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ONE VOICEFurloughs announced at United. Continental continues to hire!

A Message From Sara Nelson.....

William Schrul:Oh Stewardess, I Speak Jive

S-UA Our “Restore and More” Christmas Tree

The Gypsy Chef:Keeping you warm with Bean Soup.

Resource Page:Where did we get that speculative information?

ONE VOICEBringing Continental, Continental Micronesia and United together in one place.

May we all be where we wish this Holiday!

DID YOU KNOW?We were supposed to

enter Expedited Section 6 negotiations

process upon amendable date of our

bankruptcy agreement

RESTORE AND MORE!

RESTORE AND MORE!

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Happy Holidays!

The December issue is bound to be one of the most important and hopefully beneficial issues to date.

In less than a month s-UA may have a tentative agreement. We all remember the pain of bankruptcy and how our workplace changed thereafter. But do all of us really remember everything we gave up?

This issue is the edgiest and most detail oriented. We hope you will find our research helpful when you make those all- important decisions about your future. Just in case you may question the accuracy of our information, we have dedicated an entire page for our sources. At no time will we publish a rumor or any speculative information. That would do more harm than good. All contract information has come straight from our union’s website.

On October 24th One Voice asked the union why they had not published in its entirety the 12 issues brought forth by both parties? They referred our concern to the Negotiating Committee. We have not heard back. Fortunately for the reader, the complete sections and details are in our October issue. Unfortunately, most Flight Attendants who receive negotiation updates and email updates are not getting the full picture. We hope you will forward to as many as you can this issue.

“Christmas Tree Ornaments” throughout this issue provide glimpses down memory lane of what s-UA Flight Attendants gave up in the bankruptcy agreement as well as commentary on current issues.

We will never claim to have ALL the information. That would be irresponsible. What we are sharing are viewpoints and information we can back up. We are not here to make up your mind for you. We are here to get the jumpseat’s voice heard loud and clear. We will accept no less.

Be informed, be prepared and ask the questions.

Fabienne Zwerling UAL IAD

Brian Wozniak CAL IAH

Morna MacDonald CMI GUAM

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From the Editors’ Sleigh

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The fact that AFA is in Section 6 negotiations is an advantage for all of us. It gives us a chance to ‘raise the floor’ yet again (Translation: AFA will get us $52 or more) before negotiating a merged contract, with the full power of the RLA’s self-help provisions at our disposal. The United AFA contract provides leverage for all of us. All of the items AFA successfully maintained even with a gun to our heads in bankruptcy – all of those items have value. Whether we want to keep them, modify them, or use them as leverage for something else – they have value and we will not agree to give them up for nothing. That’s what management wants and we won’t stand for it. We are holding the line for all of us and seeking to bring us together so we can raise the bar for all of us. That’s what the IAM has said they were trying to do with your Section 6 before they got out-muscled by management (CAL is not furloughing)

The Machinists have said they agree with

management, the Continental contract should be the basis for the new contract (Once a TA is presented, One Voice will compare with the CAL Contract) They would give away the best parts of the United contract without a fight, and along with it any hope of hanging onto lucrative and important United work rules. Those work rules mean two things to Flight Attendants: jobs and lifestyle. Telling management up front that you want to do it their way isn’t exactly how you take greatest advantage of your leverage. Agreeing, up front, to give up United work rules could result in thousands of furloughs (2100 to be exact and that is before a TA has even been ironed out) and it’s not a smart way to negotiate. So I would suggest you be a little more careful talking about which union really cares about the Flight Attendants.

The idea of negotiations is to achieve the best agreement as quickly as possible. That doesn’t

always mean the quickest agreement, because details matter. (If details matter why did we go from 35 Sections to 12 in negotiations? If quickest is not good then why did we agree to Expedited Mediation?) You don’t maximize the impact of your leverage by quickly agreeing to what management wants. Once you agree to the operational merger and management can cash in on the synergies of the merger, your leverage is gone. Our collective leverage is maximized by forcing management to go through all the various steps, in order (Again, only 12 Sections are being addressed. Everything else is book). Pressure builds on management to clear each hurdle in order to finally reap the billions of dollars in synergies they expect from an operational merger.

In Solidarity,

Sara NelsonInternational Vice PresidentAFA-CWA

MAY 2011MESSAGE FROM SARA NELSON

AFA-CWA VICE PRESIDENT

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=113914698649168&topic=1434&post=36999

This statement should be shared with all our flying partners. It addresses what our union pledged to us in 2011. No Furloughs, pay, raising the bar... All reasons many voted the way they did.

Please read and share with your flying partners... (Red text represents One Voice Editors’ comments.

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1 United furloughs as Continental continues to hire. By Fabienne Zwerling - UA IAD

Back in May 2011, United Airlines wrote to our union and advised them that a furlough was a serious possibility by year’s end. UA AFA MEC President only addressed the issue by stating this was a tactic coordinated with the IAM.

