AFA - US Airways E-Line
May 23, 2002
http://www.afausairways.org/eline.htm
Contents:
MEC Elects
Negotiating Committee To Engage in Exploratory Talks with the Company
As you know, management claims
US Airways is in a severe financial crisis. For our airline to survive,
our new corporate heads plan to restructure our carrier. Their plan going
forward is to get a loan guarantee from the Federal government's Air Transportation
Stabilization Board and survive without having to enter into bankruptcy.
And in order to do that, management needs us and all other work groups
at US Airways to make sacrifices.
Your elected representatives
on the AFA US Airways Master Executive Council have now met with management
on a number of occasions. Management has opened its books and provided
us with access to the company's financial situation. And we have heard
specifically what management wants from flight attendants in terms of sacrifices.
In our meeting on May 21,
management asked for significant sacrifices from the flight attendants
to help in the company's overall plan to reduce costs. In that meeting,
management made suggestions as to where those sacrifices could come from:
-
Health benefit and pension cuts
-
Productivity enhancements (Vacation,
Sick, Premium pay, work rule cuts, etc.)
-
Wage concessions
We will outline the specific
amount US Airways has asked flight attendants to sacrifice in communications
with you tomorrow.
Management made a commitment
in our May 21 meeting that flight attendant representatives will be have
a significant voice in how and where those sacrifices will ultimately be
shaped. That means the company's suggestions are just that, suggestions.
Since we know our jobs best, we will be able decide how best to help the
company achieve the cost savings it says it needs.
Following the meetings with
the company, your MEC representatives met in special session for the last
two days. After a thorough debate on the merits of managements presentation,
the MEC elected a Negotiating Committee and directed that Committee to
enter into exploratory talks with the company.
In addition to MEC President
Karen Lascoli, the Negotiating Committee elected to represent you is:
Teddy Xidas, President
of Local 40, Pittsburgh
Buddy Brannon, President
of Local 69, Boston
Terri Graf, Vice President-Elect
of Local 70, Philadelphia
AFA staff attorneys and professional
negotiators Stephani Brown and Ben Elliott, and industry and financial
analysts retained by AFA will also participate in negotiations on the flight
attendants' side.
Management has said that
it needs us to agree to our part in the plan for employee sacrifices on
a very fast timeline. Management says it needs agreements from all of its
labor groups by June 15 so it will have sufficient time to make a good
run at getting the $1 billion loan guarantee its seeking from the government.
The company has committed
that those work groups who make the least will sacrifice the least. We
have been assured that the sacrifices we have been asked to make are lower
than those asked from higher paid employees. The exploratory talks we enter
into with management will center on ensuring that the interests of flight
attendants are represented as the company moves forward with its restructuring
plan.
Keep in mind that the AFA
flight attendant contract remains in full force and effect. That means
management cannot just make changes or unilateral cuts to our contract.
Any and all changes must be negotiated for and approved of by the flight
attendants in a ratification vote. You will get the final say in whether
to approve the sacrifices management is requesting that the flight attendants
make.
Company
Roadshows on the Business Plan
President and CEO Dave Siegel
is holding a series of Roadshow meetings to present the Company's strategy
and respond to questions. Each meeting is expected to last approximately
90 minutes:
May 28
Philadelphia - Airport Marriott
- 10:30 am
May 28
Philadelphia - Airport Marriott
- 6:00 pm
May 29
Pittsburgh - Hangar 3 -
10:00 am
May 29
Pittsburgh - Hangar 3 -
6:00 pm
May 30
LaGuardia - Airport Marriott
- 11:00 am
May 31
Winston-Salem - Benton Convention
Ctr. - 12:00 pm
June 4
Boston - Airport Hilton
- 11:00 am
June 5
Tampa - Airport Marriott
- 8:30 am
June 5
Orlando - Airport Hyatt
- 1:30 pm
Safety
Alert from the Crew Accommodations Committee
It has been brought to the
Committee's attention that incidents of crime experienced by crewmembers
overnighting in Europe have increased. Crewmembers with layovers in European
cities have been victimized by thefts, muggings, and burglaries. Recently,
a Flight Attendant's room at the layover hotel in Rome was entered and
items were taken. This situation requires your heightened
attention and vigilance.
