AFA - US
Airways E-Line June 21, 2002
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Contents:
Notes
from the US Airways Negotiating Committee
Message to Members
6-21-02
Friday, 6/21/02 –
The pilots have recessed their negotiations for the weekend. Their
talks will resume on Monday 6/24. Both management and the pilots
reported to us that they are continuing to make progress towards reaching
an agreement that will provide the airline with the savings it needs to
stay out of bankruptcy.
As we’ve reported in the
last to E-line’s, we will go back into talks with management once the pilots
negotiations are finished and we receive a full accounting of their deal.
With that in mind, management has requested that the AFA Negotiating Committee
be in Crystal City on Tuesday morning, 6/25, for possible talks to begin
sometime that day.
All flight attendants in
good standing will vote on any tentative agreement we reach before it ever
goes into effect. Find
out WHO gets to VOTE Here.
We will report out to you
again after we meet with management. Until then, keep flying and
keep up to date with the Hotline - 800-654-3143, Website - www.afausairways.org
, E-Line or Negotiations Info Telephone
Line - 800-531-3242.
Eligibility
to vote on a tentative agreement
As
a reminder, only active (i.e., dues paying) Members in Good Standing will
be eligible to vote on a tentative agreement.
Voluntarily
furloughed flight attendants desiring to vote on a tentative agreement
must notify the AFA Membership Department, in writing, that they wish to
"Leave and Remain Active" beyond the first three months of the furlough.
This means they choose to continue paying dues and thus remain an active
member beyond the first three months of the voluntary furlough. The flight
attendant would need to remain active (pay dues) through the month in which
the ballot was counted. Only written notification will be accepted so there
is no dispute about the issue.
Upon
receipt of the written "Leave and Remain Active" notification, the voluntarily
furloughed flight attendant would be sent a ballot and would be required
to pay the additional dues for dues months beyond the first three months
of their furlough including the month in which the ballot is counted.
(Example:
A flight attendant furloughed from December 2, 2001 through December 2,
2002 has a (Leave of Absence) LOA dues obligation to pay dues for December
01, January 02 and February 02 dues. Should they wish to vote on a tentative
agreement that would be counted in July 2002, they would have to choose
to "Leave and Remain Active" through July 2002 and pay additional dues
for dues months March, April, May, June and July 2002.) This applies to
any flight attendant on a leave of absence; voluntary furloughs are considered
to be a leave of absence.
Involuntarily
Furloughed flight attendants are ineligible to vote.
Thus,
to receive a ballot, your membership must be in good standing: that is:
your dues must be current. Send your written "Leave and Remain Active"
notification (if applicable) and/or mail your check for your dues to:
Association
of Flight Attendants
Membership
Department
1275
K street, NW, 5th Floor
Washington,
DC 20005
If
you have a specific question about how much you currently owe, or will
need to pay to "Leave and Remain Active", please call the AFA Membership
Department at 800-424-2401, Extension 833 or 861. Also, if you are not
receiving mail from AFA please call the Membership Department and verify
your address of record with AFA. All other questions should be directed
to your local union office. (Local
Officer's Email Addresses)
Leslie
Miller
US
Airways MEC Secretary Treasurer
Rob
Fuhr Moves to Crew Scheduling
Rob
Fuhr, Sr., Director - Inflight Services, has accepted the position of Director
- Crew Scheduling. In this role Rob will have the responsibility for Crew
Resource Planning and Scheduling. Rob will be located in Pittsburgh and
be reporting directly to Bob Maloney Director - Operations Control.
Rob
has extensive management experience in InFlight and has spent a number
of years in Crew Scheduling during his career. Rob will further strengthen
this important function as the Company continues the restructuring process.
Understanding
the PBGC Retirement Chart
The AFA E-line dated June
3, 2002, and the letter that was mailed to every flight attendant’s home,
contained a Bankruptcy Q&A. Several of the questions addressed the
flight attendant pension benefit. A chart was attached to the questions
and answers from the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC),
the Federal Government agency that administers and guarantees certain pension
benefits.
The chart outlined three
columns: age, maximum monthly guarantee, and maximum annual guarantee.
The PBGC chart reflected retirement benefits for all individuals regardless
of employer, and thus shows the pension protection for someone retiring
at age 50. US Airways flight attendants cannot retire and receive
early retirement at age 50.
Some flight attendants were
confused by age 50 being included in the chart. But the age at which
US Airways flight attendants can receive early retirement has not changed.
The flight attendant working agreement, Section
22.G. clearly defines a flight attendant's early retirement age
of 55. Please reference the sections of the chart for ages 55 through
70.
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