This is APFA National Communications Coordinator, Jeff Pharr, with a Special Hotline Update from Washington D.C for Tuesday, October 19, 2010.

Earlier today, APFA’s President Laura Glading and Negotiating Table Team made a presentation to the National Mediation Board’s (NMB) Chief of Staff, Dan Rainey, and Director of Mediation, Larry Gibbons. The presentation consisted of what has transpired over the past two years and also recapped what has happened over the last five months in the industry that could affect negotiations.

We explained that after two and one-half years of negotiations, the Team and our Membership are incredibly frustrated. That frustration will continue to build until we know there is an end in sight. For that to occur the NMB must put pressure on the company by releasing us into the 30-day cooling off period. We also pointed out that American is the only party benefiting from these protracted negotiations as they continue to save $1M a day in Flight Attendant sacrifices.

Mr. Rainey and Mr. Gibbons assured us that they would be briefing the three members of the Board about our meeting and making a recommendation regarding our request for a release. Unfortunately, they had no idea how soon they would be meeting with the Board members or how soon thereafter the members would respond to their recommendation.

As soon as we hear anything from the NMB, it will be reported via this Hotline.

American flight attendants talk to NMB, now wait for response

<snip>

An APFA spokesperson said that the two NMB officials didn't say what their recommendation would be.

For those who have lost track, it's been about five months since the union and airline have had any negotiations. The last mediation sessions ended without a deal May 21. The two sides have been in contract talks since mid-2008.

Here's how slow it's been: American hasn't bothered to issue a negotiations update on its flight attendant talks since May 21. It did send out a Q&A from its lead negotiator, Taylor Vaughan, on Aug. 12, and a message from Cathy Scheu, managing director of flight service, on Aug. 27.

The union had originally planned to meet with NMB officials in September, but the NMB canceled that meeting.

The APFA wants the NMB to declare an impasse in talks and release the APFA and airline into a 30-day cooling-off period, after which the union could go on strike.

Talks between American Airlines and its flight attendants and pilots unions seem to be on ice.

Allied Pilots Association President Capt. David Bates said Tuesday that National Mediation Board Chairman Harry Hoglander called him to say the board can't schedule any further meetings in 2010.

"Mr. Hoglander cited 'undermanning' within the NMB and the lack of progress so far in the talks as the rationale for this decision," the pilots association said in a message to pilots. "He did not specify when the NMB would re-engage."

And the Association of Professional Flight Attendants seems to have gotten a similar response from the board when the attendants association met with federal mediators Tuesday. In a message to members, the association said federal mediators will make a recommendation to the board on the association's request to be released from talks.

"Unfortunately, they had no idea how soon they would be meeting with the board members, or how soon thereafter the members would respond to their recommendation," the message said.

American, based in Fort Worth, and the unions can still negotiate, American executives and union leaders have said. But it will make a drawn-out process, which in some cases has been going for four years, even longer.

I cannot convey enough the positive impact of your strike authorization
ballot in the spring. In the face of this vote no one can doubt your resolve
to do whatever is needed to reach our goals. It may appear that little
progress has been made, and indeed we all wish a positive conclusion to
talks had been reached long ago, but the process available to us--as
lethargic as it may be--is what we must work with.

<snip>

Here is what your Union is doing:

1) We are standing firm at the bargaining table. APFA will not back down to
this management that is set on taking what little we have left in this
profession-- those things that attracted us to this career in the first
place, namely: our benefits; a layover that would allow us to see the world
beyond an airport terminal or what can be seen from a van window on our way
to a budget hotel; and, most importantly, a wage that recognizes and rewards
our hard work, our sacrifices and the vital role our members play for this
company, as both safety professionals and its most public and visible face.

2) We will continue to plead our strong case to convince the National
Mediation Board at our meeting on October 19th that it must put pressure on
American. This is what both the overall process, and the interminable state
of our progress, clearly warrant.

<snip>

3) We continue our work hand-in-hand with other unions at American, our
sister Flight Attendant unions at other carriers, and with those at AA and
elsewhere who seek to find their collective voice through unionization.

<snip>

4) We have renewed our efforts in the governmental halls of power, pushing
Flight Attendant and labor-friendly legislation and supporting the
candidates that support us on both the federal and state levels.

