Last week the Annual Board of Directors Meeting (BOD) was conducted via a virtual meeting due to the continuing restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. This Board of Directors Meeting was held to review Agenda Item #1 – the only Agenda Item, the proposed 2020 – 2021 budget, for the meeting. After thoughtful debate and consideration, the AFA Board of Directors acted to approve the proposed budget.
Our AFA Board of Directors represents 50,000 Members at 20 Airlines and is the highest governing body of our Union. These airlines include a cross section of the industry including mainline, regional, low cost, charter, international and niche Carriers. AFA primary goal, other than representation, is to increase bargaining power at our airlines and to increase our professional standing with regulatory agencies around the globe. It allows for the voices of all our Members to be represented through their directly elected Local Council Presidents.
AFA Board of Director Delegates:
Local Executive Council Presidents
Each Local Executive Council (LEC) President represents Members in a specific domicile or domiciles at a particular airline. The LEC Presidents are directly elected by our Members and are the only delegates who can cast votes at the Board of Directors Meeting.
Master Executive Council Officers
The Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers are ex-officio Members of the Board; while active participants in the Board Meeting and seated on the floor of the Meeting with the elected representatives they may speak on issues being discussed and debated. MEC Officers do not vote unless they are also an elected Local Council President.
International Officers
The International Officers are also ex-officio Members of the Board. The International President chairs the meeting and ensures that the meeting runs according to the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws and the Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedures. International Officers are not voting members of the Board.
The Board establishes the priorities of our entire Union; that is all AFA carriers. This includes appointing members to serve on standing committees of the Board which oversee our finances, negotiations policy, political and legislative policy, leadership development, international affairs, strategic planning and crew accommodations and transportation policy.
The Board is the only body that can act to amend our Constitution and Bylaws. The Board considers suggested changes to our policies in order to address any concerns raised by the Members and to update our practices to reflect current industry and technological advances. Changing the language of our Constitution requires a 2/3 majority vote. Whereas, changing the language of the Union’s Policy Manual requires a simple majority vote.
This interactive overview provides a full perspective of an AFA Board of Directors Meeting.