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Hello Omni Flight Attendants,
We are hitting the ground running! As a group, we successfully completed our first task - winning the representation election. Now we have to work together during our membership drive and negotiations for our first contract.
Membership Drive
Although we are all represented by AFA now, we are not members. To be a member, one must sign a membership application. You may find one on our website (http://afaomni.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/AFA-CWA-Membership-Application.pdf). An application will also be sent to everyone for whom we have a mailing address.
If you are interested in being a part of our Membership Committee, please let us know.
It is very important to become a member of AFA as soon as possible. The election process for officers will begin once 50% of the flight attendants sign up for membership. Until the election process is complete, the appointed officers will remain in place. Also, only AFA members may run for office or be on a committee, vote in an election, attend AFA meetings, receive AFA newsletters/emails, join the new facebook page and participate in the contract survey. As you know, dues are not required until our first contract is voted on and approved by the members. Make your voice heard. Sign up for membership today.
Negotiations
Our Negotiating Committee will be comprised of three AFA member Omni flight attendants (two flight attendants and the MEC President) and a professional negotiator from the AFA International Office. Are you interested in being on the Negotiating Committee? Please send an email to afaoaimec@gmail.com to let us know. AFA will conduct training for this committee prior to the beginning of negotiations. Experience is not necessary.
Typically, negotiations occur one week per month. Initially, they will take place in TUL and possibly DFW and DCA. Prior to beginning negotiations, a contract survey will be conducted to gauge your priorities and wishes for our first contract. We are working on that survey this week and hope to have it out within the next few weeks. The Negotiating Committee will begin working on our opening proposal when the committee is trained and will complete it after the results of the survey are known.
AFA Staff Assigned to Our MEC
One of our goals is to begin negotiations as soon as possible (the sooner we start the sooner we finish!). Because of that we went ahead and selected our negotiator and her name should be familiar to you, Beth DeProspero. Beth is a Senior Staff Negotiator (who periodically pinch-hits as an organizer) and has been negotiating flight attendant contracts for 16 years. She is a former flight attendant an AFA leader. She very much enjoyed helping us organize and is excited to continue working with us. Beth may be reached at BDeProspero@afanet.org and is Beth D. AFA on facebook.
Toni Higgins is our AFA International Staff Rep (ISR). Toni’s job is to help us create our MEC, train the leaders and committee members and teach us about AFA. She will be there every step of our way during negotiations and afterwards. Toni is a former flight attendant and MEC President and her expertise is invaluable. Toni may be reached at THiggins@afanet.org.
Communications
Please print this and bring it on your next flight. Not everyone is signed up for our elines, and let’s face it, only electronic communications will work at Omni as we are rarely near our mailboxes. During the membership drive AFA emails will continue to be sent to everyone for whom we have a working email address. After the membership drive the emails will only be sent to the members, per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws.
We are thrilled to begin a new chapter in our careers at Omni. We finally have a real voice and cannot wait to begin to use it.
In Unity,
Mya Grap, Transitional MEC President
Ken Heare, Transitional MEC Secretary-Treasurer
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