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CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
March 11, 2005 - Special Negotiations Update
It’s a Brand-New Day!
We’ve heard your calls for more information regarding
negotiations—in fact, we heard them loud and clear. You may have noticed that you have been receiving more detailed negotiations
updates lately. That’s no coincidence. The MEC and the Negotiating Committee recognize that your involvement in critical to successful negotiations. Accordingly, the
MEC, along with the Negotiating Committee and several staff members from the AFA International office, met for several hours on March 9, 2005.
We discussed the current state of negotiations and reviewed all the tentative agreements to date.
The MEC unanimously decided to disclose the highlights from those tentative agreements and to make a concerted effort to keep the membership informed. After all, knowledge is power!
The Negotiating Committee also briefed the MEC on recent demands imposed by the National
Mediation Board (“NMB”). The NMB has threatened a “recess” because it believes that AFA’s compensation proposal is too high. In a recess, the NMB refuses to grant any additional mediation
dates. No negotiations occur until the NMB decides to end the recess. Unfortunately, nothing in the Railway Labor Act limits the duration of a recess.
We have been negotiating for almost four years, and we need a pay raise sooner rather than later!
We are going to fight for the best pay scale that we can get, but we have to have dates to negotiate
that pay scale or we’ll never get there. We will let you know whether the NMB decide to give us more dates.
The MEC also decided to commission a telephone poll regarding your thoughts on negotiations toward
a new contract. As always, the membership is our touchstone in negotiations. It is a scientific poll,
so initially only a representative sampling of flight attendants will be polled. After the poll is
concluded, all flight attendants will have an opportunity to take the poll via the internet. The MEC and
the Negotiating Committee will review all responses. If you do receive a phone call, please answer the call and take the poll.
Below, you will find the highlights of the sections on which we have reached tentative agreement.
Keep in mind that the list is not exhaustive but rather is intended to let you know the main changes to
the contract. Also remember that we have achieved significant improvements in other areas of the
agreement, such as Scheduling, which have not yet been TA’d. Since the sections are not closed, the
agreements reached within them are not final, so we don’t want to publish any agreements that may later change. We will update this list as those sections reach tentative agreement.
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Highlights of Tentative Agreements as of March 11,2005
Section 3 Management Rights TA’d 7/26/2001
* No change from current contract
Section 5 Expenses TA’d 7/15/2004
* Day rooms when sit time scheduled or anticipated to exceed five hours
(shared if both flight attendants are the same sex)
* Hotel room in domicile when rest is reduced; may request when rest is not reduced and will be
granted when pilots receive a room
* Can change hotel if room not ready within 60 minutes
* Per diem at $1.50/hour, and a me-too with the pilots (so $1.55 at DOS)
Section 6 Moving Expenses TA’d 4/24/2002
· Company to pay moving expenses when F/A involuntarily displaced or has been recalled from
furlough to a different domicile and has exhausted option to bypass recall
· New rate: $1,500 for moves within 500 miles; $2,000 for moves of more than 500 miles
· Reimbursement for moving up to two cars, or one car over water (to/from SJU)
· Up to five unpaid days off for moving
· Per diem and two consecutive nights’ lodging while finding a new home
· $750 interest-free advance
Section 9 Reserve TA’d 1/19/2005
* New classifications: “at home” and “airport” reserves
* 15-hour RAPs in all domiciles, including SJU
* No airport reserve lines
* Open time paid above guarantee
* Reserves may preference trips or airport reserve periods
* Flying will be “time-balanced”; F/A with least credited hours in the month will be first assigned
* Reserve returning from multi-day trip will be released into rest if Crew Scheduling has no
assignment when trip ends
* Assignment into a day off is considered junior manning
* F/A may slide a reserve block if no effect on coverage
Section 12 Uniforms TA’d 3/18/2004
* F/As based on MIA, SJU or DFW may wear summer uniform year-round
* 16 uniform points per year for first two years, increased to 18 after two years and 20 after four
years
* F/A may carry over as many points as s/he is awarded
* $10 monthly cleaning allowance for all F/As
* Company will lend pregnant F/A maternity uniform
Section 13 Probation TA’d 6/26/2001
· Probation extended by length of unpaid leave of 17 or more days
* Probationary F/A may file contractual grievance (NOTE: This right already exists; we have
