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Local 94 Union Meeting April 7, 2010 Location: Local Office under gate A-8 Times: 9:30 AM-12 Noon 1:00 PM- 3:30 PM
Invited Guest Bill McGlashen- Assistant to the AFA-CWA International President NMB Delta Campaign- Timeline AFA-CWA Board of Directors Meeting- April 27-29 NWA-MEC Meeting- April 26 and April 30 Candidates for International Officers- President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer It's important to attend! Dispel the Rumors and get the Facts! Message from our AFA MEC President While the announcement of our scope grievance could not have come soon enough for many of us, it's a confusing issue for others. Our scope language is in the first section of our agreement for a reason - it defines our work, where we work and explicitly says who performs the work. Much of the language in Section 1 has carried over since our first agreement was signed in 1947. What would it mean for us (and for all flight attendants who have a scope clause in their contracts) if our scope provisions are ignored, or if we allowed Delta management to eradicate our scope all together? Well, we could see foreign nationals flying highly coveted international routes and/or much of our work could be passed to regional domestic carriers at any time. In fact, without scope protections, there is no contractual provision prohibiting Delta from outsourcing all the flying now performed by pre-merger Northwest flight attendants - despite Delta's assurances to the contrary. We know through our own experience that we must always look to the future, focus on what could be and defend our contractual rights. Delta flight attendants want the best contract possible after we win representation. Knowing that, we do not believe the vast majority of flight attendants support short-term gain (e.g. flying new routes through the summer months) in place of long-term stability and job security. We've all observed how plans change on a dime at Delta, and we're concerned about the upcoming (May 2010) closure of satellite bases and temporary AFP bases, because it will effectively displace hundreds of pre-merger Delta and Northwest flight attendants. Our grievance doesn't hinder our merger one bit; enforcing our scope just ensures that Delta management is mindful when scheduling flight attendants. This isn't a new concept in the industry and lots of airlines have dealt with this issue before and handled it well. Our scope grievance doesn't affect Delta's bottom line, the flight schedule or the safe, high quality product and service that we provide to millions of passengers everyday. We look forward to settling the union representation question so we can all fly together at the new Delta. Last fall AFA offered to hold an immediate election where all votes would be counted. Unfortunately Delta management declined our offer, so we now await the decision of the NMB on their proposed voting rule change. In the meantime, we hold the line to protect our scope and our rights, just as we have for over 62 years. As union represented workers we have the ability to hold our new Delta executives to the admirable principles set out by the old Delta in the Rules Of The Road, and we reflect upon the one that states: "Always keep your deals." In unity, Janette Rook DTW Based Flight Attendant & NWA AFA MEC President
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Changes in the company's application of an FAA rule regarding advance drug testing notification methods have led to inconsistent and sometimes confusing or alarming procedures by local management. Last fall, we published information about the FAA's decision that ACARs was an unacceptable means to notify crewmembers inflight of a drug test to take place upon landing. What is missing, however, is an official communication from the company that details the new process, the reason for the change, and explaining how the procedure will be consistently applied from base to base.
Recently, we have received a higher-than-normal volume of reports about notification inconsistencies and problems. Generally, the notification messages are received from dispatch and conveyed by the pilots, but concerns remain about message content. Some members have received messages indicating company personnel would meet their flight, while assuring them it was not a family emergency. Unfortunately, others have not included that assurance, generating unnecessary alarm. Still others received no dispatch message at all, but were met by local personnel and advised of a test upon deplaning.
We are pushing the company for a standard script to be given to dispatch, always including the "non-emergency" piece. Additionally, logistics unique to each base necessitate a standard on-the-ground practice so flight attendants don't inadvertently miss an in-person notification. At some bases, for instance, personnel might not be at the aircraft door following an international flight. Designated testers might be stationed in one area attempting to locate their testee, while the Crewmember could depart Customs headed in a different direction, and never receive notification at all.
