About the Retirement Department

About the APFA Retirement Department and Representatives

National Retirement Specialist: Ron Harris (DFW)

The National Retirement Specialist is appointed by the President, and reports to the President’s office.

National Retirement Specialist Emeritus: Patrick Hancock (DFW)

---

The APFA Retirement Department is responsible for: creating and maintaining the helpful guides and instructions to assist the membership in understanding their options and opportunities for retirement, such as the APFA Retirement Handbook, “Good Slide!” Additionally, the Department explains the process of, and encourages saving for retirement through the various retirement vehicles available to flight attendants, such as the American Airlines 401k Plan and IRAs through hotlines, classes, articles, and links on the department website.

The Department’s activities and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting educational retirement briefings in bases across the system in coordination with local base leadership.

• Assisting individual flight attendants with issues that may arise in retirement planning, benefits, and implementation, related to Pension, 401k, seniority, retiree travel, medical benefits, and survivors.

• Representing APFA in management meetings and briefings concerning retirement benefits, 401k, retiree travel, and pensions.

• Advocating for flight attendants with management regarding retirement benefits such as pensions, retiree travel and health benefits.

• Representing APFA, and APFA retirees, with governmental and judicial bodies, such as the PBGC, and the Bankruptcy Court, at the request of the President or Board of Directors.

• Conducting advanced training for base reps desiring to be Base Retirement Representatives. 

• Acquiring and maintaining records of the American Airlines Employee 401k, plan, the American Airlines Pension Plan for flight attendants, PBGC notifications, Early Out plans and offers, etc.

• Assisting members in related issues, such as survivorship, and equity shares.

Additionally, the Department acts as a resource to the negotiating team regarding retirement benefits and savings plans, and to the SBA department when handling Notice of Disputes and arbitrations related to: pensions, retiree medical benefits, retiree travel, and 401k.

---

APFA Base Retirement Representatives

Any member in good standing is welcome to request that their Base President nominate them for Advanced Retirement Training. If selected by your Base President to attend the Advanced Retirement Training, you must first attend a regular base Retirement Briefing, then you must arrange to attend the Advanced Class on your days off as trip removals are not offered.  To be notified of the next class, email your interest to your Base President.

After a local representative has attended the APFA Retirement Briefing and the Advance Retirement Training class, the Base President may then appoint one or more trained reps as a Base Retirement Representative(s). Their function is to assist the National Retirement Specialist by fielding questions and issues at the local level, and escalating them to the national level as needed. They are also invited to attend and be involved in retirement seminars at their local bases.