3.08.24 – APFA LGA Base Brief – An Update on Attendance

Friday, March 8, 2024

SPECIAL LGA BASE BRIEF
An important message to the Flight Attendants in New York

On March 6th, 2024, the New York Inflight department and crew attendance team issued a CCI regarding an attendance base blitz. Flight Attendants of all seniorities have been targeted by an attendance initiative that aims to end careers, violate personal rights, and undermine empathy and advocacy. The program lacks resources beyond a PDF and words spoken in a cold conference room, with no consideration for the unique needs of each Flight Attendant and their important role in the success of American Airlines.

The crew attendance team attempted to work with the JFK base manager to send out a CCI, but unfortunately, this base manager has never been able to support Flight Attendants in attendance matters. Instead, they sent out a CCI to attract Flight Attendants to an attendance blitz without prior notice to the local APFA leadership, which was not in line with past initiatives. While APFA has never supported the American Airlines attendance program and would not participate in these blitzes, we believe that communication about everything related to our members is essential for our collaboration. The current program is chaotic and unfair, treating workers like machines and eliminating the human factor. Therefore, instead of a blitz, I urge the attendance team to collaborate with our national team to resolve outstanding issues related to the program.

After getting this information, I trust that you can decide about this attendance blitz. For those of you who have already experienced an attendance meeting, I am confident you already know. Let it be clear that Flight Attendants are not obligated or committed to speaking to or participating in this or any future attendance blitz, which is not in our contract, period. A base NOD has been filed.

Lastly, the New York base has one of the lowest absenteeism rates in the system. The Flight Attendants in New York work out of the most expensive base and face reserve between three airports across two state lines. Our base mainly consists of high-time fliers who look for efficiency, which means more work hours. While we have grown and are integral to the company’s success, we have not been afforded the leadership we deserve that meets the demands of a base of our size. Despite repeated discussions with the local management team, the MOD hours have been reduced while IPD has increased. There is no direct communication between the base leaders and the general Flight Attendant population about local issues. While it is important to have a composed and calm demeanor, this base requires leadership that understands and resolves issues quickly, showing appreciation for our hard work. Someone who blindly follows the rules is not necessarily managing.

I am committed to working closely with local crew managers and crew attendance managers during these challenging times. These policies do not support Flight Attendants, and I will not sit by idly and watch them without addressing them directly. I encourage all Flight Attendants to protect themselves and exercise their union representation rights. You have the right to union representation during any interactions via email, phone call, in person, or any other form of communication, regardless of where you are and what manager is contacting or approaching you.

“New York does not need good Management, we need Management good for New York!”

In Solidarity,

Christian M. Santana
APFA LGA Base President
[email protected]

Nathanael Reynoso-Jiménez
APFA LGA Base Vice President
[email protected]