Some progress has been reported on minor items but all the major issues remain unresolved at last report. The NMB has directed that union and company negotiators not disclose details from the final stages of bargaining. If you hear anything about the negotiations, check with AFA. If you don't hear it from your union it's probably not true. Don't get caught up in rumors.

This Hotline will be updated as soon as news becomes available.

1) A tentative agreement could be reached.
2) The deadline could be pushed back if significant progress is  being made.
3) No agreement is reached and the airline shuts down (lockout).
4) No agreement is reached and we begin CHAOS strike actions.

If the talks go down to the final hours (and based on AFA's  experience, talks at the end of a 30-day countdown generally  do go all the way to the deadline), your Negotiating Committee will notify the CHAOS Command Center in PIT by telephone of the result.
 

From there, the information will be passed on by phone to your AFA Local President. It will also be posted on AFA's website and this AFA Hotline. The media will be standing by to report the news of any agreement, so the quickest way for you to find out about the conclusion of negotiations may be through TV and radio news.

The Negotiations Update in the mail to you tells you what to do in all of these situations. Please keep it with you.

What happens if a tentative agreement is reached?
A new contract is what we all want. If we are able to reach an agreement by March 25, the company will not shut down, we will not be forced to begin CHAOS strike actions, and you should keep flying.

Any tentative agreement would include an agreement by both  sides to postpone CHAOS, the shutdown, and other such actions during the ratification process. That's normal - the whole point of the process is to reach an agreement in order to  avoid such drastic alternatives.

CHAOS and the company's threat to shut down would immediately come back into play if the tentative agreement is rejected because the cooling-off period will have already expired on March 25 even if we reach a tentative agreement.

If an agreement is reached it will be announced very quickly,  whenever it occurs. There is no way to predict when that will be, but it is most likely to happen close to the end of the "cooling-off" period at 12:01 am on March 25.
 

What happens if the deadline is pushed back?
It is not unusual for negotiations like this to continue past the deadline, by a few minutes or even a few hours. If the deadline passes and talks are still making progress, both parties can agree to continue negotiating until a deal is reached or until the talks break down.

If the deadline is pushed back, keep flying. Report to your  flight as you would any other day. And be sure to keep checking the Hotline, website or with your Local Council Representatives for the latest updates.
 

What if no agreement is reached?
If we are unable to reach an agreement with the company, the deadline passes and talks break down - the airline has said it will shut down, and we have promised CHAOS.

Immediately following a breakdown in talks, your Negotiating  Committee will set up meetings in your base to let you know how and why talks ended without an agreement and to discuss the next steps.
 

What if the airline shuts down?
A shutdown is essentially a lockout. It's a form of "self-help" available to management once we pass the deadline.

It will be up to the airline to notify each and every one of you that it has shut down. Management has told AFA that it intends to get flight attendants home in the event it shuts  down.

Keep in mind that if management carries out its shutdown threat, WE WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY BE ON STRIKE; management would have decided to lock us out.

In the event of a shutdown, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Contact your state unemployment office to find out if you qualify. Some questions you might ask are:

Am I eligible?
If so, do I file in the state that I reside or do I file an interstate claim with the state in which I am domiciled?

Direct further unemployment benefits questions to the CHAOS EAP: 412-262-8928.
 

What if there is NO shutdown?
If there is NO shutdown, CHAOS can begin. Although we take the airline's threat to shut down seriously, we have no way of knowing if the airline will actually follow through with its threat if we don't have an agreement by March 25.

If the airline is bluffing, and we don't get an agreement by March 25th, we are free to begin CHAOS. Remember, the airline can impose new work rules and conditions at this time.

In this scenario, keep flying your schedule or keep reporting as a reserve. It is your responsibility to continue reporting for work as scheduled.

We went back to the negotiating table on March 17 with one goal: to win a contract that addresses the issues important to flight attendants.

This fight has lasted for more than three years. The solidarity and spirit you have shown throughout has been an inspiration to your Negotiating Committee and has proven to the company that we will not back down from its threats and intimidation tactics.

