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Fatigued? Too Bad. There‘s No Such Thing!
By: President Debora Sutor
Back in
the old days, before we had flight attendant FARs for duty time and rest, your
AFA Officers filed a grievance on behalf of the flight attendants at then
Simmons Airlines. The grievance challenged the company’s policies with regard
to fatigue for flight attendants. Since we had no FARs and since we had no
contractual language to provide for fatigue calls, we maintained that a flight
attendant should be able to utilize their earned sick time when calling in
fatigued in lieu of receiving a missed assignment, which was the practice at
that time. We also wrote to our FAA Principle Operating Inspector and supplied
examples of flight attendant fatigue. Our cries for help, fell upon deaf ears
with the FAA.
Ultimately we entered into a grievance settlement with the company. The
settlement prohibited crew schedulers from making a determination whether or not
a flight attendant was really fatigued. They were simply supposed to take the
information (not question it) and pass it on to a supervisor. Initially, the
call would be recorded as a missed assignment since there was not a code in the
computer for flight attendant fatigue. The flight attendant would be required,
as with all absenteeism occurrences, to have a follow up meeting with their
respective supervisor. At that time, the supervisor would make the determination
whether or not they felt the flight attendant experienced bona fide fatigue. If
they did, the missed assignment code would be changed to either a “personal
other” or a “sick call”. If the supervisor didn’t believe the flight
attendant was actually fatigued, the missed assignment code would stand and the
flight attendant would have the option to grieve it.
While this wasn’t a perfect arrangement, there were limitations to our ability
to make change as we had no FARs and no protective contractual language.
AFA waged a long, tough battle against the FAA to win Duty Time and Rest FARs on
behalf of it’s members. We finally won that battle on 2/1/96 when, at long
last, the FAA implemented these FARs for flight attendants.
Unfortunately, these FARs did not include recognition for flight attendant
fatigue like the pilot FARs do.
This has not deterred your Local AFA leaders from their quest to earn at least
company recognition for flight attendant fatigue.
I would now like to call your attention to an excerpt from a letter sent to
Local 51 Grievance Chair Laurette Espeland by an Employee Relations Company
representative, dated October 1, 1999.
“The Company does not recognize fatigue as a reason that a flight attendant
cannot perform her/his duties. As such, there is no code for fatigue in the
Company’s Attendance Policy. Each instance of claimed fatigue is handled on a
case by case basis.”
The Company is big on this case-by-case basis stuff as you will see in another
article about AED indemnification located on page 11 of this newsletter.
Personally, I resent being told that the Company doesn’t even recognize us as
human beings. Apparently, we are Super Stews! We don’t require decent
schedules with breaks, rest or even food in order to perform our safety related
duties. And we certainly aren’t allowed to become fatigued. Last time I
checked, I am a human being who does require these things in order to carry out
my duties as a safety professional!
Well, if the company’s letter hasn’t sufficiently insulted you then wait
until you see what we found next. The following is an excerpt from the American
Eagle pilot’s manual:
“American Eagle recognizes fatigue and the serious consequences of its effects
on crew performance. It is the responsibility of every crewmember in fulfillment
of their role and responsibility to the overall safety to self-determine their
ability to operate safely and to remove themselves from duty if fatigue becomes
a factor. It is also the responsibility of every crewmember to prevent fatigue
from becoming a factor and to properly utilize their scheduled rest prior to or
during assigned duty periods.”
You may
have noticed that we as flight attendants, have no such language in our manual.
Still, this excerpt did contain verbiage that stated “crewmember” and seemed
contradictory to the company’s position as taken in their October 1999 letter.
Both the October 1999 company letter and the excerpt from the pilot’s manual
was presented to the company at our roundtable meeting on May 15, 1999. I stated
that I fully expected the company to come back with some kind of excuse that
since the excerpt recognizing fatigue only appears in the pilot manual then it
only applies to pilots. I further stated that by not recognizing flight
attendant fatigue, the company is in essence, making a statement that flight
attendants are not an integral part of safety of flight. We notified the company
that AFA’s position is that if a flight attendant notifies the company that
he/she is too fatigued to perform their safety related duties on board the
aircraft, and that if the company then forces a flight attendant to fly in spite
of this notification, and if something subsequently happens on that flight, the
company may be held liable.
I mean really, just because a computer does not have a code for flight attendant
fatigue does not mean that we don’t feel it as human beings.
There is an additional question that arises surrounding this issue. Does a
fatigue call constitute an attendance occurrence?
This question along with the significance of the excerpt from the pilot manual
and/or how it relates to flight attendants is supposed to be followed up on by
the company. A copy of the meeting minutes including follow up areas was sent to
the company in June and to date we have received no response.
Myself and all of your Local Officers and representatives will continue to
pursue this important issue on your behalf.
Another American Eagle Mystery
By: Laurette Espeland Local 51 Grievance Chair
100 Best Companies To Work For In The USA...and Eagle Ain't One of Them!
Too bad, so sad...we didn't make Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For! Can
you believe it? I was so surprised. I checked the list several times, but no
American Eagle...not even American Airlines. Well, with the new flexible hiring
rates, and the new "Sharp" payroll system implemented, the Y2k stuff
out of the way and the Customer Bill of Rights plan in place...what's not great
about that?