DID YOU MISS ANY OF THESE HOT TOPICS? CATCH UP WITH ONE CLICK
JUMPSEAT LISTING and NON-REV TRAVEL
Jumpseat listing confusion abounds following recently published jumpseat guidelines and changes to listing procedures in the cutover from PARS to TravelNet. Alert members, particularly those who commute, immediately recognized areas that challenge and/or outright violate our Contract. First, please take the time to familiarize yourself with Section 25, General regarding PMNW XFA contractual jumpseat specifications. Click HERE for a print-and-carry copy of our contractual jumpseat listing page, just in case you, a fellow flight attendant or a gate agent need it for reference.
As most of you are aware, our contract states that "A Flight Attendant may list as both a non-revenue passenger and XFA seat rider on the same flight." However, when listing for both on DeltaNet, members are discovering this creates a duplicate booking in the Delta computer system. This is a programming issue for Delta, as their reservations system processes the listings differently than PARS did. Bottom line, the company did not adequately prepare for this contractual provision, but they have advised a "fix" is in the works.
Some members have expressed concern over potential discipline for inadvertently violating Delta's policy about duplicate booking. Know this: it is your contractual right to book both, and discipline should never enter the equation in this situation. If you are required to attend a manager meeting for booking jumpseat and listing as non-rev on the same flight, contact your Local Council for assistance.
AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE JUMPSEAT...
Remember that flight attendants with a jumpseat reservation are not to be removed from or denied use of the jumpseat due to weight and balance issues. Flight Attendants received this "Clarification on XFA (jumpseat) travel on weight restricted flights" memo on 09.18.09. CSAs were advised of the same in a Policy Alignment memo issued in 9.19.09 and reminded in a 12.25.09 update stating "When a flight is deemed to be payload optimized, it will be necessary to accommodate all reserved (RS) PMDL & PMNW cockpit and cabin jumpseat requests onboard and these riders are not to be removed." Some commuters have suggesting printing a copy of the FA and CSA memos, which can be found on DeltaNet, to carry for reference.
EmployeeRecords.PMNW@delta.com
They should include the following information with their request:
Name
Delta Employee Number
Mailing Address
Phone number(s)
PAYROLL CONCERNS SOAR TO TOP OF FAQs
Payroll inquiries continue to top the FAQ charts, due to this week's transition from NWA's in-house department to Delta's third party payroll system. On January 13th, your MEC sent a special edition eNews to address member concerns, including payroll calculation errors and the contractual requirement for timely corrections. Please refer to Wednesday's special edition eNews for the contact information you need to correct specific payroll issues with Delta. Delta provided a different e-mail address than previously published for payroll inquiries in yesterday's 'Pay Transition Updates' memo, requesting you contact the Employee Service Center at ESC.Delta@delta.com.
Even if you rarely check your check online, now is the time to start. Cross-check your CMAS (currently still available on the ATLAS homepage under Hot Links on the left-hand side or the Employee Self Service page on DeltaNet) with your online pay "stub" to verify accuracy. Take special note as to whether your W2 deductions and address are correct. Pay for duty rigs, ground time, and Reserve Increase Adjustment have reportedly incurred a higher volume of calculation errors. Your MEC is tracking the types of problems encountered and your resolution success rate with Delta's Employee Service Center (ESC) at 800-MY-DELTA. Please continue to share your experiences with mec@nwaafa.org.
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Ask for a Review of Crew Orders:
Flight Attendants shall comply with crew orders as issued by Crew Scheduling and
Crew Coordinators. In the event a question of flight time limitations, rest periods or
rescheduling arises, a Flight Attendant may ask for a review of those crew orders. A
request for a Review of Crew Orders shall be logged into CMS, with a notation of the
final outcome of the review. If the crew order is found to be correct upon review by
Crew Scheduling and/or the Crew Coordinators, the Flight Attendant shall report to the flight(s) as directed. Should it be discovered later that the Flight Attendant was
correct, he/she shall receive additional pay for the entire duty period(s) flown in error,
prorated, at a rate equal to one-half (1/2) of his/her applicable hourly incentive rate.
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Michigan Unemployment Agency-1 866 500 0017
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