At the core of our dispute with management over a fair contract is the current formula that management wants to use to compute its concept of "parity plus one percent".

While we don't necessarily object to the term "parity", we object to management's attempts to force an unfair parity formula upon the flight attendants.

The current formula management is demanding we use is the same formula that pilots developed to measure parity in their contract. The problem is that flight attendants do different work than pilots.

We've made it clear to management that if there is going to be any form of parity in the flight attendant contract, it will have to fairly and accurately measure the work that flight attendants do. And we are adamant that management's plan to arbitrarily adjust our contract each year in the name of parity is unacceptable. However, we would be willing to discuss an adjustment that would guarantee improvements and a vote on any adjustments by the flight attendants.

Throughout "super mediation", your Negotiating Committee will be in virtually round-the-clock talks. At the direction of the National Mediation Board, union and company negotiators are not allowed to disclose details from the final stages of bargaining. If you hear something about the negotiations, check with AFA. If you don't hear it from your union it's probably not true. Don't get caught up in rumors.

Stay strong in your resolve. This fight is going get more and  more intense as we get closer to the 12:01 a.m. deadline on March 25.

Management will say a number of things. You will hear rumors  everywhere. Remember to get the facts. Visit  www.afausairways.org or call this hotline.

Check your local AFA bulletin board for the schedule of all local  Solidarity activities and council meetings or check the website at
afausairways.org. This Hotline will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.

This fight has lasted for more than three years. The solidarity and spirit you have shown throughout has been an inspiration to your Negotiating Committee and has proven to the company that we will not back down from its threats and intimidation tactics.

At the core of our dispute with management over a fair contract is the current formula that management wants to use to compute its concept of "parity plus one percent".

While we don't necessarily object to the term "parity", we object to management's attempts to force an unfair parity formula upon the flight attendants.

The current formula management is demanding we use is the same formula that pilots developed to measure parity in their contract. The problem is that flight attendants do different work than pilots.

We've made it clear to management that if there is going to be any form of parity in the flight attendant contract, it will have to fairly and accurately measure the work that flight attendants do. And we are adamant that management's plan to arbitrarily adjust our contract each year in the name of parity is unacceptable. However, we would be willing to discuss an adjustment that would guarantee improvements and a vote on any adjustments by the flight attendants.

Throughout "super mediation", your Negotiating Committee will be in virtually round-the-clock talks. At the direction of the National Mediation Board, union and company negotiators are not allowed to disclose details from the final stages of bargaining. If you hear something about the negotiations, check with AFA. If you don't hear it from your union it's probably not true. Don't get caught up in rumors.

Stay strong in your resolve. This fight is going get more and  more intense as we get closer to the 12:01 a.m. deadline on March 25.

Management will say a number of things. You will hear rumors  everywhere. Remember to get the facts. Visit  www.afausairways.org or call this hotline.

What Flight Attendants Need to Know on March 25
On March 25, at 12:01 a.m., one of four things will happen:
 

1) A tentative agreement could be reached.
2) The deadline could be pushed back if significant progress is  being made.
3) No agreement is reached and the airline shuts down (lockout).
4) No agreement is reached and we begin CHAOS strike actions.

If the talks go down to the final hours (and based on AFA's  experience, talks at the end of a 30-day countdown generally  do go all the way to the deadline), your Negotiating Committee will notify the CHAOS Command Center in PIT by telephone of the result.
 

From there, the information will be passed on by phone to your AFA Local President. It will also be posted on AFA's website and this AFA Hotline. The media will be standing by to report the news of any agreement, so the quickest way for you to find out about the conclusion of negotiations may be through TV and radio news.

The Negotiations Update in the mail to you tells you what to do in all of these situations. Please keep it with you.
 

What happens if a tentative agreement is reached?
A new contract is what we all want. If we are able to reach an agreement by March 25, the company will not shut down, we will not be forced to begin CHAOS strike actions, and you should keep flying.

