11.03.25 – 2025 Fall Board of Directors Meeting Recap

2025 Fall Board of Directors Meeting:
National Officer’s Update

Monday, November 3, 2025

In this hotline:

• National Officer’s Update
• Resolutions Passed by Your Voting Board of Directors

The APFA Fall Board of Directors meeting convened on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. Minutes for this meeting will be published to the APFA website no later than thirty (30) business days after the conclusion of the meeting per Policy Manual Section 4.A.7.b.(3).

The final agenda for the meeting and a complete list of the resolutions brought forward may be found here.

National Officer’s Update

787-9P Minimum Crew Reduction- Julie Hedrick

Earlier this month, APFA Leadership conducted 79 bipartisan meetings with key Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to bring awareness to American Airlines’ decision to operate the 787-9P with just seven Flight Attendants—leaving one widebody exit door completely unattended. American follows Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in implementing this unsafe practice. This dangerous reduction undermines decades of proven safety practices and puts both crew and passengers at risk.

Meetings with Senate offices are scheduled in the coming weeks as APFA continues pressing for accountability and stronger federal standards.

Reductions to Minimum Crew threaten the very foundation of our profession. APFA will not stand by while safety and staffing are compromised. Stay engaged and stay ready—our collective voice and solidarity are essential in this fight.

More information may be found here.

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Notice of Dispute (NOD) Process- Larry Salas

APFA has made changes to the Notice of Dispute (NOD) process to ensure faster, more effective enforcement of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. While certain issues can still be resolved locally, a new category of contract disputes will now receive expedited treatment—either through central resolution or a fast track to arbitration. This change empowers any member, group of members, or Base President to file a grievance to defend our contract. Our contract is only as strong as our enforcement—and these changes strengthen our ability to hold the company accountable.

This will be a coordinated effort between Base Presidents, the System Board of Adjustment/Regional Representative Department, and the Contract and Scheduling Departments to ensure disputes are addressed efficiently.

We have also improved the arbitration process under Section 31, System Board of Adjustment. The contract language in Section 31 has been updated to ensure cases move promptly to the System Board. These changes represent a major step forward in protecting our contract and defending the rights of every Flight Attendant.

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Constitutional Referendum Updates – Josh Black
APFA National Secretary Josh Black delivered the Constitution Review Committee Report to the Board of Directors.

At the March 2025 APFA Convention, the Board of Directors directed the Committee to conduct a focused review of several key areas for potential member referendum:

• The Executive Committee,
• APFA Constitution Article VII- Hearings and Disciplinary Procedures, and
• Terms of office.

These areas directly impact how our Union operates and how effectively we can represent our members.

The Board of Directors will now evaluate the Committee’s findings and determine the best path forward. The goal is to modernize our governing structure, strengthen accountability, streamline operations, and ensure that every dues dollar is used efficiently and responsibly.

Any proposed changes will ultimately be decided by the membership. Stay tuned for more information.

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Dues Arrears Collection Performance – Erik Harris

APFA National Treasurer presented our mid fiscal-year update and shared progress on key fiscal areas, including dues/fees income, arrears recovery, and membership performance. Please click here for the full hotline from your Treasurer’s Department.

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Resolutions Passed by Your Voting Board of Directors

• Resolution #2: Policy Manual Section 3 Updates- Base Representatives Shadowing APFA Departments
• Resolution #3: APFA Policy Manual Section 2 Updates
• Resolution #4: Headcount Adjustment/ Exception for Bases with a Headcount Below 1,130
• Resolution #5: Authorize Publication of Members in Dues Arrears on the Members-Only Section of the APFA Website

Resolution #2: Policy Manual Section 3 Updates- Base Representatives Shadowing APFA Departments

Resolution #2 was adopted, amending Policy Manual Section 3 to establish a process for Base Representatives to “shadow” APFA departments as part of their training and development. Under the new policy and at the request of the Base President, a Base Representative may shadow a department representative to observe, learn, and strengthen their ability to represent Flight Attendants effectively.

Read the full language of Resolution #2 here.

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Resolution #3: APFA Policy Manual Section 2 Updates

Resolution #3 was unanimously adopted, amending APFA Policy Manual Section 2- Membership and Awards, to update and clarify language related to Membership, Agency Fee Payers, and Dues Objectors. These revisions provide important procedural improvements and clarification to ensure that the classification and treatment of Agency Fee Payers and Dues Objectors are consistent, transparent, and fully aligned with the Railway Labor Act (RLA), the APFA Constitution, and Section 35 of our Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Read the full language of Resolution #3 here.

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Resolution #4: Headcount Adjustment/ Exception for Bases with a Headcount Below 1,130

Resolution #4 was adopted, amending Section 5 of the APFA Policy Manual to provide a consistent minimum in regards to trip removals allocated for base budgets.

Under the current policy, bases consisting of fewer than 1,100 Flight Attendants (currently BOS and DCA) receive reduced trip removals. The updated language now provides one (1) full month trip removal for each 1,130 Flight Attendants at a base, with an exception granting one (1) full month trip removal to any base with a headcount below 1,130.

These changes will take effect beginning with the 2026–2027 fiscal year.

Read the full language of Resolution #4 here.

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Resolution #5: Authorize Publication of Members in Dues Arrears on the Members-Only Section of the APFA Website

Resolution #5 was unanimously adopted. The resolution amends Section 2.A. of the Policy Manual to strengthen procedures related to dues compliance and to provide members with greater visibility into the Union’s financial standing.

Following member feedback from the recent Dues Restructure survey, the creation of a real-time dues arrears member list will be published in the Members-Only section of the APFA website. This list will include only those members who are not on a Leave of Absence, not under an executed payment plan, and not with a pending hardship request.

This initiative promotes transparency, ensures fairness, and reinforces the integrity of APFA’s financial structure. The new policy will take effect January 15, 2026.

Click here for the full language of Resolution #5,  and click here for more information on how to address your dues balance with APFA.

If you have a dues balance, make sure you become dues current or have set up a payment plan before January 15, 2026, to keep your name off the published dues arrears list.

The upcoming meeting minutes will include more information on New Business items, and the Department Reports will be posted for Membership viewing.

In Solidarity,