AFA Detroit Local Executive Council 94 | 20 October 2008

CHECKING IN?  AFA MEC AND LEC HOTEL COMMITTEE UPDATE

Did you know that section 4 of our contract includes parameters for selection of layover hotels?  Our Collective Bargaining Agreement with Northwest Airlines outlines a minimum list of qualifications a hotel must pass in order to receive a contract from the company. 

Along with life-altering paycuts and increased productivity, bankruptcy ushered in a “bare minimum” approach to hotel selection.  Downtown (or downtown-like) hotels for long layovers all but vanished domestically, and some of our long held, comfortable short domestic layover hotels were downgraded to save money. 

Your AFA MEC and LEC Hotel Committees’ work with the company has successfully accomplished gradual improvements in hotel standards since emerging from bankruptcy.   Your input about quality and safety of layover hotels is vital to continue this progress.  The AFA Hotel Committee collects feedback via hotel report forms, which can be found at http://www.afahotels.org/ .  If you carry a camera-phone or digital camera, please e-mail pictures of ripped carpet, stains, dirty floors and linens, etc. to MEC Hotel Chairperson Anne Odenwald at aodenwald@nwaafa.org.  See http://www.afa94.org/default2.asp?active_page_id=61 for a complete list of Local 94 Hotel Committee contacts. 

Q.     Which hotel has the dubious honor of receiving the most negative reports?

A.     The NH Central Station Hotel in Amsterdam. 

Despite recent efforts to clean up the rooms and common areas, NH management changed over the summer and crew members report little change.  Please continue to provide feedback for the NH—and any hotel you believe is not within the guidelines of our Agreement. 

LOD PATTERNS IN OPEN TIME

Language of Destination patterns can be identified by their pattern class codes in Crew Access (FR, DE, PH, JP, KR, etc.).  LOD patterns can be picked up during the month by those flight attendants holding the specific language qualification up to and during SLAP preceding the day of pattern operation.  If no LOD Flight Attendant picks up the pattern during SLAP, the trip returns to Open Time under a new pattern number available to non-LOD FAs during the same SLAP run.  In order to pick up the new pattern, it is necessary to enter a generic request, since the new pattern number will not be posted for specific entry.  For example, pattern 120 is a 3 day trip for a German LOD to FRA.   The syntax LFRA can be entered as a generic for this trip, in case pattern 120 is not first picked up by a LOD FA. 

If you notice any violations to LOD processing in SLAP, please contact your LEC 94 office. 

VIEWPOINT:  “KEEPING AN EYE ON THE BIG PICTURE”

                with DTW Town Hall Meeting Recap

Recently, your Local 94 DTW Council had the distinct honor of hosting a series of Town Hall Meetings at the Westin, featuring AFA-CWA International President Pat Friend, CWA President Larry Cohen and special guests, Delta Flight Attendant Union Activists Marianne Bicksler and Angela Winningham.  The meetings were very well received, generating dozens of requests to get involved, receive additional information, attend additional meetings in the future, and have an opportunity to view the meetings online.  Local 94 member Don Dollar videotaped the events and uploaded clips for viewing at our temporary Youtube campaign channel. Additional clips are on the way. http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Want2KeepmyVoice

Throughout the October 6-7 Town Hall Meetings, President Larry Cohen shared his global perspective of workers’ rights, with a broader picture of what’s truly at stake in our fight to keep Union representation at the largest airline in the world.  Our Destination Representation campaign for NWA-DAL Flight Attendants is currently at the forefront of an even larger struggle to retain a middle class in the United States, where only one in eight workers has bargaining rights.

In short, a 20-year decline in U.S. collective bargaining rights in all industries parallels domestic declines in health coverage, child care leave, vacation time, and retirement, placing the U.S. at the bottom of 72 more highly unionized democracies.  But corporate DAL/NWA is clever at diverting your attention from money-grubbing goals in this global economy.  Acknowledge a red herring when you smell it.

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Whether intimate Wine-n-Dine or upbeat Meet-n-Greet, buoyant “captive audience” events are well-orchestrated P.R. strategies designed by highly compensated union-busting consultants.

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Make no mistake.  Have you noticed an unusual array of “social” opportunities and Starbucks/Target gift card reparations lately?  Think: invitations to informal dinner party discussions with Inflight’s Management Elite.  Cool signature cocktails at NWE, personally delivered by DAL’s hand-selected servers.  Free tickets to ballgames with your supervisor.  What about that innocent, friendly chat with a cheerful Delta SAFA?  Whether intimate Wine-n-Dine or upbeat Meet-n-Greet, such buoyant “captive audience” events are well-orchestrated P.R. strategies designed by the company’s highly compensated union-busting consultants. 

Most of us enjoy the optimistic vibe and look forward to a better future, sharing the aisle with our Delta brothers and sisters.  We are encouraged by their gracious and welcoming demeanor.  Please know, however, that many such Delta SAFAs you “happen” to encounter are actually on special assignment—paid and well-coached specifically to spread the company’s carefully-crafted campaign to eliminate our collective voice. 

Northwest Flight Attendants are smart enough to remember our history and know a ruse when we see one.  Nevertheless, NWA’s red herring is veiled by a fresh veneer of energetic renovation that follows their union-busting playbook’s prescription plan to a tee.  Don’t allow a few cups of free coffee and patronizing smiles with hors d’ouevres to divert your attention from the Big Picture.  And recognize that the company has a big picture of its own, which includes generating this feel-good façade to falsely lull you into imagining you won’t need a union in our happy, new integrated airline family. 

