NWA-AFA-94

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA at Northwest Airlines

A MESSAGE FROM COUNCIL 94
PRESIDENT, DIANA MITCHAM

We should never take for granted such an important thing as representation.

Yesterday as I started my day, I received a call from a member with concerns about a sick call she had made that morning. After a few hours of research, I found her sick calls weren't excessive or abusive. Still, she was required to meet with a manager.

Today, this flight attendant has the right to union representation - - she will not lose her job; she has a collective bargaining agreement and union advocates to protect her.

We must look at the results of this week's vote by Delta flight attendants as a step towards asserting themselves in the struggle to promote democracy, equality and solidarity. Northwest flight attendants stand with our sisters and brothers at Delta as their fight to organize becomes a combined effort to preserve over 60 years of collective bargaining.

Flight attendants have a choice: we can accept that airline management will aggressively promote and protect our profession. We can take our chances that the discussion over a sick call does not end in termination, and we can hope that promises made to us are not so quickly revoked since they are not bound by a contract.

Or, we can take our place at the table. We will step in when threats of outsourcing come along. We will uphold hard-fought provisions in our Agreement like scope, labor protective provisions, and seniority. We will continue to promote flight attendant causes on the legislative front, like the recently passed FMLA legislation and last year's omnibus bill that included fatigue studies and seniority protection.

The resilience of Northwest flight attendants has been consistently challenged in the past, and we face most uncertain times with the biggest merger in airline history. Despite our differences, I know that Northwest flight attendants are equal to the task at hand. As the saying goes, WE ARE the Union. I'm confident that we WILL BE the Union . . .

SCHEDULING AND RESERVE TOWN HALL MEETINGS

On Wednesday, May 21, flight attendants were invited to participate in a Town Hall Meeting with AFA officers and Brian Moreau, Director of Northwest Crew Scheduling. The meeting was very well attended – at times there was standing room only in the CBT lab next to the inflight offices. Brian Moreau came to Detroit on the invitation of LEC 94 President Diana Mitcham. By coordinating meeting space with DTW Inflight, we were able to accommodate as many flight attendants who wished to participate.

Present for AFA were: MEC President Kevin Griffin; Janette Rook, MEC Vice-President; MEC Scheduling and Reserve committee chairs; LEC 94 Officers.

DTW Inflight Director Britt Reller and several inflight services managers attended the meeting.

We have summarized the minutes from the town hall meeting on the 21st. They are available as an attachment at the bottom of this hotline.

Local 94 is pleased to announce a second Scheduling & Reserve forum in July. We are coordinating the details now and will announce the specific time and date before the July SLIC bid deadline!

FMLA BILL PASSES HOUSE, ON TO THE SENATE!!

On May 20, 2008, flight attendants savored a moment of victory when an unprecedented bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives passed our amendment to the Family and Medical Leave Act with 402 members in favor and nine against, in a special "suspension vote" reserved only for bills that are known in advance to have overwhelming support. (The House Committee on Education and Labor unanimously approved the bill last week before sending it to the full House for a vote.)

We are half way there. The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote. You can help to keep up the momentum by contacting your senators!

We ask all Michigan voters to contact Senator Debbie Stabenow and Senator Carl Levin and ask them to cosponsor S2059. Please do this ASAP in order to take this legislation to the floor for a vote before this Congressional session is over. Once this bill passes both Houses, a combined bill will then go to the President for his signature. If we get two-thirds approval for this combined bill, the President cannot veto it.

Call your Senators at their district offices and/or their Washington DC offices as follows:

Senator Debbie Stabenow:

Washington Office       202 224-4822
District Office - DTW   313 961-4330
LAN                               517 203-1760
TVC                              231 929-1031
FNT                              810 720-4172
GRR                              616 975-0052

Senator Carl Levin:

Washington Office       202 224-6221
District Office - DTW   313 226-6020
MBS                             989 754-2494
LAN                              517 377-1508
GRR                              616 456-2531
TVC                              231 947-9569

Nothing works better than calls from constituents. Please call the Washington office and the local office closest to your city. For all other states, go to www.senate.gov to find your senate contact information. Please use the sample script attached to the bottom of this hotline as your guideline.

DETROIT EMPLOYEE BUS INSPECTIONS *UPDATE*

On Thursday, May 22, LEC 94 President Diana Mitcham joined DTW base director Britt Reller, Clint F. Smith, Director of airport operations/administration, and Mark Joneski, Director of DTW Customer Service for an inspection of the DTW employee buses.

Detroit members provided feedback about the AOA and non-AOA buses that President Mitcham brought with her on the morning inspection. Some of the issues brought up were:

The boarding steps are very steep, especially with heavy bags, and in particular in any inclement weather

Luggage racks are at the rear of the bus. At the international arrivals/non-AOA stop, riders are required to board at the front for id inspection (which is not consistent) and then have to shuffle past the seated passengers with heavy bags

Not enough frequency at the AOA pickup stops between 0900-1100; not enough frequency of all bus routes after 2300

Bus frequency needs to be better matched to shift changes

Parking lot needs better lighting; emergency phones needed at AOA and non-AOA stops

Non-AOA shelters need to be better protect from weather

Suitcases were provided to Britt Reller to give him a better idea of what flight attendants face each time they ride the employee bus. The inspection team will share their findings with Wayne County and Metro Cars. We are hopeful that short and long-term solutions will be reached soon. Local 94 will keep you updated on the issue in future hotlines.

JUNE Local 94 Council Meeting/Special OJI Forum

Local 94 welcomes attorney Norton Cohen to a special OJI forum before our June council meeting on 11 June, 2008. Mr. Cohen is a partner of the Miller-Cohen law firm of Detroit. Miller-Cohen has provided legal advice to members of Local 94 about OJI and long term disability issues. They have generously offered free consultations to our members to help guide them through the confusing OJI/long term disability process. Join us from 1100-1200 on June 11 in the AFA Local 94 office.

The regular June council meeting will begin at 1300 and conclude at 1500 on June 11.

35th Annual AFA-CWA Board of Directors Meeting

The 2008 AFA Board of Directors Meeting (BOD) will be held in Milwaukee from July 8-10, 2008. Any member in good standing is welcome and encouraged to attend the meetings. If you would like more information, please contact lec94@nwaafa.org.

What's in a Union Pin?

Local 94 officers recognize we all come from different backgrounds. Our seniority spans from 1951 to 2008. We are the product of several mergers, different languages and cultures. We've had three different acronyms for our Union in the past decade.

In the next year, we may or may not be called Northwest Airlines. As we are all trying to make sense of the merger, seniority, contracts, and the mixture of all the aforementioned, your local council asks you for a display of unity: Please, wear your AFA pin on every trip.

Our pasts are different and we have had vigorous debates over our future. When we come together, our collective voice can be deafening. Wear your pin to show you support collective bargaining. Wear your pin to show your support for the Delta flight attendants as they continue their fight to organize. Wear your pin to show you want to be represented at the table along with the pilots. Wear your pin in defiance, in pride, in solidarity, or in unity. Whatever the reason, the background, the motivation, please, wear your Union pin.

If you need a Union pin, or you would like to pick up some extras for your colleagues, please stop by the Local 94 office.

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Your Detroit Local Executive Council

President Diana Mitcham dmitcham@nwaafa.org
Vice President John O'Donnell jodonnell@nwaafa.org
Secretary Anthony Hytche ahytche@nwaafa.org
Local Council Rep Belea Bower bbower@nwaafa.org
Local Council Rep Jeff Martoia jmartoia@nwaafa.org
Local Council Rep Daniel Grey dgrey@nwaafa.org