Contents:

• AFA Scholarship Fund
• FAA Required Flight Attendants
• 2002 Medical Premiums Increase
• For Voluntary Furloughees:
• Coupons for Medical/Dental Premium Payments
• Payment for 2002 Travel Privileges
• Invoices for AFA Dues
• Special MEC Meeting
• Action Alert: Help Generate Pressure to Get Heathrow Slots for US Airways
• How Can You Help?
• THE Source?

Dee Maki, US Airways flight attendant, founded the the Association of Flight Attendants Scholarship Fund in 1993 with funds from her own salary as AFA International President.  Every year since, the Scholarship Fund has helped outstanding dependents of AFA members further their education.

Two (2) scholarships a year are awarded to qualified dependents of AFA members in good standing.  Applications will be available soon by the web but are always available through your local LEC Office and the AFA International Office.  AFA Scholarship Fund applications must be received by APRIL 10 at:

The Association of Flight Attendants Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 212
Warrenton, Virginia  22186

The Scholarship committee asks that before sending members take special care to review the applications for completeness.

Each application is reviewed thoroughly and is evaluated on scholastic excellence, financial need, and the personal essay of the applicant. Finalists will be determined by the Scholarship Board.  Scholarship winners are chosen from the finalists by an impartial person at the time of the annual AFA Executive Board Meeting and will be contacted by late May.

If you have a son or daughter getting ready for college or already attending an institution of higher learning please have them apply.

Any donations to the AFA scholarship Fund are fully deductible as a charitable donation under Internal Revenue regulations and can be made at the above address.

Recently, three flight attendants, from three different crews, were cited by the FAA for getting off the aircraft at a through stop when the flight was being deplaned or boarded.  FAR 121.393 requires that ALL required flight attendants be on board the aircraft at through stops when boarding and deplaning is taking place.  Please refer to Crew Duties, Section 4, page 8 of the Emergency Manual.  Note: The FAA minimum required complement of flight attendants is mandatory for deplaning and boarding of ALL flights.
 

The Company has elected to increase the employee monthly medical and dental premium contributions for the year 2002.  The company contends the increase, a 10% across the board increase for all employees, will eliminate contribution inequities among employee groups.  In addition to rationalizing this as a fairer application to all employees, the Company feels that no labor agreement for any of the employee groups precludes it from instituting the increase.

The International Association of Machinists (IAM) has filed a grievance about this and requested the Company to expedite the case to arbitration.  The Company refused the request and the IAM has petitioned the case to Federal Court.  The IAM is anticipating the Federal Court will force the Company to hear the case in an expedited manner.

AFA will watch the outcome of the IAM case very closely.  If the IAM is successful, AFA anticipates filing an instant grievance and resolving the dispute through expedited and binding arbitration under the "More Favorable Medical/Dental" Side Letter (L-4) of the Contract.

The IAM filed and won a similar grievance in 1991.

For those on Voluntary Furlough - expect the arrival of billing coupons within the next three weeks from US Airway's billing administrator, Automatic Data Processing (ADP), with which you will pay your monthly medical and dental premium contributions.  If you have any questions about your monthly rates please contact Benefits Administration 800-872-4780, prompt 2.

For Voluntary Furloughees: Payment for 2002 Travel Privileges

For those on Voluntary Furlough, remember to submit payment for 2002 travel privileges for yourself and anyone on your term pass to the Employee Travel Office before January 31, 2002.  Please be sure you include your employee number on your check or money order and mail to:

US Airways
Employee Travel Office
2345 Crystal Drive 
Arlington, VA 22227

If you have any questions, call the Employee Travel Office: (800) 872-4780, prompt 4.

Invoices for AFA December dues for voluntarily furloughed flight attendants will be sent during early February.  The reason for the apparent lag has to do with the mechanics of the payroll deduction system and when the Company sends AFA the money for payroll deducted union dues.

