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Dear fellow Council 82
Flight
Attendants,
In light of the numerous concerns I have received from flight
attendants in recent weeks, I feel compelled to address an ongoing
matter regarding the utilization of deployed flight attendants to
assist in the operation of the LGA In-flight Office. The company
continues to search for ways to engage the flight attendant group
through various methods such as Focus groups, Product Specialist
positions, Uniform Peer Groups and administrative staff assistants.
While I am not in total disagreement with these methods of
communication, I do want to remind you that there is a fine line
here that must be considered. Unlike other bases throughout the
system, the LGA base has ONLY 1 person with supervisory authority
and that would be Terri O'Leary, Base Manager/Supervisor. Some of
the individuals (your fellow flight attendants) who volunteer to
participate in these various capacities are able to acknowledge
their particular roles and accomplish them with great success;
however others tend to overextend the roles which they have been
assigned. I have discussed these issues with the LGA Base Manager in
the past and have asked for clarification of the roles and
responsibilities of the different deployed flight attendants. LGA
In-flight has provided me with the requested information however the
names have changed considerably since that initial discussion. The
majority of these positions are responsible to assist the flight
attendants and provide them with the necessary tools to properly
perform their duties. Some positions are solely for the purpose of
gathering data to increase the performance and service that we offer
our customers.
A major issue that I am hearing far too often is the fact that the
flight attendant group is generally left in the state of confusion
as to who is acting in what capacity and
what are their respective responsibilities.
Contrary to these responsibilities I have been contacted by flight
attendants on a regular basis advising me that some of the
individuals who are deployed in the office are taking on somewhat of
an authoritative role in the absence of the Base Manager and some in
her presence. LGA In-flight has explicitly clarified their roles
stating they are there to ASSIST the flight attendants. As you well
know with the eventual rollout of the NEW UNIFORM the company has
deployed numerous individuals to be present in the crew rooms
throughout the system. The role of the Peer Uniform Focus person is
to be present in the Crew Room wearing the different pieces and
combinations to demonstrate how the uniform is to be worn. They are
to provide information regarding the policy and procedures of the
new uniform as outlined by the company. They are also asked to make
note of uniform problems and issues reported by the flight attendant
group and pass this information onto the appointed In-flight Uniform
Representative. This program is not designed for the Peer Group to
report infractions nor enact any discipline. Most recently I
received a call from a flight attendant stating they were advised in
LGA that they were not in conformance with the uniform policy.
Ironically this occurred during a weekend and there was no
supervisor on duty in LGA however when the flight attendant arrived
in another crew base they were pulled from their trip. The role of
the Uniform Peer persons, Product Specialists and other deployed
personnel is not to contact a supervisor to report infractions which
may lead to discipline, but rather to solve interdepartmental
issues, and assist their "fellow flight attendants" by providing
them with the tools required to perform the duties in accordance
with Company policy and procedures.
Another issue brought to my attention pertains to those individuals
who are deployed part time and fly the line part time. When these
individuals are flying the line they should be acting solely in the
capacity of a line flight attendant and must leave their office hat
behind. They are not there to critique the other crewmembers'
performance. If there are any conflicts or issues arising on the
airplane whether it be on the ground or in the air they should be
addressed through the "A" Flight Attendant and Captain pursuant to
the Policy and Procedures Manual.
I must reiterate that the LGA Base Manager is the ONLY individual
who is authorized to direct you in your duties and issue discipline.
The LGA Base Manager is the ONLY individual who should have access
to any personal information including personnel and medical files
and this information should not be shared with anyone. I must remind
you the individuals performing these services in their various roles
are FELLOW FLIGHT ATTENDANTS who are there to assist you. Any
actions taken in their roles that would lead to the potential
discipline of a fellow flight attendant are simply unacceptable and
should not be tolerated.
I will continue to monitor the situation and I urge you to contact
me when these situations surface so that I may address these issues
with the In-flight Department in an effort to bring resolve to these
matters.
Crew Scheduling Issues
I just want to remind you that it is extremely important when
interacting with Crew Scheduling that you document the pertinent
information for future reference. As you all are aware every
telephone conversation in Crew Scheduling is taped. It is extremely
difficult to question any transaction with Crew Scheduling without
the following information. You need to write down the following:
1. Date and time of day of the call
2. Name of the scheduler
3. Daily or Future Scheduling
I want to emphasize the importance of this information. Without this
information it is difficult to request a tape pull with Crew
Scheduling. Crew Scheduling is more than cooperative in pulling the
necessary tapes provided we provide them with the necessary
information. Without this information you may be unable to
substantiate a potential pay claim as well as other remedies you may
be seeking arising out of possible errors that may have violated
your seniority as well as any other sections of the Collective
Bargaining Agreement. This may seem repetitious however I continue
to receive calls for scheduling issues where the flight attendant
does not have the necessary information. This is important to
YOU.
In Solidarity, Rob
Wessinger
LEC President
Council 82-LGA
Association of Flight Attendants - AFL-CIO
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