8.29.14b – Labor Day Look Back, 9/11 – USS Midway Memorial, eManual, Dual Qual, Hotel Updates, Emergency Rooms, DFW Retirement Briefing, AAI

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APFA Hotline – Labor Day Look Back, 9/11 – USS Midway Memorial, eManual, Dual Qual, Hotel Updates, Emergency Rooms, DFW Retirement Briefing, AAI – August 29, 2014

 

Labor Day Message – How Far We’ve Come
“Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of  American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”
– US Department of Labor
 
There is strength in unity and this concept has never been more true than for the Flight Attendants at the new American. Here’s a quick look back at what we have accomplished as a unionized workgroup in a single year:

• APFA helped lead the DC lobby event protesting the DOJ’s lawsuit against the AA/US Merger
• OSHA protections announced following years of work by APFA 
• DOJ lawsuit settles and merger is back on track
• American Airlines exits bankruptcy and merges with US Airways on the same day
• APFA members receive 3% equity in the new American totaling more than 7,000,000 shares of stock distributed to Legacy AA (LAA) Flight Attendants
• The bankruptcy contract aka LBFO is thrown out and replaced with immediate improvements under the Conditional Labor Agreement (CLA)
• APFA and AFA strike an agreement on bargaining and representation avoiding a costly and divisive representation election. AFA-US Airways Flight Attendants overwhelmingly ratify the agreement.
• VEOP-2 concludes, providing extra cash for several hundred more APFA members to retire
• APFA members receive profit sharing for the first time since 2001
• APFA/AFA joint negotiating team begins 150 days of bargaining
• NMB finds that American and US Airway are a single carrier, paving the way for APFA to soon be certified as the representative of all new American Flight Attendants

APFA members should be proud of our accomplishments. By staying informed, providing support and participating in union functions, we are truly a force to be reckoned with. Happy Labor Day 2014!
 
9/11 San Diego Memorial – [email protected]
Calling all Flight Attendants who plan to be in San Diego on 9/11 to attend the memorial service on the USS Midway. The event is in need of Flight Attendants to read out names of those who died on September 11, 2001. The Midway event is a beautiful tribute to our fallen coworkers and is always well attended by first responders. Please contact the APFA communications department at [email protected] if you are interested.
 
eManual – [email protected]
We are just days away from saying good riddance to the paper version of our Flight Attendant Inflight manual. On Monday September 1, 2014, we will only be responsible for our eManual found on our Samsung tablets. Please remember that as of 0001 on September 1st, the eManual on our tablets will be the only acceptable Inflight manual for all AA Flight Attendants. Remember to keep your tablets updated and fully charged when reporting for a flight or training. We will provide further information regarding the eManual as soon as it becomes available.
 
Dual Qualification – [email protected]
The company and APFA continue to discuss the training plans for the domestic Flight Attendants who currently do not hold international qualifications. We have been made aware that this training will not begin until January 2015. Therefore, there will not be any proffers or drafts for this training during October, November or December of this year.

Sked/Resk On Duty Max and Operational Max – [email protected]
The difference between the scheduled/rescheduled on duty maximum and operational maximum is that “Scheduled” is planned, “Rescheduled” is actual. Sequences can only be built up to the Scheduled On Duty Maximum as found in the ODCG page 9, or Art.7.K. and App.I Art.7.J.

Once a Flight Attendant has signed in, the Operational Duty Day becomes the new Maximum/Actual Hours On Duty. Actual time includes creeping delays cause by weather or mechanicals, for example.

Hotel Updates – [email protected]
LHR-Our long layover hotel received a citation from the fire department due to the storage room being over-crowded and obvious signs of mice due to food being stored there.  A notice has gone out about the proper stowage for this room and you are asked to comply or we will lose this benefit.  Please visit here to see the notice. https://www.www.apfa.org/departmentsmenu/hotel-department 
 
YUL – Site visit will be conducted in this market
 
CUN – New short layover hotel in this market. Please visit the hotel page for hotel info and amenities
 
CUR, MCI-short, SAT-long – Temporary Relocations continue in these markets.  
 
Stand Alone ERs – [email protected]
Stand-alone Emergency Rooms are becoming extremely popular all over the country. Please note that while these ERs may offer less wait time with the same type of service as a Hospital ER, if your condition warrants, you may end up in a Hospital ER anyway. If this is the case, you could get hit with two separate ER bills. 
 
It’s also important to note that you may have been able to be treated at an Urgent Care Clinic for non-life threatening conditions, avoiding the cost of an ER. The majority of these stand-alone ERs are out of network, despite their telling you that your insurance is accepted. The out of network fees are usually pretty high. One such charge is a facility fee of $1500-$2000 that you will incur just for walking through the door. You would personally be responsible for this entire fee. Rule of thumb: Ask before you go if the stand alone ER is IN NETWORK.
 
