10.09.19 – Weekly Scoop

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Tomorrow – Thursday the 10th

APFA National Officers, the Negotiating Committee, the Joint Scheduling Implementation Committee (JSIC), and the National Department Chairs & Specialists will host a Telephone TownHall Thursday, October 10^th from 12:00 to 1:00 pm CDT.

Click the image above or click here to register for the event.

Contract Negotiations Dates for October

We are back at the table with management from October 28-30, 2019.
Check the status of negotiations on www.apfa.org on the negotiations page.

PHL Base Visit & PIT Satellite Visits Coming in November

Please join me, and various APFA leaders and negotiators this November during informal base and satellite visits in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Both visits will take place at the airport in crew rooms or designated areas. Come by and say hello. We will be there to listen to your concerns and answer your questions. Dates and Times below:

PHL Base Visit
Date: Nov. 5, 2019
Time: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Crew Operations areas

PIT Satellite Visit
Date: Nov. 6, 2019
Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: Pittsburgh Airport – Location to be determined.

Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions Meeting in November

APFA will host the Coalition of Flight Attendants, which is scheduled for November 13 in the Dallas area.  We are looking forward to discussing important issues affecting our profession in the areas of Health, Safety, and Legislative Affairs. Working collaboratively on critical issues of concern strengthens our collective voices.

Article III, Section 3, C. of the APFA Constitution Annual Fall Board Meeting

Date: October 15th & 16th

Location:
Hurst Conference Center
1601 Campus Drive
Hurst, TX 76054

Members in good standing are welcome to attend all open portions of the meeting.

Day 24 – UAW-GM Strike

In a letter to UAW-GM Union Brothers and Sisters, UAW General Motors Department , Vice President and Director Terry Dittes writes:“The lack of commitment by GM to our UAW-GM locations has weighed heavily on all of us trying to get the best contract for you and your families. We have openly told GM that we do not see a solid commitment to this talented and skilled workforce that has made them billions of dollars in profits. We have made it clear that there is no job security for us when GM products are made in other countries for the purpose of selling them here in the U.S.A. We believe that the vehicles GM sells here should be built here. We don’t understand GM’s opposition to this proposition. We are willing to discuss other ways to ensure real job security during the term of this Agreement, but building more world-class vehicles at our UAW-GM locations is the best solution for our Members, our families, our communities and GM.”

APFA stands in support of our union family at GM-UAW who fight for fair wages, quality health care and permanent seniority for temporary workers.

Support Labor. Fair Contract Now.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, to be held on Saturday October 26th, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. The Take Back Day provides an opportunity for Americans to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths.

This is a great opportunity for those who missed previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to dispose of those medications easily and safely.

For more information, including a Collection Site Locator, public service announcements, resources and treatment information, please visit DEA’s website: https://takebackday.dea.gov/

737 MAX Update, SWAPA Sues Boeing

This week, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) filed a lawsuit against Boeing, accusing the manufacturer of rushing the production of the 737 MAX and ignoring safety while prioritizing profits. Boeing had originally neglected to disclose the addition of the MCAS software system to the new aircraft in an attempt to speed up the regulatory process and avoid time-consuming training for pilots. While Boeing has publicly stated its goal to return the 737 MAX to the skies before the end of 2019, Southwest has canceled all MAX flights through January 5th while American Airlines has canceled MAX flights through January 15th. News from the FAA, Congress, and international regulators continue to point to a murky timeline for its return to service.

Benefit Annual Enrollment: What’s New?

Annual benefit enrollment will be October 21, 2019 to November 1, 2019.

CORE plan provides domestic partner coverage

The Value Plan renamed to the High Cost Coverage Plan

Basic Dental Plan – Pay a little less per month for $1,000 in coverage.

Plus Dental Plan – Pay a little more per month for $2,000 in coverage (You must stay in this option for 2 years). You will spend a lot more money if you see an out-of-network dentist. In Network dentists offer services at negotiated rates.