An example: Later this month, the Company will send AFA the dues money deducted from January 15th checks.  Dues deducted from the January 15th checks actually represent dues for the month of December - that always lags a month behind.  So for those of us on voluntary furlough who have no paychecks for January, it follows that December dues have not been paid.

AFA is required to close the books for January after the month closes. So in early February, after the January books close, AFA can determine who must be billed for December dues.  Therefore invoices for December dues will go out in February, invoices for January dues will go out in March, etc.

In lieu of waiting for an invoice from AFA you also have the option of pre-paying your dues obligation.  Members taking a voluntary furlough are considered by AFA to be on a leave of absence in lieu of furlough. Leaves of absence are active for the first 90 days, so those on voluntary furlough have a 3-month dues obligation.  After 90 days, the member taking a voluntary furlough becomes inactive and has no further dues obligation until returning to active status.

To pre-pay the 3-month dues obligation, you may send a check payable to AFA in the amount of $117 to:

Association of Flight Attendants
Membership Services
1275 K Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005-4090.

Please indicate your employee number and that you are pre-paying for the voluntary furlough months of December 2001, January 2002 and February 2002.

If you have any dues questions you may call the AFA Membership Services Office 1-800-424-2401 Ext 860
 

In accordance with the AFA Constitution and Bylaws Article VII D.2. a special meeting of the MEC is called for February 6 & 7, 2002. The meeting will be called to order at 1:00 p.m and will be held at:

AFA International Office
1275 K Street NW, Fifth Floor
Washington, DC

The following Issues will constitute the agenda for this special meeting of the MEC:

• SAP Issues
• DCA Ground Limo to BWI
• Baltimore Base Closing
• Jumpseat Procedures
• FAA Security Regulations 2002
• Election of MEC Benefits and Insurance Chair
• Regional Jet Flying
• Discussion on Reserve Chair
• Delta Campaign Vote
• AFA 2002 Budget Discussion
• RON Hotel Issues
• Flight Attendant Medical Premium Increases for 2002
• Labor Soft CyberJaz Grievance Database Report and Discussion
• Scheduling Issues

Note: The January 16, 2002 MEC meeting did not have a quorum present therefore the meeting was not called to order.

US Airways has requested DOT authority to link it's three International hubs (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Charlotte) with Heathrow Airport (LHR) in London.

With DOT approval of an American Airlines/British Airways alliance expected, a new, liberalized aviation agreement with the United Kingdom now appears inevitable.

The Department of Justice has stated that granting anti-trust immunity to the American Airlines/British Airways and United/British Midland alliances without first imposing divestitures and other conditions on the proposed alliances would be unfair to the consumer.  So it's clear that the Department of Transportation will need to allocate new Heathrow slots and ensure provision of facilities for new entrant U.S. carriers to serve Heathrow

The Association of Flight Attendants is working cooperatively with US Airways to apply Congressional pressure on the Department of Transportation to give every consideration to US Airways as they consider dispersal of slots at Heathrow.

Other U.S.  air carriers (Delta, Continental, Northwest) will undoubtedly ask for these new slots as well.  For US Airways to be successful, a true grassroots effort must be undertaken.  For this we need your help.  You must contact your Members of Congress immediately and ask him/her to contact Secretary Mineta.

There are several ways to contact your Members of Congress:

Go to the AFA-US Airways Website Main Page http://afausairways.org click on "Action Alert".  Or you may phone the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and an operator will connect you directly with the office of your US Senators and House Member.
 
Download a letter from our website or write your own, but do it today. This decision could come by the end of the month.  To focus maximum attention on this issue call and send a letter or e-mail!

http://www.afausairways.org/Legislative/heathrowcongress.html
http://www.afausairways.org/Legislative/heathrowsenate.html
http://www.afausairways.org/Legislative/heathrow.html

This issue is of the utmost importance to US Airways flight attendants and all of the US Airways family.  Please take a few minutes to call or send those e-mails and letters today.  Spread the word with you flying partners, too.

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