2.05.20 – The Scoop
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Ballots for the National Officer Run-Off Election will be mailed Friday,
February 7, 2020. Ballots must be received by 10:00 am CST Monday, March 9, 2020.
APFA Fourth Quarter Executive Committee Meeting
The APFA Fourth Quarter Executive Committee Meeting will be held February 6-7, 2020 in the Unity Pays Conference Room at APFA Headquarters. In accordance with the APFA Policy Manual, the Tentative Agenda for this meeting is now available on the website www.APFA.org. Once the meeting is called to order, this agenda may be amended. The Final Agenda will be sent in another hotline from the Secretary’s Department.
All members in good standing are welcome to attend the meeting scheduled to begin at 9:30 CST on February 6, 2020.
APFA Celebrates Black History Month – “Did You Know?”
Did you know that the “Father of Black History” was Carter G. Woodson? Dr. Woodson was the second African-American to receive a doctorate from Harvard. Dr. Woodson lobbied extensively to establish Black History Month as a nationwide celebration. He was an admired and respected author and was a visionary whose legacy continues today.
As APFA members we share a rich & diverse history.
Changes to Dependent Travel Verification Went into Effect Feb. 4th
Dependents must be verified as an eligible dependent before they can list for flights. All necessary supporting documents will have to be submitted and verified before your dependents can travel. Visit Jetnet to learn about these changes and how they’ll affect any dependents you add to your list of eligible travelers.
Build the Power of Labor – Support the PRO Act (H.R.2474)
The Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act is a comprehensive rewrite of the nation’s NLRA labor laws and will be voted on by our legislators soon. It would, among other provisions,
- override state “Right to Work” laws
- help workers secure a first contract
- increase fines for employers who violate rules and who impede workers’ right to organize
- require companies to treat “independent contractors” like full employees, including granting them the right to organize
- protect workers who go on strike
With a power and salary imbalance between workers and CEOs as wide as it has ever been, the PRO Act would go a long way toward balancing the scales. There is a good chance that this bill will pass in the House but we need our Senators to step up to protect working Americans. This historic piece of legislation will lay down a marker for future action.
Reach out to your Representatives TODAY—urge them to support the PRO Act. It’s time to re-empower the Labor movement.
Take Action Here!
Communicable Diseases – 14 CFR Part 382
U.S. Department of Transportation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
During check-in, if a passenger presents symptoms of fever, respiratory issues, or shortness of breath, and has recent travel to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – they could be denied boarding and carriage.
Scan-Off Beta Test Procedures for Flights Departing LAX
The Company is instituting a Scan-Off Beta Testing procedure to reduce the possibility of minimum crew violations. This procedure will include all flights departing LAX, and will be conducting the testing February 10, 2020 through March 31, 2020. These procedures may be expanded to departing flights at all airports in the future, pending the findings from the beta test.
Currently, the full minimum Flight Attendant crew complement must be scanned on in the gate reader to enable customer boarding pass scanning. The scan off procedure test is being conducted so that the customer boarding pass scanning will be disabled if a Flight Attendant leaves the aircraft prior to customer boarding.
The following are procedures for the test period:
- Notify FA 1/purser when leaving the aircraft prior to customer boarding
- Notify a gate agent at the departure gate and scan ID badge (scan off) at the gate reader when leaving the aircraft prior to customer boarding. (This step prevents customer boarding pass scanning.)
- Notify the gate agent and scan ID badge (scan on) at the Gate Reader when returning to the aircraft prior to customer boarding
- Notify FA 1/purser when returning to the aircraft prior to customer boarding occurring
Gate agent and Flight Attendant coordination is crucial to ensure FAA minimum crew requirements are met as part of Federal Air Regulation (FAR) 121.394, and you can ensure successful coordination by completing your departure dependability briefing. During this test phase at LAX, your participation is required to determine if these procedures are effective in helping to reduce minimum crew violations.
Novel Coronavirus 2019 (NCoV 2019)
The current situation is fluid and updates will be provided as new information becomes available.
New Health Questionnaire form for arrivals into Providenciales (PLS), Turks and Caicos (TCI) government has implemented preventative measures for Coronavirus, including a new policy requiring customers arriving into Providenciales (PLS) to complete a Health Questionnaire form. In addition to Turks and Caicos customs and immigration forms, the new forms will be provided to FA 1 by the agent prior to departure from the United States.
Hong Kong (HKG)
Service to Hong Kong (HKG) from gateway cities has been discontinued tentatively until February 20th.
APFA Presidential Debate Now on YouTube
Yesterday’s APFA Presidential Debate between Julie Hedrick and A. Marie Plevritis is available on APFA’s YouTube Channel. Members may view the debate by clicking here.
The Negotiations Survey #3 is open via the APFA website and will remain available until Tuesday, February 18th at 1500 CST. This survey includes questions related to several sections of the current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) and is open to all members in good standing, both Lineholders and Reserves. The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete.
To date, we have received 5,794 responses or 28% of eligible Flight Attendants.
Thank you for taking the time to participate!
As of today, there have been 5,148 Flight Attendants who have filed uniform reaction reports.
Please continue to utilize the Uniform Reaction Report Form on the APFA website if you experience a suspected reaction to your uniform.