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THANK YOU!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE OFFICERS AND VOLUNTEERS OF COUNCIL 41
On behalf of all of us we would like to wish you and your families a very happy holiday season.
Dear Council 41 Member,
On December 1, 2003 the members votes were counted and the AFA-CWA merger passed. I would like to thank the DCA Flight Attendants who participated in the democratic process.
During the time I was in the crew room I talked to many of you about this merger and what it means to you. We still have many battles to fight at our airline and at other AFA carriers. With the support and resources of a much stronger and larger union we can fight instead of "just getting by."
I also heard many flight attendants say "why CWA? The agents are not happy with them." If you think about it, some agents are not happy with CWA, some mechanics are not happy with IAM. Some pilots are not happy with ALPA, and some flight attendants are not happy with AFA. While all of these people may have issues with their union their true anger should be directed at management.
Management is the common denominator in this equation. Management is the one that wants further cuts. Management has stated this should not be a career for flight attendants. Management continues to violate your agreement. Management adds additional discipline to excellerate terminations.
As new battles arise we will be stronger to fight them. I cannot or will not promise that once the merger takes place (January 1) we will win each battle. We will have the backing needed to put up a fight thanks to you and your vote for CWA.
For those who took the time to vote, THANK YOU! The Officers and Committee members of Council 41 will continue to serve you to the best of our ability.
In Solidarity,
Bob Kenia
THE MERGER VOTE
>>The Numbers: For: 8843 Against: 6696 Council 41 52.3% voted 91% voted for the merger or 200 for 19 against. Among all airlines (67 Councils) we were 22<<
RESPONSE TO DAVE SIEGEL'S LETTER
By now you all should have received your "Holiday" letter from Dave Siegel advising you that the employee's are still the problem with the airline and more cuts are needed. Perry Hayes, AFA MEC President and AFA's representative on the US Airways Board of Directors responded to Dave's letter with a copy to the Board. Below are excerpts from Perry's letter. The entire letter can be read on the AFA website at
www.afausairways.org.
"Dear Dave:
First and foremost, I must advise you that as a labor leader at this airline, I believe your letter will fall on deaf ears. The employees of this Company have collectively already given back too much. And some of your analysis of what needs to be done honestly makes no sense at all.
You mention that we have a better product than Southwest. Who cares? Do the customers who flock to Southwest do so because of the product Southwest offers? No, Dave. They do so because of price. Southwest offers a simple product, i.e., transportation from point A to point B. Novel idea, but no one on this management team seems to want to try that concept. If you want to compete with Southwest, then become more like them. Quit trying to fit a square peg in a round hole…" Read the rest on our website.
CONTACTING YOUR ELECTED AFA REPRESENTATIVES
With each and every letter published the local officers phone numbers and email addresses are listed. If you have a problem it is best to call us. All of us fly as well as work for you so the best method is a phone call. During the AFA-CWA merger vote I heard many false rumors that could have been easily answered with a phone call. IF YOU EVER HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL!
RESERVE
The first month of the new reserve system passed. As with anything new there are problems or questions that arise. We cannot help you if you do not notify us. Some of the items that have been brought to my attention are listed below.
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You are automatically released after taking an assignment from either future or daily whether it is an assigned trip or a quick call. You do not have to ask scheduling to be released. The only time you are not released is if scheduling declares a SYSTEM IRREGULAR OPERATIONS. Let us know if this is not being followed.
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Ask scheduling when they call you what coverage is: adequate or inadequate. Let us know if they will not tell you or if they have a different answer than above.
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Your 30 hours in 7 days still applies. You do not have to fly over 30 ACTUAL hours in a 7 day period. Actual is: actual flight time including deadhead but not your minimum day or any duty rig.
AFA Legislative Victory: Flight Attendants Will Be Certified
Historic Milestone Reached for Flight Attendant Profession
By AFA Communication and Legislative Affairs Departments
After nearly a yearlong battle, Congress recently passed an FAA Reauthorization bill that includes provisions to certify flight attendants for our role as safety professionals. This is an important milestone for all flight attendants - it will help strengthen our role as air safety professionals and better define our status onboard the aircraft, to passengers and crew alike. AFA hopes to continue building on the success of this victory to ensure many more safeguards and improvements for our profession.
In fact, AFA's Constitution and Bylaws specifically list certification as one of the primary objectives of the union. According to the Constitution and Bylaws, AFA's Objective #4 is:
"To promote the interest of the profession and to safeguard the rights, individually and collectively, of the members of the Union by securing the long-range goal of flight attendant certification."
We have finally achieved that "long-range goal" and can now build upon this success to improve our profession even further.
