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The Vote:
Ballot instructions are being mailed to your homes. The vote will
begin on Thursday, November 6th at 10:00 a.m. (EST) and will end at
12, noon (EST) on Monday, December 1st.
All voting will be done electronically, over the phone or the Internet
- from anywhere.
For more information, visit the AFA website at www.afanet.org,
I want you to know that as your representative, I fought hard for YOU
to have the final say on whether we merge with the CWA or not. I
apologize to you for the way that CHOICE was recently worded in the
MEC E-line but please let's not lose sight of the fact that we hold
our fate and the fate of OUR union in our hands. Please VOTE!
The Who and How of the AFA Board of Directors:
The AFA Board of Directors (BOD) meets once a year. The BOD presently
consists of 67 Local Council Presidents (of which I am one) who
collectively represent approximately 33,000 Flight Attendants from the
26 different airlines represented by AFA. This year the 30th Annual
AFA Board of Director's Meeting was held in Boston. The agenda ALWAYS
includes next years budget. This year it also included, among other
things, the possible merger with the CWA.
Every year the main topic at the BOD is the next year budget, which
without fail includes a lively debate on whether to, or
not to, increase dues to meet the growing budgetary needs of our
union.
FYI: You may not be fully aware of this fact because it has been
over 10-years since the AFA BOD last increased our dues, but believe
me the issue and the ensuing debate is visited every year!
At last years BOD meeting, we were told because of all
the restructuring agreements and ensuing furloughs etc., that our
union had been adversely impacted. AFA's cash flow had been
drastically reduced resulting in cause for alarm. During the 2002 AFA
BOD, we agreed to cut services rather than hit our members with a dues
increase during these uncertain times.
We quickly found that because of even more furloughs that the cuts we
made at the 2002 BOD would not be enough to get us through 2003.
During the first part of this year, we voted to further cut the
budgets of each airline's MEC and Local Councils (that's us). In
addition, the International office along with all three officers would
take a reduction in pay. Even after all of this, we were still in a
financial hurt and in debt.
We did not have many options left. We could either further reduce
services to the point that our Union would be virtually powerless, or
raise dues. Neither choice was palatable. There was no way, even if we
were to dodge the 'bankruptcy bullet,' that our Union would be strong
enough to fight the constant battles with management that we face
daily nor could many of our fellow Flight Attendant's afford an
increase in dues after all the cuts management had already taken from
us.
Something had to be done. This is when AFA went looking for a 'white
knight' to help bail us out.
AFA interviewed several solvent unions for a possible merger
(including ALPA, IAM & the Teamsters). The CWA (Communication
Workers of America) offered us the best 'fit' and the best deal. They
agreed to let us remain autonomous (Become a division/unit under CWA
while remaining much as we are today, "A union of - for - and by
Flight Attendant's."
However, merging with the 700,000 members of the financially stable
CWA would not be an easy task. First, no one likes change. Secondly,
because it would cause a change to our Constitution and By Laws, it
would need to pass a 2/3 vote at the BOD and lastly, if passed by the
BOD, it would then need to pass a vote from the collective members of
all the airlines represented by AFA.
At the recent 2003 AFA BOD meeting in Boston, the 67 LEC Presidents of
the BOD (Yup, I am still one of them) went over, under, around and
through every aspect of a possible merger with the CWA and when we
were done, we went over it once again! Finally more than 2/3's of the
members of the BOD elected to cast their votes in support of merging
with the CWA. However, many of us (including myself) wanted to make
sure that YOU, the members, had the FINAL say.
Sometime during this process, the question was raised "What if
the collective membership does not pass the merger?" We would
still be faced with a decision to raise the dues to offset the debt or
possibly face an even worse fate.
For the first time in our history, the BOD approved not one but TWO
different budgets. We approved one budget that would be used if the
members approved the CWA Merger and another if they did not.
The healthier/stronger of the two budgets is the merger budget. If the
merger passed, there would be no increase to our $39 per month for at
least 4-years, the merger budget would have the help of the CWA to
make up for what we need NOW but could not afford without a
substantial increase in dues. In essence, the CWA would 'foot the
bill' for the additional monies required to provide the services our
members deserve to help protect our jobs, our contracts and our
profession.
But if the merger failed membership ratification, the CWA would not be
there to give a helping hand and it would be up to us, the flight
attendants, to get our union out of debt. Knowing that our members
could never afford the additional $10 per month needed to get us what
we need to negotiate, arbitrate, etc., we agreed to make a non-merger
budget that would only include a 'just getting by' increase of $6. The
$6 would do little more than pay the debt and keep the status quo. The
cuts we previously had to take to stay alive would continue to remain
much as they are today. Or said another way:
1. The Merger Budget:
This budget fully funds AFA. It will enable us to continue our fight
against corporate greed, fight for certification for flight
attendants and support our efforts to win high quality security
training for flight attendants to name just a few. Had the Board
delegates approved this budget without a merger it would have
equated to a $10.00 a month dues increase.
