Dear Members,
-
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
-
RESERVE
-
US AIRWAYS FILES FOR PHILADELPHIA-BEIJING SERVICE
-
Accessing The Hub
-
AFA Local Numbers
NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE
1- This weeks negotiating session:
The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and the Company will meet in session July
18-21 in CLT. The JNC and the Company will be working on two open proposals-
Deadhead and Lodging, Transportation and Flight Attendant Rest Facilities (crew
rooms).
The JNC passed our Deadhead proposal to the Company at our last session in June
in PHX.
Our proposal includes but is not limited to the following components:
- Full pay and credit for all Deadheads.
- All deadheading Flight Attendants,
scheduled and unscheduled, will be provided Crew Movement Must Ride
Authorization.
- All unscheduled deadheads will be on the
next scheduled Company or wholly owned flights, unless seats are available
on a non-wholly owned US Airways Express flight that arrives sooner.
- A Flight Attendant must wear the normal
non-revenue attire applicable to the class of service or be in uniform
(current contract requires uniform for all domestic deadheads).
The bulk of the proposal is current contractual
language or practice with the most obvious difference being the 100% pay and
credit for a deadhead.
We will receive the Company's counter to our proposal tomorrow. The JNC will
present our Lodging, Transportation and Flight Attendant Rest Facilities
proposal to the Company tomorrow as well. For obvious reasons that proposal will
not be discussed in this Eline.
2- Negotiations Recap:
To date we have reached tentative agreements on seven (7) sections:
- Charters
- Filling of Vacancies
- Union Security/Dues Check-off
- Voluntary Contributions (FLIGHTPAC AND
PEGASUS)
- Probation
- Medical Examinations
- EAP
We have done extensive work on the following
sections:
- Moving Expenses
- LODO
- Safety, Air Security and Health
- Grievance
- System Board of Adjustment
- Reduction in Personnel
- Missing, Internment, Prisoner or Hostage
Benefits
- Training
- General
- Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF)
- TDY
- Leaves of Absence
- Uniforms
The above sections have been "tabled" for
further discussions. In some instances there are very few substantive
differences between the two parties, in others there remains a great divide and
in others the only open issues pertain to scheduling issues.
We have "agreed to" provisions in all of the above sections that contain
improvements to both contracts. Previous Elines have detailed most of those
provisions. Tabled sections will be revisited as the negotiations progress. In
some sections the JNC and the Company have traded as many as ten proposals
without being able to reach a Tentative Agreement on the section. The JNC will
hold our position until we see substantive improvements in other areas of the
agreement.
We have very few so called "non-economic" sections to negotiate before we get to
what I would call the "big seven"- Scheduling, Hours of Service, Sick, Vacation,
International Flying, Reserve and Compensation.
The JNC will be conducting a poll/survey of both memberships for their input
with respect to these sections. Both the East and West agreements contain very
different language and provisions in the aforementioned sections. These sections
contain the bulk of quality of life issues, work rules and pay. It is the
intention of the JNC to reach a Tentative Agreement that improves the existing
agreement and exceeds industry standards. The agreement we are working under is
an agreement ratified under the threat of abrogation and is clearly not
reflective of either the financial soundness of the Company or some of our
primary competitor's agreements.
RESERVE
There is simply no other way to put it- the Reserve system is beyond horrible.
There is no one who knows that more than the members of Master Executive
Council. All of your Local Presidents and the MEC Officers know the havoc and
difficulties the Reserve population endures. We know this because all of us deal
with Reserve issues every day. We know this because we all receive emails and
phone calls from angry and frustrated Reserves.
The simple fact is this- we are working under a ratified agreement. The Company
has no incentive to change the Reserve system outside of single agreement
negotiations. The MEC has worked very hard to make as many changes as the
Company would agree to after the FAA 24/7 ruling. We have been successful in
some areas but not in as many as you (or us) would like. I have heard from two
Reserves in the last few days that both made the same comment, "you are not
going to change anything because you are not a Reserve and it does not affect
you".
Nothing could be farther from the truth. If the MEC could change the system
tomorrow we would. There is nothing for the MEC or the JNC to gain by not
changing the Reserve system.
Human nature is what it is-people often only care about what directly affects
them. Leaders of any kind, political, civic or Union can't, or at least,
shouldn't think that way. I can assure you that I don't think that way and I am
sure no one else on the MEC thinks that way. The reason is in the first line of
this paragraph-by virtue of our jobs as leaders, the Reserve system does
directly affect us.
Every time a Reserve calls one of us we are directly affected.
Every time a Reserve sends one of us an email we are directly affected.
Every time a Reserve talks to one of us on a flight we are directly affected.
There is no Lineholder against Reserve mentality on either the MEC or the JNC.
Both groups have concerns that we need to address. Both groups have concerns
that WE WILL address.
US AIRWAYS FILES FOR PHILADELPHIA-BEIJING
SERVICE
US Airways has filed an application with the Department of Transportation to
provide year round daily service from Philadelphia to Beijing, China beginning
in March 2009.
The Company press release stated the new service, if approved, would be flown by
Airbus 340 269 seat aircraft.
As per our Flight Attendant Agreement I will be making a formal request to begin
the negotiations for rates of pay, rules and working conditions with respect to
the new route and equipment as well as the interior design plans of such
equipment.
You can read more about the Company's announcement and plans by visiting the US
Airways website at:
http://usairways.com/awa/
Thank you,
Mike Flores, President
The US Airways Master Executive Council
AFA-CWA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Accessing The Hub:
http://thehub.usairways.com
Logging in the first time your user name is u0(zero) and your five digit
employee number. Your initial password is the first five digits of your social
security number. Questions about the Hub? Please contact the EDS Help Desk at
336-744-6000 for assistance. More information can also be found HERE.
AFA Local Numbers
Council 40 PIT 724-695-3329
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
Got Questions? Get Answers
The *E-Line*
is now in a new and improved format. By updating your profile at unionvoice.org
you will be able to enjoy improved services in the near future! Visit
your subscription management page at: http://www.unionvoice.org/
Got questions about This *E-Line*
from AFA - US Airways or any other Union matter? Do NOT REPLY to the *E-Line*.
PLEASE contact your local AFA officers or committee chairs directly: http://www.afausairways.org/emailaddresses2.htm
Your MEC Officers
Association of Flight Attendants
Hotline & *E-Line*
- US Airways
|
Get all the
latest from the Website http://www.afausairways.org
Call the Hotline 866-USA-AFA2
Encourage your friends to subscribe and receive their own *E-Line*
from AFA - US Airways
|
If you would like to
unsubscribe from E-Line at AFA-US Airways, you can visit your
subscription management page at: http://www.unionvoice.org/
Click on the link below for more
information from your union, online activism and benefits. http://www.unionvoice.org/wfn/join.html
|
|