FRH – 7.16.14

 

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FACT Rep Update – July 16, 2014
Flight Attendant Communications Team

 

FACT:  The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and American Airlines will resume negotiations next week in DFW.  Current discussions continue to focus on the economic items of Scheduling and Scheduling related items.  Approximately 33 days with 30 face-to-face meetings remain in the 150 days of negotiating as agreed to in the Negotiations Protocol Agreement. 

Sections in discussion last week were:
    •    Hours of Service
    •    Vacation
    •    International Flying 
    •    Crew Rest
    •    Reserve
    •    Leaves of Absence 
    •    Crew Accommodation

FACT: The JNC has reached Tentative Agreements (T/As) on 11 Articles which can be found here.

FACT:  Once a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) is reached it will be put before the combined membership for ratification.  Should the membership not ratify the agreement, or if a Tentative Agreement could not be reached, only then would it go to Binding Arbitration. Only contractual items remaining in dispute would be subject to binding arbitration should a Tentative JCBA not be reached.

FACT: American Airlines has received approval to proceed with the final stage of approval for our e-manual on the tablet. It is anticipated final approval will be granted by September but, until we have final approval from the FAA, both the paper manual and e-manual are still required to be carried and kept up to date by all Flight Attendants. Flight Service and APFA will continue to brief Flight Attendants as we make the transition from the paper manual to the e-manual.

FACT or Fiction:
Q: There are rumors that International training is only going to affect Flight Attendants down to seniority 7000, there are also rumors that ALL Flight Attendants will be internationally trained. Can you confirm one or the other? Who can I contact to find accurate training information for future months, i.e. will there be training in Nov and Dec? How many per month will be trained (so that we can plan to proffer vs. being drafted during a month where other personal obligations would interfere)? 

A: All Flight Attendants (approximately 3,200 of the remaining Flight Attendants not subject to Reserve) will be over water trained but the type and length of training for those not subject to Reserve has yet to be determined. Discussions are ongoing and we expect a decision will be made and announced shortly. As with last year there will not be any drafting for the months of November and December for overwater quals.

American in the news:

American Airlines Group Announces Webcast Of Second Quarter 2014 Financial Results

American Airlines Group Customers Gain More Access To Finland And Key European Destinations Through Codeshare Agreement With Finnair

American Airlines picks CFM for $2.6 billion engine deal

Thank you for being a member of APFA FACT (Flight Attendant Communications Team). As a member of FACT we ask that you please share this information with your co-workers and ensure everyone is getting the FACTs.

If you have questions or come across any rumors that need addressing, please email [email protected]. If you know of anyone who would make a good addition to the team, please ask them to email [email protected] with their name, base and employee number so they too can know the FACTs.

AmericanAirlines + US Airways 
“On Our Way”

Kelli Harrington, LAX-I
FACT Rep Coordinator