MEC Hotline Message
Recording: 1-888-3-NWA-AFA

Special Hotline - Scheduling & Fatigue Surveys

21 October 2008

JOINT AFA & NWA SCHEDULING SURVEY
A joint Flight Attendant Scheduling Survey was developed through Union and Company cooperation.  This joint initiative demonstrates the correct way to survey unionized flight attendants, by working with their certified bargaining agent. We would like to extend our appreciation to all AFA Scheduling and Reserve Committee volunteers, as well as the Company representatives who worked diligently on the survey.

There have been many changes to the flight attendant profession at NWA, and AFA and the Company recognize that these changes have significantly affected your work schedules.  To get a better picture of your scheduling preferences in this new environment, we have worked together to produce a survey designed to solicit your input in the areas of pattern construction and bidding of schedules.  It is our hope that all flight attendants will participate, thus giving us the most accurate data base from which to make future pattern construction and computer bidding decisions.

Although there are contractual, federal, operational and economic requirements to be considered with the construction of patterns and PBS bidding, where and when there is flexibility, we want to be sure that your true priorities are taken into account.  You’ll see that many questions will require you to prioritize your preferences. This technique is required since in the pattern construction world it is sometimes true that ‘improving’ one pattern characteristic can negatively impact a second pattern characteristic. We also recognize that what is a priority at one base on a particular aircraft type, may not be a priority at another. We are therefore exploring whether there is a reasonable way (both technically and practically) to apply different pattern characteristics to different bases.

Only one survey will be allowed per flight attendant; your last entry will be the one that counts. Both AFA and the company will have access to the raw data produced from the survey. The MEC Scheduling Committee will work with the Company toward analyzing your input to present viable changes to pattern construction whenever possible.  The survey will remain open on ATLAS under “Hotlinks” until November 15, 2008.

FAA/CAMI FATIGUE STUDY POSTCARDS

Your MEC Air Safety Committee has been involved in the development FAA/CAMI Flight Attendant Fatigue Study and the upcoming related survey.  The survey is to be randomly distributed to 30,000 Flight Attendants later this year. The Federal Aviation Administration must determine whether flight attendants who received ‘certification’ are still active with their carriers.  FAA/CAMI will use the national flight attendant certification roster to distribute this survey.  They are determining the validity of their records via the postcards our members are receiving. 

The AFA Air Safety and Government Affairs departments, along with thousands of flight attendant activists, were successful in convincing Congress to back this initiative.  This is an important step in our ongoing efforts to obtain improved legal rest provisions and environmental protections for flight attendants.  Please complete the postcard and return it.  This will allow them to determine the accuracy of the FAA’s records, prior to distribution of this important survey. 

Posted by jrook on 10/21 at 06:04 PM