1.18.23 – APFA ORD Base Brief – January 2023 Update

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

January 2023 Update

Happy January, Chicago! 2023 is already shaking up to be a busy year. We hope the rest of 2023 will bring positive changes to our membership in the form of more new hire flight attendants to Chicago, more flying to Chicago, and a newly ratified contract which we have been waiting for since 2019! With so much happening, we want to bring a few of the biggest topics to the forefront of our busy lives.

LC Points
Since the introduction of the Attendance Manager program, we have seen a severe uptick in attendance meetings, advisories, and, unfortunately, terminations. Ensuring you are keeping an eye on your record has never been more important. In August, we sent out a very straightforward ORD Base Brief regarding attendance.

One area of the Attendance and Performance policy, which is often inconsistently applied by the Company, are LC points or late notification of sick. The Attendance and Performance policy explains which events count as a 1- or a 2-point event. One bullet point listed under “two-point event” is – “late notification of absence/sick on contact,” either of which may trigger an LC point resulting in a 2-point absence.

You can review the definition of both “late notification of absence” and “sick on contact” in the Performance and Attendance Program, both of which are defined very clearly under “definitions.”

Late Notification of Absence is defined as a Flight Attendant who calls out sick less than 2 hours from departure at base and 3 hours from departure at a co-terminal city. Late notification of absence will count as 2 points.

Sick on Contact: When a reserve flight attendant reports unavailable for work as sick when contacted by Crew Scheduling for an operational assignment. A flight attendant who is sick on contact will be assessed 2 points for the event. A reserve is expected to report sick prior to the commencement of his/her RAP. A lineholder on the Unsuccessful Bidders List must remove him/herself prior to assignment if he/she is no longer available to the company.

Suppose you call out sick and receive an LC point which falls outside either definition or recode an absence to FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). In that case, APFA believes that the law concerning FMLA is clear: no points should be issued if the occurrence is recoded to FMLA and should be non-chargeable. Please reach out to your AFSM within 10 days to request they delete the LC and comply with the Attendance and Performance policy as written.

If you cannot have your LC point removed and feel it does not meet either definition listed above, please reach out to one of us to work on removing it or file a Notice of Dispute on your behalf. Often these points are not handled in a timely manner resulting in attendance discipline which you do not deserve. Do not allow something to remain on your record which does not comply with the policy in which it is taken.

Union Representation
JCBA Section 35.R.  defines your contractual right to have Union Representation present for all meetings with the Company. This includes your Attendance Flight Service Manager (AFSM), FSM, HR and Corporate Security. We are here to support you! You are entitled to union representation. You never need to go into any meeting alone. If needed, reach out to local reps prior to these meetings.

If your Flight Service Manager or Attendance Manager contacts you with anything you feel should not be on your record, please contact one of your local reps.

If you find irregularities on your MyView and wish to challenge any attendance point(s) reach out to your Attendance Flight Service Manager (AFSM) and request mitigation.

If you find irregularities when reviewing your MyView with anything performance, even a Coach and Council by your FSM, and wish to challenge any point(s) or documentation, reach out to your FSM and request mitigation.

If your FSM or AFSM is unwilling to mitigate and you feel point(s) are not warranted, you have 10 days to file a Notice of Dispute (NOD) contesting the points.

There is a lot to be frustrated with; the insulting Company proposals in negotiations, hotel issues, endless attendance and performance meetings regarding sick calls, fabricated passenger letters, FA4 delays which can be traced back to issues not related to you, and more. Now is the time for us to stand together and let the company know we demand better

Next Tuesday, January 24th is the second Informational Picket event! As of now it will be a chilly January day, that is what Chicago is ready for! The November event was an enormous success, we hope to see you again with many more of your friends and colleagues.

The event will be held 1100-1300 CT, upper level between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Everyone is encouraged to attend; before a trip, after, on sit time, friends, family, everyone! We have waited years for the contract we deserve, this is our opportunity to make our voice heard and show American that we are ready!

At the picket will have bright red APFA T-shirts you can wear over your winter clothes in addition to the red APFA lanyards which visually display the word that we are ready!

Many of you may have seen a recent hotline from the APFA National Treasurer indicating that around 30% of our members are in dues arrears. Over 700 people in Chicago owe over $200,000 combined. Most of the time, people do not realize this, as they could be in arrears from a leave, medical absence, flying low time, etc.

It has never been easier to check your account and see if you are up to date on your dues. Log into APFA.org and click “My Account” in the top right. Here you will be able to view any outstanding balance you may have.

If you have any questions regarding your balance or have issues logging in to review your account, contact the Dues Department at [email protected] or at 817-540-0108, ext. 3.

Please be kind to one another! Stay safe.

In Solidarity,

Susan Wroble
APFA ORD Base President
(630) 802-2268
[email protected]

Dray Howard
APFA ORD Base Vice President
(630) 215-8410
[email protected]

Justin Patterson
APFA ORD Base Council Representative
(509) 720-0067
[email protected]