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Dear fellow Council 82
Flight
Attendants,
This time last year we had just finished ratifying the 2004 Tentative Agreement. We found ourselves still under the shadow of our second round of Bankruptcy. We have experienced many changes over the past 12 months some of which provided USAirways Inc. a much better chance of survival in this failing aviation industry. In 2005, U.S. legacy carriers were plagued with the highest fuel prices in history, combined with the increased pressure from low cost carriers resulting in a record number of airlines testing the bankruptcy waters. This snowball effect has left most labor groups in the aviation industry with lower wages, a reduction in benefits, and a drastic change in work rules. The most significant change this past year was the commitment of capital from outside investors to ensure the survival of both USAirways and our merging partner America West. These investors displayed their confidence in our two carriers as merging partners by their financial commitment. You will hear many say USAirways bought America West, others will say America West bought USAirways but the truth of the matter is neither airline were in a financial position to purchase the other. This was undoubtedly a merger in every sense of the word and without the commitment of these investors USAirways and America West may not have survived through the second quarter of 2006. So where does this bring us today?
USAirways and America West continue to fly as separate entities until an operational merger agreement is reached and the two companies begin to fly under one operating certificate. In regard to AFA, the two MEC's have just completed a signed transitional merger agreement which will pave the way toward the seniority integration and operational merger which will hopefully be completed within the next 18 months or possibly sooner.
There was a great deal of resistance from the America West MEC which resulted in a more lengthy period to reach an agreement than in past mergers. During these negotiations America West management announced the necessity to hire additional flight attendants to supplement the flight attendant work force due to the normal attrition rate. USAirways' MEC strongly suggested that these positions be offered to our Involuntary furloughees. The companies both agreed but the America West MEC did not agree on ALL the terms. We wanted our Involuntary furloughees to bring their years of seniority (avg 3-4 yrs) to America West and receive compensation and vacation based on their USAirways' seniority but on the America West pay scale. America West MEC strongly opposed this and wanted these employees to be hired at year # 1 wages and vacation. After much deliberation the two MEC's had reached an agreement , one that would allow the Involuntary furloughed USAirways flight attendants to work out of PHX at their USAirways seniority for pay and vacation in accordance with America West pay scale. For more details you may reference the entire Transitional Agreement on the MEC E-Line. With the Transition Agreement in place the next step in the merging process will be to negotiate and merge the two Collective Bargaining Agreements. This will no doubt be another lengthy process and I will strongly urge the negotiating team not to accept anything less than what we have settled for under two rounds of bankruptcy. It is my contention we have given, given, and given. I feel we need to utilize this merged Collective Bargaining Agreement to secure improvements to the remnants of our existing Contract following the bankruptcies.
Please note some points of interest and reminders:
A VFLR (Voluntary Furlough with Limited Recall) has been announced by the company. They will be offering 3 different release dates, very similar to that of the original VFLR offered in early 2005. This VFLR offering will be for a total of 323 which represents the amount of the oversubscribed VFLR I. It is very important to realize the purpose of this offering is strictly contractual and the company is obligated to offer these 323 by Dec 2006. Individuals must have been active status as of Dec 1, 2004 to be eligible. The company has also indicated this is solely contractual and not related to a "Lack of Work" situation as was in the original offering. I want to advise each and every one of you who consider this offering of the fact that unemployment benefits relating to this offering is very much in question. I will also advise you that New York State has not awarded any unemployment benefits to any flight attendant in the State of New York who participated in the previous VFLR programs. So I ask you to consider this and please contact me if you are contemplating participating in this offering so that I may better explain the unemployment issue. Council 82 had one flight attendant from the VFLR I program that I represented in an arbitration case. This individual was denied UI at all State levels and through the company as well. In arbitration we were successful in obtaining the relief we sought and consequently the flight attendant received an award; however it was on a non precedent basis. The State of New York Department of Labor does not recognize a furlough which is voluntary as a qualifying event for eligibility for Unemployment Insurance benefits. This new offering will be slated for:
July 1, 2006 100 slots
- Sept 1, 2006 100 slots - Nov 1, 2006 123 slots
For more details please visit the hub.
The company continues to integrate the travel policies of both USAirways and America West and beginning January 1, 2006 some of the changes have been implemented. Many more changes are slated for 2006. Some of the immediate changes are as follows:
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Registered Guest Implementation ( travel on the employees original airline)
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Waived Fees for Retirees
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New Boarding Priorities for Retirees
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New Fees for Parents
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Waived Cabin Pet Fees
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Waived Excessive Bag Fees
Please check the hub for further details on the travel policies and the many changes.
Below are just a few reminders of
importance.
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Second notice of the
Winter MEC Meeting which will be held in the PIT MEC Office on
January 31, February 1-2 Please see the AFA Bulletin Board for details of the meeting. All members in good standing are welcome to attend. If anyone has any specific questions please contact me prior to the meeting so that I may convey your voice.
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Don't forget January 30, 2006 has been designated
"Leave All Blades Behind Day" and a leafleting campaign is slated for LGA on the 30th. I have asked for volunteers to come out and solicit signatures for our petitions and assist in our Public Awareness Campaign. I urge you to come out on the 30th in a cause which we will all benefit. Join with us and numerous U.S. Senators and U.S. Congressmen/Congresswomen who have given their support to AFA to ensure the safety of our Flight Attendants while performing their duties.
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TDY duty is being offered for All PIT Reserves to come to LGA. In the past the question has been raised in regard to position selection on the airplane when flying with TDY Flight Attendants. The answer is the same as any other flight attendant in your domicile. The ONLY protected position on an originating trip is that of the Primary Holder. The primary holder is only protected in their awarded position. All other positions will be assigned by seniority during the preflight briefing pursuant to the policy and procedures.
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I continue to press the MEC Office for the distribution of the 2004 Contract. Many of you have inquired as to the distribution date of the contract. I have been told they are in the binding stages and should be scheduled for distribution by late January. I will be asking once again at the upcoming MEC Meeting as this is essential to all. Hopefully you will all carry your contract with you at all times while on duty for your reference.
Fly Safe!!!!!!
In Solidarity,
Rob Wessinger/LEC President-Council 82
rwessinger@afausairways.org
Association of Flight Attendants - AFL-CIO
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