July 20, 2011 Airline Focus: Continental Micronesia a Brief Look

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July 20, 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE • Airline Focus: Continental Micronesia • AFA Officers Attend Basic Leadership Training • AFA Testifies for Flight Attendant Security and Self Defense Training • AFA Files for Single Carrier at Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet • AFA Board of Directors & CWA Convention • TSA Trusted Traveler Program

Airline Focus: Continental Micronesia A brief look at the history of the Guam-based Continental Micronesia Flight Attendants reveals a culture of activism, evidenced most recently in the first week of the AFA membership drive: in just one week more than half of the total group of Continental Micronesia (CMI) Flight Attendants have submitted AFA membership applications. Temporary AFA CMI Officers were appointed on Monday:

• Phil Rayphand, President • Kathleen Domondon, Vice President • Victor Giles Williams, Secretary-Treasurer.

Phil and Kathleen will attend a new leader training at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland later this week and Victor will continue representation and collection of membership applications in Guam.

Today, Continental Micronesia (CMI) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines, although since December CMI has been flying on the same FAA operating certificate as Continental. It is exciting to welcome a new culture of Flight Attendants into our union and learn about their history.

In 1967, Continental Airlines was awarded its first contract to provide essential air service to Micronesia. Air Micronesia (“Air Mike”) was started up to provide that service. It was owned by United Micronesia

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Development Association, Continental Airlines and Aloha Airlines. Flights in the region were eventful. Runways were unpaved or nonexistent. Where rugged jungle runways did exist, pilots warned residents away with low-level “fly-bys” before landing. Runways were upgraded and hotels were built to encourage tourism and, in 1991, the island state of Micronesia gained independence.

Air Mike hired local women to work as Flight Attendants alongside Flight Attendants from Continental “on contract” to Air Mike. There were two separate seniority lists and two sets of work rules/pay. The local Air Mike Flight Attendants were unrepresented. The pay and work rules of the contract Continental Flight Attendants were governed by the Continental Flight Attendant contract. The two groups of Flight Attendants worked together onboard the aircraft. To correct the inequities, the Continental Flight Attendant Union (UFA) organized the Air Mike Flight Attendants in 1982.

The island of Guam in the Western Pacific lies just north of the 2,000 tiny islands that make up the Federated States of Micronesia. During World War II, Guam was captured by the Japanese and a brutal two-and-a-half-year occupation followed. U.S. troops recaptured the island on July 21, 1944. The date is now celebrated as ‘Guam Liberation Day'.

The rugged beginnings and remote location of the Guam-based flying created a great sense of camaraderie among the airline’s employees. But in the 1980s, increased competition in the newly deregulated industry began to take a toll. In 1983, under bankruptcy and the rapacious leadership of Frank Lorenzo, union busting, massive furloughs and concessions forced upon all employees and the 32 contract Continental Flight Attendants based on Guam, then members of the independent Union of Flight Attendants (UFA), were locked out. Many were rehired but were placed at the bottom of the seniority list, after those hired from the islands. In 1991, a badly battered UFA voted to merge with the airline’s mechanics in the International Association of Machinists (IAM). The Flight Attendants were finally able to negotiate a contract the following year that began to reverse the devastating losses of the previous decade.

Today, Continental Micronesia Flight Attendants are proud of the contract they have been able to build together. Their efforts to address each other’s needs and take care of each other have resulted in building a strong network of Flight Attendants with phenomenal results. Our union is stronger with their activism and the contributions they will surely continue to make to our careers. We are grateful to AFA CMI member Suzanne Hendricks for providing the history information for Continental Micronesia.

AFA Officers Attend Basic Leadership Training New officers from a dozen AFA airlines are attending the AFA Introduction to Union Leadership at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland, this week. The week-long training program is designed to inform new AFA officers about the responsibilities of union leadership, AFA structure and the resources available to represent AFA members. Leaders from different airlines are also able to network with and learn from one another, strengthening the bonds of our Flight Attendant union. At the conclusion of the training Continental and Continental Micronesia leaders will attend a special session on critical incident response, overview of AFA EAP and Air Safety, Health & Security departments, fundamental grievance responsibilities, professional communications and defining key issues and next steps.

AFA Testifies for Flight Attendant Security and Self Defense Training On Tuesday, July 12, AFA testified before Congress on the need for meaningful Flight Attendant security and self defense training in the post-9/ll era. As the only labor representative on the aviation panel, AFA’s Air Safety, Health and Security Director Chris Witkowski gave compelling testimony before the U.S. Homeland Security Committee Transportation Subcommittee on the benefits provided by enhanced safety and security training for Flight Attendants. Read the full AFA testimony. This testimony informed the Committee as they are drafting the TSA authorization bill, which will authorize the TSA as an agency independent of the Department of Homeland Security. The last time the authorization bill was introduced, it included language for Flight Attendant security training that improved existing language. That bill passed in the House but failed to pass in the Senate.

AFA Files for Single Carrier at Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet On July 8, AFA asked the National Mediation Board to declare that the Atlantic Southeast/ExpressJet merger has created a single carrier. With NMB approval of the request, a union representation election will be triggered for the combined Flight Attendant workforce. AFA currently represents the over 1,000 Flight

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Attendants at Atlantic Southeast Airlines. ExpressJet Flight Attendants are currently represented by the IAM.

CWA Convention & Special AFA Board of Directors Meeting In conjunction with the CWA Convention, the AFA Board of Directors (BOD) met to review, discuss and approve our annual budget. The BOD gave a standing ovation to our newest members from Continental and Continental Micronesia. Seattle Council 10 President Diane Tucker, an AFA leader for over 30 years, spoke with emotion and great meaning when she stated to the new Continental Flight Attendant leaders, “I am so grateful that I am here to see this day and able to welcome you back and welcome you home to our union.” Industry mergers are affecting many airlines. During the meeting we reviewed the status of AFA filings for single carrier status at Atlantic Southeast Airlines/ExpressJet and Pinnacle/Mesaba/Colgan. The BOD unanimously adopted resolutions in support AFA and Mesaba Flight Attendants as we work with them to unite Flight Attendants in AFA. A resolution was also adopted in support of our Retired Association of Flight Attendants. And, the BOD was energized as they discussed contract negotiations – standing together to achieve improvements. US Airways Flight Attendants received a standing ovation as we discussed their new path of federal mediation to achieve a contract and unify. The results of the United/Continental/Continental Micronesia election made clear that Flight Attendants are standing together and we will use the momentum from this election to advance our collective priorities.

AFA delegates to the CWA Convention were active participants during the Convention, which included the election of CWA officers. The convention voted to eliminate the Executive Vice President position prior to the elections. CWA President Larry Cohen was elected by acclamation and Annie Hill, former Executive Vice President, was elected CWA Secretary-Treasurer Annie Hill. CWA Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Rechenbach was honored for his service as he began retirement at the conclusion of the convention. International President Veda Shook addressed delegates during the organizing awards and introduced Max Fisher, the first Continental Flight Attendant to stand up publicly for gaining AFA representation.

TSA Trusted Traveler Program AFA International President Veda Shook was joined by Laura Glading, Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) President; and Thom McDaniel, Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 President in issuing a public statement on recent Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announcement of a ‘Trusted Traveler’ program. The statement emphasizes Flight Attendants’ role as first responders and the importance of expedited screening for “those who most frequently pass through airport security.” The statement reiterated the TSA initiative should support “all crewmembers working as a security team for the safety of the crew and the traveling public.” Read AFA’s press release.

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

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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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