By the way, Container Store came in first! Southwest Airlines rated second
and even Continental Airlines made it to 23d place. AOL made it, along with my
two favorites; Starbucks and Nordstrom! My daughter works for Starbucks, and
they really are good to their employees.
Well, there is always next year. I also checked out Fortune's list for Best
Companies For Blacks, Asians & Hispanics and guess what, AMR ranked 22nd...I
wasn't all that impressed! It is such a colorful world. Why be 22nd best at what
the world is made of! It was also noted that American Airlines recently made
improvements in this category. You will recall, in 1997, it was discovered that
a pilot's manual contained derogatory remarks about Hispanics. Fortune noted
that: "American Airlines met with Latino business leaders and took steps to
improve relations with Hispanic customers ." Somehow, that doesn't make me
feel warm and fuzzy. The AMR hierarchy contains predominantly all white males
with the exception of one token white woman. What part of that is diverse? We
all know what the real motive behind improved race relations. It's not at all
about black, yellow, brown or red. It is all about the color $green.00.
An American Eagle Mystery:
Have you heard Peter Bowler's Sky line message regarding the new and improved
cabin interior program? Suddenly, the company cares about the cabin interiors!?!
They want us to write up anything that doesn't look clean or needs attention.
What part of that is company propaganda? Personally, it took me months to get
mouth shields in the Grab'n Go kits on the 145s. Why should we expect results in
cleaner cabins? Do you all remember the company survey that stated the PAX
wanted on time departures over grooming! Remember? Why suddenly does the company
care about our dirty work areas and the squaller that the PAX sitting in? Who
are they kidding? Furthermore, we Flight Attendants also hand out surveys. I
never saw any such question on dirty cabins Vs on time departure, have you? I
wonder how the PAXs would respond to that question should it be incorporated
into one of the surveys we distribute? I am grateful, however, that the company
is giving us a few pens in the survey packets. It is curious that the pens are
printed with AA. If we aren't AA then why not have pens with United or
Continental?
Another American Eagle Mystery:
What is up with the assortment and arrangement of soft drinks in our carts? Even
the Catering Department is baffled and bewildered. I wonder how management and
the marketing department would feel if we rearranged their desks without even a
notice. I wonder how they would feel if we took some things out of their drawers
and added others. Would it make their job more difficult? Would they be less
efficient? Maybe even uncomfortable? Apparently, they don't want our
feedback? The last time we protested, the company alleged that they didn't get
enough write ups. It is just another example of how company actions speak louder
than company words. We are not respected. Don't take it personally, none of us
are.
AA Medical...and their point is?
I find it very curious that this is the only job I ever had that housed its own
medical department. I think AA medical's main reason for being is to act as a
lie detector and pee collector. The company needs to check and see if we are
faking sick or hurt. Apparently, we employees and our personal physicians,
aren't to be believed. AA medical is the company's way of getting a second
opinion without our realization. I can also say with a great degree of
certainty, that I have never worked for a company that treated its employees
like children. It is pretty interesting! Think of the burden the company has
created by being the self appointed parent of thousands of AMR
"children." This inspired an IdeAAs in AAction suggestion that I had
to save the company $$$...if you treat your employees with trust, dignity and
respect, they will be faithful to you. Pretty novel idea, eh? It works for Herb
Kelleher; founder of Southwest Airlines and member of 100 Best Places to Work in
the USA!
I'm reasonably certain the company treats all departments similarly. AA
medical was probably force fed their training in 3 ½ week, too. AA medical IOE
is probably done just like ours...two doctors/one instructor/quick
internship/get to work. I sure hope their medical staff also enjoys the flexible
hiring rate that we do. When the company runs out of employees, and nobody shows
up to the open houses, they offer more money. A little bit backwards, wouldn't
you say? Besides, it's not about the money, its the flying benefits!!!!!!
No doubt, the AA medical staff can earn AAchiever points, too. They need
incentives, too! That's when it all became clear to me and I had the visual!
There must be some contest to see who can be the first to develop a Super Flight
Attendant. What is a Super Flight Attendant, you ask? How are they created?
Where do they get volunteers?
Picture this: AMR corp. has secret labs at each AA Medical facility. They get
their Flight Attendant guinea pigs by duping them into doing "special
assignments" or capturing them during so called "base transfers."
Pouf, and here we thought that so many people resigned because of the abuse! It
all makes sense of why the company raised the starting pay? Flight Attendants
are cheaper than buying laboratory rats! When we are first captured, we're
placed in little cages. The cages are very small to save room. Remember, only
the PAXs on AA get more leg room in coach! You've seen the commercials. The
company doesn't show that part in their advertising, but I think I've seen it in
their mission statement. Now, doesn't that explains why we
always have low staffing levels?
The company's objective is to mutate, clone and produce a Flight Attendant
that will better serve the company budget. Without food and water, we won't need
time for eating or bathroom breaks...like we really get that time anyway.
Without food and water, we
The company could also take our per diem because we no longer need the food
or water.
Still, in other cages, they are working on Flight Attendants that don't have
ovaries. They don't want any time lost due to cramps or reproduction. PMS may
minimize our productivity for those weeks that are affected. Besides, removing
this so called female affliction, will cut down on our bathroom breaks during
those quick turns. No maternity or Family Leave to approve. No work time lost,
no sick time paid out. No sick children to attend to. No sanitary napkins to
stock...oh that's right we don't get those anyway.
