August 23, 2007 AFA Council 94 eNEWS

"No More Broken Promises" Picket  on August 31, 2007

In recognition of Labor Day 2007 and our continuing struggle for fair treatment and a decent contract, AFA is planning a picket for Detroit.  Please stay tuned in to Detroit Council eNEWS for more details and plan to attend this important event!   

Nominating Ballot Results

Unofficial results have been released by AFA International regarding Local 94 officer nominating ballots.  As soon as we have an official list, we will release the names of all members who are running for office.  Several members were nominated, but did not have a Willingness To Serve form on file.  These members will be contacted, if they received the required (2) nominations, and will be given the opportunity to submit the form.  If you would like to post a campaign flyer at the union bulletin board, please bring it to Local 94.  If you have not already received the Local Union Officer Election Handbook, it is available for review at the bulletin board and copies are available at Local 94. 

2007 Summer Reliability Incentive Plan for Flight Attendants

Many members are confused by the CENTRY emails regarding the incentive program. Please be aware that there are only 2 acceptable adjustments to the "Productivity Standard."  Pattern drops (DA) and Reserve Releases (RX and RZ) are allowed and you will still qualify for the incentive for the remaining eligible hours.   Any other adjustments (trades, sick calls, declining Time Available, One Way Trades, personal leave, and no shows) will disqualify you from the incentive plan unless the time is made up to equal or exceed your personal "productivity standard."  Additional clarification should come from NWA regarding this program, since it is not contractual. 

AFA Hotel Report Form

Please be sure to report any hotel problems to the AFA Hotel Committee.  Hotel Report Forms can be found at the local office or online at www.afahotels.org, or at our NWA MEC website at www.nwaafa.org, or on the Local 94 website at www.afa94.org.  It has been brought to our attention that many newly built patterns and changed patterns do not have a hotel assigned until the last moment.  Please make sure to IMMEDIATELY call the NWA Hotel Desk if you do not have a hotel assigned at (800) 235-5161.

Homeland Security Redress Form

Please be aware if you are consistently having difficulty with mistaken identity and problems clearing Customs and Immigration, you can request a "Homeland Security Redress Form."  This has been utilized to excellent effect by some of our members.  A simple Customs complaint form will not achieve results for a problem regarding the "watch list," etc.

Delayed Reporting Times

Due to the MSP Runway Closures, weather, etc. many members are receiving delayed reporting times.  If you are not notified by Crew Scheduling before you reach the airport, remember to call Crew Scheduling and have them correct your report time.  This is important, both for pay and legality reasons. 

New Voicemail at Local 94 office

Please be aware that we have a new voicemail system at the Local 94 office and our mailboxes have changed.  Our Local office is open Monday through Friday, generally from 9-5pm.  Please keep in mind that we are often out of the office in representational meetings in Inflight or flying the line.  At least 1-2 local officers are available during office hours.  Our email addresses are available on the website and you can also find our cell phone numbers there, for urgent after hours situations.   

Short Crew Compensation Clarification (FA Agreement p. 3.7)

Many members have asked for clarification regarding the short crew compensation language.  Below are some of the questions that were included in the TA #3 Roadshow information and the Webcast.  The staffing grids information is as of Summer 2007.

Is the hourly short crew comp for each working Flight Attendant or divided among the crew? No.  The short crew compensation is $3.00 per hour for each working Flight Attendant.

Is there any hope that Short Crew Pay will be paid during this agreement or is it a matter of maintaining the language for the next negotiations? There is always hope that someone will get Short Crew Pay under this agreement. However, it was critical for us to maintain some language in the contract regarding it, even if it's only triggered if there's an increase in service and an increase in staffing to cover that service. (As of today, the only flying that is staffed with more than the FAA minimum is international. Should an international trip go out with less than the number provided for in the contract, Short Crew Pay will apply.

Can you please explain the Short Crew Pay to me? It will be paid to FAs on a flight with less than the number of FA's than provided for in the company staffing guidelines. These guidelines will be created four times a year and be based on service.  Staffing guidelines domestically are currently at FAA minimum crew, so it is impossible to receive short crew pay currently on a domestic flight.

Can the interpreter on a 747-400 be used as a FA instead of paying Short Crew Comp pay? No, the interpreters cannot satisfy minimum crew for short crew pay.

What are the current staffing grids/contractual minimums for each aircraft? AFA is pushing NWA to publish this information in ATLAS for all flight attendants to reference.  Due to competitive reasons with other airlines, NWA does not want the union to publish the staffing grids on a public website.  Please call the Local office for any questions regarding the current staffing grids or contractual minimums.  International contractual minimums can be found on page 5.13 through 5.15 of the Flight Attendant Agreement and domestic staffing minimums are currently set at FAA minimum crew levels.

Fly Safe and take care of each other on the line,

Your Local 94 Executive Council