MEC HOTLINE:  (888) 3-NWA-AFA & www.nwaafa.org 

PURPLE RIBBON CAMPAIGN: Pro-Delta, Pro-AFA www.deltaafa.org

NEGOTIATIONS LEVERAGE - JUST HOW FAST WOULD WE GET A CONTRACT?

In yet another familiar union busting tactic, Delta management insinuates that our negotiations will go on for years if we vote for a union at the new Delta.  However in a strangely contradictory message, managers are also urging our flight attendants to "Give it a year without a union, and then decide."  The speed of negotiations normally depends upon how much leverage we have.  ALPA just negotiated large improvements in pay and benefits in a matter of a few months.  Only then did they turn over a significant leverage point - their combined, certified seniority list to the Company.  We are still suffering under massive bankruptcy-ravaged pay and benefits, with an uncertain future in this economy.  Meanwhile our top executives have also negotiated handsome rewards in their own legal contracts.  I wonder if anyone patronized our pilots or executives by telling them to "Give it a year and see what happens" or seriously questioned the value of the time spent negotiating their own legally binding contract. We are strong enough to display the same resolve and patience that they did, to reach our own industry leading agreement.  -- Submitted by MEC Vice President Janette Rook

AN UPDATE FROM YOUR MEC SCHEDULING COMMITTEE

The MEC Scheduling Committee, along with your LEC Scheduling Chairpersons, met with the Company in MSP on February 12.  The recent F/A Pattern Construction Survey results were discussed in great detail.  Your likes and dislikes were clearly evident, and we are committed to acting on the results.  Brian Moreau, our Director of Crew Scheduling, has pledged to conduct tests on several issues raised in the Survey.  Their studies include splitting F/A and Pilots on the DC9-40/50, limiting airport sit times to no more than 3 hours, increasing layover times, etc.  While the Company’s main concern is affordability, our number one concern continues to be YOU.  We are determined to hold the Company to its commitment to improve our quality of life.

There are several new routes beginning this summer, most notably, Venice and Athens, out of NYC.  Detroit-Rome is slated to begin in early June, as is the resumption of the Hartford-Amsterdam flight.  The newly created ATL satellite base will begin its operation soon with Narita flying.  For Reserves, the much anticipated and often delayed AM/PM option is making its debut.  Contractual Information about the AM/PM option can be found on pages 7.4-7.5, as well as on the Atlas page.  A full version of the meeting notes will be posted soon on the Scheduling Committee page at www.nwaafa.org. -- Submitted by MEC Scheduling Committee Chair Greg Frattini

NEW AM/PM RESERVE 12 HOUR ON CALL OPTION

Many of our Reserve flight attendants have been patiently waiting for the long promised AM/PM Reserve On-Call Period.  This week the Company announced via email the rollout of this provision, granting an initial limited number.  The AM/PM selection in CENTRY is now activated.  This new provision is a big quality-of-life improvement negotiated by the union on behalf of our Reserve flight attendants amidst otherwise concessionary negotiations.  This new Reserve provision is expected to be fully implemented in March, if all automation is working properly.  Per Section 7 Reserve, a Reserve flight attendant may elect to convert his/her next block of on-duty days to either AM (0001-1200) or PM (1201-2400) reserve on-duty period(s).  This election must be made through CENTRY and shall be awarded to flight attendants who are beginning a block of on-duty periods and who have not been assigned a pattern during the Pattern Assignment Period.  A Reserve flight attendant can cancel his/her AM or PM request at any time.  However, in the event he/she has already been awarded the request, such cancellation shall result in all remaining on-duty period(s) within that block to return to the standard midnight to midnight on-duty period.  Please refer to Section 7.C.2., pages 7.4 and 7.5 of our contract for detailed information on this new Reserve feature.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR - A-DAY VS. FULL-LINE RESERVE

DTW FA Nancy Nemacheck:  “Dear AFA, I understand that the reserve system we have will stay in place as long as our current union contract is in place, but will the union be negotiating to switch over to the Delta A-Day system in the future?"

There have been blogs posted by Delta flight attendants on airline chat sites expressing their wariness of voting for union representation due to the fear of being on straight reserve.  Delta’s system, where much of the base or AFP must share reserve responsibilities is a departure from Northwest’s system where a percentage of flight attendants shoulder reserve duties on a full-time basis.  There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to both systems and depending on each flight attendant’s experience, he or she would likely prefer one system over the other.

