23 January 2009 

WHY IS AFA NOT YET NEGOTIATING ON SENIORITY INTEGRATION

Some flight attendants have questioned why our union is not sitting down with Delta’s Seniority Integration Committee to discuss the integration of our work groups.  Some of our members note that other unions on the property are meeting to decide how they will integrate, regardless of a union election.  First and foremost, we remind all members that many work groups from the pre-merger Northwest face an uphill battle when it comes to maintaining a union.  Many Northwest-side unionized employees are significantly smaller than their counterparts at Delta and may never have a chance to vote for a union since they do not come close to the 35% required to trigger a union election.  Keep in mind that while ATLAS, Delta Daily, and DELTANET are all good sources for merger news, we must all take into consideration that these are Company sources and give the Company’s perspective on this issue. 

It’s important to note that the “fair and equitable” law passed in 2007 for seniority integration during mergers states that if the same union represents the combined flight attendants at each of the airlines, the union’s “internal policies regarding integration” will apply.  In keeping with our understanding of the protections under this law, we believe that meeting with the Delta Committee to prepare for negotiations and arbitration is not only unnecessary, but may in fact hurt our case.  We believe a representational vote must proceed first.  And then after we will merge under the “date of hire” policy found in AFA-CWA Merger Policy.  The lawsuit we filed in November asked the courts for a declaratory statement on this matter.  There has been no response yet from the court.

The majority of union workers in pre-merger Northwest are represented by either AFA or IAM, and the outlook for the survival of our collective bargaining rights is much brighter than the other unions, due to the number of our members and our ongoing efforts with Delta flight attendant activists who have worked for many years to bring collective bargaining rights to Delta flight attendants.  We have a good chance of keeping our bargaining voice, preserve our jobs and benefits, and negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement that benefits all flight attendants at the world’s largest airline.

Some believe that AFA is holding up the merger process.  Since we can’t even fly together until at least 2010, we believe there is plenty of time to handle seniority integration fairly and this crucial process cannot be rushed.  It is important for us to put all our efforts into winning a representational vote.  Sitting down with Delta’s committee distracts us from our goal.  We are simply taking every step possible to protect our members’ rights to the fairest and most simple integration method – date of hire.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Has the current economic recession coupled with company memoranda regarding pull-down of flying got you wondering just how many flight attendants will be needed to cover our operation?  Los Angeles-based flight attendant Jimmee Quarmley recently submitted the following great question to our NWA-AFA Master Executive Council:

Q:  Many of us keep getting an unrealistic count of how many flight attendants we have.  The published figure is 22,000 flight attendants in our merged group, but how many are on active payroll, how many are on a leave, and how many are furloughed?  Please put into perspective the reality on how many jobs are available.

A:  At this time of writing, the current count on the NW side is 7,615, with 1,181 of that number currently on leave of absence in lieu of furloughs.  On the DL side, there are reportedly 13,165 flight attendants total, with roughly 830 DL flight attendants currently on furlough, and an unknown number on leave of absence (likely numbering at least 1,000 DL flight attendants.) 

Delta’s operation does not include Scope, Job Security, or Labor Protection Provisions.  We can only speculate how management will decide to increase or decrease flying routes and staffing needs if we do not have a contract.  If furloughs are required, the Delta policy calls for voluntary, then involuntary, furloughs like our own provisions, but DL furloughs can be accomplished by using many different criteria.  Without a contract at DL, staffing changes of total flight attendant numbers are not limited to seniority-based criteria.  Adjustments may be made by reducing staff at a particular base, or by outsourcing certain flights, or by bypassing special qualifications such as LOD or Purser.   One example:  an LOD flight attendant can be exempted from furlough if his/her particular language is needed.  This flight attendant must be willing to go to the base that needs the specific language skill and remain at that base as long as the shortage exists.  Once the shortage is reduced, the LOD flight attendant would lose his/her furlough exemption and go on furlough status.  Depending on operational needs, hiring may take place while others are laid off, to fill specific needs.

It is very difficult to place an exact number on just how many flight attendant jobs are available without access to Delta’s seniority list.  However, it is clear that without a contract, management can use any number of criteria to change flight attendant head count.  With a contract WE as a combined group decide how we would handle Reduction in Force and Recall.  Under Delta management’s policy, they hold all the cards.

UPDATE ON SPLIT LINE AND SATELLITE BASE NEGOTIATIONS

Your Negotiations Committee, joined by AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo and our AFA Staff Attorney Scott Goodman, met January 13, 2009 with Company representatives and Brian Moreau, Director of Flight Attendant Crew Scheduling, to continue discussions regarding Contract Side Letter 20 (Satellite Bases) http://www.nwaafa.org/contract/letter20/ and Letter 21 (Split Lines) http://www.nwaafa.org/contract/letter21/.  Previous discussions regarding these two contractual side letters were held in a different economic environment and prior to the merger with Delta Air Lines.

