IMPORTANT READ: This is the PHL News-Line 70 from Mollie McCarthy LECP. If you would like to respond to Mollie, please use this email address mmccarthy@afausairways.org.  Subscribe to News-Line 70 from here.  (http://www.afausairways.org/PHL/phlemailform.html)

Nov. 1, 2004

Dear Council 70 Flying Partners,

We are in uncertain times and I am very aware that you want solid answers and direction. Unfortunately because we are still in negotiations and because our Company is under the protection of the Bankruptcy Court, there are few if any concrete answers to give at this time. So, under the circumstances, let me give you the best advice I have: 

Try not to make any Life-altering decisions based on "Proposals" submitted either by the Company or AFA. 

We are still in negotiations where nothing has been agreed to or finalized...yet. 

When/if AFA & Management reach a "Tentative Agreement" (TA) YOU will be informed immediately. 

Once there is a TA, the NC will then send send it to the MEC (six LEC Presidents) to review. The MEC will meet and determine if the NC has done all they can. If 'NOT,' they will send the NC back in to try and further negotiate with the Company or to fix/clarify/improve some portion of the agreement and then to you to vote on, if 'YES' then they will. ASAP, send the TA to you, the membership, to vote on which may also include a recommendation on how to vote. 

Please do NOT confuse AFA with ALPA, our Constitution and By Laws states that you WILL have the right to vote. The Flight Attendants will be balloted and the majority vote will determine whether we as a group accept the TA or not. 

Negotiations: 

The Company has informed us that they have a counter to our recent proposal and that counter will be presented to the AFA Negotiating Committee tomorrow, Tuesday, November 2, 2004. 

Retirement:

Management sets the notification time frame for retirement, it is not contractual. Last year, management increased that notification to 90-days. FYI: Please note that management has just now lowered the 90-day requirement down to 45-days.

FYI: Available HERE (http://www.afausairways.org/CLT/clt_enews.html) is a copy of a recent CLT AFA News Letter written by LECP Mike Flores. Mike has some good information for those of you that are considering retiring. I am sharing this with you as I believe it will help answer some of the questions surrounding the topic. Please take a moment to look it over.

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As I told you when this all began, these "Concessionary" negotiations are asking more from us than the last two Restructuring Agreements put together. Trying to find $116 million of cuts to our contract has proven difficult at best especially when management continues to go back & forth on their word as to what we would receive credit for. 

It is not unusual to have them change an evaluation for a specific item. For example, the evaluation to bring down the ITD fence went from approx. Plus $750,000 to a MINUS almost TWO Million! Of course at that point the committee stated that if the ITD was going to COST US MORE to take down than it would to keep up, we would just as soon take it off the table. As you might have guessed, because the removal of the fence is still incorporated in our most recent proposal, the Management negotiators have changed their way of thinking and now the ITD fence is back in the PLUS column and has even increased slightly from it's original evaluation. This is just one small example of what we are faced with when dealing with this management. 

There may come a point where this management has gone too far. We will see if management will take us to that point in their next proposal which will be presented to the NC tomorrow, Tuesday, November 2, 2004. 

Look for the Company's counter to our most recent proposal later this week.

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Some of you have written stating you have been hired by Southwest or some other Company and are wondering if you should take the job. 

I would not presume to know the future nor would I presume to suggest what you should do with your life especially considering the years of service we all have earned here at U. I can only tell you that at this time, I believe your future will be more secure with a Company that respects it's employees rather than with one that does not. I can only tell you that I do not recall even one company that survived on the backs of it's contract employees, yet that is exactly what this US Airways management team is attempting to do. It saddens me to see what I have seen from this management. 

There is no trust or loyalty by upper management to either the contract employees or to the Company we love. Although I wanted to and even tried to, I must admit that I have seen no difference between Siegel's Upper Management and Lakefield's. I have been unable to see any major difference between the two men even though my first impression of Lakefield was 100% better than my first impression of Siegel. Like Siegel, Lakefield's right hand man is Jerry Glass. I have heard Lakefield defend him telling us that Glass only did as he was required to do under Siegel's administration. Then in Bankruptcy court, I observed Lakefield turn around to his upper management, who were also there in attendance, seek out Glass and ask him to come up front and sit next to him on his right. That should speak volumes to those of you considering moving on. For those of you who do, you have my most sincerest best wishes. 

Take Care and Fly Safe,

Mollie McCarthy
LEC President
Council 70 PHL/PHW

PS: Don't forget to read the CLT NewsLine HERE. (http://www.afausairways.org/CLT/clt_enews.html)