ARBITRATION VICTORY FOR AFA!

The Association met with the Company on December 11, 2001, to discuss their newly revised FMLA policy.  The Association learned at that meeting, that we had a dispute with regard to the use of accrued vacation time. The Company intended to require Flight Attendants to use their unused/accrued vacation time when taking FMLA to care for an eligible family member. Although the law permits this, the Association believed that the Collective Bargaining Agreement protected the rights of Flight Attendants to select their own vacation blocks through a seniority bidding and awarding process. Additionally, under the collective bargaining agreement, Flight Attendants are prohibited from changing awarded vacation blocks unless the parameters of Section 10 are adhered to. 

An MEC (Master Executive Council) grievance was filed on December 12, 2001, on behalf of all American Eagle Flight Attendants. The grievance was submitted to the System Board of Adjustment and arbitrated on October 2, 2003.

I am happy to announce that Arbitrator Tia Schneider-Denenberg, sustained the grievance. Her decision stated:

"The collective bargaining agreement is violated when the company requires flight attendants to deplete their annual accrued vacation allotment before beginning unpaid leave to care for an eligible family member. As a remedy, the company is enjoined from requiring flight attendants to deplete their accrued vacation in order to take such unpaid family leave."

In Solidarity,

Debora Sutor

AFA MEC Grievance Chair