11.13.19 – LGA Base Brief

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

 

New Uniforms
It is also time to order your new uniforms.  You should have received an email to your aa.com email address. It includes a link that will take you to the Lands End uniform ordering page. The deadline for ordering your new uniform items is Dec. 9, 2019. The earlier you order, the earlier you will receive your items and be able to make any necessary exchanges. The hard changeover date for the new uniforms is March 2, 2020. You may not wear the new items before then.

Negotiations
Did you know we are in the middle of contract negotiations? If you are curious as to how things are progressing, go to: https://www.apfa.org/negotiations/
There is a handy color coded chart that shows you which contract items are open, which items have been tabled, which items are settled, and which items have not opened yet. It is a great way to keep yourself informed. If you have items you wish to see discussed in our new contract, please email [email protected]. All emails are read, logged and categorized.

F.A.I.R
Flight Attendants In Recovery. Please join us the first Tuesday of every month. The FAIR Group is open to any Flight Attendant who requests membership and is pursuing a life free of mood altering substances and / or other compulsive behaviors. Members will receive support in adherence to their individual recovery activities and plans. The Company supports the group’s purpose and provides a meeting space but is not involved with the group in any other way. For information regarding the next F.A.I.R meeting contact Sharon Dunn, LGA EAP Representative at 908-512-9888.

Attendance Management
The company does have the right to ask you to substantiate your sick calls if they suspect abuse. Please be cognizant of your activities while out on sick. If you are asked to substantiate an absence, a doctor’s note or receipts for items related to the illness may suffice.

Standby
If you have been assigned standby, please ensure that you are in the correct airport/terminal that you have been assigned for that standby AND that you are in uniform ready for an assignment by your sign in time. Do not sign in if you are not in uniform and ready to go. Here is a cheat sheet to help you figure out if you are legal for a sequence assigned on standby.

LHR Security
If you have declared to security in LHR that you are checking your bag and they still take your name down in “The Book,” email Karen Lima-Jennings ( [email protected] ) and your base leadership ([email protected] and [email protected]) so that Karen can speak with security and APFA has a record of it.

Hotel and Transportation Feedback
Have you experienced long waits for hotel rooms or transportation? Please keep us informed. We cannot work on issues if we aren’t aware of them.
https://www.apfa.org/departments/hotel-department/hotel-and-transportation-debrief-form/
Also, make sure you have a working landline when you enter your hotel room. If there is an emergency and cell phone lines are jammed, you will need a landline to communicate.

Bidding
When bidding in PBS, TTS, and ETB, be aware of the rules. The company states that you are to bid only what you plan to fly. In other words, do not bid more hours in a month than you plan to fly or for trips in TTS that you do not intend to work.  The company is watching closely for patterned abuses of the systems.

Update Your Information
You must update your information with APFA if anything changes. Updating your information with the company will not transfer over to APFA. Here is the link to provide your correct contact information.
https://www.apfa.org/members/update-your-information/

Dues Arrears
In order to vote and attend APFA meetings you must be dues current or have a payment plan in place. Here is the link to contact the dues department.
https://www.apfa.org/contact/contact-the-dues-department/

Cabin ASAP Reports
ASAP reports are your friend! If you notice a safety violation that occurs on your flight, an ASAP report can cover you. These reports go to NASA and the FAA in order to identify areas that may need attention. For more information you can email APFA at [email protected].

Know Your Contract
APFA holds several contract classes a year. Sign up on the APFA website to attend an upcoming class or have your name put on a waiting list. The classes will help you navigate the trickier aspects of the JCBA.

Section 35R of the contract deals with your right to union representation. If you are asked to come in for a meeting with your supervisor you have the right to have an APFA representative with you. This section outlines what occurs in a 35R meeting.

