The Philadelphia base continues to add more time each month.  In March, we had a total of 1,537 lines (PRI and SEC).  For April, that total increased to 1,632 and for May, it will increase again to 1,684.

With these monthly increases, more and more flight attendants will transition from reserve to secondary and from secondary to primary.

Please take a few moments to review several key elements in your contract that apply to those of you making these transitions, such as monthly sign-in, weekend AIL restriction, calling the VRS (voice response system) by 1930, lineholder and secondary lineholder obligation.  The majority of what you need to know as you make this transition can be found in section 9 - Scheduling.  If you do not have a copy of the contract, you can pick one up at the Crew Service Center in either crew room.

One of the most common mistakes we hear about is when the flight attendant leaves a list with scheduling and their last choice is to "keep my own trip."  Later in the day, the flight attendant will check CATCREW and see that they either got one of their choices or they have to do their own trip.  The common mistake that is made is that the flight attendant forgets to call the VRS to sign-in for the awarded trip.  Even if you have signed in for the month and you are awarded your own trip, you MUST always remember to call the VRS to avoid receiving a No Sign In (NSI).  If you receive the NSI, you will be removed from the trip and you will be responsible to make up the lost time.

Another issue we hear about involves weekend touch.   Here's one common example of a problem we see:  A flight attendant has a SAT/SUN 2-day.  They go on the bid sheet on Thursday to trip improve for FRI and are awarded a FRI/SAT 2-day.  They then leave a list to touch SUN, but they only want a 1-day that gets back by 5p.  They are awarded a 2-day.  Why?  There were no 1-days left when scheduling reached their seniority.  Is this legal?  Yes, because you are still required to touch Sunday, unless there is no weekend touch restriction.  Make sure to review section 9-16 regarding weekend touch.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, please consider utilizing monthly sign-in.  You may sign in for your trips by either contacting Crew Scheduling, using CATCREW option 2 (bottom right of screen, type Y beside MSI) or by calling the VRS.  Always print your monthly schedule after signing in to verify that you did sign in and ALWAYS keep a record of the date, time and scheduler you talk to whenever you call scheduling.

ILLEGAL THROUGH NO FAULT AFTER THE TIME OF AWARD
Please carefully review section 9-21 regarding this important issue.  Scheduling will run a legality check in the early hours of each morning to determine if you are legal for that day.  What some of you have discovered is that if you get in very late on a Friday night, for example, and you have an early Saturday morning departure, you may be illegal and crew scheduling will notify you of such.  If you are illegal, one of two things will happen; you'll either be pay protected if, for example, you are doing a one day island turn or, you would be split back on the trip at the point in which you become legal.  Again, this is in your contract, section 9-21, and is not in reference to your last trip of the month.

GRAZIE MILLE!
On behalf of all of us at the local office, I would like to thank Giovanna Franchi for her service as our EAP/Professional Standards Chair.  Giovanna recently took advantage of the Separation Package and left US Airways on April 4th after 27 years of service.  She served on the BOS EAP team from '86-'95 and has been serving the PHL flight attendants since 1999.

If anyone is interested in joining the PHL EAP/Professional Standards team, go to: http://www.afanet.org/eap/becomingarep.htm and follow the instructions for submitting the form.

Your current EAP/Professional Standards representatives are:
Mark King, Interim Chair, 267-455-7561
Candace Ackerman-Haenggi, 267-250-4459
Germaine Smith, 267-455-6465

JUMPSEAT:
Please refer to 30-3 of the contract regarding US Airways Cabin Jumpseats.  The jumpseats are for the exclusive use of US Airways flight attendants.  Pilots are NOT permitted to ride east metal cabin jumpseats.  An MEC E-Line was sent out in February regarding the elimination of weight restrictions on west metal flights and I would recommend you print this E-Line and carry it with you: http://www.afausairways.org/Eline/feb08_08.htm

A west flight attendant may occupy a cabin jumpseat on an east metal flight and vice versa.  However, at no time shall anyone other than a flight attendant occupy the cabin jumpseat on east metal.

COMMUTING ISSUES:
We received a call yesterday afternoon from a PHL-based flight attendant that was attempting to ride the cabin jumpseat on a west metal flight.  The agent told her the flight was weight restricted and could not ride the jumpseat.  She called here and we told her to ask for the agent's duty manager.  I then called US Airways' Directors office for PHL to inform them that one of their agents still doesn't know the correct policy.  The duty manager showed up and corrected the agent only to have the flight attendant go onboard the aircraft and have the west captain tell her essentially the same thing.  She got to PHX, on the jumpseat, but here again we see each week of instances where employees still don't know or, perhaps, don't want to accept the fact.  Again, print the E-line and carry it with you.  If you are denied the jumpseat, tell the agent they are incorrect and ask for their supervisor and/or duty manager.

Also, as we continue to add more reciprocal cabin seat agreements (we're currently up to ten airlines), please take a few minutes to review the general guidelines of these agreements.  This information can be found on the Inflight Services homepage of the Hub towards the bottom of the page.  More and more flight attendants are taking advantage of these agreements and we all need to make sure we understand the policies and guidelines of each agreement in order to retain these agreements and hopefully continue to add to them.

FIDELITY INVESTMENTS MEETINGS AT PHL:
On March 22nd, MEC Benefits Chair Paul Frishkorn sent out an E-Line to inform everyone that representatives from AFA and US Airways Retirement Benefits will join representatives from Fidelity Investments in the PHL crew rooms on May 12th and 13th.

Fidelity handles our 401k and 3% defined contribution savings program and we encourage all of you to take advantage of this free service.

The representatives will meet in the B-side crew room from 10:30a - 2:30p and will then go to the A-West crew room from 3:00p - 6:30p.  The times will be the same for both Monday, May 12th and Tuesday, May 13th.

THE LISTS:
When US Airways first announced recalls several months ago, the company had three lists of furloughed flight attendants.  Those three lists were:  1) Involuntary Furloughed; 2) Extended Leave, and 3) Voluntary Furlough with Limited Recall.

The Involuntary Furloughed list had over 800 flight attendants.  That list has now been exhausted and the company has moved on to the Extended Leave list.  This list had 765 names and the company began recalling from the most junior.  131 have accepted recall from the list and the most senior is Jan. '97.  The rest were '98 and '99 hires.  When you factor in those that have recently resigned or retired from the list, approximately 500 flight attendants remain on the EXL list with the most junior have a hire date of late '96.

The final list, and it may be some time before these people are offered a recall, are those that took the voluntary furlough with limited recall.  If anyone from this list returns, they will come back essentially as a new hire for the purposes of seniority, longevity for pay and vacation - basically, they come back with nothing but memories.  The only difference between someone returning from this list and a new hire is that these people would not have to serve a probationary period.

John

John McCorkle - President
Association of Flight Attendants
Philadelphia Council #70
US Airways
OFFICE: 215-492-0840
MOBILE: 215-300-4742