Enhanced System Called Smart-Choice Accounts – A simple way to manage spending accounts. You will be mailed a Smart-Choice Accounts debit card in December which will REPLACE your YSA Debit card. CHECK YOUR MAIL FOR YOUR NEW DEBIT CARD!

Life Insurance Changes- Increase voluntary life insurance levels without a Statement of Health during this Annual Enrollment. You will need to provide the name and birth date of any children who are covered by child life insurance.

• Offered in the Dallas – Fort Worth area only. Utilize the Baylor, Scott, & White Network (BSWQA)
• This plan will be the beta test for 2020, which will determine future coverage to different bases.
• This option may not be for you if you have covered dependents at college or living outside the metroplex
• IF YOU’RE TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE DFW AREA AND NEED CARE, YOUR OPTIONS ARE TELEMEDICINE, EVISITS, AMERICAN’S ONSITE CLINICS, CVS MINUTECLINICS & CLINICS OPERATED BY WALMART. ONLY URGENT & EMERGENT CARE WHILE TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE DFW AREA WILL BE COVERED.
• If you’re in the DFW area, there is no coverage outside of the BSWQA network unless you use an emergency room for a true emergency. If you or one of your dependents is under the care of a provider outside the BSWQA network and no other provider can lead that care, this option may be for you. Locate providers in the BSWQA network please visit: DFWCONNECTEDCARE.com
• Utilizing this website can help you determine if this plan is right for you since some doctors or specialist may not be in BSWQA network.

Questions? 888-860-6178

Read the Latest Update on Narita-NRT 

https://www.apfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NARITA-HILTON-UPDATE.pdf

Upcoming Reviews:
GSP – Greenville-Spartanburg
DSM – Des Moines
UVF – St. Lucia
XNA – Northwest Arkansas
CMH/S – Columbus, OH

Maximum Medical Improvement

MMI denotes the point in time when the primary treating physician or a State Acknowledged Medical Doctor determines that the injured flight attendant has recovered as much as he/she is going to recover for a particular injury.

On the date when a doctor believes you have reached that point, he or she will find you have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI). Should you reach MMI and no longer be eligible for temporary state income benefits, you have the opportunity to request post-MMI recoding for reoccurring injury absences.  You must have medical substantiation from your doctor to support your lost time. The following link is the required form for recoding such absences and avoiding punitive sick policy points.

https://hr.jetnet.aa.com/workcomp/docs/post_mmi_fa.pdf

 

ETB Posting Reminder

When you open ETB, the default search is ALL.  If you are looking for sequences to trade, check the trade box to populate available sequences.

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When you open the Create Post page, the default is DROP, regardless of your search criteria on the previous page.  If you want to trade your sequence, make sure you switch to the Trade Seq tab.

Retirement Seminars – Are You Ready?The Retirement Department will be conducting the following seminars in October:

• October 10th – PHL – 1100-1400 Tour Room (inside security between Concourses C & D)
• October 22^nd – CLT – 1100-1400  Auditorium above the Food Court
• October 23rd – STL – 1100-1400  Flight Attendant Operations
• November 7^th – MIA – 1100-1400 – Third Floor Conference Room before Operations
• November 12^th – DFW – 1100-1400 – APFA Unity Pays Conference Room, APFA Headquarters, 1004 W. Euless Blvd, Euless, TX

The Retirement seminars cover a wide range of topics including: Retiree Travel, 401(K), Pensions, COBRA, and Medicare.

Legacy American Airlines Flight Attendants: Download a pension estimate from the Pension Service Center page on Jetnet.

Legacy US Airways Flight Attendants: Request a copy of their pension estimate from the PBGC by calling 800-400-7242.

Members unable to attend the seminars are always welcome to watch the retirement webinar series available on the APFA Retirement Page, as well as download the Good Slide! retirement handout.

Everyone is welcome regardless of base or seniority – no need to RSVP.

Remember – it’s never too early to start planning for retirement