2. The Non-merger Budget: If the merger was not
approved by the collective membership of the 26 airlines represented
by AFA, we still had the fiduciary responsibility to have a balanced
budget to work under for the upcoming year. This budget will go into
effect only if the merger is not approved. This is not a fully
funded budget as described above. While it will fund our current
fights, it does not give us everything needed to prepare us for the unknown
fight. In addition previously cut services would remain cut and we
would still need to defer some or our priorities.
So there you have it. If the merger
passes, we will have the full support and strength of the CWA behind
us. If we turn down the CWA merger, we will still need to have a
viable union that will hopefully only continue to get stronger but
alas that would call for a dues increase just to keep the 'status quo'
and remain as we are today.
As your representative I was faced with several hard decisions. I did
not and still do not believe a weak union or a union on the verge of
bankruptcy is the way for us to protect ourselves in these troubled
times.
The choice is now up to you. Either way, I stand with you. TOGETHER we
will again have a viable union protecting our contracts and our
profession. WE (You and I) are the Union and it will be our collective
vote that will ultimately decide our fate.
FYI: Our gate agents are also members of CWA. Please do not be
confused, both groups will REMAIN SEPARATE just like they are today.
There are compelling reasons why some might choose to 'go it alone'.
As reflected by the vote below, but the majority of the BOD members
feel strongly that the membership of AFA (YOU) should decide our
future. To do otherwise and kill the proposal at the BOD would
contradict the democratic ideals of our Union. After much debate and
deliberation, the BOD voted overwhelmingly to send this proposed
merger to you, the members.
Below are the results of the vote and the resolution passed by over
2/3's of the AFA BOD.
Subject: Proposed Merger with the Communications Workers of America
Statement of Question: Should the 2003 BOD approve and endorse the
proposed merger with the Communication Workers of America?
Through a Roll Call vote of 22,710 FOR and 10,323 AGAINST the BOD,
representing the 33,033 active AFA members decided the following:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that
this 30th AFA Board of Directors approves and endorses the draft
merger between AFA and CWA, and that in order for all members of the
union to have a voice in this historic decision, the Board of
Directors commands a ballot on the proposed merger be expeditiously
circulated to all active members of the union, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that said ballot shall state the question
to the members asking them to vote "FOR" or
"AGAINST" the proposed merger, with the majority of votes
determining the binding path our union shall follow until the
members determine otherwise, and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that this 30th AFA Board of Directors, as
the directly elected representatives to the members, recommend a
vote "FOR" this merger of two great unions, so AFA can
continue to represent the interests of Flight Attendants from a
position of strength, not just for today, but for years to come.
FYI: The Communication Workers of
America, CWA-AFLCIO, are a progressive union of 700,000 members from
many industries including:
Communication and Technology
Workers,
Telecommunication Workers,
Public, Health Care and Education Workers,
Printing, Publishing and Media Workers,
Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians,
Broadcasting and Television Workers of America,
Along with others, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and the
Washington Post are all represented under the umbrella of the CWA
If you are interested in a detailed
description of the process that has brought us this far I recommend
you read the "Report to the AFA Executive Board by the
Executive Board Affiliation Committee" which can be found
online at www.afanet.org.
It will now be up to YOU, the members,
to decide the best course for our Union.
Information on the proposed merger is
available on the AFA International Website: www.afanet.org.
As usual, before I sign off, here are
a couple of quotes for you to ponder:
With every experience, you alone are
painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice.
Oprah Winfrey (1954 - )
Liberty is the right to choose. Freedom is the result of the right
choice.
Anonymous
If you choose not to decide -- you still have made a choice!
Neil Peart
Well, that is all for tonight. I will
contact you again once I return from the Reserve Road Shows. Until
then…
Take Care and Fly Safe,
Mollie McCarthy LEC President Council 70 - PHL/PHW
Reserve Road Show Schedule
LGA
Wednesday, November 5, 10am - 12 noon
Airport Crown Plaza
BOS
Wednesday, November 5, 3:30pm - 6pm
IAM Hall 830 Saratoga Street, East Boston, MA
DCA
Thursday, November 6, 11am - 2pm
Days Inn Alexandria PH: 702-329-0500
CLT
Tuesday, November 11, 12 noon - 4pm
Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel PH: 704-392-1200
PIT
Wednesday, November 12, 10am - 2pm
Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh Intl Airport PH: 724-899-1234
PHL
Thursday, November 13
11am - 3pm
Sheraton Suites Philadelphia Airport
4101 Island Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153
215-220-4652
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