In this Issue...
- Safety
- Reserve
- 20K
Buyout
-
International
- Security
- Equipment
Substitution
- Pay
Increases
- Did You
Know
- Jumpseat
Policy
- TEXTUS
- STAY
WARM, PAY LESS
SAFETY
Your MEC Safety Chair, Barrington Johnson,
has asked that each LEC remind all flight
attendants that if you are faced with a
security, safety or health incident or
concern, to please contact a member of your
local safety team. Please do not assume
that AFA knows about an incident just
because the company does. You PHL local Air
Safety, Health and Security Team is:
Pat
Williams-Harter, PHL LEC Safety Chair:
215-688-6718
Brian Sparks: 302-981-8744
Paul Frishkorn: 610-544-2875
Mary Lynn Gardner: 609-254-0903
Julie Turner: 610-453-9020
Barrington Johnson, MEC Safety Chair:
336-918-1022
RESERVE
Flight Attendant Scheduling announced on
Nov. 26th that TDY to DCA will be offered to
PHL-based flight attendants only from
Monday, Dec. 17 to Monday, Dec. 31st. All
requests must be made by phone to PHL Daily
Scheduling no later than noon on Monday,
Dec. 3rd. The monthly guarantee for those
who receive TDY will be 83:00hrs. Please
review section 11-20 of your contract for
more information on TDY. Council 70 is
continuing to work with F/A Scheduling in
hopes that more TDY will be offered to
PHL-based flight attendants in Jan., Feb.
and Mar. as well as VPLOAs for those months.
$20K
BUYOUT
The deadline for submitting your paperwork
for the $20K buyout is December 12th. The
forms and information are posted on theHub
and AFA has a Q&A E-Line posted at:
www.afausairways.org
INTERNATIONAL
US Airways announced last week that
it would begin service to London's Heathrow
Airport (LHR) beginning March 29th, 2008 out
of PHL. Based on some of the calls and
emails we've received, I wanted everyone to
be clear that the PHL base is NOT losing
service to London's Gatwick Airport.
Flights to both LGW and LHR will be flown by
PHL-based flight attendants.
Flight 720 will depart PHL at 10:45p and
arrive LHR at 11:05a
Flight 721 will depart LHR at 12:50p and
arrive PHL at 4:00p
Speaking of
International, the latest chart to determine
when you go illegal is now posted on our
website and is available at:
http://www.afausairways.org/PHL/newsline11_14_07.htm.
I would encourage everyone to print this
up and keep it with you in case you run into
a lengthy delay.
Also, if you
are working an international flight and find
crewmembers birthdates listed on the General
Declaration, please immediately contact
Brian Sparks, PHL AFA Air Safety, Health &
Security Committee member via email at:
BSparks@afausairways.org or call:
302-981-8744 This information should NOT be
on the General Declaration.
SECURITY
Earlier this month, US Airways transported a
passenger who had admitted killing a
Philadelphia police officer. The suspect
fled to Miami, was subsequently captured and
then was flown on a US Airways flight from
Miami back to Philadelphia. Our IEM clearly
states that High Risk prisoners are NOT
ACCEPTED for travel. So, what happened? I
asked that question repeatedly to management
and was finally given the answer/excuse that
Inflight was working with corporate
security, labor and legal to ensure that
this would not happen again. US Airways
clearly dropped the ball on this one but is
anyone really surprised?
Also this
month, we had a PHL-FCO flight cancel. The
passengers were deplaned and the flight
attendants were released by crew
scheduling. The crew gathered their bags
and walked up the jetway only to find the
jetway door closed - and locked. An agent
came over and told them that he was
instructed by his supervisor NOT to open the
door because the passengers, who were now in
the gate area, had not been told that the
flight was cancelled. I don't have to tell
you that NO AGENT has the authority to
detain flight attendants in the jetway or
anywhere else. One of the flight attendants
went back to the aircraft and asked the
captain to use his PHL SIDA badge to open
the door so they could leave, which they
did. I have spoken to the station personnel
at PHL about this incident and the agents
involved have been counseled and other
agents have been instructed that this is not
policy nor do they have the authority to
detain flight attendants.
EQUIPMENT SUBSTITUTION
Please review section 9-25 of your
contract. Recently, we had a PHL crew that
downsized from the A319 to the E190. The
senior f/a was told by scheduling that she
would still have to work even though we all
know the E190 is staffed by two flight
attendants. Why did she have to go?
According to 9-25 of our contract, the
flight attendant compliment will depend on
the number of jumpseats available. In this
situation, the E190 has three jumpseats
therefore, she had to work. If you are on
the A330 to SJU and it downsizes to the
A319, then five flight attendants will have
to work because there are five jumpseats.
PAY
INCREASES
Please review section 3-1
(Compensation) of your flight attendant
contract. Pay increases will go into effect
Jan. 1, 2008. If you don't have a copy of
your Flight Attendant Agreement, you can
pick one up at either the B-6 or A-West Crew
Service Center.
DID
YOU KNOW?
The number of active members in good
standing with AFA at each base are as
follows:
PHL - 1,980
CLT - 1,445
DCA - 318
PIT - 311
BOS - 192
LGA - 179
JUMPSEAT POLICY
We continue to receive calls and
emails from flight attendants who want
information regarding jumpseat procedures.
This information has been, and will continue
to be, posted on our website. Please refer
to:
http://www.afausairways.org/Eline/feb28_06.htm
We suggest that you print this information
and keep it with you, especially if you
commute.
TEXTUS
US Airways has introduced a feature that I
believe you will find helpful just by using
your cell phone. Simply text a flight
number to: TEXTUS (839887). US Airways will
text back with real-time flight information,
including arrival and departure times as
well as gate information. This feature is
very helpful if you are running late or
don't know what terminal your flight is
departing/arriving. Give it a try!
STAY
WARM, PAY LESS
Need relief from record high
heating oil prices this winter? The Union
Plus Heating Oil Discount Program offers
members savings of 15-25cents per gallon,
which works out to about $300 in savings for
the winter. If you heat your home with oil,
you, as a flight attendant, qualify for this
program. For more details, please call:
1-800-660-0691 or visit:
www.UnionPlusOil.org |
