6.14.16 – Charlotte Base Newsletter – June 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Cartels and Seniority
The Wings Foundation
Boarding Early
FMLA
Hotel Issues
Trip Construction
Cabin Jumpseat
Change for Good
LUS On-Duty Contract Guide

Cartels and Seniority

The CLT Base is concerned by the growing number of Flight Attendants bidding high PBS lines of desired trips and giving out these trips through the ETB. There have been reports of gifts and cash having been offered and accepted. Everyone is watching now since PBS, Crew Portal, ISAP and ETB changes have created inflexibility with our schedules. There are several Flight Attendants on the radar because of unethical behavior. This is reminiscent of the Panther charters where Flight Attendants would give trips to Flight Attendants whose seniority could have never held them. Seniority is earned and very important to us all. Keep in mind that circumventing the seniority process affects Flight Attendant’s lives by way of compensation and quality of life.

The Wings Foundation

The WINGS Foundation is excited to be returning to Charlotte! WINGS Foundation Volunteers will be in the C and D Crew Rooms today and tomorrow from 7:30am until 6:30pm. Stop by and learn about their 27-year legacy of Flight Attendants helping Flight Attendants!

Please stop by to learn about the WINGS Foundation and visit them at www.wingsfoundation.com

The WINGS Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization formed and managed by American Airlines Flight Attendant Volunteers who offer assistance to Flight Attendants who are out of sick time and in financial distress due to illness, injury, or disability. The Disaster Relief Fund provides assistance to those whose homes are affected by a natural disaster or catastrophic event.

Boarding Early

As a reminder, boarding early is a violation of our Contract. A letter recently went out to all Gate Agents at all stations stating that they cannot ask Flight Attendants to board early. Whenever asked to do so, please contact your base leadership with all pertinent information including the station, dates, times, and supporting facts. Without this documentation we are unable to follow up to make sure this practice does not continue.

FMLA

There have been many inquiries regarding the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). FMLA is for your benefit. The Company cannot hold you accountable for a sick call that results from a medical condition that currently qualifies under the FMLA program. Please see the FMLA guidelines outlined on JetNet to determine if your absence qualifies under the policy.

Hotel Issues

We continue to receive reports of last minute hotel changes, not having a hotel available, and transportation issues involving earlier than scheduled pick-ups. We understand that many of you pick up and bid trips based on the destination or the hotel property so it is imperative that we document these cases so they can be addressed with the company. If you experience any issues or problems concerning hotels or transportation please document all information pertinent to the situation including dates, flight numbers, hotel name, and the name of any schedulers with whom you spoke and email it directly to me at [email protected]. This will help us in filing any Notice of Disputes (NODs). The sooner we get documentation, the sooner we can get this corrected.

Trip Construction

More and more trips continue to be constructed with more legs per day, and less rest time. Despite continued pleas from all Base Presidents, the Company seems to put the blame on the optimizer instead of addressing the lack of human factor input that seems to be the culprit. I am asking that you please continue to document all unacceptable trip pairings that you fly. If you experience a trip that is causing you to be excessively tired or fatigued, please consider filing a Cabin ASAP Report. It goes to the FAA and APFA, and is non-punitive. Here are some contacts you can use to express your concern about the declining quality of trip pairings:

Crew Planning Team:

APFA:

Cabin Jumpseat

Section 37.G.8 of the 2014 JCBA states:

If the Company agrees that Pilots may not be removed/denied boarding for weight restrictions then such provision shall apply to Flight Attendants as well. Any policy for removal/denial for weight restriction reasons shall be non-discriminatory as it relates to pilots and Flight Attendants.

Should you be removed from a jumpseat or are denied boarding for a weight restriction, please send this information to your base leaders, even if it is just an email. Be sure to include dates, flights, and city pairings.

Change for Good

The Change for Good program is a program between UNICEF and American Airlines, as well as other international carriers. Through UNICEF’s Change for Good program on American Airlines, passengers can make donations of foreign and domestic currency on select American Airlines international flights (including flights to/from Canada and Mexico) and at the Admirals Club (except Latin America). During the tour of LUS bases, 300 Flight Attendants signed up for the program as Ambassadors.

Learn more about the Change for Good program:

LUS On-Duty Contract Guide

Finally, as a reminder we now have the LUS On-Duty Contract Guide (ODCG) available on our tablets and are also available in booklet form in the crew room. It is an invaluable tool for those moments you need fast information about work rules and the contract.

Click Here to view the LUS ODCG via the APFA website.

Fly Safe!

In Unity and in Solidarity,

Cathy Bossi
APFA CLT Base President
[email protected]