Any tentative agreement would include an agreement by both  sides to postpone CHAOS, the shutdown, and other such actions during the ratification process. That's normal - the whole point of the process is to reach an agreement in order to  avoid such drastic alternatives.

CHAOS and the company's threat to shut down would immediately come back into play if the tentative agreement is rejected because the cooling-off period will have already expired on March 25 even if we reach a tentative agreement.

If an agreement is reached it will be announced very quickly,  whenever it occurs. There is no way to predict when that will be, but it is most likely to happen close to the end of the "cooling-off" period at 12:01 am on March 25.
 

What happens if the deadline is pushed back?

It is not unusual for negotiations like this to continue past the deadline, by a few minutes or even a few hours. If the deadline passes and talks are still making progress, both parties can agree to continue negotiating until a deal is reached or until the talks break down.

If the deadline is pushed back, keep flying. Report to your  flight as you would any other day. And be sure to keep checking the Hotline, website or with your Local Council Representatives for the latest updates.
 

What if no agreement is reached?

If we are unable to reach an agreement with the company, the deadline passes and talks break down - the airline has said it will shut down, and we have promised CHAOS.

Immediately following a breakdown in talks, your Negotiating  Committee will set up meetings in your base to let you know how and why talks ended without an agreement and to discuss the next steps.
 

What if the airline shuts down?

A shutdown is essentially a lockout. It's a form of "self-help" available to management once we pass the deadline.

It will be up to the airline to notify each and every one of you that it has shut down. Management has told AFA that it intends to get flight attendants home in the event it shuts  down.

Keep in mind that if management carries out its shutdown threat, WE WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY BE ON STRIKE; management would have decided to lock us out.

In the event of a shutdown, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Contact your state unemployment office to find out if you qualify. Some questions you might ask are:

Am I eligible?

If so, do I file in the state that I reside or do I file an interstate claim with the state in which I am domiciled?

Direct further unemployment benefits questions to the CHAOS EAP: 412-262-8928.
 

What if there is NO shutdown?

If there is NO shutdown, CHAOS can begin. Although we take the airline's threat to shut down seriously, we have no way of knowing if the airline will actually follow through with its threat if we don't have an agreement by March 25.

If the airline is bluffing, and we don't get an agreement by March 25th, we are free to begin CHAOS. Remember, the airline can impose new work rules and conditions at this time.

In this scenario, keep flying your schedule or keep reporting as a reserve. It is your responsibility to continue reporting for work as scheduled.
 

Local Meetings and Picketing Schedule:

PIT Council 40

Thursday, March 23rd, 1:00p - 2:00p IAM Meeting Hall Moon Clinton Road

Friday, March 24th 8:00pm - Midnight  Trio's, West Hills Shopping Center

DCA Council 41

Thursday, March 23rd 11:00am - 2:00p  Hampton Inn, Rt 1, Alexandria
703-392-1400

Friday, March 24th - Candlelight Vigil starting at 9:00 PM at the courtyard
at DCA

BYOC (Bring your own candle) Call Alin 888.721.7699 for details. 

PHL Council 70

Thursday, March 23rd, 11:00am - 1:00pm & 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Friday, March 24th, 11:00am - 1:00pm & 5:00pm - 8:00pm

All meetings will be held at the Airport Comfort Inn. Hotel transportation
available from the airport baggage claim area.

BWI Council 87

Thursday, March 23rd, 5:00pm - 7:00pm  Linthicum Women's Club

BOS Council 69

Picketing Schedule:

Thursday, March 23rd, 4:00 - 7:00pm
Friday, the 24th, 9:00am - 7:00pm (all day)

Candlelight Vigil Friday, the 24th, 10:00pm - Midnight

All activities at Terminal B, Logan

Charlotte Council 89

Picketing at CLT airport, Thursday & Friday 10:00AM-1:00 PM   5:00PM-7:00 PM

Systemwide Candlelight Vigils:

In 25 cities systemwide so far, call the CCC, 412-262-9223, for details.