simply spelled it out
Section 14 Seniority TA’d 1/20/2005
* Improved procedures for protesting accuracy of seniority list
* Supervisors will retain and accrue seniority only for length of time they were F/As, then only
retain. (Applies to F/A who becomes a supervisor after date of signing)
* F/A who transfers to a position not directly related to F/A duties will retain and accrue seniority
for one year and then will be removed from seniority list
Section 15 Filling of Vacancies TA’d 8/15/2001
* Improved language on permanent vacancies
* F/A will be removed from any part of a trip falling within three days of beginning of bid period in
new domicile. S/he will be pay-protected when the move is involuntary
* New hire will be assigned to domicile only after permanent vacancy posted and not filled by a
more-senior F/A
* F/A on TDY will bid in the temporary domicile (TDY of a month or more)
* Positive-spaces passes to and from TDY domicile at beginning and end of TDY period
* F/A on TDY will receive per diem for entire period even if s/he flies home on a pass
Section 16 Time Off Without Pay TA’d 10/21/2001
* F/A on TOWOP will continue to receive all Company benefits
Section 17 Furlough, Displacement and Recall TA’d 8/15/2002
* Voluntary leaves (minimum 90 days) to be offered prior to furlough
* Benefits will continue during voluntary leave
* Recall-from-furlough rights increased to five years
* Non-probationary F/A may bypass recall when recalled to different domicile, provided there are
more junior F/As subject to recall
Section 18 Leaves of Absence TA’d 2/4/2005
* Bereavement leave: 5 days off for immediate family (pay for 3); 3 days unpaid for other
relatives and friends. If more time needed, may request personal leave or request to move vacation
* Pay protection when F/A called to testify at Company request or the appearance directly relates
to Company business
* Medical leave increased to four years (includes F/As on medical leave on date of signing)
* F/A who requests treatment for substance abuse prior to notification of drug/alcohol testing will
be granted medical leave
* Company will provide AFA with advance notice of proposed changes to maternity policy; these
will not be implemented until AFA agrees
* AFA will be notified of material changes to FMLA policy
* Leaves will not count as attendance occurrence or used for disciplinary purposes unless F/A
fraudulently obtained leave
Section 19 Training TA’d 4/24/2002
· Training dates and F/As to be trained published in bid packet 2 months in advance
* F/A will bid for training dates; awarded by seniority
· Pay protection if part of trip dropped to protect F/A legalities on day adjoining training
* F/A may drop flying on day before training; day will be unpaid
* F/A on reduced schedule may attend training in part of the month where no flying is scheduled
* Rest after day of training scheduled for 10 hours, may be reduced to 9 hours
* Per diem paid for in-domicile training
* Rest breaks every two hours during training; one-hour meal break for training longer than 6
hours
Section 21 Grievance Procedure TA’d 6/28/2001
* New procedures and timelines for filing grievances
Section 22 System Board of Adjustment TA’d 6/28/2001
* New language on grievance mediation
Section 23 Union Security and Dues Checkoff TA’d 7/26/2001
* AFA initiation fee may be payroll deducted in 10 installments
Section 27 General TA’d 2/4/2005
· Company must state precise charges against F/A when disciplining her/him
· F/A will not be disciplined based solely on a complaint letter, without corroboration
· F/A may inform crew scheduling that s/he needs a meal break; request will be honored if
reasonable
· Crew lounges large enough to contain 15 crew members will be provided in each domicile; in
secondary co-domiciles, Company will provide an area with seating, computers, printers and telephones
· Company will pay for required passports, visas and vaccines
Section 28 Physical Examinations TA’d 7/26/2001
* In proper circumstances, Company may require physical or mental examination
* F/A who successfully challenges an adverse medical examination will be compensated for all time
during which s/he was removed from flying status
Section 33 Co-Domiciles (new section) TA’d 8/15/2003
* All provisions relating to co-domiciles moved into comprehensive section
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We shared all this information with the MEC, and they were excited about many of the improvements.
We’ve also re-cast our InfoRep Prorgam as the CHAOS Command Committee. We are working on timelines, plans and activities. Stay tuned for further information.
We thank you again for your interest and support during this long and exhausting process. We will be
publishing additional information about negotiations and negotiations-related activities, so stay informed and stay involved!
We will continue to be open and straightforward with you.
It’s a Brand New Day!
In Solidarity,
American Eagle AFA Negotiations Team
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