Greetings,

AFA 66 eCommunication - Wednesday, May 27, 2009

MyHR to Launch June 10th
2 New Cabin Seat Agreements
TSA to Launch Secure Flight Program
Senate Confirms Former AFA-CWA President to National Mediation Board
_________________________________________

MyHR to Launch June 10th

On June 10th, the Company will be launching MyHR, an online self-service tool to view your company information and make basic changes to your HR records.

MyHR lets you:

  • View your pay rate and current position information
  • Update basic personal information instantly, including:
    • Emergency contacts
    • Address and phone numbers
    • Marital status
  • View internal positions you have recently applied for
  • Acceess an all-employee directory with basic information, including title and work location

You will find a MyHR users guide on our website at AFA66.org under "Manage my Benefits" on the Benefits page.

2 New Cabin Seat Agreements

AFA66 is pleased to announce 2 new reciprocal cabin seat agreements effective June 1st between US Airways and AirTran, and between US Airways and Lynx Aviation. You can review the policies for all of our cabin seat agreements on our website at AFA66.org and click the Reciprocal Cabin Seat Agreements link.

TSA to Launch Secure Flight Program

Secure Flight is a phased-in partnership program between TSA and airlines in response to a key 9/11 Commission recommendation: uniform watch list matching by TSA. The mission of the Secure Flight program is to enhance the security of domestic and international commercial air travel through the use of improved watch list matching. TSA is taking over this responsibility from aircraft operators who, up until now, have been responsible for checking passengers against government watch lists. Secure Flight will further strengthen security by continuing to identify individuals that may pose a known or suspected threat to aviation.

Over the coming months when booking airline travel, travelers, including non-revenue travelers, may be asked to provide their name as it appears on the government ID they plan to use when traveling. Later this summer, airlines will also begin asking passengers to provide their date of birth and gender. TSA's goal is for Secure Flight to be fully implemented in early 2010 for all domestic flights and the end of 2010 for all international flights.

Secure Flight is a phased in process for both TSA and the airlines -- each airline will incorporate changes into their systems over the coming months as their capability to capture passenger data is integrated into their individual systems. If a passenger is not prompted to provide this additional information by a particular airline, they should not be concerned as it should not impact their travel. Learn more at the Secure Flight Homepage.



Senate Confirms Former AFA-CWA President to National Mediation Board

Washington, DC –Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) International President Patricia Friend issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate confirmed Linda Puchala to the National Mediation Board (NMB):

 “Linda Puchala will be a valuable addition to the NMB which is so critical to labor relations in the aviation industry. There are difficult issues facing America’s aviation workers and we applaud President Obama for his prompt nomination and the Senate for confirming Ms. Puchala. At a time when many airline employees are engaged in contract negotiations, it is crucial that the agency charged with overseeing collective bargaining and representation under the Railway Labor Act protect workers from employer interference and influence that unfortunately has become routine under the previous NMB. The confirmation of Linda Puchala is the beginning step in reforming the NMB.
 
“Her experience and vast commitment to workers’ rights and to the collective bargaining process will help to restore the integrity of this vital federal agency. For years, the NMB has operated under arcane and unreasonable rules that make it difficult for workers to organize and bargain contracts. We look forward to working with Ms. Puchala to ensure that the National Mediation Board adheres to its mission of protecting employees’ right to engage in free and fair collective bargaining in the aviation industry.”



mec@afa66.org
www.afa66.org