The real challenge for the company is doing away with our need to sleep. They
pretty much have done a good job on that with the construction of bid packages.
They do even better with fabricating our rest by reducing our out station
showtime to less than 20 minutes. Although this is illegal it does save money
and it protects the integrity of the schedule. At some bases, the company crams
in base orientation for the newly hired Flight Attendants on the same day that
they do IOE. The trick here is the company doesn't have to count the base
orientation time into the duty day! Good idea, huh. Another sleep sAAver idea is
when a Flight Attendant is going from LGA to JFK on the surface. The Flight
Attendant is required to call a specific cab company. The catch here is that it
takes an hour or two to get the cab that the company requires. This saves the
company money and fabricates more hours to our rest because it isn't counted
into our duty day. It's difficult to wait for the company sponsored cab while
watching a yellow ribbon of available cabs streaming across the front of the
airport. So, be sure to call SKED and have the time adjusted to your HI3 if this
happens to you. Call your Local Reps and let them know as well!
One of AA medical's largest projects is to produce a bacteria and virus
resistant Flight Attendant. This is so we Flight Attendants can continue the
tradition of earning sick time while never needing to use it. This saves the
company time and money. Since our "earned" sick time already counts
against us, the company will no longer need the time to coach and council us
after every sick call. It takes time to council us to take our vitamins and to
take better care of ourselves. It saves them money not to print up those first
and second advisories, too. It is a pity that the company still hasn't figured
out what is really making us sick!
I never had much reason to think about AA Medical until the last few years. I
finally got to see, first hand, how they operate. They really give us Flight
Attendants grief! AA medical doesn't want to approve any Flight Attendant
medical leaves. This department will keep requesting more and more information
from our Drs. even though their notes are perfectly clear. It would appear that
AA medical doesn't understand the same language that our Drs. speak. Perhaps, AA
medical has been inoculated with the "company Koolade" serum. You
know, the employee resistant strain! This medical department clearly serves the
company and not the employee. My application for the Family Medical Leave was
much more difficult then any company structured LOAs. The Family Medical Leave
cannot count against our attendance but the company leave of absences, do.
Why would the company discourage the FMLA (Family Medical Leave) when it must
be Dr. approved and fulfill the government's criteria? Why do they fear This
Family Leave? Why do they care if we take a Family Leave over another type of
company leave? The answer is that the company has no control over our attendance
or the employee. They really do want us to work sick without coming out and
saying it directly. We all know the fear and intimidation that accompanies the
attendance reviews. Why do you think the company counts our earned sick time
against us, even when we have a note from the Dr.? The company cannot threaten
us via our attendance record when the FMLA is taken. That is against the law and
it would be easily proved. They are so worried that they are even illegally
refraining from posting the FMLA information in employee work areas. The law
required the company to post information/posters about the FMLA just as they do
about the minimum wage laws. Do you think they just forgot? I don't think so. It
isn't a big penalty, so they take the chance. Many Flight Attendants have
experienced difficulty and procrastination when it comes to company approval on
the FMLA. The company won't even offer it. Avoiding and withholding FMLA
information is also a violation of federal law. We aren't required to request
it, either. They should offer it when certain triggers occur. The more knowledge
and information we have, the less apt we are to be "taken" by the
company.
You will be happy to know that the Department of Labor has been notified that
we do not have the required FMLA information posted. We can also thank the sharp
eyes of our Chicago Flight Attendants for spotting this violation and bringing
it to our attention. Chicago, by the way, has the most active Flight Attendants.
We are the best informed and the most challenging. I am so proud of our Local
Reps and of the Chicago Flight Attendants! Keep learning the contract and the
laws that protect us. Never be afraid to speak up for what is right. We would
still be shining PAX shoes and weighing in monthly, if it wasn't for just a few.
Can you imagine how wonderful life would be if everyone did their part?
Chicago has filed the most Grievances of all the bases combined, too. That
also says that Chicago knows their contract and isn't afraid to challenge the
company violations. The funny thing is that the company has signed this same
contractual agreement. It doesn't say much about the value of their word. It is
their agreement, too.
Currently, there are 43 outstanding Grievances for our Local, alone. On
12APR00, our AFA Attorney and I met with the company in DFW for a Grievance
resolution meeting. Most of our Grievances were reviewed. Following this
meeting, I update our Grievance log to reflect any changes, and notified each
Flight Attendant whose file was reviewed. Part of my job is to also follow up
with the company, and compose a letter that summarizes the Union's understanding
of any discussions held during the meeting. This insures that the company and
the Union notes concur. Well, it is almost three months later, and I am still
waiting for their reply. Now visualize this...your Union Reps do this work in
their spare time, but the people we call upper management, do this for a living?
Hmmmmmmm.
I'll be back with more little pearls of wisdom...8 mm regulation pearls, of
course!
Clinton Plans Paid Leave Guidelines
President Clinton opened the door on June 20, for states to provide unemployment
pay to workers who take unpaid time off to care for a newborn child or sick
relative, expanding an already popular Family Leave Act.
Clinton announced new regulations by the Labor Department that would allow
states to provide paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child. He also
announced a new regulation, effective June 20, that allows federal employees to
use up to 12 weeks of sick leave to care for a seriously ill family member.