<snip>

Not only are you the backbone of this company, but as a working, middle
class American you are the backbone of this country. We must use our unity,
strength and collective voice to better our lives. If we take up this
challenge and continue this fight, we will win.

In unity,

Laura Glading

October 26, 2010

Harry Hoglander, Chairman
Elizabeth Dougherty, Member
Linda Puchala, Member
National Mediation Board of Directors
1301 K Street, N.W., Suite 250E
Washington, D.C. 20005-7011


Dear Chairman Hoglander, Member Dougherty, and Member Puchala:

I am writing to thank you for our meeting with staff members Dan Rainey and Larry Gibbons last week, where we expressed the overwhelming frustration of our negotiating team and membership after two and one half years of negotiations without a contract.

Since May 2003 our members have suffered deep cuts in wages, benefits, and working conditions. Not a day goes by that 1 don't hear about Flight Attendants struggling to provide for their families, pay their bills, or keep their homes despite working as many flights as possible. I have asked our members to send you letters to tell their stories, so you can more fully appreciate the economic challenges they face, day in and day out, working under a concessionary contract.

These are real people and families who are suffering from unnecessarily prolonged concessions. In 2003 we painstakingly reached an agreement that was intended to last five years; not, as will soon be the case, seven and one-half years. Every day these concessions remain in place and the status quo is left unchanged the company reaps another one million dollars in savings while executives continue to reward themselves with multi-million dollar bonuses each year.

It is time for the parties to be released from negotiations. We are well past the historical average of twenty months for federally-mediated negotiations. APFA has exhausted our options at the table, and absent action by the NMB, the company has no intention or incentive to negotiate with us.

I hope that the individual accounts describing the economic harm Flight Attendants have endured and continue to endure from far too many years of stagnant wages and benefits will help determine the NMB's response to APFA's request for a release.

Sincerely,


Laura Glading
President Association of Professional Flight Attendants

Our presentation did not fall on deaf ears and was not entirely in vain. Since that meeting I have been informed that our case has been moved to the head of their docket and will be given top priority. However, to reiterate our overwhelming frustration, I’ve also sent a letter to the three sitting members of the NMB to push for our release and, most importantly to express the economic hardships our membership has endured the past eight years.

<snip>

I am asking every American Airlines Flight Attendant to respectfully tell your story by sending a letter directly to the three members of the NMB.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2010


FORT WORTH, TX – With contract negotiations for all work groups at American Airlines nearly at a standstill, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) have met over the past two days to discuss their respective negotiations with American and experiences with the National Mediation Board (NMB).

All three unions have been in federally mediated negotiations for years. The NMB has not scheduled further bargaining sessions for any of the groups. The Flight Attendants and ground workers have asked the NMB to release them from negotiations. The pilots have been in negotiations for more than four years.

The unions intend to schedule more meetings to continue these discussions and further explore areas of mutual concern.


APFA is the nation's largest independent Flight Attendant union representing nearly 18,000 American Airlines Flight Attendants. www.apfa.org

Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) represents 200.000 workers and retirees, primarily in commercial aviation, public transportation and passenger railroads, including 24,000 ground workers at American Airlines. The union is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO. More information is available at .www.twu.org

Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association—the largest independent pilot union in the U.S.—is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 11,000 pilots of American Airlines. Also, several hundred American Airlines pilots are on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces.
The union’s Web site address is www.alliedpilots.org.

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2010


New York City – Following a Wall Street meeting with airline industry analysts, the president of the American Airlines Flight Attendants’ union will brief reporters during a media conference call. The briefing is only open to accredited media outlets.

An APFA white paper, “What’s Wrong with American Airlines? Part Two,” will provide a detailed analysis showing that the source of AMR’s problem is not its labor costs but its failure to keep pace with the rest of the industry’s revenue growth.

APFA has requested the National Mediation Board (NMB) release parties from negotiations after more than 23 months of contract talks - well past the historical average of 20 months for federal mediated negotiations.

AA Flight Attendants have suffered economically since 2003, when they agreed to help AMR stave off bankruptcy with a concessionary contract that was intended to last five years; not, as will soon be the case, seven and a half years. Meanwhile, company executives continue to reward themselves with multimillion-dollar bonuses each year.