At the request of the Union, the Company shall twice make public the list of employees who have placed bids in for the ATL base before bid closes on February 5, 2009.  The first publishing is to take place after the new SSN list is published, which was done on January 20, 2009.  The second will be on February 3, 2009, two days prior to the February 5, 2009 deadline.  Flight attendants will be able to view SSN’s, LOD qualifications, PQ qualifications, and “Home” bases.  The reason for this is to allow flight attendants to bid with as much information as possible and to better gauge where one would fall in bidding order since line-holders as well as reserves will be staffed at the new Satellite Base(s).

During the talks, your Committee also discussed a line-share program that would be beneficial to the flight attendants and the Company.  The program would give flight attendants more flexibility and would greatly increase the company's ability to handle staffing levels.  Due to the effort involved in the implementation of PBS and the Satellite Bases, Brian Moreau stated that any line-share program probably would have to wait until spring.  However, In light of all of the downsizing we see in the American work force, we are committed to having a voice in the opening of Satellite Bases and a Split Line Program to benefit our members and ensure that the quality of life as well as job security is our number one priority.  Please review these side letters in your contract.   We will keep you posted with details as they become finalized.

AN UPDATE FROM YOUR MEMBER ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Since June, your MEC Member Engagement Committee has been working closely with the "Destination Representation" campaign.  In that short amount of time, we've met and worked alongside many Delta flight attendants in a joint effort to achieve our goal of maintaining representation.

While recruiting and training activists are priorities, our focus has always been to be visible to our members.  Beginning in December, we've made scheduled appearances in MSP and DTW with more bases, including many Delta bases, to follow soon.  By being visible to our members, we can answer questions, hear feedbacks and pass out pins, bag tags, and literature.  The positive response from our members has really been incredible!

To keep up with the latest MEC Member Engagement news, click on the link at www.nwaafa.org or call us at 952-241-4107.  Visit www.deltaafa.org to find out how you can help.   

ALPA ELECTS NEW MEC OFFICERS

On January 17, 2009, the new Delta Master Executive Council (MEC), which governs the airline’s 12,424 pilots, was formed in Orlando, Florida.  The MEC combines the 11 Local Executive Councils of Delta and Northwest pilot unions.  The MEC administration includes 33 LEC representatives and four newly elected officers.

Captain Lee Moak was elected to the position of Chairman.  Captain Jim Van Sickle was elected MEC Vice Chairman.  Captain Bob Hesselbein was elected MEC Secretary.  Captain Kingsley Roberts was elected as MEC Treasurer.  We would like to extend our congratulations to the newly elected officers and wish them and all the representatives the best of luck in their new endeavors.

THE UNION DIFFERENCE

This week, we welcome news that Delta will provide positive-space travel to training for flight attendants who live in Atlanta or Salt Lake City.  This good news is a result of a joint effort – NWA-AFA representatives brought member requests to the Company’s attention, and the Company was willing to listen and make a logical decision that improves our quality of life.  Another recent example of how our union and contract provisions work for us is in the reciprocal jumpseat agreement.  Did you know that with our new agreement with Frontier Airlines, we now have reciprocal cabin seat agreements with fourteen different carriers?  Stay tuned as we work with the Company to continue to expand this contractual benefit.

AFA-CWA NOW ON FACEBOOK

Are you a part of Facebook?  Did you know AFA-CWA is part of this social networking website that connects us by our place of residence, workplace, school, or friends?  If you are not part of this free access site, please sign up to be part of our social network and keep in touch with our friends and flying partners no matter what part of the world we may be in.  By going to our MEC website and becoming a member of our AFA-CWA Facegroup, you will have a new way to find out all the latest that is happening with AFA-CWA.  See you all on Facebook.

AROUND THE SYSTEM - BRING A COLLEAGUE. GET MOTIVATED. GET INVOLVED.

The MEC meeting schedule and the Local Meeting schedule are found under the “Events” tab at www.nwaafa.org.  Delta Flight Attendants will be invited to local union meetings throughout the country in the coming year, and there will be mixers and trainings planned and posted at www.deltaafa.org as well. 

GOT MERGER QUESTIONS?  GET ANSWERS!   

You are always welcome to contact your AFA-CWA Local officers, whose contact information is found at nwaafa.org.  Another way to get accurate answers to merger questions is to email Questions@nwaafa.org.  As additional information is gathered, it will be reported in hotline messages, our quarterly printed MEC newsletter all call, in Union bulletin boards, and on the websites.  Archived editions of the MEC merger Q&A the source and the Contract vs. Policy Manual postcards are posted on the MEC website.  To sign up for the joint campaign e-news and read past campaign publications visit www.deltaafa.org.

DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR UNION PIN! 

Click HERE or visit www.afanet.org for information about AFA-CWA union structure and the history of the AFA-CWA.  Dues & Member Q&A can be viewed here: http://nwaafa.org/resources/dues/.