Knee Defender and Election Day – [email protected]
This week a United Airlines flight was forced to make an unscheduled landing due to an inflight disturbance between two passengers over the use of a “Knee Defender”  ™. The device has been available for about 10 years and is designed to attach to the tray table arms preventing the passenger sitting in front from reclining the seat.  The incident escalated to the point that both passengers were removed from the flight and could face fines of up to $25K. The FAA has said the device is not against federal aviation rules as long as they aren’t used during taxiing, takeoffs or landings and has left the inflight policy up to the individual airlines.
 
American’s position is outlined in the American Way magazine. AA policy prohibits the use of devices that diminish the design function or capability of any aircraft part or component.
 
Countdown to Election Day
Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th.  To find out about absentee and early voting in your state, or to register to vote, go to the APFA main  page or follow this link to the non-partisan League of Women Voters.  www.vote411.org  Your voice is your vote.
 
Marijuana – [email protected]
Marijuana is a drug listed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The Department of Transportation’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulation – 49 CFR Part 40 – does NOT authorize the use of marijuana for any reason even though many states are legalizing recreational marijuana and/or medical marijuana.
 
It remains UNACCEPTABLE for any Flight Attendant subject to drug testing under the Department of Transportation’s drug testing regulations to use marijuana even if the state you live in passed either recreational or medical marijuana initiatives. If you use recreational marijuana and/or medical marijuana and get a positive drug test because of it, you will be fired. If you have questions or concerns, please make a confidential call to your APFA EAP Department at 817-540-0108 ext. 8701, or email us at [email protected]. 
 
APFA DFW Retirement Briefing – [email protected]
The next APFA Retirement Briefing will be conducted on September 3, 2014 from 1300-1600 in the DFW Yandry Center across from gate C2. All Flight Attendants are invited to attend. Bring a copy of your pension estimate that you can download from Jetnet. This popular and informative briefing will cover many topics important to making the most of your retirement planning.
 
The Advanced Retirement Representative training on September 4, 2014 0900-1600, is now oversold, so the training has been relocated to the Candlewood Suites DFW South, 4200 Reggis Court, Fort Worth, TX 76155 in order to accommodate everyone. If you have already reserved a spot at the Advanced Retirement Training and have questions, please direct them to [email protected].
 
Airline Ambassadors
Recently, APFA President Laura Glading submitted a letter of support to Airline Ambassadors, Inc. (AAI) in an effort to secure grant funding toward their work against human trafficking. Human trafficking is among the fastest growing organized crime businesses, reaping $32 billion a year according to the Int’l Labor Organization.
 
AAI has a team racing in the “Runaway Bridesmaids” fundraiser which is a cause against sex trafficking. This one-mile race, run in dresses, takes place in Hoboken, N.J. If you’d like to learn more or donate to the cause, please visit the AAI website or click here.

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REMINDERS!
Integrated Seniority List – [email protected]
The Integrated Seniority List is available for viewing on the Seniority Integration page of the APFA website. You are encouraged to check the list to review your adjusted seniority date and placement on the list. In addition you will find a Q&A and other documents to help with frequently asked questions regarding seniority integration. As a reminder, the relative seniority of LAA or LUS Flight Attendants has not changed.

If you have a question about your position on the new integrated seniority list or believe there is a clerical error, please send an email to [email protected]. Include your name, employee number, Occupational Seniority Date as reflected on the new list, your date of birth, a clear explanation of what error you believe exists, and what you think your Occupational Seniority Date should be. The deadline to send an email is September 9, 2014.

Our current Occupational Seniority dates will continue to be reflected in our HI8 for the foreseeable future. The adjusted Occupational Seniority date from the integrated list will be incorporated into our HI8 at a later date.

Non Rev Travel Changes
This week, the company announced details and a timeline of changes that will take place to Non Revenue travel beginning mid-September. The company has stated the changes will take place in two phases.

September 10, 2014

• Non revenue travelers will begin boarding by time of check-in on their legacy metal
• The new boarding priority and boarding codes will go into effect for all non rev travelers on their legacy airline.

September 15, 2014

• Time of check-in and boarding priority will be fully integrated for both LAA and LUS non rev travelers across both carriers.
• Employees will be able to see flight loads, boarding priority lists and check in online on the other legacy carrier.

ACTION ALERT: Norwegian Air International Application is Bad For Labor – [email protected]
The U.S./European Union (EU) Open Skies Agreement was an historic bi-lateral agreement that not only expanded opportunities for consumers and businesses but protected our high labor standards. Norwegian Air International (NAI) currently has an application for a foreign air carrier certification before DOT Department of Transportation (DOT). But, NAI will be a Norwegian company in name only as it will register its aircraft in Ireland, evade the laws of Norway and hire crews based in Thailand under individual contracts governed by the laws of Singapore.

NAI’s operating plan, as detailed in its application to the DOT, would violate the terms and clear intent of the labor provisions (Article 17 bis) embodied in the Open Skies Agreement that embrace “high labor standards.” We need to protect our American aviation jobs from outsourcing! The transatlantic market is the busiest in the world and one that is extremely important for US-based airlines and the hundreds of thousands of American workers they employ. Visit APFA’s Capwiz page to contact DOT Secretary Foxx and ask him to reject NAI’s application.

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