Clinton said he sought the changes because many workers cannot afford to take
time off without pay as stipulated under the 1993 FMLA, the first bill he signed
as president.
He noted that 20 million people have taken advantage of the law, and said more
might do so if they didn’t have to lose pay.
Under the Labor Department regulations, states would have the option to amend
unemployment compensation systems to provide paid leave for new parents. States
that do opt to offer paid leave would receive help from federal labor officials
in assessing the long-term fiscal impact of that decision.
Some state unemployment insurance programs are financially flush because the
booming economy has put more people to work than at any time in 30 years. But
employers, who provide those funds, oppose using the money for purposes other
than unemployment.
(excerpt from the Washington Post)
EAP: Members Helping Members
By: EAP Rep. Jennifer Reyes
The Employee Assistance Program ( EAP ) of the Association of Flight
Attendants, AFL-CIO is a union sponsored support service provided by flight
attendants for flight attendants, their families and partners. EAP Peer
Representatives are trained to provide three distinct, but interrelated
services:
* Assessment, Support, and Referral Services: EAP representatives assist
members in identifying and developing an action plan to address personal and
work related concerns
* Professional Standards: EAP representatives offer a range of conflict
resolution strategies, skills, and support to help coworkers resolve disputes
among
themselves without the need for management intervention.
* Critical Incident Response Program: EAP representatives offer and/or
coordinate a range of Critical Incident Stress Management Services to promote
and accelerate recovery in the aftermath of traumatic and/or critical incidents.
The EAP is a great program to help our fellow flight attendants with any
problem that might occur. Let me be the first to introduce myself as your
recently qualified EAP REP. My name is Jennifer Reyes and I have been working
with American Eagle as a flight attendant for a good portion of almost two
years. Feel free to contact me anytime or hop on the web and find out more about
EAP at: www.afanet.org/eaphome.html.
Change Is Coming: Hold On!
By: Vice President Jaren Chandler
Dear Safety Professional,
It’s all within us to make changes. American
Eagle has gone through several changes over the past 12 1/2 years that I’ve
been employed. The same goes with our Union. We were once non-union, then became
members of the Teamsters. Then in 1992, the flight attendants at the then
Simmons Airlines, became displeased with the representation they were receiving
from the Teamsters and voted to change unions. The flight attendants voted in
and became proud members of the Association of Flight Attendants. The largest
and best, flight attendant union in the world.
In my opinion this union is the best union for us as it only represents flight
attendants and therefore knows and understands the needs and wants of flight
attendants. Flight attendant issues are never second rate. Your AFA
Representatives care and want to make our working conditions and our quality of
life better.
The Local 51 representatives will continue to be dedicated to serving the
members here in Chicago.
We need everyone’s continued support when in comes to fighting for an industry
leading contract in our upcoming contract negotiations.
Solidarity is a must to achieve these goals. This means
everyone from new hires to senior flight attendants standing together to fight
for the rights we are entitled to! We would like to
thank everyone for writing up contractual violations as well as the other
various problems we experience. In order to help you we need feedback from each
and everyone of you. I am very proud of each and every Chicago based flight
attendant for keeping themselves informed. This makes a difference!
In closing, change is coming. I’m so excited and I think
I like it. (as the Pointer Sisters would say) If we stand together, CHANGE WILL
COME!
Scheduling Update
By: Veronica Tenerelli
As we have said in the past, the scheduling chairs from each domicile meet
with the company with concerns regarding our schedules. Our next meeting is set
for August 23, 2000. The following are topics we will address with the company.
* INCREASING THE VARIETY OF TRIPS OFFERED
* THE QUALITY OF TRIPS OFFERED
* INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PART TIME LINES
*BRINGING BACK BRIDGE TRIPS (TRIPS THAT ARE DONE THROUGH OTHER
HUBS)
*NUMBER OF DAYS OFF
*2 DAYS OFF BETWEEN TRIPS
As I have said in past articles, Chicago is one of the hardest domiciles to
build quality trips for because our flying is so weak. In order to get a 4-day
trip at or over 18 hours you will have to fly 20 to 25 legs, If not more in that
4-day trip! Most of you have expressed how tired you are of being worked like
animals, we agree. The schedules are the cause of the high turn over, and we do
relay this to the company at every meeting. There was some relief for a while
with all the bridge trips through Boston .
We had hoped these trips would become permanent out of Chicago, and have
expressed concern at the loss of these trips. The crew planning department
stated, that the number of misconnections on the East coast was to costly to
continue to let Chicago crews do them!?! We replied, the weather, Columbus
operation, Boston catering and ground support were the company's problem with
the on time performance, not the crews. As usual, its easier to take things away
from the crews. The need for bridge trips is a big issue we will continue to
push for. I know there is mixed emotions among the crews, with us not co-lining
the crew members all month together.
The majority of feed back we have gotten from the Flight Attendants, is that if
it gives us a better schedules, we do not care who we fly with, or when.
Splitting us up has been a benefit, because the time spent fighting to even get
a 2-day trip that the pilot reps did not want, can now be used in fighting for
improvements with in the trips. AFA also feels this was needed because the
Chicago Flight Attendants, and pilots want different things, there was much more
than just commutability issues. Their staffing was holding us back, they have
96% line guaranty so they want high time, out of Chicago you know what it takes
to get high time. Flight Attendants, want low time with Max. days off, and they
will build out of open time to pay protect themselves, if they want additional
flying. Upper Management in the In-flight Department is trying to provide relief
by approving some undertimed lines at our request. We will continue to strive,
and look into new solutions that will give us better schedules, for all Flight
Attendants.
