TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ROAD SHOW

Members of the Negotiating Committee will conduct a Road Show in Charlotte on Wednesday December 29, 2004 from 1pm until 4pm. The Road Show will take place in the Airport Auditorium located above the food court. I know this may be short notice for some of you but due to the holidays this will probably be the only Road Show scheduled for Charlotte. I hope to see as many of you as possible.

The complete T/A, ballot and instructions have been mailed and you should receive them shortly. As with the Authorization to Strike ballot you can contact the CLT office for pin and ID numbers should you not receive them. Balloting will be done by phone and internet and will close on January 5, 2005 at 4PM EST.

Please take the time to read the entire agreement and visit the AFA web site at afausairways.org for the latest updates and clarifications. You also have the ability to ask questions via the web site.  Do not hesitate to call my office directly if you have questions. In addition the Company has posted a FAQ sheet on theHub. I plan to issue another E-Line on Monday containing the FAQs that I have been getting. I have included the “top five” questions below in this issue.

DO I FORFEIT MY PENSION IF I TAKE THE VFLR ?– No.  You will still be entitled to receive any vested pension benefits you have earned.  If you are currently an active F/A eligible to retire you can take the VFLR and then apply to receive your benefits after separating from the Company.

WHY AM I NOT ELIGIBLE TO TAKE THE VFLR IF I RETURNED FROM FURLOUGH ON 12/2/2004? - When these negotiations began it was assumed by both sides the process would conclude with a new agreement well before December. All proposals from both sides contained language that specified the ratification date as the eligibility date for the VFLR. When it became apparent that an agreement would not be reached prior to December 2, 2004 (the first day of the December bid Month) the Company was adamant they would not pay $10,000 to someone who had been on furlough for years and would only be active for a few months before separating again. Unfortunately we were not able to change their minds. The 12/01/2004 date advantages some and disadvantages others.

LTO IS STILL HERE. WHAT CHANGES ARE THERE FOR RESERVES? - Several. AFA proposed several different seniority based reserve systems that we believe would have solved the reserve issue fairly for both sides. Unfortunately the Company would not accept any of them. Company finance people are in love with LTO and the reduced “under guarantee” they have been paying since LTO was initiated. Our goal was to increase reserve earning power and try to get some seniority back into the process. By picking up trips from the ETB you will be paid above guarantee for that time. Reserve LTO groupings will allow reserves to pick up trips within the 5 hour range group by seniority. We are all going to be paid 50% pay, no credit for DH, but reserves will be paid that time above guarantee. Reserves will be able to slip all days off out of vacation of 7 or more days and up to 3 days from vacation of less than 7 days. By moving the reserve day to midnight a reserve can pick up a trip from future prior to going on duty and not be responsible to be in base until report time for that trip. Reserves will be allowed to trade off days with other reserves through the ETB. While certainly not a return to what we had before LTO, these changes should provide the ability to earn more money and recapture some seniority and quality of life.

WHEN WILL THIS T/A GO INTO EFFECT? - The ballot closes on January 5 and the result will be presented to the court on January 6. If the T/A ratifies the Bankruptcy process requires court approval for all contracts and a hearing will be scheduled to accomplish that. If ratified the AFA and the Company agree that this contract is acceptable and the Court should approve the contract. Upon ratification and approval our rates of pay will change immediately. Other provisions will take some time to implement. Options will continue until the ETB is running. The ETB will operate manually at first until the electronic version is up and running. The ITD fence will come down in phases. Vacation will be re-bid reflecting the new amounts with a target date of March. The Company and the implementation committee will be working on a schedule to accomplish all the changes. We are aware that implementation of the previous restructuring agreements was delayed and interpretation was argued over. We are taking steps to prevent these things from happening to us again. If the T/A fails the AFA will conclude our case in court and await a ruling from the judge. If he abrogates our agreement the Company is free to impose any work rules they want. The Company is not limited to this T/A or any prior proposal.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF OUR 2000 AGREEMENT? - Anything that is not specifically changed or addressed in this agreement will remain protected by our 2000 Agreement. The T/A and the 2000 agreement will be blended into one agreement and you will receive a printed copy of the new agreement.

Have a Merry Christmas,

Mike Flores
LEC President CLT

AFA-CWA AFL-CIO
704-527-0325 OFFICE
704-576-3174 CELL

© Copyright 2004. Council 89 CLT AFA -CWA US Airways - Council89@afausairways.org