Council 27 - Boston
About Council 27
Representing United Airlines Flight Attendants based at BOS. Local CWA #21027
So much going on....... (Oct 17, 2019)
Andrew Fahy
LEC President
Jerome Sangalli
LEC Vice President
Cameron Matthews
LEC Secretary
Craig MacInnes, Jr.
Council Representative
Todd Richard
Council Representative
So much going on....... (Oct 17, 2019)
Happy Thursday Evening Council 27!
Most of the storm has gone from our area, and the weekend looks cool but promising. There is so much to do and see around Boston this time of year, so grab a new hire, or someone new to Boston, and get moving while the leaf season is in full swing.
Friday : Make it a full day if your schedule permits. Head out to Salem and the Witch museum, Saturday will be too crazy with tourists, and we already have enough of that in our lives. Get some great pictures for the Boston Harba News and of course your friends and families. If witches aren't your thing then there are plenty of other things to do and see in Salem.
As you make your way back to your home or crash pad, grab some dinner at any of the fantastic restaurants around town. Get off at a T stop further than normal and enjoy the walk after all the great food you ate. When you get back home, before you turn on your favorite Halloween themed movie, grab a computer because......
Now open and ready for your selections
Election Schedule:
MAIL DATE: 10-16-19 Voting Notice and Voting Guide are mailed containing your personal 16-digit activation code
POLLS OPEN: 10-18-19 12:00 PM ET Polls Open and voting begins
POLLS CLOSE: 11-07-19 12:00 PM ET Polls close and the election count takes place.
Now enjoy your movie or the extra sleep because Saturday will be busy too.
Saturday : Get up early, and make sure to have a lot of coffee. Comfortable shoes are a must, and get to the T early. You will be getting lots of fresh air so if you are from the south you might need a parka and snow boots, but it will be worth it. Get off at the Park Street subway station and head upstairs and look for the signs to the Granary Burying Ground. Names, names and more names; Peter Faneuil, Sam Adams, Crispus Atticus, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Paul Revere. Enjoy the history, and the last one to find them all is buying coffee. Don't let it take all day, because your presence is requested at Logan Airport at 230p.
Why?
Sara Nelson and Senator Ed Markey will be here for a press event this Saturday (the 19th) and we need some people to come out and represent Boston!
Where: Boston Logan, exact location TBD
When: Saturday October, 19th
Time: 2:30pm-4:00pm
I know this is pretty short notice but I just got word and we’re hoping to get about 10-15 people to join us! We will be wearing our uniforms so if you’re just getting off a trip you can just hop on over!
Contact our own Kacy Lunceford @ 903 681-6743 or Corey Jones @ 407 451-1737 if you can make it. Checking in for a trip or just landing? Even better as you are already at the airport. After this event, you have earned the right to binge on movies or go back to work so you can get some rest.
Well, since we have mentioned Kacy and Corey, we would like to fill you in a little on what our younger generation of activists have been doing this year as they have represented Council 27.
The first is from Kacy.
Hey Boston Co-workers,
Wanted to share my experience attending the AFA’s National Government Affairs fly in in this past week in Washington D.C. As a new hire, participating in this event took me out of my comfort zone; I had never been to the Capitol and this was my first time working with the AFA. I was quickly reassured when I met other Flight Attendants from other bases as well as other carriers, who trained and shared with each other the issues that the Union is working on to advocate for us at the national level. Over the course of 3 days, we split into separate groups of flight attendants and met with Senators and members of the House. We advocated for 10 hours rest (making sure flight attendants have minimum rest for the future), cabin air safety (new protections from toxic fumes in the cabin), and the fair and open skies act (leveling the playing field for our workers and those of foreign carriers). Through our meetings we were able to get 28 co-sponsors signed in support of our legislation. Sometimes it is easy to feel like just a number in such a large work group, but this experience proved to me that every individual voice matters. No matter if you’re junior or senior, there’s a place for every flight attendant to make a difference. Attending this event gave me the opportunity to learn more about the AFA and how important it is to have a strong union representation and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to represent our Boston base.
This one is from Corey.
Greetings Boston Inflight,
Recently I was invited to be part of a newly formed committee, within the AFA. I agreed to attend the first gathering of the Human Rights committee. We were asked to leave expectations at home prior to attending the training. Upon arrival I was happy to greet many of my coworkers and also many colleagues from other airlines. Over the course of a day and a half we sat in on presentations and had discussions on a few different topics. In my opinion, the two most useful presentations, pertaining to the committee’s purpose, were on the history of the labor movement, as well as, a wonderful interactive program discussing bias. Both of these really showed us the importance of sticking together, supporting one another, and to use our differences to strengthen us. The other two presentations took what I have just mentioned and showed us how to put them into practical use. We don’t need to just support ourselves here at United Airlines, we need to be supporting the colleagues (the ones I met when I first entered the room.) We also realized it is not only those already represented by the AFA, but the ones that are just starting the struggle for representation. They need our support just as much, if not more. We need to think outside of our borders. There are thousands upon thousands that are struggling just for a fair working environment. Now, more than ever is the time we need to band together and support those that do so much work to make sure we remain protected. If you are not already involved and have been interested in how you can get involved I urge you to attend a council meeting and inform yourself. Then make a decision on where you would be most useful. All it takes is simply attendance. As I said earlier this committee is still in the development phase and I hope to be able to bring more information to all of you in the coming months.
In case anyone reading thinks we play favorites based on age, we have one from Craig MacInnes too.
Last month I was asked to go to Cape Town for the MEC Safety Health & Security Committee for the city and was invited to join the Hotel Committees from AFA and ALPA for their initial hotel inspections for our upcoming flight from EWR-CPT December 15th. I wanted to pass along some insight into all the work that goes into the hotel inspection and selection that I believe a lot of us take for granted.
The company first selects several hotels in a city in which they believe would meet the contractual requirements for AFA contained in LOA 17 page 330 of our JCBA. Once the company has selected hotels, they send the hotels a 5-7-page questioner to fill out and return to UA, that was extremely detailed covering all aspects of the hotel covering areas that I would never have expected. The company gets the questioners back from the hotels and then sets up a city visit with AFA to inspect several hotels that they have selected. During that visit AFA and UA meet with the hotel and go over every question on the questioner and inspect the hotel from top to bottom inside and out with each party doing their own inspection. Some of the areas are location, safety and security, bed size, ac/heat, food availability, Wi-Fi, room darkness, backup power, bathrooms, hotel staffing, atm availability, plugs, non-smoking rooms, fitness centers, etc.
Each hotel inspection lasted approximately 2.5 to 3 hours from the time stepping onto the hotel property to the time we were heading to another property to inspect. I have a new respect for the work that goes into the hotel selection and approval process, I also understand the importance of flight attendants utilizing the hotel reporting system on the unitedafa.org website when there are issues with our hotels so issues can be addressed.
Thank you Kacey, Corey and Craig, you represent us well.
These three different people have different interests, but each of them found someplace within our union to make our jobs a little better. Maybe you can find your niche too. Check out UnitedAFA.org and click on the committees tab, you might find something that fits your personality!
Now before I sign off for the evening, please remember to take care of any insurance selections that you might need, and also be sure to check out your adjustment request on CCS to be sure that you have it set the way that works for you.
Andrew
Additional Council Information
The information below is maintained and updated by your Local Council.
Our
local Council meeting will take place on
September 26th, at 11am. We will
meet at Stephanie's adjacent to the base.
RSVP if you will be attending so we know
how many to plan for. Non-Alcoholic
beverages and light snacks will be
provided,