See A Problem? Be Part of the C.U.R.E...FSTR It!
By: Rebekka Handschke
This month I thought that you might like to know more about the C.U.R.E team.
C.U.R.E stands for Cabin Upgrade Refurbishment Effort. Every other month the
C.U.R.E team meets in Dallas. The team consists of one flight attendant
representative from each of the seven Eagle bases; as well as a representative
from each of the following departments – Engineering, Marketing, In-flight
Management, Maintenance Planning, Interior Planning, and Field Services.
This meeting is an opportunity for the flight attendants to voice concerns about
issues dealing with our working environment, namely the cabin, galley, and
lavatories. As issues are brought to the table, one of two things happens.
First, the issue might be decided that it is aircraft specific and needs to be
dealt with individually. For example: skipping CD players, and reclining
seatback problems. This is where we start requesting that these issues are
"messaged to flight crew" and FSTR-ed.
Second, the issue could be placed under advisement and researched to find
possible solutions. At this point it takes about six months for the decision to
be made as to whether or not the problem is #1- a real problem and #2- if it can
be fixed.
Examples of this process are as follows:
#1 --- In regards to the Velcro on the jumpseats on the Jet.
This Item has been brought to the table at every meeting that I have attended so
far. After offering several solutions to the problem, it was determined that the
Velcro is necessary for the anchoring of the curtain and cannot be removed. So
it is just something that we are going to have to live with.
#2 --- In regards to the deep seatback pockets on the EMJ135 and newer EMJ145s
and being able to see the safety briefing cards. Several solutions were
mentioned, such as longer briefing cards and shortening the seat pockets;
However it was determined that the FAR that pertains to the briefing cards only
states that the cards be available to the passengers and not necessarily
visible. Again this is just something that we are going to have to live with.
#3 --- In regards to the placards referring to a flight attendant lifevest under
seat 13b on the EMJ135. After researching this placard, it was determined that
the original design for the aircraft was still suppose to have the extra flight
attendant jumpseat behind row 13. This placard was in reference to that jumpseat
and since we do not have the extra jumpseat, these placards are being removed
from the aircraft.
#4 --- In regards to the placard on the entry door of the EMJ stating “To
close – pull after then in”. This placard is technically right. Upon
investigation, it was determined that the problem was in the translation of the
original placards on the aircraft. As these placards are not visible when the
door is open, the closing instructions are not of high priority. New placards
with the correct instructions of “To close – pull aft then in”, will
replace the old ones, as the old ones wear off.
The following issues, along with others, are still on the discussion board; the
mini catering “hub” in CMH, dual hot jugs, A/C deep cleaning done once a
month instead of once a year (THE BIG CLEAN), and that infamous galley curtain
on the G-2 side. As you can see we do try to improve the conditions in which we
are required to work.
Once again, I would like to thank all of you that have sent in those FSTRs,
whether they were white / red forms, or the HISEND method. The information
gathered through your FSTRs helps to make a difference.Our next C.U.R.E. meeting
falls at the end of July. If you have any suggestions, questions, or comments
you would like passed on, please feel free to drop me a note in my mailbox or
see me personally. If you would like to help with the research or information
gathering part of the Chicago C.U.R.E. team please let me know.
———————————————————————–
Smoking Lawsuit Update
Pursuant to the terms of the settlement in the flight attendant class,
non-smoking flight attendants (or their Estates) who have suffered in the past,
an/or currently suffer or who have died from diseases and medical conditions
caused by their exposure to second hand tobacco smoke in airline cabins, have up
to and including September 7, 2000, within which to file individual lawsuits
against the settling tobacco defendants, under favorable conditions.
If you do not file your claim on or before September 7, 2000, your claim will be
barred.
Pursuant to the terms of the settlement, all statutes of limitation and statutes
of reprose were waived up to September 7, 2000. This includes causes of action
that were otherwise time-barred decades ago. Six Miami trial firms are handling
individual flight attendant cases and are available for consultation, without
charge.
If you wish to inquire about filing an individual lawsuit under the favorable
terms of the flight attendant settlement, please promptly contract any of the
following attorneys:
Bill Hoppe (305) 358-9060
Steven K. Hunter (305) 371-5000
Abbey L. Kaplan (305) 379-9000
Miles A. McGrane, III (305) 442-4800
Marvin Weinstein (305) 531-1707
Joel Wolpe (305) 372-8252
AFA Needs Your Help!
It’s easy to say “what’s the union doing for me lately?” But the
truth is the union is YOU. The following are brief descriptions of AFA
committees. If you wish to serve on any of these committees, please notify a
Local 51 Officer.
Communication and Education Committee-Information Representatives.
Work closely with the Local Officers and negotiating committee to inform the
membership of what leadership is doing on their behalf.
Employee Assistance Program (E.A.P.)/Professional Standards
Provides information and assistance to flight attendants needing support on
personal issues. Receives and acts upon information regarding the professional
conduct of flight attendants and fellow employees.
Grievance
Represents flight attendants in discipline and contract disputes.
