A MARTIN
LUTHER KING DAY MESSAGE
Forty-five years after the Rev.
Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired the nation to change in his "I
Have a Dream" speech, the American people will inaugurate the
first African-American president in the history of our country.
Indeed, a black, progressive president of the
United
States is a powerful symbol of
the changes that have taken place since Dr. King’s speech
in 1963. However, only part of the Reverend’s dream has
been realized.
Remarkably, fifty
years before the election of President-elect Barack Obama, the
history of the flight attendant profession took center stage in
the struggle for equality.
In 1958, Ruth Carol Taylor (at left) was hired by Mohawk
Airlines and became the first African American flight attendant
employed by a U.S. carrier. Yet by
1966 in my United Airlines Stewardess graduating class of 38
young women, only one was a woman of color, an African-American.
Progress has been slow, but still in the context of the historic
occasion that will take place next Tuesday, we can be proud that
our profession defied the odds and partnered with forces for
change and equality over fifty years ago.
Only six months after
breaking one historic barrier, Ruth Carol Taylor's career ended
due to another discriminatory barrier: the airline's marriage
ban. We continued our march toward equality
as AFA-CWA labored in the following decades for women's rights
in the workplace that erased discriminatory practices and
established our profession as a long-term career.
The cause of the civil
rights movement of 45 years ago – to erase injustice in
the United
States – is the cause of
the labor movement today. Labor carries that torch of justice as
we fight to promote the rights of working people and to codify
those rights in legally binding contracts, in regulatory
standards and in law.
In the airline
industry, AFA-CWA has been at the vanguard of the fight to
protect our hard-won rights and to blow the whistle on the
agencies that have failed to uphold their own mandates. Chief
among those failed agencies is the National Mediation Board.
That is why AFA-CWA has called repeatedly for reform of the NMB,
including a Congressional hearing late last year to examine the
conduct of the NMB.
However the NMB is not
the only agency rife with Bush Administration appointees and
staff members who have stooped to do the bidding of company
managements at the expense of their agencies' integrity. The
Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation
Administration and Department of Labor have also been
complicit.
In the Obama
Administration, we fully expect to see a revamping of these
agencies. Transportation labor has advised the Administration's
transition team, in very specific terms, about the changes that
must occur to restore these agencies to fairness.
If the Rev. Martin
Luther King, Jr. were here today, he would be proud of how far
we have come as a nation to overcome racism and to further the
cause of social justice. I believe he also would have extended
his definition of social justice to include the ability to
bargain with our employers on a level playing field, under the
impartial oversight of an unbiased government body. It is
certainly one of the fundamental tasks that the Obama
Administration must embrace to restore the faith of working
people in our government's commitment to the upholding the
democratic process.
– AFA-CWA International President Patricia
Friend
DELTA
UNIFORM ALTERATIONS
UPDATE
After members expressed their
concerns, AFA representatives contacted the Company
and they have agreed to put out a new communications
piece with more information about the DL uniforms. Last year the AFA Uniform
Committee briefed Delta management about the increased
requirements of our union contract in regards to uniforms, since
the Delta policy did not provide the same benefits as our
contractual language.
Section 19 – Uniforms in our collective
bargaining agreement provides our members with reimbursement for
alterations for new and replacement uniforms (as well as company
paid shipping costs, payroll deductions, etc.)
If in need of
alterations, first call the Lion Uniform Group Customer Service
to request an “Alterations Certificate” at
866-548-8438. If
using approved NW/DL alterations locations, costs will be direct
billed and any costs that exceed the Company’s limits will
be paid by the individual.
If there is no approved location in your area, submit a
NW business expense form for reimbursement. Our contract
provides for company paid shipping in most circumstances. If you
receive a uniform piece that must be returned and a return
mailing label is not provided, submit a NW business expense form
to be reimbursed for the return postage. If you are not
reimbursed, please notify your Local AFA representatives.
For those flight
attendants who may be investigating the merits of a union
contract, this is a good example. Thoroughly research the DL policy and order forms for
comparison’s sake.
This information can be found on Deltanet under the IFS
tab. DL flight
attendants are allotted $150 (aka: 150 points) per year for
replacement uniforms.
One DL female uniform blazer costs from $94 to $115
alone, while DL overcoats cost from $125-$149! Delta policy effectively shifts the cost of
uniforms to the flight attendants. NW flight attendants are contractually
entitled to our choice of ensembles for uniform replacements
every 2 years (e.g. females: 1 jacket, 2 pants/skirts, 3
blouses, 2 aprons, 1 belt or 2 dresses) and to overcoat
replacement every 3 years.
Also in contrast to DL policy, we have alterations
reimbursement, company paid shipping costs, and payroll
deductions of no more than $25 per paycheck for extra
items. This could
amount to $100’s of dollars each year out of your pocket
under the Delta policy.
Remember – the value of our contract is not only
found in our hourly rate, but in hundreds of different
provisions like those found in Section 19. - NWA MEC VP Janette
Rook
AFA
HONORED WITH INVITATION TO JOIN INAUGURAL
PARADE
The theme for our 2009
inauguration day is “A New Birth of Freedom” and it
will commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham
Lincoln’s birth.
Lincoln said in 1863 in his
Gettysburg Address “we here highly resolve that these dead
shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall
have a new birth of freedom.”
Seven AFA-CWA members
will be among a 250 member labor delegation that will march in
the official Presidential Inauguration Parade. Whether you are
watching the parade from the comfort of your home or amongst the
millions who will descend on Washington, D.C. to witness this historic
day, look for our AFA-CWA delegation as we prepare to assert our
rights under a new and unbiased
administration.
NEW
SENIORITY LIST POSTED ON ATLAS
In accordance with Section 20 - Seniority of our
collective bargaining agreement, the revised seniority list has
been posted on ATLAS. If you believe there is an error, omission
or incorrect posting which affected your seniority, you have
sixty (60) days to submit a written inquiry. The deadline for
submitting a protest will be March 20,
2008. Please submit written inquiries
to:
SuzAnne Balzer
Director - Contract
Administration
Mailstop F 5800
7200 34th Avenue
South
Minneapolis, MN 55450