Regardless of how one may feel about either reserve system, no one system is perfect, and no one system will please everybody.  The key is to have a voice and a vote on a reserve system that will best suit the wishes of the majority of our combined flight attendant population.  It is important that we participate in the decision-making processes that directly impact our professional lives.  After we successfully vote to keep our union representation, we will survey all members at the new Delta before negotiating a joint contract.  Not represented by a contract, our voice will be silenced at the workplace.  We will have no choice but obey all rules and regulations imposed on us at the world’s largest airline. 

MR. ANDERSON - PLEASE PHONE MR. NISHIMATSU

In an era where greedy CEOs are awarded multimillion-dollar bonuses by friendly Boards of Directors, often heavily lining their own pockets while bankrupting their companies, it’s refreshing to see a recent news item make national headlines.  One airline CEO not only refused millions in salary and bonuses from his company, but has instead cut his annual salary down to $90,000 during these hard economic times.  Haruka Nishimatsu, the CEO of Japan Airlines, even rides the bus to work. 

There is a rationale to his anti-corporate perk lifestyle: It’s about his employees.  “There’s no one person being on top, and one person being on bottom, in an organization such as ours.”   For CNN video of this story about one of the good corporate CEOs, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-NOzYbSrY4.  If you would like to read about the “business as usual” massive compensation just announced for our own top executives, please click on this 2/18/09 Atlanta Journal Constitution article: Delta Execs Get Stock, Employees Get Buyouts.

CORPORATE EMPLOYMENT FILE REQUEST

For those of you who have not yet had a chance, Section 21 – Personnel Related Matters outlines your contractual rights regarding your access to a complete copy of your corporate employment file and what and when items should be removed.  You can place a request by emailing employee.records@nwa.com or via US Mail or fax to:

Northwest Airlines, Inc                                                

ATTN:  Employee Records

Mailstop MSP A – 1410

Eagan, MN  55121-1534

Fax:  612-727-7617

ATTN:  Employee Records

Be sure to include your name and employee number and where you would like the copy of your file sent.  You must contact your local Inflight manager to purge/view your base employment file.  You don’t need a union representative to go with you to request or view your Corporate or base file, but if you experience any difficulty getting a copy of your file or purging contractual items, please contact your local union representatives for assistance.

DELTA & NORTHWEST FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SPEAK OUT

Delta and Northwest flight attendants are speaking out about our struggle to retain union representation in our merger under current anti-labor NMB rules and regular and ongoing union-busting tactics by Delta management.  You can listen to their interviews at America’s Work Force Radio and The Union Edge Talk Radio, or via our MEC website.

NWA-AFA MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL SEEKS SECRETARY-TREASURER

The MEC is currently seeking candidates to serve as its Secretary-Treasurer.  The qualified candidate will review and maintain the monthly budget expenditures provided by the AFA International Office and assist the President in the administration of MEC funds.  Additional duties include, but are not limited to:  maintaining MEC records, keeping meeting minutes, monitoring membership rosters and seniority lists, maintaining files of Base monthly scheduling information, and administrating MEC Committees.

If you are interested in being considered for MEC Secretary-Treasurer, please send a letter of interest with a resume to Karen Chapdelaine, Association of Flight Attendants, Master Executive Council, 8011 34th Avenue South, Suite 220, Bloomington, MN 55425, or email to kchapdelaine@nwaafa.org.  For a complete description of the duties of MEC Secretary-Treasurer, please refer to the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws Article VII, 2(c) or go to the Committees tab on NWA-AFA website for the open job announcement.  In order to allow more notice to our members and a larger window for applicants, the new deadline is March 20th.  The appointment will take place at the MEC Meeting from March 28-30, preceding the AFA Board of Directors meeting.

WRITERS NEEDED

Do you like to write?  Is there something on your mind regarding your base, the merger, the change of flying, or anything in between that you would like to share with your flying partners?  Are you on reserve and would like to share a reserve perspective?  Please submit your article at your earliest opportunity for a March publication in our upcoming MEC quarterly newsletter ALL CALL.  Please email your submittal to MEC Communications Chair Rhonda Taylor at rtaylor@nwaafa.org. 

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/.