Contents:

• No Further Voluntary Furloughs Planned - Recalls Anticipated
• Probationary Flight Attendants now considered "Furloughed" - Keep your current address on file
• Displacements for May
• New Jumpseat Award Procedure
• MEC Meets CEO and President Dave Siegel
• Local Council Elections

The company has decided that they will NOT offer more Voluntary Furloughs due to the following:

• For May, the Company is understaffed. Vacation Buyback was offered in May to absorb the shortage.
• For June, the Company is overstaffed by approximately 450 Flight Attendants.  
• For July, August, and September, the Company is again understaffed. As a result, the Company is forecasting a RECALL of Involuntary Furloughees this summer.

Again, the numbers of any recalls and the effective date are uncertain.  As more information is available we will inform you by this Hotline, the *E-Line* and the website: http://www.afausairways.org

As you are aware, 478 probationary Flight Attendants were terminated on September 28, 2001.  Since then however, the Company has agreed to convert the probationary Flight Attendants' terminations to a "furlough" status as part of a settlement to a grievance brought by AFA.  These Flight Attendants are now considered "Involuntarily Furloughed".  Thus, probationary Flight Attendants now retain their longevity for competitive bidding, as well as travel purposes.

It is extremely important that all Furloughees keep the Company informed of their current home address.  The Company will send any Notice of Recall by certified mail to the most recent address provided by the Flight Attendant.  The Contract provides only for a short period of time during which you must reply with your intentions to return.

We recommend that you update AFA with any address changes as well. HERE
 

The Company is planning to displace 222 Flight Attendants in May.

A Summary of the May Displacements by base:
 

Domestic Base	Total  Displaced	Already on  LOA	Number of Active F/A's Displaced
CLT	61	17	44
DCA	34	19	15
PIT	127	36	91
TOTAL	222	72	150

The Company will notify all affected Flight Attendants by U.S mail and via Company mail-files if active.

The Flight Attendant Agreement provides certain rights for Flight Attendants that are displaced.  Please review Section 5 (Moving Expenses) and Section 18 (Filling of Vacancies).  If you have questions, please contact your Local Union Office and/or InFlight Supervisor.  Q & A's on "Displacements" HERE

A new procedure for awarding the cabin jumpseat(s) will be implemented April 15, 2002 in accordance with the May 2000 Flight Attendant Agreement (see Side Letter 22, page L22-1).  Your MEC, which consists of all Local Council Presidents, voted to implement the new language at a Special MEC Meeting in February 2002.

In order to facilitate the new procedures, please pick up your seniority identification card (SID) at your domicile as soon as possible.

The new procedure is intended to allow more non-reving Flight Attendants to get on a full aircraft.

For example, assume a senior Flight Attendant is awarded the jumpseat. One passenger seat remains for non-revs with a junior Flight Attendant and a ramp agent with greater Company seniority standing by.  Under current procedures, the more senior ramp agent would get the passenger seat and the more junior Flight Attendant would be left behind.

With the new procedure, the senior Flight Attendant would get the passenger seat (if they re senior to the ramp agent) and the junior Flight Attendant would be awarded the jumpseat.  Therefore, more of our Flight Attendants will benefit.

Other things to know once this policy has been implemented:

• Upon checking in with the gate agent you will fill out the jumpseat authorization form.
• The agent will list each Flight Attendant requesting jumpseat authorization, reason for travel, (business or personal) and seniority date from your SID card.
• The jumpseat(s) will be awarded in seniority order after all passenger seats have been assigned.
• You can ride the jumpseat without your SID card but you will be slotted in as the most junior Flight Attendant.  Remember to pick up your SID card and wear it behind your company ID.
• The 30-minute rule will no longer apply.

US Airways President and CEO Dave Siegel has called the AFA Master Executive Council to Crystal City for a meeting tomorrow morning, Friday, March 22nd.  Mr Siegel is planning to meet with all organized labor groups at US Airways.  While the exact nature of the meeting is unknown, it is expected that this is an introductory forum leading to Mr. Siegel's eventual unveiling of his plan of recovery for US Airways.

As information becomes available we will update this Hotline, the *E-Line* and the website.

The nomination stage of the LEC Officer Elections for Councils 41 & 70 has been completed; next is the Election process.  Shortly, the AFA International Office will mail LEC Election ballots to your home address (March 27 for DCA, April 1st for PHL) as per the AFA C&B: "No later than ninety (90) days before the start of the term of office".

Time Lines for Local Elections for LEC Officers

  DCA Council 41
      Election Ballots mailed -              March 27
      Election Ballots must be postmarked -  April 17
      Election Ballots counted -             May   01

  PHL Council 70
      Election Ballots mailed -              April 01
      Election Ballots must be postmarked -  April 22
      Election Ballots counted -             May   06

Make sure your ballot is counted: mail your ballot by the Postmark Date.

The next term of office for Council 41 & 70 LEC Officers will commence July 1, 2002.

Make sure the AFA Membership Department has your current address. Call Irell Thompson at 800-424-2401 x833 or go to: http://www.afausairways.org/addresschange.html

If you are active member you are entitled to receive a ballot.  If you do not receive your ballot, contact your local AFA office or the International Secretary-Treasurer of AFA for a duplicate.

Your Union works best when you participate.