11.07.18 – Weekly Scoop

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Mark your calendar to call in for the “Scoop” with the National Officers, Contract, Scheduling and PBS Reps

<<Join our official wAAke Up American Facebook page!>>

On November 18^th,  1100-1300 HBT our Flight Attendants are mobilizing system-wide to send a message to American Airlines management. It’s time to wAAke Up American!

-Alana Billingsley, APFA Labor Outreach Coordinator, [email protected]

APFA Unity Pays Podcast
Host: Alin Boswell
Guest: APFA National Vice President, Liz Geiss, APFA National Vice President
The Grievance Process
<<Listen to the Podcast>>

For those of you who currently listen to podcasts or may be new to the medium, APFA has its own podcast. The podcast can be found on iTunes and it is free to subscribe. You can search for it using your smartphone and the podcast icon. Search using the name APFA Unity Pays Podcast and new episodes will automatically be added to your library for you to listen to at your leisure. This is another way you can stay up-to-date with issues impacting your profession.

– Robin Charbonneau, APFA Communications Chair, [email protected]

Listening Tour

The Negotiations Committee has hit the ground running now that we are complete with our two new members, Mario St-Michel, LAX and Monica Wilfong, PHX. We have begun scheduling Listening Tours and will be coming to your base soon!

Bases and dates
November 14th  SFO 1400-1600 Crew Room
November 28th  PHX 1130-1530 Briefing Room
November 29th  LAX 1100-1500 Crew Room
November 30th  DFW 1130-1700 (Location TBD)

Please come out and meet your Negotiations Committee. This is an excellent opportunity to provide valuable feedback to the team as we prepare for Section 6 negotiations. #flysafe #flycontract

Have You Transferred From LAX or SFO to a Base Outside of California?

While you were employed in the state of California, you were eligible for California State Disability, and you were not offered Optional Short-Term Disability (OSTD) because this is a comparable benefit. When you transfer from LAX or SFO to a base outside of California, you have 30 days from theeffective date of your transfer to enroll in OSTD coverage. Simply call the BSC at 888-860-6178 toprocess a life event to add OSTD. If you miss this enrollment window and later decide to elect OSTD, you will be required to complete the Disability Enrollment Form.

– Michael Tipton, APFA National Health Chair, [email protected]

Reviews

Thank you for all of your emails and debriefs.  We are very pleased with the number of issues that are addressed and resolved due to your reports!  Please continue to submit via www.apfa.org

Upcoming Reviews:

– Julia Simpson, APFA National Hotel Chair, [email protected]

Exit Seating

Exit Row Seats are those that are defined as seats that have direct access to an aircraft exit without entering the aisle.

FAR121.585 clearly defines Exit Seating Criteria and also requires that: No certificate holder may allow taxi or push back unless at least one required crew member has verified that no exit seat is occupied by a person the crew member determines is likely to be unable to perform the applicable functions listed in paragraph (d) of this section.

Please ensure that the required crew member provides an Exit Seat Briefing prior to door closure and advises the Purser /Lead Flight Attendant that the briefing has been accomplished.

– Jeffrey Ewing, APFA National  Safety & Security Chair,[email protected]

Aero Club of Washington

On Monday, the FAA Acting Administrator, Captain Dan Elwell, addressed the Aero Club of Washington. APFA members may remember Elwell from his 16 year career as a pilot with American Airlines.

Capt Elwell remarked on how aviation has always been synonymous with innovation and highlighted an exciting future. In addition to following through with the many directives of Congress of the recently passed five-year FAA Reauthorization Bill, Elwell spoke to a changing landscape where drones and commercial rockets share the airspace.

Elwell commented on improvements to air traffic control that are being made through NexGen to reduce delays, inefficiencies and bottlenecks. And finally he noted a growing shortage of pilots and aviation workers and urged aviation industry members to inspire and mentor the next generation to pursue careers in aviation.

– Allie Malis, APFA National Government Affairs Representative, [email protected]

Buffers

Buffers are the minimum amount of time required between two pairings in addition to rest.
When bidding PBS please remember buffers need to be added when calculating rest between pairings.
All rest is calculated from release to report of sequences.  (JCBA 11.I, 14.H)
Applicable Buffers: (JCBA 10.D.14.a+b)

• Contractual rest plus 45 minutes
• FAR rest plus 90 minutes

Double-ups require no rest, they do require a buffer of 30 minutes from release of first sequence to report of second sequence (JCBA 10.D.14.c)

– Alin Boswell, Julie Hedrick, Linda Haertling, Vicki Balistreri, APFA Joint Scheduling Implementation Committee, [email protected]

LAA Flight Attendant Planned Retirement and PBS Training

The APFA Leadership has made the following agreement with Flight Service management. Any Flight Attendant who has submitted written notification of their intention to retire prior to PBS implementation at their base will not be required to attend PBS training.

– Kim Tuck, APFA National Retirement Specialist, [email protected]

As of today, there have been 4,887 Flight Attendants who have filed uniform reaction reports.

Please continue to utilize the Uniform Reaction Report Form on the APFA website if you experience a suspected reaction to your uniform.