Hotel
Works with company personnel in establishing adequate hotels for layovers.
Legislative Affairs
Works on the state level to establish working relationships with senators and
representatives to further the legislative interests of the flight attendants.
Works to educate the flight attendants on the importance of legislative action.
Membership
Maintains and coordinates accurate membership information with the AFA
International membership department.
Reserve
Serves as a liaison to all reserve flight attendants, representing their
particular concerns and issues.
Safety
Coordinates write-ups on safety issues. Works with company representatives to
ensure flight attendant safety in the workplace.
Scheduling
Provides input to and assists the company scheduling department in building the
flight attendant schedules.
Uniform
Works with company representatives on uniform issues.
OSHA NOW Coordinator
Responsible for gaining flight attendant participation at upcoming support
rallies for OSHA coverage. Educate flight attendants on the importance of
gaining OSHA coverage in their workplace.
American Eagle Will Be “All Jet” At
Chicago O’Hare By November 2
American Eagle has announced details of its plan to become an all-jet carrier
at Chicago O’Hare International Airport by Nov. 2.
This summer, the airline will begin introducing regional jets in five markets
that now have only turboprop service. It will also expand jet service in six
markets that now have a combination of turboprop and jet service.
They will also add more flights in some Chicago markets. Champaign/Urbana and
Peoria, Ill., will each get a sixth American Eagle flight to O’Hare on Sept.
6. Initially, those new flights will be operated with ATR-42 turboprop aircraft,
but will be converted to jet service on Nov. 2. Dubuque, Iowa, will get a fourth
flight and go “all jet” on Nov. 2.
Election 2000
By: Debora Sutor
Although it may not seem like it, election time is just around the corner. This
will be a crucial election year for labor and for AFA. It is vitally important
that we as AFA members be involved in the political process.
New bills are continually introduced before Congress that can have major impact
on important workplace issues and many more of our most basic rights as
employees.
The halls of congress are filled with lobbyists and representatives of big
business, eager to put forth their views on the latest legislation. It’s a
fact that big business outspends Unions 11-to-1. In the 1998 election cycle,
business contributed $666.6 million to candidates and parties, while working
families through their Unions , contributed $60.8 million.
With the understanding that we could never outspend big business, organized
labor has set out to use its most valuable resource….its members.
Our legislative victories this year prove that when AFA members get involved, WE
WIN! In this do-nothing Congress, very few pieces of legislation have passed
especially those that affect working men and women. Yet we were able, through
our member mobilization, to get four major pieces of legislation signed into
law.
* Whistleblower Protection for Aviation Workers
* Crewmember Interference Legislation
* Air Quality Legislation
* An International Smoking Ban
As significant as these victories are, we can not afford to rest on our laurels.
If we are to make further advancements, our members need to take action!
Your Local 51 AFA representatives are attempting to arrange a voter registration
day to be held in the crew lounge in the near future. We hope this grassroots
activity will enable all of our members to become registered voters so that our
voices may be heard.
If you are working on election day, please remember that absentee ballots are
available.
Below are websites that offer background on the issues and the candidates and
provide hands-on voter registration.
www.aflcio.org/labor2000/index.htm
The AFL-CIO Labor 2000 site details the presidential candidates’ positions on
working family issues and enables union members to e-mail politicians on the
issues most important to them.
www.voter.com
This nonpartisan website can be tailored to provide information on a visitor’s
congressional and local elected officials, along with news on issues selected by
the visitor.
www.1stpolitics.com
Includes the latest news stories on the presidential candidates. Updated every
15 minutes, the site compiles information from more than 200 sources, and links
news headlines to the websites where the stories are located.
www.govote.com
Sponsored by the Democratic National Committee, the Republican National
Committee and others, this site provides information on candidates running for
president and Congress, an election calendar and presidential candidates’
schedules. Includes links to voter resources and political forums.
www.speakout.com/SelectSmart
By answering a series of questions, users can find out which candidate’s
positions are closest to their own. Offers candidate comparisons on the issues
and options to e-mail a message to a candidate, participate in a survey or sign
a petition.
www.vote-smart.org
Project Vote Smart is a virtual library of information on more than 11,000
elected officeholders and candidates. Candidate information includes
biographies, campaign finances, issue positions and voting records. Includes
links to state information, the status of congressional legislation and ballot
issues and online voter registration.
www.rockthevote.com
This youth oriented website includes interactive issue polls, links to online
voter registration and information on the Rock the Vote 2000 bus tour aimed at
registering voters.
—————————————————
Also On The Internet…………
Here is a sample of what union members can do with
Workingfamilies.com
* Access free e-mail.
* Find out the latest local news, weather and sports.
* Take advantage of shopping discounts—including—great prices on computers—
negotiated with the strength of more than 13 million members.
* Shop sweat free and buy union-made in a worker-friendly marketplace.
* Check the voting records of members of Congress on issues you care about.
* Keep informed about Union activities.
* Share news and views with other Union members.
* Learn tips on health care, fire safety and home improvement.
* Pay bills online with CheckFree.
* Track the stocks.
* Access financial services, including union-sponsored values on auto financing,
insurance and
home mortgages.
Just For Fun
You know you have been flying a REALLY long time if:
1. You can eat a 4 course meal or your Thanksgiving dinner standing at the
counter in the kitchen.
