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CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
March 5,2005 - American Eagle Negotiations Update
The AFA Negotiating Committee met with the Company again from
March 29-31 at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center in DFW. Our MEC President, Reggie Salas (LGA); Flight Attendants Pat Davis (BOS), Laurette Espeland (ORD), and Diana
Kishaba (LAX); and our Professional Negotiator and Attorney, Kimberley Chaput, represented AFA.
Representing the Company were Marc Esposito from the law firm of Ford & Harrison; Cathy Jacobs,
Senior Vice-President, Employee Relations; Linda Kuntz, Vice President, Inflight; Keith Curtis, Manager, Crew Scheduling; Doug Matalucci, Director, Crew Scheduling and Planning; Tammy Coffey,
Regional Managing Director, Flight Service; Cassy Ralat, Regional Managing Director, Flight Service;
and Stephanie Babish, Employee Relations Counsel. NMB mediators Pat Sims and Terri Brown, directed the session.
As you may recall, the NMB threatened to place the parties into recess (a sort of limbo during which
the NMB refuses to let us negotiate) unless AFA re-worked our compensation proposal. After meeting
with the MEC earlier in March, we did so. On Tuesday, we presented proposals for Compensation
(Section 4), Retirement and Insurance (Section 20), Safety and Health (26) and International Flying (a new section).
The Negotiating Committee had given these proposals careful thought and had made some very
difficult decisions. We effectively placed most of the balls in the Company’s court and spent hours awaiting their response. Late Wednesday afternoon, the Company gave us a comprehensive
proposal that addresses all open issues. Although some of the response matched our proposal, to say we were overall disappointed is an understatement.
The Company’s wage rates are still very far apart from our proposal. In fact, depending on the pay
step, the “increases” were between fourteen and forty cents over management’s November proposal.
Furthermore, they rejected our demand to be paid 75% for deadhead, as the pilots do. They also refused to offer us the same 401(k) match that the pilots and the TWU receive. The message we
received was that Flight Attendants are second-class citizens at American Eagle.
The Negotiating Committee explained all this to the Company and the NMB. We made it clear that the
Company’s proposal would never ratify. The mediators sent both sides back into caucus all day Thursday to reconsider their positions and priorities. We left the session without reaching any
tentative agreements.
We will receive the results of our scientific poll early next week. Feedback from the membership
remains critical during this process, as we prepare to make difficult decisions about where to put the
money (wages, retirement, vacation, etc.). Our next session is scheduled for April 19-22. The NMB
is hopeful that we will walk out of those meetings with a finished contract. We would love to see that,
but we will not agree just to get the deal done. We will only agree to a contract that we believe meets our needs and can be ratified. After four years, enough is enough!
This is crunch time. The Company needs to know that you, the members, are informed, involved and
interested in this process. It’s not just the four members of our Negotiating Committee deciding on this contract; it’s all 1,500 of us!
In Solidarity,
AFA American Eagle Negotiations Team
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