11.13.23 – APFA LAX Base Brief – November 16th Picketing/Negotiations Timeline/Pattern Sick

Monday, November 13, 2023

Hi, all…

This update will cover 3 topics:

1. November 16th Picketing
2. Negotiations Timeline
3. Pattern Sick

November 16th Picketing

Come join us on Thursday, November 16th in our quest for a fair and equitable contract…one which addresses our needs today, tomorrow and into the future.

We must demonstrate our resolve to stand strong against this management’s foot-dragging and game-playing.

Our 99.47% YES strike vote sent a message loud and clear to the company that we are sick and tired of the way they treat us, and that we WILL strike if they do not meet our needs at the negotiating table.

At LAX, we will be picketing between 1100 and 1300 PST on the upper level curbside at Terminal 4. Our staging area will be in the area between T4 and TBIT.

You may either wear your uniform, or your red APFA WAR t-shirt. If wearing your uniform, please remove your AA name tag for the duration of the picketing.

If you have a LAWA badge, you may park in the AA employee lot. However, you cannot take the airside employee bus to the terminal unless you are scheduled to work or deadhead on a flight reporting within two hours of the picketing.

From/to the AA employee parking lot, we are permitted to take the AA non-rev shuttle, but AA management asks that non-revs be given priority.

The other option to/from the terminal are Lyft/Uber, or taxi.

Parking in the terminal area or at one of the off-site facilities such as The Parking Spot are also options.

Our response as a membership to these negotiations is  pivotal, and management is watching. They are looking for any sign that we are not fully committed to achieving a fair and equitable contract…one which recognizes our critical importance to this company.

The less WE get, the more THEY get. Management has absolutely no shame in rewarding themselves for taking from us.

This is a fight for ALL seniorities.

Picketing will also be held at our LAS satellite, as well as at BOS, CLT, DCA, DFW, LGA, MCO, MIA, MSP, ORD, PHL, and PHX.

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Negotiations Timeline

Many questions have arisen as to the negotiations timeline, and as to when we might be permitted to strike by the National Mediation Board (NMB).

It is difficult to predict with any certainty how long it would take to secure a release from the National Mediation Board (NMB).  In some cases, the NMB has granted a  release quickly. In other cases, they have ordered the parties back to the table to negotiate more, and in other cases, they have denied a release and sent the parties back to their respective corners, putting the parties “on ice” for a period of time.

We must make sure WE ARE READY. Whether we see a release quickly, or whether it takes longer, we must be prepared.

Once we receive a release, things begin moving quickly. There must be no question in management’s mind that WE WILL STRIKE if they do not meet our needs at the negotiating table.

This is W.A.R.

We. Are. Ready.

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Pattern Sick

The company has embarked on yet another attempt to coerce and control our workforce by holding “pattern sick” meetings with flight attendants who allegedly show a “pattern” of calling in sick during reserve months.

PLEASE be sure to contact your local APFA reps to accompany you to these meetings.

The concept of “Pattern sick” was created by AA’s very anti-flight attendant HDQ management group in a vain attempt to control what they could not already control under the draconian attendance policy that they themselves developed.

We are humans. We are not robots. We get sick when we get sick, and the added stresses of reserve create a ripe environment for falling ill. This is in addition to our toxic work environment where we find ourselves either in a crowded airport, or in a sealed metal tube breathing recirculated air.

I challenge the very same management people who consider each of us a mere data point on a computer screen to try the following for one month:

1. Work an early morning shift, followed immediately by
2. an all-night shift, followed immediately by
3. another early morning shift.
4. Repeat this cycle all month.
5. And while they are at work, they should be forced to sit at their desks for 10-15 hours, deprived of food and access to the bathroom, but required to run around the office every 15 minutes.

Let’s see how long THEY would last under those conditions,

Again, if you are called in for one of these “pattern sick” meetings, please call us to accompany you.

Time to nip this new management tactic in the bud.

Safe travels, and hope to see you on the 16th!

In Solidarity,

John Nikides
APFA LAX Base President 
[email protected]