APFA is the nation's largest independent Flight Attendant union representing nearly 18,000 American Airlines Flight Attendants. www.apfa.org

Meanwhile, although the APFA has asked the National Mediation Board to release it from mediation after 22 months of talks, Glading said the union does not expect action this year. "I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't hear anything over the holiday period," she said. "I would be shocked if we didn't hear anything early in 2011.

"The NMB is sort of overwhelmed," she said. "A tsunami of unions, particularly from the airline industry, is coming or seeking help. There's a big line and they're short-staffed."

During a conference call with the media, Glading also addressed the union's situation with the National Mediation Board. The union had asked the NMB to be released from its contract negotiations back in March and had its last negotiations session with American in May.

Since then there have been no meetings between the mediators and the two parties and right now, none are scheduled.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t hear anything over the holiday period," Glading said. "I would be equally surprised if we didn’t hear anything early 2011," adding that the union has been "in limbo" long enough.

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

Late yesterday, APFA President Laura Glading heard from the National Mediation Board (NMB). Director of Mediation Services, Larry Gibbons, will meet with both the APFA and AA Negotiating Teams the first week of January. Details are still being finalized and will be reported via this hotline as soon as they are available.

Although this meeting is not as soon as we had hoped, your letters and e-mails sharing your frustration with both the NMB and American’s lack of progress have been extremely helpful in advancing the process.

We will continue to press for a release into the 30-day cooling off period.

<snip>

HAPPY HOUR?

American announced this week their 5@5 Happy Hour. The sale will apply on all domestic, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean flights departing between 1700 and 1759.

The company states, “As we wrap up the year, we want to show our customers that we appreciate their business. Offering an in-flight happy hour is our small way of saying thank you. We know travelers have many options for air travel and the 5@5 happy hour enhances the travel experience while adding an element of fun onboard during the holiday travel season.”

Seriously?

How about enhancing the employee experience by saying ‘thank you’ to your Flight Attendants with a contract that recognizes the sacrifices we’ve made since 2003!

American Airlines and its 12,800-member Transport Workers Union will reopen contract negotiations with a federal mediator Dec. 14 through Dec. 17 in Hurst, Texas, officials said Monday.

The negotiations with Mediator Jack Kane of the National Mediation Board will be the first bargaining sessions between the company and its unionized mechanics since the TWU rejected a proposed three-year contract agreement Aug. 24.
The TWU, which includes 6,000 aircraft mechanics at American's Maintenance & Engineering Center at Tulsa International Airport, rejected a tentative three-year contract agreement by a vote of 6,074 to 3,371, or 64 percent opposed.

This is APFA National Communications Coordinator, Jeff Pharr, with the Weekly Hotline Update for Wednesday, November 24, 2010.

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

Details are still being finalized for our meeting with National Mediation Board’s Director of Mediated Services, Larry Gibbons. The dates are set for January 4-6, 2011. Location has yet to be determined.

The APFA Negotiating Team will meet in DFW mid-December to prepare for the meeting.

Welcome to the InfoRep Hotline for December 10, 2010.

Negotiations

The power of the pen truly is mightier than the sword! It appears that our letter writing campaign was incredibly successful and the NMB has heard your pleas for relief.

In last weeks hotline we announced that the Negotiating team would be meeting with the NMB in BNA January 4-6, 2011. At that time the NMB had informed APFA not to expect any bargaining during the meetings.

Late on Wednesday afternoon APFA received an e-mail from the NMB stating that the parties need to be prepared to negotiate during the upcoming meeting.

“We welcome any chance to move the process forward”, said Laura Glading. “I’m confident the letters to the NMB from the membership played in important role in their decision to alter the agenda for January’s meeting. Although I’ve expressed the hardships of our membership to the Board since the beginning of negotiations, hearing it directly from the Flight Attendants must have been extremely compelling. I want to personally thank each Flight Attendant that took the time to tell their story.”

Glading continued, “This will give the company one last chance to present a contract that recognizes the Flight Attendants’ sacrifices. Not a zero-sum proposal, or as they have presented in the past, a proposal that would leave the Flight Attendants making less in the end than they do today. It is time for real money to be put on the table or for the NMB to release the parties.”

In preparation for the meeting with the NMB and American the Negotiating Team will meet in DFW December 14, 2010 for a Table Team meeting and December 15, 2010 for an All-Team meeting.