2. You reach for your seat belt when you sit on the toilet.
3. You look for the “crew line” at the grocery store.
4. You can pack for a 4 week trip to Europe in 1 roll-aboard and 1 piece of
hand luggage.
5. You can sleep sitting bolt upright in a chair—any chair, anywhere.
6. You NEVER unpack.
7. You can recognize pilots by the backs of their heads-but not by their
faces.
8. You can tell from 70 yards away if a piece of luggage can fit in the
overhead bin.
9. You are amazed how male passengers cannot figure out how to rearrange
items so that more things can easily be fit into the overhead bin. (Maybe if
they would load the dishwasher more often?)
10. You NEVER hear announcements the pilots make-if they want you to know
something, they must call on the interphone and tell you personally.
11. You know of at least 63 uses for air sickness containers-non of which are
pertinent to their real use.
12. You can actually enjoy a meal eaten on the jumpseat right next to the
lavs-which are in constant use.
13. You can get more therapy from conversations in the crew lounge than you
can from a $150 an hour psychologist.
14. You won 2 sets of uniforms: fat and thin.
15. You don’t think in “months”-you think in “bid periods”.
16. You understand and actually use the 24-hour clock.
Are you a flight attendant and want to have your say? Do you fly a lot and
get annoyed with passengers in the air? The following is an excerpt from a
satirical website that may interest you. The site can be found at www.passengerssuck.com.
(note- these views are in no way associated with AFA)
If the toilet door says “OCCUPIED” that means that someone IS in there.
If it says “VACANT” that means it is empty. DUH! Now stop asking the flight
attendants.
We don’t have a restaurant on board. If you don’t eat certain things be
sure to order it before hand. Shouting at the flight attendants is not going to
force him/her to produce a vegetarian meal that is not on board.
If asked “What would you like to drink?” “Yes” is not a proper
response.
When a flight is delayed and you complain to the crew about the delay and how
we spoiled your day, made you late, blah blah blah, just remember that the crew
also have lives and families that we want to get home to as well.
When you book a seat, you have just that, A SEAT! What you don’t have is
claim to the overhead bin directly above your seat. If there is stuff in the
overhead above your seat, find somewhere else to put your junk! DO NOT ask the
flight attendant to move the stuff already in the overhead.
When you bring a bag on board, come fully expecting to lift it into the
overhead yourself. We don’t want to hear about your bad back, we have bad
backs too!
Board the correct airplane. It sounds simple, but for some it can prove to be
a challenge.
Don’t try to impress us by giving us your frequent flyer status. You can
get miles by practically doing anything these days.
If you need something, a simple “Excuse me” will do. Don’t pull on our
uniforms or poke us, that’s very rude!
Don’t complain about the delays. Our job is to get you from point A to
point B, in one piece. Everything else is trivial.
A Little of This and a Little of That
Roundtable Meeting
Your Local 51 Officers and Representatives participated in a roundtable meeting
with members of management on May 15, 2000. We discussed many issues of
importance to the ORD flight attendants. The list was quite extensive and the
minutes from the meeting were 15 pages long. We thought this was a bit
cumbersome to mail out to all of you. A copy of the minutes can be found on our
website at http:www.local51itgo.com. Additionally, if would like a copy of the
minutes, please let Local President, Debora Sutor know and she’ll get a copy
to you as soon as possible. We have also tried to cover some of the subjects
discussed, in this newsletter.
Reserve News
As reported in our last issue, the company had not programmed the computer
effective December 12, 1999 to recognize the provisions of FAR Part 121 pilot
rest, for reserve flight attendants per Section 7F of our contract. Since our
last writing, the company has now programmed the computer to recognize Duty
periods and RAP periods and is in compliance with the contract. To protect your
rights against the company’s violation of Section 7F, an MEC grievance was
filed on your behalf. Settlement talks have been concluded. A copy of the
settlement should be forthcoming in your mailboxes. In short it states that “A
flight attendant who was awarded a reserve bid line, including standby reserve,
will receive three hours thirty minutes (3:30) pay for each reserve day not
assigned any duty during the contractual months beginning January 1, 2000
through April 20, 2000. This is in addition to monthly pay guarantee.”
There has however, been another development with regard to reserve rest. You
should have received a flyer in your mailbox entitled “It’s A Rap!!.”
Please try and refer to this sheet, if you still have it. There is a bullet
point that states “Notifications of flight assignments may be made up to 2
hours prior to start of RAP”. AFA believes this to be yet another violation of
Section 7F. FAR Part 121 contains language that provides for rest periods to be
free from all obligation to the company. We believe this is the company’s way
of not providing you with your two hour call out time. We are currently awaiting
an initial hearing and will provide details as we receive them.
8 in 24
If you are removed from a trip sequence or denied open time due to an 8 in 24
legality, AFA needs to hear from you as soon as possible. Please provide a copy
of your HI3 and/or the open time denied. Thank you.
Junior Manning Pay
Please check you pay stubs from December 1999 – March 2000. After receiving
several inquiries from flight attendants a while ago, AFA checked with the
company to see how the 150% junior manning pay was done. The company responded
that the 150% pay was put towards the monthly guarantee not above the guarantee
as stated in the BEX merger sideletter. If after checking your pay records, you
believe that you were paid incorrectly, please get the information to an AFA
representative as soon as possible.
