3.28.19 – APFA Continues to Fight the Attendance Policy on All Fronts

APFA Continues to Fight the Attendance and Performance Program on all Fronts

1. We filed a Presidential Grievance. This was scheduled for February yet the company claimed “witness unavailability” and requested a postponement. We called an executive session with the arbitrator to oppose the postponement, but the decision was made to allow the postponement. The arbitration is currently scheduled for June 12-14 at the Hyatt DFW Airport. All members in good standing are encouraged to attend. In lieu of filing for a preliminary injunction related solely to procedural issues on the case, we have recently reached an agreement surrounding the arbitration procedure (the Procedural Protocol Agreement) that provides for an extremely expedited timeline,  so that we can get an answer from the arbitrator earlier than expected. The agreement locks the company into the June dates, and outlines a shortened schedule for briefing and deliberation. Per the Procedural Protocol Agreement, we will have a decision by the arbitrator on or around July 30^th. The agreement is a cost-effective solution that will allow us to focus on fighting the merits of the Presidential Grievance, rather than having to dispute procedural issues at arbitration or in court. Procedural disputes, which we have now resolved, deal with the timing of how fast a case is heard and the deadline for issuing the arbitrator’s ruling.

2. We also filed an EEOC Charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging sex discrimination and disparate impact under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We believe that the Attendance and Performance Program, which has not been imposed on any other work group at AA and penalizes our work group at a much higher rate than the pilots, is discriminatory against the predominantly female Flight Attendant work group.