AFA Detroit Local
Executive Council 94 | 3 November 2008
SCHEDULING
SURVEY REMINDER
Long domestic sit time? Short layover? Too many segments in a
duty day followed by a minimum layover night? Tell us about it . .
.
Your LEC 94 Officers and LEC/MEC Central
Scheduling Committee remind you to take the AFA / NWA pattern
construction survey before 15 November. Concessionary bargaining
and bankruptcy brought in drastic changes to work rules and
standards we had known for years. AFA Scheduling Committees have worked
with the NW Scheduling Department to develop a scheduling survey
to “take the pulse” of the membership with regards
to pattern construction.
Raw data from the survey will be
reviewed by the company and AFA. Wherever operationally and financially
possibly, the company has agreed to make changes to the way our
flying is built to more accurately reflect the needs of flight
attendants.
The
scheduling survey will work best if everyone participates. If you’ve stayed
away from all other online surveys, this is the one to
take. If
you’ve already taken the survey, remind your friends and
flying colleagues to participate. Go to https://home.nwapeople.nwa.com/atlas/index-fa.html
and select FA Pattern Survey on the far left under HOT
TOPICS.
UNION
PLUS
Union Membership provides
you much more than a contract. Do you take advantage all
of the free benefits and discounted services and
products provided to AFA-CWA members through the AFL-CIO's
Union Privilege? Because you are a member or retiree of
AFA-CWA, you and your family are automatically eligible for
Union Plus benefits. Be sure to check out details at
http://www.unionplus.org/benefits/custom.cfm. For
instance:
- Are you struggling with
debt?
Find resources and tools to help at
UnionDebtHelp.org.
- 2009 Union Plus Scholarship applications are
available
Since 1992, over $2.5 million in
Union Plus
Scholarship funds have
been awarded to college students in working families.
Scholarships range from $500 to $4,000.
For information and applications, check out: http://www.unionplus.org/benefits/education/scholarships/up.cfm
- Union members can receive a
special 10% discount on wireless service from AT&T
(formerly Cingular), the only wireless company that can, and
does, proclaim that it is "Proud to Be Union." The 10%
discount is available off the regular monthly rate for any
AT&T individual or family plan. Union members also
receive additional special savings on phones and
accessories. Click on: http://www.unionplus.org/att-wireless.cfm
ONLINE REPORTING
FORMS
Did you know you can
submit reports about layover hotels and scheduling issues
online?
Our MEC and LEC Hotel Committee reviews and
tracks all reports submitted via our LEC and MEC websites. Your input is vital so
we can ensure layover hotels comply with standards set forth by
our contract. Go to
http://afahotels.org.master.com/texis/master/search/+/form/FA_Hotel_Report.html to report your hotel
issues. If you
would have a hotel issue and pictures to share with the
committee (stains, missing fixtures, torn carpet, etc.), please complete a hotel
worksheet at the above link, and send you photos to MEC Hotel
Committee chair Anne Odenwald at adenwald@nwaafa.org.
The LEC and MEC Central Scheduling Committee
(Scheduling and Reserve committees) gather input about pattern
construction, trip length, problems with schedulers, etc., by
using the Scheduling Worksheet at http://www.nwaafa.org/onlineforms/scheduling/. Remember, if you plan to pursue an issue as a
grievance, please speak with one of your LEC 94 Officers. Always ask for a Review
of Crew Orders when you question the legality of an assignment
or rescheduling! (contractual reference 6.F.)
NOW MORE THAN EVER, WEAR YOUR UNION
PIN
 Your LEC94 Officers and
Delta flight attendant union activists ask that
you wear our union pins. "We (Delta Flight Attendants) always look for
your union pins. It
tells us everything.
Union pins show
supporters Delta that they are in good company, and it shows
undecided voters that they can talk to you about
representation."
If you need a union pin, stop by the
LEC 94 office. If you would like to take extra pins to
give your Northwest and Delta flying colleagues, let us
know.
____________________
"Delta flight attendants
always look for your union pins.
It tells us
everything." ~Delta FA Union
Activist
____________________
DTW UNION
MAILBOX
A LEC 94 Mailbox is located under the
AFA Bulletin Board in the main crew lounge of DTW Inflight. Please use this box for
submitting reports (hotel, scheduling, etc.) or non
time-sensitive  correspondence to you LEC 94 Officers.
Please note the union mailbox is
NOT to be used for dues payments! To submit a payment for
past dues or dues on leave, go to www.afanet.org and click on
“Pay Dues Online.” Alternatively, you can send your payments to:
AFA-CWA , Membership
Services
501
3rd
Street
Washington DC
20001
COMING SOON: VOTE
TO RETAIN COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING
As expected, the US Department of Justice approved the
merger of Northwest and Delta last week. Many members of
Northwest senior management are packing up and moving from
Minneapolis to Atlanta, and the effort to blend employee groups
and operations is underway.
Collective bargaining rights that Northwest flight
attendants have known for over 60 years are at risk.
Though we do not know an exact date, a vote for representation
will occur in the coming months. The National Mediation
Board (NMB) that governs voting procedures in union elections
requires that 50% +1 of all eligible voters must vote in order
for a union to be certified. The typical standard of a
majority showing in a yes/no vote does not apply to this
election, as it does in almost all democratically held
elections. In this case, all NW and DL flight
attendants will effectively be counted as a "NO" vote u ntil they
vote. If our total number of eligible voters is
20,000, that means we must have 10,001 flight attendants
vote.
We can debate the history of labor relations at Northwest
and Delta, but consider this: Delta (Northwest) has
just let go about 30 more pre-merger upper management Delta
employees. More Northwest managers are on their way over
to Delta. The notion of "Delta will take care of us" is
something of a gamble, given the record of the leadership that
now finds itself at the helm of Delta.
Please get involved in the campaign to save
our collective bargaining rights. This is a milestone
in all our lives. It's a sacrifice of some of your time
right now, but it is the most important vote of our
careers. When we win this election, it will be one of
the finest hours in the history of collective bargaining.
Click the "Destination: Representation" logo to find
out more about the campaign, and to sign up to help.
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.
AFA
LEC94 DESTINATION: REPRESENTATION OPEN
HOUSE
Attention DTW commuters and locals! Please join AFA
Council 94 for an informational session on Monday, November 10
from 6pm to 9pm at the Comfort Inn at 31800 Wick Rd. in Romulus,
MI. Topics to be discussed will include:
understanding your rights to representation, right of recall
under our contract, your rights to a system seniority list,
benefits of having union representation and much
more!
Please join us! This is your chance to get out of
that commuter room, enjoy some pizza and soda, and get the facts
about the merger and representational
election.
If you are in need of transportation from your
commuter hotel, please contact Greg Frattini at gfrattini@nwaafa.org
or Diana Mitcham dmitcham@nwaafa.org. See you
there!
 PLANNING AHEAD: NOTEWORTHY DATES, SPECIAL
EVENTS
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 10, 2008 - LEC
President Diana Mitcham and LEC Member Engagement Chair Greg
Frattini host Representational Campaign open house @ DTW
Comfort Inn, 31800 Wick Rd., Romulus, from 1800-2100.
November 12 – 13, 2008
–
MEC Meeting in Los Angeles (location and times
TBA)
November 13, 2008 - 1000
deadline for PBS bidding. (phone 866.612.0001
x 1, 7 for PBS help)
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
tel.
734.532.8404 fax. 734.941.5447 lec94@nwaafa.org | www.afa94.org
------
Wear your Union Pin! FLY SAFE, AND
FLY THE CONTRACT!
|
