Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen and welcome to Dear AFA. A democratic, Member driven Union of Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants. Today is Friday, June 8, 2012 and this is Denver, Council 9 Volunteer, Allen Ward, reporting and together we will do better.
Work Rules and Pay Protections
Work rules and pay protections are an integral component of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. They protect our work life and protect our total compensation. Flight Attendants understand the importance of our career within the worldwide aviation industry. Flexibility and protections in scheduling, days off, type of trips, layovers, maximum time on duty and legal rest are all protected by the work rules in our Contract.
Our work rules include pay protections to ensure we are paid for all of our time on duty and away from home. With these work rules and pay protections, including Ratio-in-Guarantee (RIG) in our Contract, United Flight Attendants, both Reserves and Lineholders, are paid a minimum of five (5) hours flight time pay and credit per day for multiple duty periods unless the actual is greater.
So a two-day trip with a layover would result in at least ten (10) hours of pay. Duty RIGs encourage management to respect our time by scheduling in a productive way and are a valuable component in maximizing our pay. There are two (2) different work rules that help pay us for all our time on duty and away from home; they consist of Duty RIGs and Trip RIGs.
For more information about RIGs and other work rules and pay protections visit our Contract Education section on our website.
Special Joint MEC Meeting June 20, 2012
On June 20, 2012 the three AFA Master Executive Councils from United, Continental and Continental Micronesia will meet in Chicago at the Hyatt Rosemont, holding a joint meeting for the purpose of updating one another on our negotiations progress and merger related issues. Members in good standing who wish to attend are invited to the afternoon session that begins at 1330.
We are steadily moving closer to the most critical Flight Attendant negotiations in the industry. Soon we will be conducting a negotiations survey to get your feedback and direction to determine our priorities in our opening proposal. Your feedback guides our negotiators and is an important part of our negotiating process. Surveys, in combination with Local Council meetings and direct feedback to your elected Local Representatives are your line of communication to our Negotiating Committee.
Moving the Ball Forward
The Continental Master Executive Council (MEC) announced yesterday that they have reached a Tentative Agreement on a Contract extension for Flight Attendants at Continental Airlines. A summary of their Contract extension includes a Signing Bonus of $1,500, participation in Profit Sharing through 2015, Increased Incentive Pay, Furlough Protection, Satellite Base Implementation with right to return language, a Labor Management Partnership Agreement and schedule flexibility.
More details will be available after the Agreement is presented to their MEC and Membership. If the Continental MEC approves the Tentative Agreement, then Continental Flight Attendants would vote for ratification of the Agreement.
The Continental MEC remains committed to start Joint Contract Negotiations upon the successful ratification of this Agreement. Any improvements that result from their Agreement serve to strengthen our collective bargaining position as we work towards a Joint Contract.
We congratulate the Continental MEC and look forward to negotiating for improvements to pay, benefits and working conditions in Joint Contract Negotiations. The world’s largest and best airline deserves the best combined Contract for Flight Attendants. Together we will do better.
Wisconsin Takes Back Senate
A year and a half ago, Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker and his friends in the Senate forced through an extremist anti-worker agenda that divided the state. Tuesday, Wisconsin took back its Senate. While Walker remains in office after being only the third governor in American history subjected to the humiliation of a recall, his divisive agenda has been stopped cold.
Though Walker was shielded with a flood of secret corporate cash, Wisconsin made its voice heard. While we came closer to recalling Walker than many expected, however, we ended up coming just short. We should remember that the work we did together was about much more than just this one election. We laid the groundwork for a powerful movement to push back against Walker-style anti-working family policies everywhere throughout the United States. The energy and momentum in Wisconsin have inspired working people from all walks of life to stand together in solidarity in unprecedented ways.
Wisconsin is a small piece of a broader global movement of people pushing back on the corporate-driven policies that have favored the super-rich at the expense of good jobs, education and the health of our communities. Working people are making history every day through their courage and resolve to work together for a better world.
That’s all for this evening! Thank you for calling. As we move forward together, management must recognize the value that Flight Attendants bring to the world’s largest airline. We will stand strong together to do Whatever It Takes! to achieve an industry leading Single Contract.