August 20, 2013
Dear Flight Attendants,
The second session of contract mediation begins Tuesday morning at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower in downtown Portland, OR, and lasts through Thursday. As you may recall, at the first mediation National Mediation Board (NMB) mediator Victoria Gray recommended that going forward both parties should pull back on the frequency and detail of communications in regards to negotiations. AFA and management agreed we would communicate our progress at the conclusion of a negotiations session and discuss the content with the other party prior to sending the communication.
After everybody received the “Mediation Begins Again!” message from Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider earlier today, your Negotiating Committee has received feedback that our members would like to hear something from the Association. Although it’s not comfortable for your AFA Negotiating Committee to be less communicative than before mediation began, we are committed to honoring the process agreement. Just know that your Negotiating Committee is ready to go for this session and expect an update at the end of the week!
p.s. For those of you who might be considering a 30/60/90 day staffing adjustment leave, be advised that you must be a member in good standing in order to vote on a tentative agreement. Therefore, it’s important that you stay current on your dues payments. If you have questions about dues currency and payment options, you may contact the AFA-CWA Membership Services Department (http://www.afacwa.org/membership/) or one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers.
In solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jakes Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
“Five Bases, One Voice”