Charlotte Council 89
Friday, March 24, 2000, 8:00PM - Midnight
Charlotte airport underneath the Queen Charlotte fountain

Check your local AFA bulletin board for the schedule of all local Pre-CHAOS picketing activities and council meetings or check the website at afausairways.org.

Stay Strong, Stay United. This will be a difficult time for everyone.  Stay  focused. Stay informed.

This Hotline will be updated as soon as new information becomes available.

At the direction of the NMB, Union and management negotiators are NOT allowed to disclose details from the final stages of bargaining while in Super-Mediation. Any information you hear about negotiations will be speculation and rumor unless it is from AFA.

Parity Reminder
Management and the other labor groups have defined "parity" in different ways. The current company version of the "parity" proposed  for the flight attendants is unacceptable for a number of reasons:

   *The formula management proposes does not accurately measure 
    what we do as flight attendants.

   *The data management wants to use is unreliable and hard to
    get.

   *Other employee groups were able to define THEIR parity 
    formula while the pilot formula is being forced on us. 

  AFA expects nothing less than what the other labor groups were afforded in negotiations: The ability to determine what is best for our members, the flight attendants.

  Management has tried to characterize us as uncooperative and determined to destroy the Company. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

  In actuality, your Negotiating Committee, with the assistance of financial and airline analysts, has presented management with several parity alternatives which would make sense for both parties and which flight attendants would find acceptable. But management has flatly refused our alternatives.
 

Shutdown Requirements - WARN Act
Worker Adjustment and Retraining (WARN) Act 

Management gives the impression that in the event of a shutdown they will pay the non-AFA represented employees as long as economically feasible out of a sense of fairness. What they have neglected to admit is that management is required by federal law to give its employees a 60-day notice of a shutdown. If the shutdown is announced with less than 60 days notice, management must pay its employees through the time of the shutdown that equals 60 days from the announcement.

Management is not being nice; it's the law.

Company Shutdown Answers 
Management has answered a shutdown-related question: As a working crewmember will you be stuck in another city? 
 

  We have copied the following CBS Message from the company:

  ------------------ Beginning of CBS message -------------------

  Date: Friday, 17 March 2000 16:46 ET
  To: USAALLALL.ALL
  From: TEPSIC.P
  Subject: USAIRWAYS WILL GET CREWS HOME

  In the event of a shut down, US Airways is committed to getting
  each crew member who is on Duty on March 25 back to their home
  or domicile, whichever they prefer.

  A dedicated crew travel desk will be set up to handle the 
  arrangements, either on a ferry flight, US Airways Express or 
  on another carrier. The desk will be available by March 25 and 
  the telephone number will be published shortly.
  ------------------ End of CBS message -------------------

  Call your Inflight supervisor for details.

  Other questions about the effects of a shutdown also deserve answers. We urge you to contact your Inflight supervisor regarding the shutdown and get answers to your questions.

  Remember, WE ARE NOT ON STRIKE; management has decided to threaten a shutdown. 

  Be aware that management continuously attempts to negotiate individually with flight attendants and apply psychological pressure. We are pleased to say that these old tactics are failing. Expect management to escalate their efforts and get a little more creative at this point in the process. Keep you guard up.

  If anyone tries to circumvent your negotiating committee, tell them that AFA speaks for you. What you tell company representatives goes straight up the company ladder. 

  Paycheck Issue
  Keep in mind that the March 30th paycheck is one half of your guarantee for the month of March. This check should arrive as usual even in the event of a shutdown. The April 15th paycheck is the balance of your March flying and also should be unaffected by a shutdown.

  CHAOS T-Shirts and Buttons Up in the Air
  Many labor groups around the country are aware of our situation in negotiations and want to help us. While you are flying you may see a paying passenger wearing a CHAOS t-shirt or a button which says, "I support the USAIRWAYS Flight Attendants". Please acknowledge these passengers and thank them for their support.

  Also thank fellow employees who are now wearing the CHAOS green ribbon on their uniforms in support of us. 

  CHAOS T-shirts are now available by mail order for $15.00. Call the CHAOS Help Line for details, 412-262-9223.

