AFA Q and A
AFA Question and AnswerQ How much are Union dues each month?
A Union dues are $43.00 a month or $21.50 per paycheck.
Q Is the Union Election confidential?
A Yes, the Union Election is strictly confidential. Any information received by the AFA and the National Mediation Board will not be shared with the Company.
Q What does AFA do with my Union dues?
A AFA Union dues are used for the cost of negotiations, including the professional negotiators who will assist your negotiating committee. Legal costs, including AFA's experienced legal team who will work to enforce your legally binding contract.
Q When do I have to start paying Union dues?
A Union dues do not have to be paid until the first contract is established.
Q Why is Management worried about us joining a Union?
A Management knows the gains that other employees have made by unionizing. Management would prefer that they decide where that money goes, without having to negotiate with workers. Despite all their efforts to dissuade us by discrediting AFA and other unions, Management knows that having a union would be beneficial for us. Otherwise, they'd welcome unions with open arms. Management knows that with a union, they would have to take their employees seriously. Instead of just writing a memo to change our work rules or cut our pay, they would have to bargain with our negotiating committee.
Q Can't I just sit with management to work things out?
A That's really what contract negotiations are all about-representatives from Management and from the Flight Attendants sitting down to work things out in a legally binding contract. Without a union, management is under no legal obligation to keep any of their promises. There is no guarantee that those promises or enhancements will not be broken or eliminated once the pressure from unionization is off. With a union, Management is required by law to negotiate with you. A contract is a legally binding document that spells out your wages, benefits and working conditions. Promises and ever-changing work rules are turned into guarantees you can count on with a contract. If management violates the contract, they are breaking the law. AFA can take legal action, if needed, to enforce it. Today, if Management breaks a promise or violates one of its own rules, there is nothing legally you can do about it.
Q When you vote for AFA, can management take away the benefits or working conditions you have now?
A No. Under the Railway Labor Act, benefits, working conditions and wages you have now cannot be arbitrarily taken away because you vote for AFA. It's illegal for a Company to retaliate against its employees for voting for a union.
Q What will a contract do for us?
A A contract is a legally binding document that spells out our wages, benefits and working conditions. If Management violates the contract, they are breaking the law. AFA will take legal action to enforce it, if necessary. With a contract, changes to our benefits and pay would have to be negotiated. You have seen in the past how Management has manipulated our Working and Wage Agreement. Therefore, we cannot count on Management's goodwill alone to protect us.
Q Why do I need a union if the Labor Board or other Government agencies will help me?
A State and Federal laws guarantee Social Security, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation and protection from discrimination. But without a union, you have very little protection with regard to wages, benefits and working conditions. Even seniority is not protected by law. There is nothing to prevent Management from changing these items at its discretion.
Q Will AFA create hard feelings and make communication with Management difficult?
A Once you join AFA the job security that comes with having a legal contract makes for a better relationship based on mutual respect. Thousands of employees negotiate with unions. Over 80 percent of all flight attendants are union members. It's a normal part of business in the airline industry.
Q What if the Company refuses to negotiate?
A Legally, they can't refuse to negotiate with you. The law requires them to recognize and negotiate in good faith with the group's negotiating committee.
Q I just come to work and do my job. Why should I care if we have a union?
A Not everyone will want to participate in union activities, but everyone has an interest in the outcome, so you should exercise your right to vote. Ask yourself, would it be better or worse off if you had a legally binding contract? Would you be better or worse off if scheduling rules were spelled out in a contract, rather than changed at management's discretion. If you think you would be better off with AFA, then you need to take the first step. You can't have a union without enough votes. And, we can't have a contract unless all of us work together to get one.
Q Are unions an outside third party that may hurt our direct relationship with Management?
A The way that AFA operates is that the flight attendants at USA3000 will elect their own leaders. USA3000 flight attendants will be elected officers, council reps and negotiators with the help of AFA. AFA is here to help us represent ourselves.
Q If I am on furlough or leave of absence am I eligible to vote?
A Yes, any flight attendant on furlough or leave of absence with recall rights are eligible to vote in the upcoming election.