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The complete
agreement will be available on the AFA websites and Wings in the next few days.
Additional detailed information will also be made available in the coming days.
A summary of the Tentative Agreement is available
here.
(http://afausairways.org/Merger/ta_bullet2012.pdf)
This
agreement contains.
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Pay
rates that compare favorably to other major mainline carriers.
-
Some of the tightest work rules (rest, hours and rescheduling) in the
industry.
-
Retained strong scope protection which is more important now than ever.
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An
Involuntary Furlough clause to protect jobs as a result of the
implementation of PBS , new Scheduling and Hours of Service provisions.
-
A
reserve system far superior to either East or West contracts.
That’s
not to say we got everything we wanted in this agreement. We fought for higher
pay and a shorter duration. The National Mediation Board played a very strong
role in getting both parties to reach an agreement. The TA contains reductions
in vacation for West flight attendants moves West flight attendants to the
Company wide health care plans. The TA does not restore the East reserve system
lost in 2002.
The
state of the industry and the economy means "endless" negotiations are not a
viable option. This is now in the membership's hands. The question as we see it
is, did we negotiate the best contract we could give the state of the industry,
the Company we faced, and the difficulty of getting a release from the National
Mediation Board to strike? We think the answer is clearly yes. We squeezed
every bit of money out of the company and were ready to walk away if management
gutted our scope protections.
The
decision before us is clear cut. Do we maintain our existing contracts for the
foreseeable future or vote for immediate and significant improvements. The
JNC's assessment is that after five years of negotiations the idea that we can
immediately go back to the bargaining table if the agreement is rejected has no
basis in fact. If history is any guide, it could be years before another TA will
be sent to the members for a vote. East flight attendants know that it was four
years after the failed 1995 TA before a new agreement was reached. That
agreement provided a mere five percent pay increase. When the West TA was
voted down in 1997 a new agreement was not ratified until 1999.
What
the JNC will tell you in further communications and road shows is exactly what
this agreement provides for and how those provisions compare to the industry.
Below
is a list of cities where we will conduct road shows. We will publish the exact
dates and times once the details have been completed.
We look
forward to everyone's participation in this important decision.
Road
Show Cities*
PHL, DCA, CLT, PHX, LAS, LAX, PIT, BOS, FLL, MCO
and GSO.
*dates
and times to be published in further publications.
Thank you,
The Joint
Negotiating Committee
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