Until now, all work groups overseen by the FAA have been certified to perform their jobs. Upon completion of their training, every employee from pilots to parachute packers receives a certificate, which is required to perform their jobs. But flight attendants - who receive extensive safety training, and now, in the post September 11th world, are required to act as security personnel in the aircraft cabin - had never been certified. Our lack of certification allowed us to be categorized as second-class employees and continue to be viewed - despite our extensive safety and security training - by our companies, the government and the flying public as merely "waitresses in the sky."
But no more. With passage of this legislation, we have finally been recognized as the professionals we are and received the respect we have long sought and deserved. No more will the government, our employers and the public be able to simply view us as servers in the air. We have finally been recognized for our safety roles and will forever be considered primarily as safety professionals onboard the aircraft.
Aside from the overdue respect and recognition we will now receive, certification provides a number of other important benefits. It will help lead to the portability of our jobs and make us more marketable to airlines that may be hiring, as it will standardize our profession and create incentives for airlines to hire experienced flight attendants over other applicants. An airline that hires a certified flight attendant would no longer have to send them through the entire initial training program; the airline specific training would suffice because the flight attendant's certification would serve as proof that they had completed initial training.
Our certification will provide us with the ability to earn further recognition at the bargaining table. Management will now be forced to recognize that our professional role is an important piece in the safety of the entire aircraft.
Certification will also help improve our training. Currently, carriers are granted too many waivers, which allow them to skip or 'water down' crucial safety training. We hope to build on the success of certification to provide a level playing field for all training. When certified, flight attendants should receive the same level of training, regardless of the whims of their carriers.
Most importantly, certification would not require flight attendants to receive any new training or medical clearance. Flight attendants will simply receive certification for the training we are already required to complete. Nothing new will be required.
According to the new law, all current flight attendants will continue to serve as flight attendants; within one year of the law's enactment, the FAA will issue certificates to all current flight attendants. In addition, the FAA has 120 days to issue certificates to flight attendants hired after enactment of the law or upon completion of recurrent training. The certificates will appear similar to those issued to pilots, and will contain each flight attendant's appropriate information such as name and address, and will include the airplane group for which the flight attendant is certified.
Congratulations to everyone on this important victory and thanks to every one who kept the pressure on Congress and made this AFA victory a reality.
ANOTHER SLAP IN THE FACE FROM US AIRWAYS
The Additions to the Dependability Program
New aspects of the Dependability Program go into effect December 19, 2003 just in time for the holidays. Please read the CBS message sent to all flight attendants on Friday December 12.
AFA believes that there are violations to past practice, our agreement and possibly the new HIPPA laws. Our legal department is reviewing the "new" rules and we will most likely file a grievance or take and action necessary. The Company's new rules state that you may have to speak to a medical professional, AFA believes this is a HIPPA violation and a violation of our agreement. Our contract does not address flight attendants speaking to a medical professional however they have a contractual right to send you to a doctor for which they will have to bear the cost. You do not have to speak to a Company "medical professional."
This is just another slap in the face to the hard working flight attendants. Some of the more egregious aspects of the new additions are:
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If you call in sick 2 hours prior to check in it is a dependability infraction. Soooo I guess if you are sick prior to check in drag yourself into the airport, check in and then call in sick. Vomiting in the crew room or on the airplane may be necessary.
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ANY sick call over 5 will result in you being placed on or increased on the dependability program.
The letter addresses some of the few problems they face however the Company does not seem to address what flight attendants do for this Company. With moral at an all time low our
Inflight office is still passing out passenger complaint letters that are 3 and 4 months old.
I placed a call to the 2 individuals on the 12th that signed this letter (VP Groff and Director of Crew Scheduling Rob Fuhr) however I have not received a call back.
This newsletter was sent via e-mail and placed in all flight attendant mailboxes.
Sign up HERE
or www.afausairways.org
and Click on the Washington page.
Bob Kenia, LEC President
703-690-6859 office
703-690-9350 Fax
bkenia@afasuairways.org
Alin Boswell, LEC VP
703-212-8090 office
703-212-8089 fax
alin@afausairways.org
Katie Whitney, LEC Secretary
703-719-6940 office
703-719-6935 fax
kwhitney@afausiarways.org
COUNCIL 41
Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO
Committee List
GRIEVANCE
Bob Kenia - Alin Boswell
EAP (PRIVATE, CONFIDENTIAL NUMBERS)
Annette Hill & Kathy Vieweg
703-212-0580 540-687-3737
ahill@afausairways.org
kvieweg@afausairways.org
SAFETY
Christine Stout Denise Beaudoin
703-262-0905
dbeaudoin@afausairways.org
PLEASE LEAVE ALL SAFETY WRITE-UPS IN CHRISTINE'S MAILBOX
LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
Alin Boswell Lori Vitto
202-297-3610
lvitto@afausairways.org
CREW ACCOMMODATIONS
Rick Poloway Please place all Hotel write-up in Rick's
rpoloway@afausairways.org
202-364-9943
UNIFORM
Scott Haskell
shaskell@afausairways.org
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