Crewmembers should exercise caution when traveling to European destinations:
-
Keep track of your belongings
and inventory any personal property upon returning to your room.
-
Employee IDs and passports should
be secured at all times.
-
Should you observe any suspicious
activity, notify the local authorities, US Airways Corporate Security,
and the Safety Committee.
-
Please inform the AFA Crew Accommodations
Committee of any incidents of crime on a layover using the OF310 forms
which can be found in each crew room. They are usually located with the
other forms. The electronic version of this form can be found at: http://www.afausairways.org/FAForm.html
.
We cannot stress strongly enough
the importance of your collective feedback so we can work on this problem
with hotel and notify crewmembers overnighting at the property.
Thank you.
AFA Crew Accommodations
Committee
Flight
Attendants Endorse Aircraft Defense Bill
WASHINGTON
-- Patricia Friend, International President of the Association of Flight
Attendants, AFL-CIO, issued this statement today on the Arming Pilots Against
Terrorism and Cabin Defense Act of 2002, introduced today in the U.S. Senate:
"Flight attendants and passengers
in the cabins of the four hijacked aircraft were the first people to lose
their lives on September 11. They were brutally killed as examples to show
the consequences of challenging the terrorists that day.
"The people in the hijacked
planes didn't stand a chance against the terrorists because the flight
attendants were not trained to handle an attack in the aircraft cabin.
In any future hijacking attempt, the attackers will again start in the
cabin, before they ever reach the cockpit.
"A bill that provides solely
for pilots to have guns enables the pilots to defend the cockpit, but it
leaves a gaping hole our aviation security system. Up to this point, nothing
has been done to make sure flight attendants have the ability to protect
ourselves and our passengers from attackers. The people in the aircraft
cabin deserve to have the tools and training to fight back, too.
"The bill authored by Senator
Smith provides a multi-layered defensive strategy for the entire aircraft.
It requires comprehensive self-defense training, including classroom, situational
and hands-on training; a discreet, hands-free, wireless method of communication
with the flight deck; and it will require the Transportation Security Administration
to conduct a study of the effectiveness of arming and training flight attendants
with non-lethal weapons.
"The bill also creates a
specific division within the TSA to handle self-defense training. The TSA's
Self-Defense Division will develop and administer the crewmember self-defense
training requirements to ensure that airlines live up to their responsibility
to prioritize security over convenience when it comes to training.
"We thank Senator Smith for
authoring the bill that will provide flight attendants with the training
and tools we need to protect ourselves, our passengers and to possibly
stop a hijacker before he reaches the cockpit.
Flight
Attendant TIME-LINE FOR AUGUST Bidding
All Bids open and close at
1800
PRIMARY
OPEN 16 JUNE
CLOSE 22 JUNE
SAP
OPEN 23 JUNE
CLOSE 29 JUNE (PIT, PIW,
PHL, PHW, BOS)
30 JUNE (CLT, CLW,
DCA, LGA)
SECONDARY
OPEN 06 JULY
CLOSE 11 JULY
SECONDARY LINE OVERPROJECTION
DROP
13 JULY
RESERVE
OPEN 18 JULY
CLOSE 24 JULY
Drobac
Wins Democratic Primary
U.S. House of Representatives
Pennsylvania Congressional District 4 Race Results
(Allegheny, Beaver, Butler,
Lawrence, Mercer, Westmoreland)
Stevan Drobac Jr. (D) 30,658
Mark A. Purcell (D) 25,113
Stevan is a US Airways Flight
Attendant on an 18-monthVoluntary Furlough.
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