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September 7, 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • Airline Focus: Mesaba Airlines • Frontier Flight Attendants Pass First TA • AFA Disaster Relief Fund • Countdown to Shutdown • September 11 Events • Wings Over Wall Street®

Airline Focus: Mesaba Airlines In the summer of 2010, when Pinnacle Corporation acquired Mesaba Airlines from Delta Air Lines, a shadow of uncertainty was cast on the future of the AFA-represented Flight Attendants at Mesaba. Pinnacle Airlines Corp. management announced plans to merge Mesaba Airlines and Colgan Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., while also transferring 60 Mesaba CRJs to Pinnacle Airlines, the company’s largest subsidiary.

In June 2011, AFA filed a petition with the National Mediation Board (NMB) to declare that the Mesaba Airlines/Colgan Air/Pinnacle Airlines merger has created a single carrier. If the NMB decides that the three carriers have merged into one, a representation election will be held between AFA and the United Steel Workers (USW), who represent Colgan and Pinnacle Flight Attendants.

Pinnacle management announced their intent to offer Mesaba Flight Attendants jobs transfers to Pinnacle Airlines, including an integrated seniority plan that would diminish the Mesaba Flight Attendants’ seniority, without discussing the plan with AFA. Any transfer of Mesaba flying to Pinnacle would be in violation of the Mesaba AFA collective bargaining agreement. AFA has filed grievances regarding the merger protection language and scope provisions in the Mesaba-AFA contract.

“We believe all Flight Attendants should be acknowledged for their contributions as Flight Attendants, not by which carrier happens to survive in a merger,” said Mesaba AFA MEC President Terry French. “While management announced their intent to offer jobs to our members, they did not negotiate the terms of those

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jobs with AFA. We believe that all Flight Attendants should reap the benefits of a merger equally, that we belong under one contract and one seniority list, with equal rights and equal protections.”

As the Flight Attendant union, AFA is emerging as the go-to union for all of the Flight Attendants at the combined carriers. To learn more, visit the Mesaba AFA website.

Founded in 1944 with a single airplane, Mesaba Airlines was bought and sold by a series of families and went public in 1982, when it began its first codeshare agreement with Republic Airlines and with Northwest Airlines. The airline’s flying expanded over the next decades. Mesaba was the first regional airline in the United States to offer a First Class cabin in 1996 and, in 1998 was named “Regional Airline of the Year.” After Mesaba Airlines emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2007, it was acquired by Northwest Airlines as a wholly owned subsidiary. After the Northwest/Delta merger, Mesaba was sold to Pinnacle Airlines Corporation in 2010. Mesaba operates as a Delta Connection carrier under service agreements with Delta.

Frontier Flight Attendants Vote for First Contract Congratulations to the Frontier Flight Attendants who voted to ratify their first ever collective bargaining agreement on August 29! The Frontier AFA MEC is working to unify the work group around building upon their legally binding contract, and to inform members about the importance of following the contract and using the new contractual grievance procedure to enforce it.

AFA Disaster Relief Fund The AFA Disaster Relief Fund is open to all members who have a primary residence in any of the locations declared disaster areas by the President, including the seven North Carolina counties of Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde and Pamlico and the seven Puerto Rico municipalities of Caguas, Canóvanas, Carolina, Cayey, Loíza, Luquillo, and San Juan. While we can’t stop destructive events like Hurricane Irene, we can, as a union, assist you in your recovery effort. AFA established a disaster fund after September 11th to aid the families of our members who were placed in harm’s way. Today, the AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund provides grants of $200 to eligible members whose primary residence is in a federally-declared disaster area and who have suffered financial loss and/or dislocation, as funds permit. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to you and your family during this difficult time.

Applications for relief and contributions to the fund may be made online at: . It is through the generosity of Flight Attendants that we are able to offer this help to AFA members. Thank you for continuing to contribute to this fund.

Countdown to Shutdown This week, as Congress returns to Washington, AFA continues telling Congress to put aside partisan politics and pass a long-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill that improves our aviation infrastructure, grows our economy, delivers hundreds of thousands of new jobs and keeps elections fair for air and rail employees. Efforts this week kicked off with a Labor Day send-off hosted by Flight Attendants at LAX featuring two members of Congress. On

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September 6, AFA welcomed members of Congress back to work with informational leafleting at Washington National and Washington Dulles Airports and a joint press conference with AFA, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and Allied Pilots Association (APA) press conference on September 7 at Washington National.

In July, political infighting led to the partial shut down of the FAA. This dispute was only resolved when Senate leadership put aside partisan politics in order to put nearly 75,000 laid-off workers back to work.

“Congress could jeopardize the safety of the U.S. air transportation system and will risk thousands of airline employees’ jobs by failing to pass a long-term FAA reauthorization bill that focuses on the FAA’s core mission of providing the safest, most efficient aviation system in the world. We cannot allow political brinkmanship to again trump the safety of the flying public or the jobs of hard-working Americans,” said AFA International President Veda Shook.

September 11 Events & Flight Attendant Commentary Visit AFA’s website commemorating September 11, 2001 to find memorial events and services in your area. The special website also features a page where you can share your thoughts and memories.

Published today by CNN was a moving editorial by Flight Attendant Heather Poole (pictured here) that captured the events and feelings of some of us following September 11th. We encourage you to read the editorial. Thanks to Heather for telling our story.

Wings Over Wall Street AFA Members, Toni Diamond and Warren Schiffer, became founders of the extraordinary benefit, "Wings Over Wall Street" when Toni was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. They turned their greatest challenge into inspiring work to fight ALS through research funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 2004 we lost Toni, our flying partner, but her care-giver husband, Warren, continues to work in her memory. "Wings" brings together the spirit of our work in the skies, the financial contributions of Wall Street and an event that has celebrity appeal to become a multi-million dollar benefit. This year, the benefit is scheduled for September 22, 2011 at Gotham Hall in New York City.

Wings has raised $9 million for ALS research so far, none of which would have been possible without the support of union members and the generosity of the business community. Recently, there was news of a potential discovery of a common disease mechanism for

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all forms of ALS. While it is too soon to know if this is the missing piece researchers have been looking for, it could lead to effective treatments, and funding research is the only path to a cure. Since the last time Wings took place, too many of those with ALS have died. Our dedication to this work could make the difference in the lives of countless other family and friends who battle this disease. Find out how you can help make a difference!

The National Mediation Board (NMB) has yet to make a decision regarding charges of management interference in the Delta Flight Attendants’ union representation election. The Delta Flight Attendants need a union and the clear choice is AFA, the Flight Attendant union. AFA members worldwide are committed to a Flight Attendant victory at Delta. It is time for a revote.

AFA's Negotiations Update page features a summary of negotiations or a statement of contract status at each AFA carrier.

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