Sadly as this paper goes to print, the very junior members of our family anxiously hope that they will not lose their jobs in March of 2012.

Many options could have been offered. A voluntary furlough is just one. A crossover has still not been offered and yet many would take it. If it only saved one job, would it not be worth it?

If and when a tentative is offered, it will bundle issues that should be kept separate. The union will lump all of our interests into one combined tentative proposal.

What the membership should be given to vote one are two separate packages that properly focus on two different Flight Attendant priorities:

1. A proposal to vote on that addresses the staffing issue with:

Early Out Package Crossover Partnership

2. A proposal to vote on that addresses the workforce which plans on remaining on the property:

Pay Work Rules Reserves Retirement ETC

To combine both is irresponsible and not in the best interest of the membership.

To Know where we are going, we need to know where we were.BY Our Opinionated Ghost Writer

With the January 6th deadline rapidly approaching, it might be fruitful to look back at what we gave up, so we know what to expect.Although we were repeatedly told the concessions in bankruptcy were "imposed" on us, the material we were supplied showed over 20 parts of the contract where no changes were made that the Company proposed to change. Obviously someone made a choice as to what to change- but we weren't given that choice.Where one of our appointed Union Officers agreed with the

company to make drastic changes were: up to 18.5% pay cuts, vacation pay reduced, per diem slashed, understaffing pay cut in half, sick leave reduced, 3 hour training minimum reduced to 1 hour,  and uniform cleaning eliminated. On top of that, the pension was terminated. Let's not forget, this was "round 2" of give backs- we all know what we gave up round one. If you don’t remember, check out the balls the union dropped on page 6.At least the union got an indemnity and exculpation clause that protected them.Well, now is the time to restore and more as promised.Oh- we already agreed to limit what we can get back to 12 issues. My bad.

November 11th 2011 F.A.N.N. Newsletter

"While we focus on the immediate issues before us it’s also important to remember

that negotiations do not occur in a vacuum."

Jumpseat Translation:“We will not get you what we

promised.”

The Gypsy ChefBean SoupBy Pam Dockerythegypsychef.blogspot.com

As flight attendants we are often home for only a day at a time. This makes it difficult to prepare  nutritious and well balanced meals for our trips.  This week especially challenging because of the Thanksgiving Holiday. I wanted an economical first course that would lend itself well as a crew meal.Bean soup fit the bill perfectly. There are a lot of variations for this recipe. I used Trader Joe's Organic Cannelini beans, chicken stock, frozen Roma tomatoes and rosemary, sage, bay and thyme all from my garden.  Served in small white soupettes it was perfect for a chilly day. My guests were dazzled and today when I reheated it on the plane, the crew was dazzled also. For an elegant presentation, puree it and serve it with a dollop of mascarpone.Bean soup variations are endless. For a true Italian soup substitute the cannelini beans for garbanzos add rosemary, a bay leaf, puree the soup and garnish with cooked pasta and parmesan cheese.For Tex Mex use pinto beans, chile powder and top with slivered tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and scallionsA la Francaise use white beans, thyme, bay and top with creme fraiche and chives. See where I'm going with this? You can make your own signature bean soup and literally everyone will love it! Just be sure to bring enough for the crew.

Bean Soup Any Way, Any Time1/4 cup olive oil2 cloves of garlic, minced1 small onion, diced1 stalk celery, diced1 carrot, diced1 stem of rosemary, leaves pulled and chopped1 sage leaf1 bay leaf1 slice of ham, if your so inclined4 cups of chicken stock2-3 cans of cannelini or white kidney beans, rinsed and drainedParmesan cheese, rind also if you have oneHandful of parsley, choppedHeat the olive oil in a stock/soup pot. Add the onion and garlic cook for several minutes, add the celery and carrot saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs and ham and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. If you have it, add the cheese rind and lower heat

and cook for 1 hour to develop the flavor. Add the beans and cook another 15 minutes. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

Flashback to Bankruptcy:Remember this statement?http://www.unitedafa.org/news/

bankruptcy/agreements/recovery/letter.aspx

“This tentative agreement includes an initial pay cut of 3.95%, cancellation of the 5% lump sum payment for 2003 and 2005 and the cancellation of the 2% book rate increase in 2004. This package keeps in tact our work rules and other contractual protections such as our legalities. The concessions for hotel location, E/Y understaffing, COLA, “me too” vacation, LQ/LIP and narrowbody purser pay increases, are not permanent changes to our Contract but will provide relief for the Recovery Period.”

Our work rules did not remain intact:

1. Canadian flying is no longer international pay. It is domestic pay.

2. Reassignment domestically: Line guarantee to return no more than 6 hours later than originally scheduled was changed to 24 hours later than originally scheduled.