Congressional Support
As a result of lobbying efforts from your Legislative Affairs Committee, Members of Congress have been briefed on our situation, specifically on how managements' threat to shut down the Company would short-circuit the bargaining process.

Congressman Melvin Watt of North Carolina and Congressman Mike Capuano of Massachusetts have written Mr. Wolf and President Clinton to encourage reliance on the negotiations process to arrive at a fair agreement in our contract dispute.

Congressman Capuano wrote, "It is my hope that US Airways is not using this (shutdown) threat in the hopes of an appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) and I am troubled by the situation that the flight attendants will face if a PEB were convened. A PEB makes negotiations futile and would effectively silence US Airways' flight attendants' voices".

We thank the Congressmen for their support.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
                   Schedule of Local Meetings
-----------------------------------------------------------------

  PIT Council 40

  Tuesday, March 21st   1:00p - 2:00p   IAM Meeting Hall
  Thursday, March 23rd  1:00p - 2:00p   IAM Meeting Hall

  IAM Meeting Hall 
  Moon Clinton Road 

  Friday, March 24th    8:00pm - Midnight 
  Trio's, West Hills Shopping Center
 

  DCA Council 41

  Thursday, March 23rd 11:00am - 2:00p 
  Hampton Inn, Rt 1, Alexandria 703-392-1400

  Friday, March 24th - Candlelight Vigil starting at 9:00 PM at 
  the courtyard at DCA 

  BYOC (Bring your own candle) Call Alin 888.721.7699 for
  details. 
 

  PHL Council 70:

  Wednesday, March 22nd 5:00pm - 8:00pm

  Thursday, March 23rd 11:00am - 1:00pm
                        5:00pm - 8:00pm

  Friday, March 24th,  11:00am - 1:00pm
                        5:00pm - 8:00pm

  All meetings will be held at the Airport Comfort Inn.
  Hotel transportation available from the airport baggage claim
  area.
 

  BWI Council 87

  Wednesday, March 22nd 11:00am-1:00pm
  Linthicum Women's Club

  Thursday, March 23rd 5:00pm - 7:00pm 
  Linthicum Women's Club
 

  BOS Council 69

  Picketing Schedule:
  Tuesday - Thursday, March 21st-23rd, 
  6:00am - 9:00am  &  4:00 - 7:00pm

  Friday, 24th,  6:00am - 9:00pm (all day)

  Candlelight Vigil
  Friday, 24th,  10:00pm - Midnight

  All activities at Terminal B, Logan

  Check your local AFA bulletin board for the schedule of all
  local Pre-CHAOS picketing activities and council meetings or
  check the website at afausairways.org.
 

At the direction of the NMB there will be a complete news blackout. There will be no reports on any progress from the bargaining table. Any information you hear about negotiations will be speculation and rumor unless it is from AFA.

Parity Reminder
Management and the other labor groups have defined "parity" in different ways. The current company version of the "parity" proposed  for the flight attendants is unacceptable for a number of reasons:

The formula management proposes does not accurately measure what we do as flight attendants.

The data management wants to use is unreliable and hard to get.

Other employee groups were able to define THEIR parity formula while the pilot formula is being forced on us. 

AFA expects nothing less than what the other labor groups were afforded in negotiations: The ability to determine what is best for our members, the flight attendants.

Management has tried to characterize us as uncooperative and determined to destroy the Company. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

In actuality, your Negotiating Committee, with the assistance of financial and airline analysts, has presented management with several parity alternatives which would make sense for both parties and which flight attendants would find acceptable. But  management has flatly refused our alternatives.

Management Doomsday Claims
Our Company claims that they will be forced to reopen other labor contracts in the event they cannot claim complete victory over the flight attendants. 

Are we to believe that our management would agree to re-open all the other closed agreements solely because their employees were not happy with our contract. Not likely.

Furthermore, each labor group wholeheartedly agrees that we negotiate what is best for our members and they do the same.

