6.25.26 – APFA BOS Base Brief – MA Paid Family & Medical Leave Updates

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Boston Flight Attendants,

Coming into our term as Base Leadership, one of the concerns we identified early on as needing our advocacy was the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave process. The company provided zero support, information, or communication to Flight Attendants regarding this leave that is available to all Boston-based Flight Attendants. Over the past year, we have been working diligently with the APFA Health Department to review the deficiencies in the process and address them directly with the departments at American Airlines Headquarters that administer them.

Throughout this process, we have brought on a dedicated in-base rep for Health and Injury on Duty-related needs, Melissa Cortez. We succeeded in our argument with the company that one Crew Attendance Manager split between BOS and DCA was not enough for our Flight Attendants, in part because one person could not maintain the necessary level of communication and support on state leaves in two different states for 1,800 Flight Attendants. As recently as last week, we solidified another win: an Inflight Specific resource on Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave, what it is, and how to access it.

Previously, the only resource the company provided was not specific to any one department and, as such, did not provide enough information on how to use the leave once you were approved. This resource will now be accessible via your Crew Attendance Manager (email [email protected]) and in the BOS Base folder in Comply365.

Path: Comply365 > Base Resources > APFA Bases > BOS > Massachusetts Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML)

Additionally, we are excited to announce the launch of two new APFA checklists to assist our Flight Attendants in the process. These are high-level overviews of step-by-step instructions and the order in which to do them.

Click images below to enlarge

For more detailed information on the process, please refer to the company resource provided above. These will be accessible on the BOS Base page on APFA.org and via your base reps. For questions regarding Massachusetts Paid Family & Medical Leave, please text or call us at (617) 362-0052 (option 2) or email us at [email protected].

We know there is still a long way to go in defending our rights under this state statute, and we are committed to fighting hard to protect them. Ensuring you have access to the information and guidance on how to use it is only the beginning.

In Solidarity,

Luke Williams
APFA BOS Base President
(617) 362-0052
[email protected]

Kea Serikaku
APFA BOS Base Vice President
(617) 362-0052
[email protected]

Melissa Cortez
Health/IOD BOS Base Council Representative
[email protected]