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“Management knows no limits for themselves and has no commitment to where they work.  They’ll jump and jump

 and jump and jump, like they’re free agents at a baseball team,

 while WE have career commitments.” ~ CWA President Larry Cohen

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Bottom line according to President Cohen: Delta wants to prevent and/or extinguish our Union representation and collective bargaining rights across the board.  Ultimately, this hits everyone right where we live.  In our pocketbooks.  On our dinner tables.  And with precious few hours left in the day to enjoy the proverbial American Dream. 

In a dovetailing message, President Pat Friend shared what to expect in the upcoming union election timeline, as well as AFA’s efforts to level the playing field with a politically biased NMB.  We seek to publicly shine a light on Delta’s well-documented—but politically ignored—union election interference and to hold accountable those involved in blatant campaign tampering. 

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“Delta flight attendants always look for your union pins.

 It tells us everything.” ~ Delta FA Union Activist

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In a more personal connection, Delta Flight Attendants Angela Winningham and Marianne Bicksler shared first hand insight into life without a union.  With an engaging, interactive style, they addressed common misperceptions and rumors and told a few “war stories.” Both answered audience questions about everything from their accrued sick time policy (which keeps changing, but is significantly inferior to ours) and work rules (a slippery slope with no recourse for violations) to retiree health insurance (which is only offered via full-cost COBRA rates) and other differences between our contractual benefits/provisions and their moving-target policy manual. 

Both of our Delta colleagues asked Northwest flight attendants to wear our union pins.  "We (Delta Flight Attendants) always look for your union pins.  It tells us everything.  Union pins show supporters at Delta that they are in good company, and it shows undecided voters that they can talk to you about representation." 

Local 94 is grateful to these DAL activists for sharing three full days of their personal time off with us, as part of their dedication to the goal of securing representation for our future.  While we hope to schedule Angela and Marianne for a return visit, we are also working to include additional DAL guests at future union meetings.

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“The key is our right to negotiate a contract—to have bargaining coverage—that’s what’s up for grabs.”  ~ CWA President Larry Cohen

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Throughout the meetings, challenges were posed, questions answered, and a combination of global, local and personal perspectives presented.  The Big Picture remains the same, as underscored by both Presidents and Delta FA Activists, alike.  As Larry Cohen emphatically stated, “Without organized workers and the right to form a Union, there is no middle class.” 

Recognizing our historic place in the war on the middle class, President Cohen renewed his commitment to support the NWA-DAL Flight Attendants’ battle for representation, while pledging CWA defense fund resources to the cause.  In closing, he declared, “This is front and center.  From all of us at CWA, wherever we are, this is number one.  Our Executive board voted it number one.  It is [the] number one priority for us, regardless of what industry we come from, because we think it is really the key fight to save the American people.  We will fight for the middle class and we will win.” 

JUST A FRIENDLY LITTLE MANAGER MEETING?

MEC President Kevin Griffin reminds members of our contractual right to union representation at a manager meeting or phone call.  Contract section 27.B.2 states:

“When a flight attendant is requested to meet with management regarding matters which are disciplinary, or may lead to discipline, s/he shall be informed in writing (including via company electronic mail) of the specific subject(s) to be discussed prior to the meeting, and that s/he has a right to union representation.”  

If you are in an informal meeting with a manager that unexpectedly leads to topics of discipline, you are entitled to discontinue the meeting, call your LEC 94 Representative, and reschedule the meeting at a time coordinated for all parties.  Bringing a union representative to your meeting should not be viewed as a sign of antagonism, but asserting your rights to representation provided by our contract.  Please see the list below for updated AFA Local 94 Detroit Officer contact information. 

PLANNING AHEAD:  NOTEWORTHY DATES, SPECIAL EVENTS

October 21-24, 2008, 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Final week of DTW uniform fittings at the McNamara Terminal Style Clinic.  (Per company memo, if you cannot attend a Style Session or have a question, contact Lion Uniform Group’s Style Consultants by e-mail at stylist@gkservices.com or by phone at 1-866-548-8438)

October 30, 2008, 12:00 CT – Vacation Bids close.  Your union won a grievance settlement to award all Flight Attendants two additional vacation days or the cash equivalent  for 2009.  For accrual verification and questions, contact the Vacation Help Desk at IFVACHLP from your NW Outlook email. If using a personal email address, send your request for a review to IFVACHLP@nwa.com.

November 4, 2008 – Election Day ~ Remember to vote!

  Vacation Bid Results posted in CENTRY

November 8 – 10, 2008 – NWA Employee Appreciation Event at the Mall of America.  Shopping discounts throughout the Mall and up to five free ride wrist-bands per family, for rides at Nickelodeon Universe.  See RADAR for more information.

November 12 – 13, 2008 –  MEC Meeting in Los Angeles (location and times TBA)

November 30, 2008 – Deadline for ordering new uniforms.

December 1 – 16, 2008 – Open Enrollment for 2009 insurance and flex-saver elections.  The Benefits Department has advised there will be no increase in the cost for medical and/or dental coverage for active employees in 2009.  Contact your local union office for information to compare your negotiated NWA FA contractual insurance benefits—which includes lower deductibles, less out-of-pocket expenses and post-retirement gap coverage—to those offered in Delta’s policy.

December 15 – 16,  2008 – AFA Town Hall Meeting, Amsterdam NH Central Station.  (meeting room and times TBA)

LOCAL 94 TELEPHONE DIRECTORY* 

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*Note:  Council Representative Kevin Boston can be reached at 734.532.8404, ex. 1108.  Look for a new AFA Detroit contact list in the next eNewsletter!  *

Wear your Union Pin!  FLY SAFE, AND FLY THE CONTRACT!