Cockpit Jumpseat
ALPA has shared information with AFA in the form of an “ALPA Security Alert
Bulletin 2000-2.” It reads, in part, as follows:
“It has been recently learned that some Internet web sites contain information
of flight crew procedures for gaining access to airline jumpseats. The posting
of this information on some of these sites is apparently intended to inform
non-authorized individuals on how to obtain free airline transportation. ALPA
believes that making such information available to the general public is a
potential security threat and we are asking the FBI to investigate this
situation. Fraudulent jumpseaters have posed a concern to ALPA for some time,
which is why the National Jumpseat Committee has requested that pilots always
check the credentials of prospective riders”.
As flight attendants, this should be of concern to us. It is our responsibility
to also check the credentials of prospective cockpit jumpseat riders and provide
them access to the cockpit. In addition to this, AFA has learned that the
General Station Managers of American Eagle, have been granted cockpit jumpseat
privileges by the FAA. AFA had asked the company to provide the flight
attendants with an informational e-mail message about this, but to date we have
not seen one.
AEDs—Indemnified or not?
Shortly after the company announced the addition of AEDs to our aircraft, the
AFA legal department sent a letter to management inquiring whether or not the
company intended to indemnify flight attendants from any personal liability for
the use of the AEDs during the course of their employment. The following is a
quote from the company’s response: “Generally American Eagle indemnifies
employees for actions within the scope of their employment; however
indemnification of employees is done on a case-by-case basis and must be
approved by AMR Corporation’s board of directors”.
It should be noted that, the majority of AFA carriers have furnished letters
stating that trained flight attendants will be indemnified by their carrier for
any passenger claim arising out of the employee’s use of AEDs. Leave it to AMR
to not back up their employees 100%.
Officially, AFA’s policy is that a flight attendant should not be compelled to
operate an AED unless she/he has received complete indemnification from their
airline. While that may be our union’s official policy, we must also realize
that the reality of our day to day working environment may not permit us to
refuse to use an AED. A flight attendant refusing to perform a required duty can
leave herself open to a charge of insubordination or in American Eagle lingo “restriction
of output.” While we continue to urge American Eagle to join the vast majority
of carriers and provide proper indemnification for our flight attendants, as a
practical matter, until we receive further clarification from the company, we
cannot urge you to refuse to use AEDs.
14 or 16 Hours. What is the Rule?
Section 7D.1 of our contract states “A Flight Attendant shall not be
scheduled to be on duty more than fourteen hours (14:00) per duty period. A
Flight Attendant may not be rescheduled or required to remain on duty in excess
of sixteen hours (16:00), including continuous duty overnights.”
Flight attendants are often confused as to whether or not they can be on duty
over 14 hours. This is understandable as the rules we must follow are a
combination of both the contract and the flight attendant FARs. First, the
contract prohibits the company from scheduling a flight attendant over 14 hours.
It also sets an actual 16 hour duty time cap. This means that your schedule, on
paper, can never exceed 14 hours however, you may exceed 14 hours of duty for
unforeseen circumstances like mechanical or weather. You cannot under any
circumstances be on duty for over 16 hours.
Some flight attendants have reported that they have been told by crew scheduling
that they can be scheduled or re-scheduled for more than 14 hours of duty. This
is not true. This would be a violation of our contract. If however, in their
infinite wisdom, the crew scheduler insists on violating our contract, there are
additional protections. You see, under the flight attendant FARs, you can be
scheduled or re-scheduled for more than 14 hours of duty (unlike our contract)
however, as you will see by the chart below, the company must add one additional
flight attendant to the minimum crew complement.
As you know, our aircraft operate with minimum crew on board. So, if crew
scheduling tries to schedule or re-schedule you for more than 14 hours of duty
(on paper- not withstanding weather or mechanical) please let them know this is
a violation of our contract and if they persist, you might want to point out to
them that although they may insist on violating our contract, they might want to
think twice about violating FARs. Scheduling or re-scheduling a flight attendant
for more than 14 hours will require the company to place another flight
attendant, in addition to yourself, on board the flight.
We have also included an additional chart that shows the rest requirements for
pilots under FAR part 121 which we have negotiated in Section 7.F. of our
contract. In terms of rest, you should be receiving the best of both worlds. You
should receive the pilot or flight attendant FARs which ever is better dependent
upon your circumstances.
Coalition for Battered Women
The “Coalition for Battered Women” is having a drive to collect old cell
phones. The cell phones will be refurbished by Motorola free of charge and given
to women who have been victims of abuse in order to provide them with a lifeline
for assistance when needed. Often times, a woman who gets out of an abusive
relationship and attempts to start a new life continues to be a victim. The fear
of the abuser coming after her makes it difficult to lead a normal life. In all
too many instances, they are abused again by the same person. To better assist
the women, the cell phones will give them a direct line to dial 911 for
immediate help. For many women who continue to be in abusive relationships, they
are often cut off from family and friends and all lines of communication,
including phone lines, are severed. If you have an old cell phone sitting in a
desk drawer somewhere and not being used, please help the “Coalition for
Battered Women” by sending it in so it can be put to good use. Phones may
either be sent directly to the AFA International Office at:
1275 K St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005-4090
Or you can contact one of your Local Officers and we can arrange to get the
phone from you.
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