4.22.15 – (LAA/LUS) Base Elections, Pres. Video Update, Prefunding Arb, BOD Meeting, I.T Update, FB, FML, IOD/OJI, KCM, UNICEF

 

April 22, 2015

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LAA
Last Chance To Vote For Combined Base Representatives – Ballots Due Thursday Morning, April, 23 2015 at 10:00 a.m. CT – [email protected]
Flight Attendants based at BOS, BOSI, DFW, IDF, LAX, LAXI, LGA, JFK, MIA and IMA have until Thursday, April 23, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. CT to make a selection for their Base President and/or Vice President.
 
For those Flight Attendants who have voted in past elections and kept your VIN and PIN, you may use those credentials to cast your vote anytime during the balloting period. If you never received your ballot, misplaced your ballot, or wish to change your vote and do not have your VIN and PIN, please contact the APFA National Ballot Committee (NBC) immediately at [email protected] to receive your 16 digit activation code. You may cast your vote by phone 1-800-698-3789 or internet https://www.ballotpoint.com/apfa.
 
A copy of the ballot and the candidate information can be found on the APFA website by visiting: https://www.www.apfa.org/elections-a-balloting.
 
LAA / LUS
APFA President Laura Glading on LUS I.T. Issues, LAA Prefunding and Open Skies
Laura spent some time in Washington during the Arbitration Prep and base visits this past week to record a short video for APFA members. To watch the video, visit: https://youtu.be/PdXvwSTKN_4

Discussion topics include:
 
LUS IT Issues, visit: www.www.apfa.org/LUS-FAs (click on APFA LUS Hotlines)
LAA Prefunding Arbitration, visit: www.www.apfa.org/PrefundingArb
Open Skies Information, visit: www.www.apfa.org/partnership-for-open-and-fair-skies

LAA
Prefunding Arbitration – [email protected]
APFA leadership has spent the last several weeks focusing on the final preparations for the Prefunding Arbitration scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 28th at 1:00 p.m. The Prefunding Presidential Grievance addresses LBFO contractual language which was negotiated during AMR Bankruptcy in 2012. To read more about the Presidential arbitration filing, visit: https://www.apfa.org/prefundingarb.
 
Due to the amount of confidential financial documents presented from Bankruptcy proceedings by both parties, APFA and AA have agreed that the arbitration will be a closed hearing except for Union Representatives and members of management under confidentiality clause. 
 
National Communications Chair Leslie Mayo will be live-tweeting non-confidential portions of the arbitration. Please follow us at twitter.com/apfaunity or facebook.com/apfaunity to view updates in real time.
 
When:       April 28-April 30
Where:      Washington, D.C. 
 
LAA / LUS
APFA Board of Directors Meeting
The APFA Board of Directors will be meeting in the DFW area on May 6-7 at the Embassy Suites DFW South. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. both days. All members in good standing are welcome to attend open portions of the meeting. 
 
LUS 
I.T. Update
APFA will be meeting with the Company again on May 1^st to continue addressing the ongoing problems with the ETB and Crew Portal functionality. The Company has stated we should see some real improvements around May 17th. We will continue to push for improvements until the system works as it should and as the LUS Flight Attendants were promised it would. To read the LUS I.T. Updates in past APFA Hotlines, visit: https://www.www.apfa.org/lus-fas/3701-apfa-lus-hotlines. 
 
LAA / LUS
APFA Facebook Q&A Page
Ten percent of our membership has already joined the official APFA Q&A page on Facebook. If you would like to receive factual information about our contract and other relevant aspects of our job, go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/APFAQAs/
 
LAA 
Family Leave and VC/VX/PVDs
Beginning May 2, 2015, Flight Attendants will be able to use accrued VC/VX days for the full trip value when recoding Family Leave (FML) days using Vacation for self or eligible family members. PVDs are available as well, but they are limited to six per year and are paid at the 3:30/hr. daily rate. 
 
Flight Attendants must exhaust all sick time before using vacation time with FML for self. Sick time may not be used with FML for eligible family members nor may you choose to go unpaid with FML for eligible family members – you must use VC/VX. Using PVDs is not required.
 
New Hires –  If you have recently completed one year of service with the company and have 504 on-duty hours, you are administratively eligible to apply for FML.
 
LAA / LUS
Filing an Injury On Duty/On Job Injury – [email protected]
If you are an LAA Flight Attendant injured at work, report your injury to the MOD or any available Flight Service Manager in order to generate an Automated Accident Report (not to be confused with an AMR Event report).

Laws vary from state to state. If you are based in California and Texas, you must treat with a Preferred Provider Network (PPN). If you are based in Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, or Virginia, you will be directed care from the worker’s compensation insurance company Sedgwick.

In order to receive salary continuance under JCBA Section 27, you will need to treat within the PPN.

If you are an LUS Flight Attendant, you must fill out a Safety Event Report (SER) within 24 hours. If you are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina or Virginia, you will need to treat at approved clinics or designated healthcare providers.  If you are based in Arizona, you must treat with a company approved clinic one time.  In order to receive salary continuance under Section 27, you will need to treat within the PPN.
Sedgwick contacts:

• California 855-854-6141 or www.harborsys.com/genexmpn
• Texas 866-611-9949 or www.talispoint.com/genex
• All other bases www.genexservices.com

The user name for all websites is american and the password is airlines.

LAA / LUS
Known Crewmember Update – DFW – [email protected]
The TSA made a few changes to the KCM entry portals at DFW this week. According to www.knowncrewmember.org, here are the updated KCM locations:
 
Terminal A: Checkpoint located fire door near checkpoint A12; 0430-2100
 
Terminal C: C20 Checkpoint adjacent to lane 1; 0430-2100
(KCM at the C Terminal moved from the right hand side of the AA Ticket Counter at the C20 terminal entry area to the left hand side of the AA Ticket Counter at the C20 terminal entry area.)
 
Terminal D: Adjacent to checkpoint; 0615-2030
 
Terminal E: E31 Checkpoint; 0400-2030
 
Although the TSA recently announced new security enhancements effective immediately for airline/airport employee security screening to address the potential insider threat vulnerability at US airports, APFA has confirmed that there are no changes to the current policies or procedures for the KCM.
 
LAA
UNICEF Change For Good Update – [email protected]
The removal of Duty Free carts has changed procedures to deposit Change for Good collections, and with that, the program needs everyone’s support now more than ever. Flight Attendants can continue collecting donations from passengers on select International flights including flights to/from Mexico and Canada. 

Please use the UNICEF safes to deposit all Change for Good collections. Safes are located at JFK, BOS, LAX, MIA, DFW and ORD.  The program is also working on getting safes in more convenient locations at some of the bases. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work on this.  We very much need your support at this time. 

Change for Good collection bags can be picked up at the MOD office/Crew Service Center – please take some and carry them with you. Continue to use the Buddy Witness System (sealing, signing and depositing the bag in front of a witness). More detailed information on collection procedures can be found on the Champions website at http://www.unicefusa.org/champions-children-main-page/resources-and-faq.

The program will extend to LUS flights in the very near future. Once it is closer to launch, there will be details on how to join the program and how it works. 
 
This program is fully endorsed by APFA and has raised, on average, over $1 million dollars per year for children over the past eight consecutive years. We need your support now more than ever, please sign up and become a Champion today. Thank you!

Leslie Mayo
APFA National Communications Chair