RIGHT TO UNION REPRESENTATION
The APFA does not question the right of the Company supervisors to manage and supervise the work force and make reasonable inquiries of employees, individually or collectively, in the normal course of work.
1. Investigative Meetings. In meetings for the purpose of investigation of any matter which may eventuate in the application of discipline or dismissal, or when written statements are taken relating to such matters, or in meetings of sufficient importance for the Company to have witnesses, or more than one (1) Company supervisor present, the Flight Attendant, if she/he requests, shall have an APFA representative present. Such meetings will be delayed for a reasonable period of time, not to exceed four (4) hours, to allow the APFA representative to be present, 35-6 provided the Flight Attendant remains at the place of the meeting while awaiting the APFA representative. The presence of an APFA representative at such meetings shall in no way interfere with the conduct of the meeting.
2. Document Exchange. In meetings held for the purpose of investigation of any matter which may eventuate in discipline or dismissal, or when written statements are taken relating to such matters, or in meetings of sufficient importance for the Company to have witnesses, or more than one (1) Company supervisor present, the Company will provide the Flight Attendant with copies of all documents related to that meeting. The Flight Attendant will be permitted to review the documents before the meeting begins. If the Flight Attendant requests union representation, she/he will be permitted to confer privately with such representative before the meeting begins. Such conference will not normally exceed fifteen (15) minutes, but in no case will such conference unreasonably delay the meeting. Once the meeting begins, such meeting will continue uninterrupted. For confidentiality purposes, all names and other identifying information may be expunged from any documents provided by the Company, at the Company’s option. In any investigation involving alleged harassment, such as sexual, racial, religious, etc., the contents of the documents will be typed in their entirety and provided to the Flight Attendant, except that names and all other identifying information will be expunged for confidentiality purposes.
3. Second APFA Representative as Scribe at Investigative Meetings in Paragraph R.1 a. A second APFA representative at an Investigative meeting will be permitted for the sole purpose of taking notes. b. The presence of an APFA representative, either as a Flight Attendants’ designated representative or as a silent scribe, will in no way interfere with the conduct of the meeting nor may the APFA’s decision to add a second APFA representative as a scribe delay the meeting. c. Should problems develop for the Company as a result of it permitting a scribe at an Investigative meeting, the Company will notify the APFA of such problems and the parties will attempt to solve them. The Company retains the option to discontinue the practice in the event that problems persist which cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the parties.
4. Presence of Union Observer during Company Security Department Investigative Interviews. The Company will permit a union representative to be present as a silent observer during Company Security Department investigative interviews in accordance with the following terms: a. Flight Attendant(s) interviewed by a Company Security Department representative as part of a Company Security Department investigation may, upon request by the Flight Attendant(s), have an APFA representative present during such interview to act in the role of a silent observer. b. Should it be impossible for an APFA representative to be available or if an APFA representative cannot be readily available upon request, (within one (1) hour) the Company’s Security Department will not be required to delay the interview. In such circumstances, a Flight Attendant who is being interviewed by the Company Security 35-7 Department may (1) request the presence of another Flight Attendant who is covered by the AA/APFA Agreement, who is available within one (1) hour, and who is not also being interviewed, to act in the role of a silent observer; or (2) request a brief consultation with an APFA representative by phone prior to the interview. A Flight Attendant who elects to consult with an APFA representative by phone will be provided, generally five (5) to ten (10) minutes, to speak privately with an APFA representative prior to the interview. Although such Flight Attendant’s luggage and other personal possessions will remain with the Flight Attendant, she/he and her/his luggage and other personal possessions must remain in plain view of the Security Department representative during the private phone consultation to ensure the integrity of all evidence is preserved. c. Should a silent observer be present during the Company Security Department’s investigation interview, such silent observer, whether an APFA representative or another Flight Attendant, may not interfere with or impede the investigation and/or interview. If a silent observer fails to comply with the terms of Paragraph R, the Company will exclude the silent observer from the area in which the investigation and/or interview is being held and the Company will continue with the process. d. In the event that Company concludes that problems have developed for the Company as a result of its permitting an observer to be present during Security interviews, the Company will notify the APFA of such problems and the parties attempt to resolve them. The Company retains the right to modify or cancel Paragraph R.4.a.-d in the event problems persist that cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the Company.

Fly Safe!
Robert, Penelope, and your LGA Base Representatives