07.27.09

InfoRep HotLine for July 27, 2009

PINS AND WINGS! PINS AND WINGS! PINS AND WINGS! PINS AND WINGS!
Everyone must be wearing them. If you need more Union pins, email us at [email protected].

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE:
Mediation resumed last week. We are halfway through our 2 week negotiating session which is scheduled to end on 31 JUL 09. Your Negotiating Team spent last week discussing the remaining open articles. The Team will continue pushing this week in our effort to bring you a comprehensive Tentative Agreement (TA).

As Negotiations heat up, your Team needs your involvement. You MUST stay informed and share that information with your flying partners. Print the InfoRep hotlines and carry them with you. In the event that no TA is reached this week, we’ll be ratcheting up Membership involvement.

Don’t forget to log on to www.www.apfa.org and click the link and answer the pulse poll questions regarding the Onboard Sales Scheme for which the company has decided let us "volunteer"…outside of a negotiated collective bargaining agreement. Help us send a clear message that we expect AA to get down to business at the bargaining table!

ON THE LEGISLATIVE FRONT:
The FAA Reauthorization bill went to committee for mark up on the Senate side after passing the House. Claire McCaskill D-MO, who sits on the committee, continues to be a strong advocate on aviation issues. She introduced an amendment to the FAA bill providing oversight to outsourcing maintenance. This was an important component that the Demos paper addressed. Go to http://mccaskill.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=274473 to read about McCaskill’s amendment. The Demos paper can be found at www.www.apfa.org.

APFA Lobbyist Joan Wages is meeting with McCaskill’s office this week. From Joan Wages:"The Senate Commerce Committee voted out the FAA Reauthorization bill this past Tuesday. All of our flight attendant provisions (fatigue study, OSHA regs, HIMS, and English Language) were kept intact in the bill. It is expected on the Senate floor in September".

Send a letter to your Senator urging them to support the FAA Reauthorization bill. Go to www.www.apfa.org and click the legislative link to send a letter to your Senator.

COMING SOON:
Videos of APFA President Laura Glading and your Negotiating Team’s Membership Outreach Meetings are undergoing final edits. We are anticipating having the four (4) part video segments up on the APFA website by the beginning of next week. Be sure to tune in, get a recap of where we are in the negotiations process, and to see what will be expected of the membership in the coming months. We’ll be sure to let you know when they have been posted.

FURLOUGHS:
There is less than a week remaining on our furlough mitigation options. Click on the Reduction in Force page on the APFA web site to learn about the options: Modified Partnership Flying, Overage Leaves & Travel Separation. If you are in a position to take a leave or reduce your monthly hours, don’t miss this deadline to help save a fellow Flight Attendant’s job.

DID YOU KNOW?
Since its beginning in 1977, APFA has negotiated six (6) different collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). All but one ended up in federal mediation. The year was 1981. Negotiations began on 31 AUG 1981 and a tentative agreement was reached less than a month later on 23 SEP 1981. This CBA was ratified by the APFA Membership on 04 NOV 1981 and its duration was for 18 months.