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13 July
2009
Dear
Colleagues,
Over the past several days, the media began
taking notice of a grievance update found in the July
3rd MEC hotline (click here to view the original hotline). The so-called “red
dress grievance” has taken on a life of its own and has
been twisted to outrageous proportion. Some of the related
comments received by the MEC and found on Internet forums have
been shocking and cruel.
So there is no question as to the motivation for filing
this grievance, we would like to set the currently distorted
record straight.
To be absolutely clear: The media is
chasing this story.
It was not brought to the newspapers by the
Union. The dress is one piece
of a grievance filed in early May over several outstanding
uniform issues.
Besides the uniform issue, there are
also grievances pertaining to onboard staffing, and negotiations
are almost complete to establish a “split-line”
program that may help offset the need for involuntary
furloughs. AFA has
been successful in lobbying to get unemployment benefits for our
members in Minnesota who take SLIP
leaves. We recently
helped to get a Senate bill introduced to include flight
attendants in FMLA legislation. It is unclear as to why equal attention
hasn’t been given to these issues, except for their
apparent lack of sensationalistic appeal.
The Union embodies the ideal of "an injustice
to one is an injustice to all." We believe it is reasonable and right
to offer the uniform pieces in all sizes and allow flight
attendants to decide what they are most comfortable wearing. We
do not apologize for fighting for what is right, even if it
seems silly to those not affected. The red dress issue is one of
discrimination, plain and simple.
A grievance filing is not
extraordinary - - they take minutes to file and do not put a
strain on dues money.
The Union files a
grievance when we believe the contract or past-practice has been
violated. The
grievance creates a record and a history to maintain all the
things we have fought for over the years. Just like thousands of
small and large issues before this, our Union helps stem the tide of a thousand
encroachments on our rights and our contract.
Rarely do paradigm shifts in our
industry happen over night. Substantial change is typically the result of
a rule or practice being chipped away over the years until a new
model exists. Did
any of us think 10 years ago that we would have domestic partner
benefits? In
the not-so-distant past, flight attendants were subject to the
following stipulations:
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Retirement at
the age of 32
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Forced to quit
if married or pregnant
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No men were
hired; then when they were hired received preferential pay over
women
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Women could not
work as pursers and could not wear
eyeglasses
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Weight limits
and humiliating “weigh-in” before checking in for
trips
-
Discriminatory
hiring practices that included race, sex, height and weight
standards
-
Discriminatory
pass travel and insurance coverage based on
gender
If you are a female over 32, a mother,
a female purser, a man, married, a woman who is paid the same as
her male colleague – you are here because you benefited
from these issues being fought and won in the legal arena,
including the grievance process.
We will continue to advocate for our
profession, whether it is with aircraft staffing, uniform
availability, hedges against furlough, job protection and
other issues that affect flight attendants.
Please take care of each other, fly the
contract, and wear your union pins. Contact us at mec@nwaafa.org with any questions.
In Unity,
Northwest AFA-CWA Master Executive Council
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