means that, to the extent possible, the goal of the parties will be to adopt entire contractual articles/sections from either the AA or US Agreements.

The Company has agreed to utilize the “adopt and go” methodology but is not obligated to accept all the provisions we have adopted in our opening proposal. 

SECOND: The NPA allows for 150 days of negotiations, providing an end time for bargaining. This five-month period gives us ample time to bargain through our differences and to reach a T/A. Negotiations began on April 24, 2014, and are scheduled to conclude on September 19, 2014.

THIRD: Once a Tentative Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) is reached, it will be put before the combined membership for ratification. Should the membership not ratify the agreement, or if a Tentative Agreement cannot be reached between the Union and the Company, the disputed issues would then be submitted to a panel of arbitrators. Only the disputed contractual items would be subject to binding arbitration should a Tentative JCBA not be reached.

FOURTH: The NPA provides that if an agreement is not reached and/or ratified, a panel of arbitrators will decide the outstanding disputes.

FIFTH: The arbitration must begin 90 days after the disputes are submitted to the panel and an award must be issued no later than 30 days after the first day of the hearing.

FINALLY: The arbitrators’ decision must provide a joint contract that is (1) “market based in the aggregate;’ with the “market” defined as United, Continental and Delta; and (2) greater in aggregate value than the existing AA Agreement as applied to pre-merger American Flight Attendants and greater than the US Agreement as applied to pre-merger US Airways Flight Attendants.

Although your JNC is at the forefront of the process, this is a contract for all 24,000 Flight Attendants at the New American. It is important that you read the APFA Hotline and access information at APFA.org. If you are not already accessing this information, we strongly urge you to do so.

In Unity,

Your Joint Negotiating Committee