Who is the negotiating
team?
Dennis Bickham, Bill Green, Liz
Howayeck, and Jennifer Fritchman and LT Latham (alternate). They are assisted by
Jay Trumble, AFA Staff Negotiator.
How was the team selected?
The team was nominated by former MEC President
Susan Cosby and voted in unanimously by Council 57 Committee Chairs and
Officers. The AFA Constitution and Bylaws allow for three members on the
negotiations committee (decided by the size of the council), plus the current MEC
president (Bill Green).
What agreements have been
made in negotiations with the company thusfar?
The committee must maintain the
confidentiality of all proposals, both Union and Company, to protect the
integrity of the bargaining process; therefore no proposals will be
released during the negotiations process.
What can the
negotiations team do now to make changes?
Currently, we can only enforce the current contract. However we
cannot do this without your help! When you have a situation that is
questionable or you feel is a violation of your current contract,
you must document it and submit it to the union. Although your
submission may only be informational at the time, we will record it
as it may be useful in the future should we see a trend occurring.
When will we be finished with negotiations?
We do not have a planned date to have the negotiations completed due
to the current economic conditions. It is not in our best interest
to negotiate on economic issues due to current economic conditions
and posted profit losses at AirTran. We are hoping that in 2009 the
economy rebounds and AirTran once again becomes profitable.
Many flight attendants have asked: When does our contract expire?
Because we are employees who are governed under the rules of the
Railway Labor Act, our contract does not expire. This is because if
our contract would expire it could cause disruption of commerce.
Therefore, our contract becomes amendable. This means that we
negotiate with the company to make changes to our current contract.
Section 27 (Duration) specifies that the contract remains in full
force and will renew itself every year unless written notice is
given to make changes.
With three committee chairs on the negotiating team, will this take away from
their committee work?
No. These members were chosen because of
their outstanding work, education, and knowledge of the contract. These members also have
experience in negotiations, contract development and other fields vital to the
development of strong contract language. The committees represented on the
negotiating committee have the people in place for support while the team is
working on the contract. Other committee chairs have also offered their
assistance if needed.
Who is our AFA Chief Negotiator?
Jay Trumble.
When do negotiations start?
The Negotiations Committee plans to go to
the table to start Section 6 Opening talks (pursuant with the Railway Labor Act)
with the company in December 2007. The Section Six opener details sections of
the current contract the Union proposes to open for negotiations and
gives a general overview of what changes we would like to see in the
current contract
How do I contact the
negotiating committee with ideas for the contract?
Click
here.
|
Negotiations Team Bios
Negotiations Update
Contact the Negotiating
Committee
Get Involved!
|
Council 57
AirTran Airways
www.afaairtran.com
Ask the Union 
