12.31.22 – Happy New Year From Your APFA Leadership

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Happy New Year!

As 2022 comes to a close, we reflect on a productive year, and look forward to an equally busy 2023.

Days of ACTION supporting our negotiations continue with systemwide pickets and other planned activities over the coming months. Membership participation and support are an integral part of our quest for a contract that addresses compensation, work rules, and work/life balance.

Internally, APFA is evolving with the creation of a new, in-house legal department, an increased focus on data collection and analysis, and policy manual changes to increase transparency throughout the organization.

A review of 2022, and a look forward to 2023:

• Since January 1, 2022, we have welcomed nearly 3000 New Hire Flight Attendants to American Airlines and APFA! Welcome aboard! We look forward to welcoming many more new Members in 2023.

New Members visiting APFA Headquarters

• On June 24, we issued an Action Item for APFA Flight Attendants to Tell AA Management to Protect Our Flight Attendants Who Test Positive for COVID-19. APFA Flight Attendants acted immediately! On June 30, APFA reached an agreement with Management that outlined a procedure to mitigate attendance points when a Flight Attendant tests positive for COVID-19.
• In late July, American Airlines announced that it would return to profitability after the pandemic’s beginning in 2020. This news proves positive for the sustainability of our airline and especially for our power at the bargaining table during Contract Negotiations.
• On July 27, APFA signed a Letter of Agreement (LOA) to significantly improve the former holiday pay language of $75 for three holidays with a more substantial Holiday Pay Premium of 100% over the Flight Attendant’s base hourly rate for hours flown, which now includes nine holidays. 
• The September 14th company announcement of the closing of the SFO Flight Attendant base was devastating. San Francisco has been an integral part of American Airlines for many years, and the challenges SFO Flight Attendants face are immeasurable. APFA Leadership continues to ensure the transition for SFO Flight Attendants is as smooth as possible.

SFO November 15th Picketing

• On October 4, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finalized a rule requiring Flight Attendant FAR 10-hour Minimum Rest and increased the rest period to ten (10) hours on December 2, 2022. We thank everyone who worked tirelessly on implementing this critical legislation since the FAA Reauthorization Bill passed in 2018, including DOT Secretary Buttigieg, FAA Acting Administrator Nolen, President Biden, T&I Committee Chair DeFazio, our many allies in Congress, and our Union siblings across the industry.

FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen with APFA, AFA-CWA, and Delta Flight Attendants at DCA for the 10-Hour Rest Implementation Announcement

• At the October 2022 Fall BOD Meeting, the APFA Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution creating an in-house legal department to provide stability and historical knowledge of our collective bargaining agreements, internal and external legal matters, and the APFA Constitution and Policy Manual. This will reduce past reliance on outside legal counsel and ensure we preserve the intent of our contract language.
• On November 15, hundreds of Flight Attendants in eleven bases across the system joined in the first of a series of Systemwide Informational Picketing events to show American Airlines Management that we are ready for a Contract Now! The next Systemwide Picketing will take place on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm (local time).

November 15, 2022 picketing event

click the image above for January 24th picketing information.
Click here to join the Contract ACTION Team

• Earlier this month, the newly redesigned APFA website went live. The new design of APFA.org incorporates updates and changes to make the information you need easily accessible and mobile-friendly. If you need help logging into the new website or updating your membership information, please reach out to [email protected].
• As a Union member, you can advocate for our members by participating in the upcoming elections. On December 19, Notifications of Willingness-to-Serve opened for Base President, Base Vice President, and Base Council Representative (BCR) for BOS, CLT, DCA, DFW, LAX, LGA, MIA, ORD, PHL, and PHX. Click Here for more information.

Increased financial transparency and the addition of an in-house legal department are not the only internal improvements taking place at our Union. We continue to invest in our ability to store and analyze data across all bases. The company makes all of its decisions based on data and numbers. Gathering data gives us a stronger foundation to defend our contractual language. Data collection, including capturing Flight Attendant inquiries to various departments and representatives, will help ensure that budgeting for your National and Base Representatives is allocated appropriately.

We wish you a happy, healthy 2023, and we look forward to seeing you on January 24th as we continue to amplify our voices and work to secure deserved contractual improvements.

In Solidarity,