7.25.14b – (LAA) – A321T Presidential Update, Hotel Dept, New DFW KCM, Adjacent Base Flying, Transfer/Proffer Requests, Anxiety, Supp Med, COBRA

APFA Hotline – A321T Presidential Update, Hotel Dept, New DFW KCM, Adjacent Base Flying, Transfer/Proffer Requests, Anxiety, Supp Med, COBRA – July 25, 2014

 

A321T Presidential Update
APFA has received management’s response to APFA’s Presidential Grievance regarding A321-T (Transcon) galley pay. In short, the company’s position is as follows: “The provision for Galley Pay in article 3.S.1.a, however, applies only to multi-aisle aircraft and thus does not extend to the Airbus 321T, which is a single aisle aircraft… the grievance is denied.”

APFA has submitted the grievance to the APFA/American Airlines System Board of Adjustment to be scheduled for a hearing in front of an arbitrator. This grievance requests galley pay for the A321-T as well as back pay for all Flight Attendants who have worked these trips since the aircraft was added to AA’s fleet earlier this year.

Hotel Updates – [email protected]
During Off Schedule Operations (OSO), the AA Hotel/Limo Department is flooded with calls from crew members seeking information about a hotel due to a busted sequence. FYI: The AA Hotel/Limo reps cannot assign rooms until sequences are whole. They must wait on Crew Tracking to repair the failing continuities first; then the Hotel/Limo desk can proceed. Whether calling Crew Tracking or the Hotel/Limo, one Flight Attendant should make contact on behalf of the crew in order to reduce wait times for other crews experiencing OSO.
 
PHL – Our long layover hotel was evacuated the other night due to a faulty exhaust fan.  All crew members safely returned to base.  The hotel is back up and running with no damage to any guests rooms.
 
Temporary Relocations can be found here.
 
We have a new hotel in ATL and we’re finalizing the contract with a new hotel for short LAS layovers. Please visit the APFA Hotel Department page for more information.

Known Crew Member (KCM) – [email protected]
A KCM portal entry has recently opened up in DFW Terminal D at D22 security area. New KCM portal entries are opening up across the US airport system. Crew members can access the list of KCM portals at www.knowncrewmember.org. As an FYI… if a KCM portal entry does not experience enough traffic, the airport may decide to close that KCM portal and utilize the TSA agents for the regular security screening checkpoints.

As a reminder, KCM portal entries are for uniformed crew members only. Crew members who access the secured side of an airport terminal through a KCM portal are required to remain in uniform. Any questions regarding KCM and the TSA security regulations should be sent to [email protected].

Adjacent Base Flying – [email protected]
Adjacent Base (AB) flying continues to be offered daily in ORD and IOR for the month of August on a test-basis. AB flying will be open at Crew Schedule’s discretion at all other bases. The APFA Joint Scheduling Committee is monitoring the test closely and plans to review how it is working working and what impact it may have on Crew Resources at the next quarterly meeting in August.

Chikungunya / IOD Desk – [email protected]
We have received calls this week regarding Flight Attendant’s concerns about Chikungunya and flying to the Caribbean.  For more information about this disease you can visit www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/. To date, APFA has received no notice that any of our members have been infected by this disease.

From the IOD Desk – We have received several calls from Flight Attendants who did not receive a notification once a new adjuster is assigned to their claim. If you do not receive a letter notifying you of a change in your adjuster – but there was in fact a change, contact the team leader or email [email protected].

Georgia Senate Race – [email protected]
The race for the open U. S. Senate seat in Georgia just got a lot more interesting. Tea Party favorite David Perdue won this week’s Republican primary. Perdue will now face Michelle Nunn, the daughter of popular and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. Like most of the nation, Georgians rate the current Congress poorly. Expect both candidates to run as Washington outsiders. The retirement of Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss has given new hope that Michelle Nunn can return the seat to the Democrats. Nunn has shown that she has the ability to work across party lines, something that is sorely needed. Nunn serves as CEO of the Points of Light Foundation, the largest organization in the U.S.  purposed towards volunteer service, and started by the Bush family. Nunn has been characterized as a “fabulous leader” for her work at the Foundation. 

Several APFA members reside in Georgia, many of whom fly out of our ATL satellite base. We will continue to watch this race closely.

Transfer/Proffer Request Reminder – [email protected]
Have you checked your transfer/proffer request in your 3* recently? Please ensure any request is up to date as you cannot rescind a vacancy transfer, proffer or mutual once it has been awarded. Remember to remove any request you no longer wish to receive.  

Anxiety – [email protected]
It is normal to feel anxious when facing a challenging situation, such as losing time when a trip cancels, or ensuring you have daycare coverage when the last leg of your trip is delayed. In moderation, anxiety can help you stay focused, spur you to action in an emergency or motivate you to solve a problem. But if your worries are constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationships and daily life, it stops being functional. If your fears seem overwhelming, you may suffer from an anxiety disorder. There are different types of anxiety disorders and effective help for each type.

Some signs that your anxiety is no longer functional are:
    •    You are constantly tense or worried and anticipate the worst will happen
    •    Your anxiety interferes with your work, relationships or other responsibilities
    •    You are plagued by fears you know are irrational
    •    You believe something bad will happen if certain things aren’t done a certain way
    •    You avoid everyday situations because they cause you anxiety
    •    You experience sudden, unexpected attacks heart-pounding panic
    •    You feel like danger and catastrophe are around every corner

If you have concerns about your anxiety, you don’t have to suffer alone. Many Flight Attendants experience overwhelming anxiety and find help by making a confidential call to the APFA EAP Desk for information and assistance in addressing their concerns. We can be reached at 817-540-0108, ext. 8701 or at [email protected].

VEOP1 Converting From COBRA to Retiree Medical / Don’t forget your Supplemental Medical – [email protected]
For retirees who are near the end of the 18 months of COBRA coverage and are now completing their “one time activation” of their Retiree Medical Coverage: do not forget that you are eligible to purchase the Supplemental Medical “back-up” policy as well. The Supplemental Medical provides an additional $500,000 of coverage to your AA Retiree Medical Plan. The cost is $180 a year, ($15 a month). The company has attempted to discontinue the plan, but for now, it is still available.

If you do not receive an application in the mail with your Retiree Medical Plan information, contact HR at 800-447-2000 and ask for a Retiree Supplemental Insurance Application.

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REMINDERS!

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

APFA “Flyer” iPhone App
APFA’s Flyer App, Version 5 is available 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!

Staffing
Do you have a report concerning staffing-related issue and would like to submit data to APFA? Please email all details to [email protected]. This email is a no-response email. It is strictly used to collect data. If you have a scheduling or staffing question or issue, please email [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 Chair