• International Per Diem
• Crew Cash
• Unions meet with the Company on Air Quality Issue
• Accessing The Hub
• AFA Local Numbers

Dear Members,

International Per Diem

International meal expenses ONLY (not actual flying/duty or domestic meal expenses) has been incorrectly calculating meal expenses by using scheduled duty time instead of basing the per diem on the greater of scheduled or actual duty. The system has been corrected and as of September 1, 2009 all international per diem will be paid correctly. Unfortunately we were not able to identify how or when the error occurred, therefore the exact date is unknown. Please review your pay sheets as you may be entitled to additional per diem. In most cases the amount of the miscalculation was minimal. Should you determine you were affected by this system error, please submit your claim on a PE 80 form to Crew Administration either via theHub, Wings, Fax to 480-693-1999 or via Co-Mail to FC-SKD. Please notate the pairing number, date and hours in the comments section. Thank you.

Cindi Simone
Director Labor Relations, Inflight
 

Crew Cash
September 15, 2009

Dear Flight Attendants:

We recently discovered an error in the processing of crewcash applications by Barclays which resulted in crewcash payments not getting paid properly. This issue was directly attributed to the new application that was introduced in July. In addition, we want to reassure you that this process error has been corrected. It should be noted that US Airways' payroll department processed the payments as instructed by Barclays. Senior leadership from US Airways Marketing, Payroll, and InFlight have been working diligently with the bank to identify and resolve the error. We are not taking this lightly and the bank is taking a number of steps to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.

The error
A programming logic error was loaded by the bank in July that affected new applications only. There is nothing wrong with the applications themselves. Without getting too technical, essentially the link that ties "you" to an approved account was temporarily lost because of the programming error. As data moves from one bank database to another, your ID number "fell out" along the way.

Payment handling
Payment for accounts that were not included in July or August paychecks will be included in your September 30th paycheck. This means that your September 30th check will include payment for accounts that were missed between July 1 and August 21 (new applications), plus the normal payment you would receive for September 30th (new and old applications approved between August 22 and September 21).

Bonus payments issued on September 15th (covering July and August) are likely incomplete since the bonus payroll file was generated before the error could be corrected. This means September 15th bonus payments were calculated from old applications only.

A special make-up bonus file will be built for payment on October 15th. This payment will cover approved and activated accounts that were missed for the months of July and August.

As a gesture of our appreciation for your participation in the crewcash program we are increasing the payment for these delayed accounts by $10 per account. This one time increase will be included in your September 30th paycheck.

In closing, we truly regret the problem we encountered due to the new application and are committed to resolving it as swiftly as possible. This program is only successful because of each and every one of you and we appreciate everything you have done in support of crewcash.

Sincerely,

US Airways Dividend Miles Team
Fernand Fernandez
Michael Pool
Matthew Hertzfeld


Unions meet with the Company on Air Quality Issue

The AFA and IAM have gone on the record of notifying the company of unacceptable number of reported exposures to toxic fumes in the flight deck and cabin on the US Airways-East fleet.

In response to our notice, Senior Management from the Company met with Mike Flores, MEC President and Barrington Johnson, MEC Safety Chair last week in Phoenix to address the problem. The company informed us that it is in the process of developing a form/report that will be required to be completed by F/As, Pilots and Mechanics when dealing with an Air Quality (AQ) incident to help trouble shoot the problem(s), also the company informed the union(s) the initial steps to address the problems through the development of the reporting form was one of those steps that is already under way.

AFA continues to believe that it is unacceptable to expose crewmembers and passengers to toxic fumes in the cabin. It is also unacceptable to deny associated workers’ compensation claims and keep passengers in the dark. The MEC will be meeting next week to discuss this issue and to determine further actions.

In the meantime, if you find that you have had an air quality event onboard your aircraft, it is imperative that you advise the captain, document the date, flight number, fill out all safety related forms and contact the MEC Safety Chairperson Barrington Johnson at bjohnson@afausairways.org. If you do not have a yellow Air Quality Checklist Card, you can get one by contacting your local Union officers. This card outlines the procedures to follow if you are involved in an Air Quality incident.

"Safety is the Ultimate Service!"

Thank You,

Barrington Johnson
MEC Safety, Health & Security Committee Chair
BJohnson@afausairways.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AFA US Airways Website

www.afausairways.org

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 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

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Your MEC Officers
Association of Flight Attendants
Hotline & *E-Line* - US Airways