3. Reserves went from 12 days off to 11 days off.

Downtown layovers require 20 hours or more.

More details can be found at:

http://www.unitedafa.org/news/bankruptcy/agreements/restructuring/work_rules.aspx

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Did you know?

You can now go online and sign up to receive your own personal issue of One Voice delivered straight to your inbox every month?

Go to:www.thefanews.org

Oh Stewardess, I Speak JiveWhat Everyone’s Talking About - DecemberBY William Schrul, JFKSW 

1. The Early Out  A cash payment, passes and a lifetime supply of new Flight Attends bladder pads.

2. New Wings  Six designs to choose from.  I chose the seventh. 

3. S.O.C. Was Delayed  Jeff won’t be getting his $50.00 on-time bonus.

4. Holiday Shopping  Money tight?  8 in 24 and 30 in 7 make great stocking stuffers.  And the kids just love them.

5. 787 Coming  15,000 s-UAL FA’s excited.  For the s-CAL FA’s who get to fly it.

6. The Cross-Over  AFA unveils new footwear line: Flip Flops

7. The Globe/Wing Controversy  Underground group that doesn’t want the globe on the new wings.  They also refuse to fly on any plane with a globe on the tail. 

8. Twizzlers Removed From Buy On Board Made too many FA mouths happy.

9. Make Decaf With 2 Packets  Mmm, now twice as nasty.

10. Kim Kardashian  Marriage ends after 72 days.  Now that’s the definition of expedited.

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• Highest international rate in effect prior to cuts $48.87 as of April 1, 2002

• Highest international book rate prior to cuts $49.85 as of March 1, 2004

• Highest domestic $45.02 prior to cuts as of April 1, 2002

• Highest domestic book rate prior to cuts $45.92 as of March 1, 2004

FACT

RETRO...Something we have never been able to get

in our previous negotiations.

WE DESERVE OUR RETRO.Our Union will hopefully not leave negotiations

without it. Let’s remember all their campaign promises about

OUR SECTION 6

In a possible Tentative Agreement, Flight Attendants could be offered either Retro, a bonus or nothing.

We should start looking at what the numbers could look like depending on the scenario.Will we get compensated for all the hours we flew? We are due two years worth of retro. With that in mind, use the following example should retro be offered or a bonus. EXAMPLE USES TOP

RATE of only:$50/hr. If you average 100hr/mth. This would equal: $700/mth increase that would be owed for each month since Jan. 2010.That totals $16,800.

The company offered Teamsters represented UA Mechanics a signing bonus of $11,500.

Don’t be tempted by the big number. Should a Flight attendant who drops his/her entire line be entitled to the

same amount than a Flight Attendant who maxes out every month?

RETRO V. BONUS: DON’T BE FOOLED!

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Cost of Living Adjustment(“COLA”) RIP 2003

Then:Per Diem $1.85

Now: Per Diem $1.50

Then: Understaffing: $10Now:Understaffing: $5

RSV’S THEN: 12 DAYS OFFRSV’S NOW: 11 DAYS OFF

FREE SHORT TERM

DISABILITY:RIP 2005

2004 TOP PAY DOM:$45.92

TODAY:$39.75

2004 TOP PAY INT’L:$49.85

TODAY:$43.14

SICK LEAVE THEN:

5 HOURSSICK LEAVE

TODAY:4 HOURS

HOLIDAY PAY:5 OUT OF 10

GONE!

RETRO? BONUS?

NOTHING?

Insurance PPO: FA’s contribution to premiums has gone up every year between 2004-2008Deductible raised to $250 individual/$500 family

VACATION:OVERLAP RIP

2003Vacation “me

too” eliminated.25+ years: 44

days. Prior to BK 51

RESTORE AND

MORE

WHERE DID WE GET OUR INFORMATION?

Summary of 2005 - 2010 Agreement: http://www.unitedafa.org/news/bankruptcy/agreements/2010/summary/default.aspx AFA response to staffing concerns: http://unitedafa.org/afa/mec/officers/president/letters/details.aspx?id=6195

Bankruptcy Work Rule Modifications: http://www.unitedafa.org/news/bankruptcy/agreements/restructuring/work_rules.aspx

F.A.N.N. - Negotiations and You: Update #9 http://www.unitedafa.org/contract/negotiations/fann/updates/details.aspx?id=11 Building Momentum: MEC President Letter - Feb 12,2010 http://www.unitedafa.org/afa/mec/officers/president/letters/details.aspx?id=5439

Teamsters Tentative Agreement for UA Mechanics: Bonus http://www.teamster.org/sites/teamster.org/files/112911SummaryofHighlights111111TA.pdf

A Message From Sara Nelson, AFA-CWA Vice President: May 2011 http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=113914698649168&topic=1434&post=36999

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