Shutdown Threat: Heavy-Handedness Justified?
One has to wonder why the largest predominantly-female work group at USAirways has been threaten with such drastic measures and histrionics in our contract negotiations.

Certainly, in the history of labor relations, never has so much been threatened over so little. Keep in mind that costs related to the flight attendant group make up just over 6% of total operating costs. The Company concedes that we are a small cost relative to the total operation.

We think it a reckless and unsound business decision for a company to risk an estimated $35 million a day in lost revenue and continuing costs over a contract that amounts to so small a percentage of its costs. A seven-day shutdown would cost close to $300 million. Why risk hundreds of millions of dollars and the future of this airline over a small fraction of its overall costs?  This a transparent hardball tactic.

Benefits
In the next few days you will receive a package from AFA explaining benefits and other shutdown related information. Management finally has provided us an outline of COBRA costs. The cost of continuing health care coverage ranges from $146 to $715. Call your Inflight supervisor or check the afausairways website for details

EAP CHAOS Help line is now ready. For EAP issues: 412-262-8928

CHAOS Command Center (CCC) Activities 412-262-9223

Probationary Flight Attendants- It is your right under the Railway Labor Act to fully participate in legal CHAOS activities. Call the CHAOS help line if you have questions.

We urge all flight attendants to talk with our new flying partners about CHAOS and their role in it. They have arrived at USAIRWAYS at a most difficult time. We all must watch out for each other and focus on the big picture: getting a Contract of Choice. 

The CCC has developed a program using companion passes from other airlines and a program providing housing to stranded flight attendants in the event of CHAOS activity. If you know of an employee from another airline who wishes to help, call the CCC at 1-412-262-9223.

Thousands March in PA AFL-CIO Rally to Support US Airways Flight Attendants
Last Tuesday, March 15th, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO hosted a rally in support of the Flight Attendants of US Airways on the first day of their State Convention. Streets of Philadelphia were blocked, and the police lead the way for the thousand union members who marched to a US Airways city ticket office.

Chanting union members donned green CHAOS t-shirts, and picket signs. This was an undeniable display of union solidarity that management could not ignore. 

We are not alone in our fight for a fair contract. There are millions of people within the labor community who stand by us. The feeling throughout the group of flight attendants who attended the rally was one of enthusiasm.

As a footnote, the US Airways 800-USDAILY number reported on Wednesday, March 15th, that there were 150 flight attendants and "a hundred or so others" at the rally. Nice try US Airways but we know better! We were there!

Local Meetings Schedule

 
PIT Council 40

Sunday, March 19th    1:00p - 2:00p   IAM Meeting Hall 
Tuesday, March 21st   1:00p - 2:00p   IAM Meeting Hall
Thursday, March 23rd  1:00p - 2:00p   IAM Meeting Hall

IAM Meeting Hall 
Moon Clinton Road 

Friday, March 24th    8:00pm - Midnight 
Trio's, West Hills Shopping Center
 

DCA Council 41

Thursday, March 23rd 11:00pm - 2:00p 
Hampton Inn, Rt 1, Alexandria 703-392-1400

Friday, March 24th - Candlelight Vigil starting at 9:00 PM at the courtyard at DCA 

BYOC (Bring your own candle) Call Alin at 888.721.7699 for details. 

PHL Council 70:

Wednesday, March 22nd 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Thursday, March 23rd 11:00am - 1:00pm
                      5:00pm - 8:00pm

Friday, March 24th,  11:00am - 1:00pm
                      5:00pm - 8:00pm

All meetings will be held at the Airport Comfort Inn.
Hotel transportation available from the airport baggage claim area.

BWI Council 87

Wednesday, March 22nd 11:00am-1:00pm
Linthicum Womens's Club

Thursday, March 23rd 5:00pm - 7:00pm 
Linthicum Womens's Club

Check your local AFA bulletin board for the schedule of all local Pre-CHAOS picketing activities and council meetings or check the website at afausairways.org.

Thank You for the Thoughtfulness
The Negotiating Committee thanks all those who have sent cards and flowers to the Negotiating Committee in care of the AFA International Office.