12.07.01 – (LAA) – FAA Security Directive, Contract Impementation Calendar, BOD Met in NYC to Discuss Acquisition of TWA, NMB Considering Whether to Declare AA and TWA a Single Carrier

This is Leslie Mayo, National Communications Coordinator, with the APFA HotLine for Friday, December 7, 2001.

Memorial Service details will be provided at the end of this HotLine.

We previously reported on this HotLine that due to the FAA security directive, only crewmembers whose names appear on the NS for a specific flight may board that flight. For clarification, if you are asked to board a flight you are not working, it is against FAA regulations to pre-board the flight prior to the assigned crew’s arrival unless your name is listed on the NS.

An updated implementation calendar for the new contract is available on the APFA website. Please feel free to view the calendar on the Negotiations Page at www.www.apfa.org.

The APFA Board of Directors met in New York City on Thursday and Friday of last week to discuss, among other things, issues pertaining to the acquisition of TWA. The Board was briefed on the discussions that have taken place between the Company and APFA which have not yet resulted in a final agreement. The parties will be meeting shortly with the objective of resolving any remaining differences.

The National Mediation Board is presently considering whether to declare American and TWA a “single carrier” under the Railway Labor Act. APFA is participating in the NMB proceeding and has filed its own application for a single carrier determination. Once the NMB determines that American and TWA are a single carrier, it is anticipated that the unions at American will then or shortly thereafter become the bargaining representatives for the counterpart employee groups at TWA-LLC. This would include APFA becoming the bargaining representative of the TWA-LLC flight attendants. In anticipation of these developments, the APFA Board of Directors, at its meeting last week, took action to deal with the representation within APFA of the TWA LLC flight attendants once APFA becomes the bargaining representative. The APFA Board further provided that once APFA becomes the bargaining representative of the TWA LLC flight attendants, APFA will provide informational briefings to familiarize the TWA LLC flight attendants with APFA and with the APFA-AA collective bargaining agreement.

As we reported on Tuesday’s HotLine, we have received final numbers from American regarding the number of Flight Attendants who took Appendix T and/or retired. From September 12, which was the day our new contract ratified through November 26th, the day the last Appendix T Flight Attendant exited, we had 136 retirees and 640 Appendix T exits, totaling 776.

The APFA Hotel Department would like all Flight Attendants to be aware that effective December 31, 2001 we will have new hotels – all Marriotts – in Cancun, Panama City, Panama and Honolulu. Also, we will be returning to the Jaragua Renaissance in Santo Domingo on that day as well.

American Airlines has mailed information to all Flight Attendants regarding prefunding of retiree health benefits. Prefunding will cost $12.96 per month and the rate may increase more than $1.00 per month, annually. For example, if the prefunding rate were to increase for 2003, the monthly rate could not exceed $13.96. If you choose not to pre fund, you, your spouse and your Service Manager must sign a waiver. For those of you who change your mind and choose to prefund at a date later than the time you were eligible for sign up, you will be charged a $250 enrollment fee and you will be required to pay the higher ‘Table 2 age-based rate’. This rate is substantially higher than the ‘Table 1 rate.’ For those of you on payroll as of September 12, 2001, and not yet 30 years of age with at least one year of service on January 1, 2002, you will not need to take any action at this point. Once you turn 30, you will be eligible to prefund at the ‘Table 1’ lower rate. Remember. if you do not prefund, you will not be eligible for Supplemental Medical Insurance when you retire.

The Skyword memorial issue dedicated to the crews whose lives were lost on September 11 has been in the mail for several weeks. This has caused concern for some of you who have not yet received your magazine. Because of the Anthrax threats and the reduction in force at the US Postal Service on top of the Christmas Holiday, the mail is slower than usual. The difference in cost to mail Skyword at a non-profit rate as opposed to First Class Mail is well over $10,000; therefore, we ask for your patience in receiving this magazine.

The DFW Base Representatives and Furlough Reps will host a meeting for all Furloughed DFW APFA members. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 19, 2001, at 1000 at the DFW Office located in the Millennium Center at 222 Los Colinas Blvd., Irving, Texas. The DFW Office number is 972.444.2500. If you plan to attend, please RSVP for this meeting to the DFW Office no later than December 14, 2001. The Texas Workforce Commission, the Department of Labor, and APFA representatives will be presenting information at this meeting. Please bring your APFA Furlough packet and any correspondence you have received from American regarding your furlough as well as any questions you may have.

The JFK base is selling raffle tickets to raise money for the families of the victims from flight 587. Raffle tickets are $10 a piece. The total number of tickets available is 10,000 and æ have already been sold. The drawing will be held on February 11, 2002 in New York at a fundraiser for the families of the victims from September 11, 2001. First prize is $2,500, second prize is $1,000 and third prize is $500. If you would like to buy a ticket, please call Lori Heidenry at 917.553.7774 or e-mail her at [email protected].

There will be a benefit for children of the victims of the American and United Airlines jets that were hijacked September 11 on Tuesday, December 11 at 6:00 p.m. at Creehan’s Pub in Astoria, New York. This is located at 41-04 31st Avenue. There will be a raffle with several prizes awarded such as two roundtrip tickets on Virgin Atlantic to London and a one night’s deluxe accommodation and dinner for two at the Southgate Towers in Manhattan along with two tickets to a Broadway show. Go to maps.com if you need directions to the Pub. This is being sponsored by AFA flight attendants Noreen Duggan and Kieran O’Shea. If you are unable to attend you may send contributions payable to Creehan’s Airline Benefit Fund, c/o Noreen Duggan, Creehan’s Pub, 41-04 31st Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103.

The following are details of memorial services for the crewmembers from flight 587 as well as information about the internment of Captain Chic Burlingame.

There will be a memorial service for the crewmembers from flight 587 on Monday, December 10 at 2:30 p.m. at the Parish of St. Agnes Cathedral, 29 Quealy Place, Rockville Centre, New York. All Flight Attendants are welcome and uniforms are requested. Transportation will be made available from all three airports in the New York area. A bus will depart from Newark to the service at 12:30 p.m. from Terminal A adjacent to Door 1 on the Arrivals Level. A bus will depart LaGuardia at 1:30 from the employee bus location, and a bus will depart JFK at 1:30 from Terminal 8 at the employee bus pickup location. You can also get to St. Agnes Cathedral by the Long Island Railroad. it’s a one-minute walk from the Rockville Center Train Station. If you are driving from JFK, take the Belt Parkway East, exit Sunrise Hwy. E., and continue to North Village Avenue. Turn right and go under Railroad Tressel to Quealy Place. Turn right and the church is on your left.

There will be a Mass for Wilmer Gonzalez on December 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Iglesia St. Bernardita, Campo Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The address is Calle Espioncel, Country Club, Rio Piedras. Contact number is 787.769.9081.

There will be a Memorial Service for First Officer Sten Molin on December 8 at 1:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Take Route 95 (Connecticut Turnpike) to Exit 5. Turn right on Route 1, then your first right on Sound Beach Avenue go through the rotary and the church will be on your left at 108 Sound Beach Avenue.

The funeral for Captain Chic Burlingame, who lost his life on September 11 on flight 77, will take place December 12, 2001, at the Ft. Meyer Memorial Chapel in Alexandria, Virginia. This will be followed by internment with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. For security reasons, those wishing to attend should arrive by 12:00 noon. Following the service the family has extended an invitation to a reception at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center located at 5000 Seminary Road in Alexandria.

That’s it for this week. Thank you for calling the APFA HotLine. This HotLine will be updated on Tuesday, December 11, 2001.