• GATE CHECK PROGRAM
• CHANGES TO HUMAN RESOURCES AND PAYROLL SYSTEMS
• Accessing The Hub

• AFA Local Numbers

GATE CHECK PROGRAM

Vice President of InFlight, Sherri Shamblin, announced in a February 11, 2008 letter the introduction of gate checks performed by the Inflight Supervisory Staff. The program is designed to "increase staff interaction as well as assist in providing problem identification and resolution of issues impacting our operation and product delivery."

For most East Flight Attendants gate checks are nothing new. In a meeting last week with Ms. Shamblin AFA pointed out the gate checks are not to interfere with crew briefings, safety equipment verification or the actual boarding or deplaning of a flight.

While the Company has every right to make sure Flight Attendants are in compliance with their duties it is the Union's hope that through the gate checks the Company will be able to see firsthand some of the problems Flight Attendants face on almost every flight. A lot of the problems stem from the Company's desire to get the flight off the gate on time or early at any cost.

Among the problems AFA hopes the Company identifies during the gate checks are:

-- Inconsistent catering-
-- Agents wanting to line up passengers in the jetway to speed up the boarding process-
-- The overwhelming volume of carry-on bags, both in terms of numbers and the size of the carry-on bags-
-- Agents insisting on boarding flights early in violation of our contractual language-
-- Agents not clearing non revenue passengers because they have run out of time and have to close the door of the aircraft-

If the only thing a gate check does is ensure manual and uniform compliance then the Company goal of, "providing problem identification and resolution of issues impacting our operation and product delivery" will not be met. It will be a success if the Inflight Supervisory Staff comes out into our world rather than sit in their offices.

AFA will also meet with the Company regarding the program's feature of performing gate checks in non-domicile stations. AFA wants to make sure that any gate checks performed in down line stations are actually performed by a member of the InFlight Supervisory Staff and not by a gate agent "trained" in what to "look for".


CHANGES TO HUMAN RESOURCES AND PAYROLL SYSTEMS

In an effort to improve the Payroll and Human Resources (Benefits) systems the Company is making some changes. The Company is streamlining the current systems to one system run by Oracle. The goal on the Human Resources side is to have one system for all employees. With this goal comes some risk but the Company has conducted many hours of testing and believes that the switchover will go smoothly.

Payroll will be a much more simplified process that will hopefully cut down on paycheck and time keeping errors. The Company realizes that errors will still occur so they are introducing a new way to get money to employees who have received an incorrect paycheck or no pay check at all.

The Company will be providing employees with a debit card called the TotalPay card. Rather than wait for a check to be mailed or for the correction to appear on the next paycheck, the Company can "charge up" the card within hours of learning of any error.

At that point the TotalPay card can be taken to a bank to receive the full amount of money with no fees for the first withdrawal of each pay period. The employee can also use the card at most ATM locations and retail outlets. There may be standard debit card fees associated with these transactions.

More information from the Company and the Union will follow as these changes occur.

Thank you,

Mike Flores, President
The US Airways Master Executive Council
AFA-CWA

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AFA US Airways Website

www.afausairways.org

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AFA Local Numbers
 
Council 41 DCA 703-212-8090
Council 69 BOS 781-289-8454
Council 70 PHL 215-492-0840
Council 82 LGA 315-736-3483
Council 89 CLT 704-527-0325

New Hotline Number Toll Free: 866-USA-AFA2
US AIRWAYS Benefits Information 800-872-4780

Reply to Inflight: askinflight@usairways.com

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