AFA - US
Airways E-Line July 15, 2002
http://www.afausairways.org/eline.htm |
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Contents:
Notes
from the US Airways Negotiating Committee
Message to Members
7-15-02
From MEC President Karen
Lascoli
Q & A on the Tentative
Agreement
I have spoken with many flight
attendants over the past week. Everyone has questions, some questions
I hear over and over again. Here are the answers to a couple of the
more frequently asked questions:
Q: If another airline
buys US Airways, will the changes in our 'No Furlough' language allow that
carrier to put us on the bottom of their seniority list, then furlough
us?
A: NO.
The message in the E-line
on Saturday, 7/13, explained that the change in our 'No Furlough' language
accomplishes two things:
-
Sets a minimum number of aircraft
in our fleet, to ensure that the airline doesn't shrink too much if it
needs to shrink at all,
-
Attempts to limit the involuntary
furloughs if furloughs are needed (through the offering of a Voluntary
Separation Incentive Package and voluntary furlough similar to the one
offered after 9-11), while providing jobs when openings become available
at MidAtlantic, for any flight attendants that are involuntarily furloughed.
If our airline is purchased
by another carrier, all of the 'Scope', 'Successorship', and 'Labor Protective
Provisions - LPP's- (including protections in the event of a partial transaction)
which are in our current contract remain in full force and effect (See
Section One of the Agreement). This section of our contract protects
us and our seniority list if US Airways is purchased by or merged with
another carrier.
The 'Labor Protective
Provisions' in particular would force another carrier to do a 'fair and
equitable' seniority merger. Putting us all at the bottom of any
other carrier's list is 'not fair or equitable', so we would be able to
go to court to ensure that the merger is done according to our contract.
Your Negotiating Committee
considered a future possible scenario of our carrier being purchased and
thought about our protection. We negotiated language in our tentative
agreement that provides for a wage "snapback" to original levels which
were in effect before any cuts took place should there be a change in control
of the airline (someone buys the carrier). No new purchaser would
want this "snapback" to happen and would likely come to AFA prior to finalizing
their purchase in an attempt to negotiate changes - at which time we could
say 'no way'.
We are also protected
against any purchaser attempting to furlough flight attendants if the purchasing
carrier attempts to shrink the US Airways fleet below 275 planes, because
our contract stipulates that the US Airways fleet must remain at that size.
Q: If this tentative
is voted down, do we get to go back to the table to attempt to get more?
A: Not likely.
In fact, the cuts management seeks may get worse if the agreement fails
and management files for bankruptcy.
The AFA Negotiating Committee
worked hard to make the best of this bad situation. We pushed management
for many things it did not want:
-
An 1113 letter which gives us
management's committment to not seek any further cuts than those in this
agreement if it goes into bankruptcy
-
Returns for our investment including
profit-sharing and an equity return;
-
"Snapbacks" of wages, premium
pays and vacation benefits
-
Much lower increases in employee
health care contributions than management proposed).
Management has made it clear
to us that if this agreement doesn't ratify, it will likely seek through
a bankruptcy judge more in cuts from us than we negotiated as part of our
contract.
AFA
Messages on CATCREW
Throughout this process I
have been seeking ways to find fast, low or no-cost ways to communicate
with the flight attendants. Once we had reached agreement with management,
I asked if we could use the CAT Crew system to disseminate some vital information
because it would be free and it would reach every active flight attendant
quickly. Management has allowed us to do this and I hope it has helped
you in receiving information.
Send your questions and keep
up to date:
Call the Hotline - 800-654-3143,
Check the Website - www.afausairways.org
- Restructuring
Questionnaire Form
Subscribe to the E-Line:
(http://www.unionvoice.org/e_line_afa_usairways/join.html)
Or call the Negotiations
InfoLine - 800-531-3242.
If you are being told or
encouraged to vote against the tentative agreement, ask the person who
is encouraging you who their advisors are and on whose expert opinion they
are relying. Ask them what the alternatives are if this tentative
fails and what kind of protections there are if management seeks much deeper
cuts than those in the tentative if the carrier files for bankruptcy.
None of us have an answer
that you will like, because this is an impossible situation. But
I firmly believe that the best choice here is to vote -FOR- this tentative
agreement specifically because we were able to use recognized experts and
analysts to establish what our options are, and the best road to take to
offer protections and returns for our investment. By ratifying this
deal, we get to take advantage of those options.
Thank You.
In Solidarity,
Karen Lascoli,
MEC
Crew Accommodations Committee Request
The MEC Crew Accommodations
Committee requests that Flight Attendants provide them with any information
that may be pertinent to the location of our layovers.
This includes both positive
and negative information that could impact our RONs. For example,
several flight attendants recently mentioned to the Committee the information
they learned from a local newspaper. This information addressed an
increase in criminal activity in an RON location. This newspaper clipping
has been very helpful in monitoring this layover.
Feedback such as this is
crucial, especially when documented through third parties.
Complete an OF310 either
by using the ONLINE
OF-310 or by filling out the paper form and putting the mailbox
of mailbox Audrey Federoff-Lindner, PIT based F/A) for any problems you
may encounter. The form can also be sent by Company mail.
If you have any suggestions
on properties, please feel free to contact: alindner@afausairways.org
Thank you in advance for
your help
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