April Unity - TWU 556

APRIL 2007FEATURES:11 Maintaining Relationships on the Road14 Mythconceptions19 Relationships at Work29 The Reserve ReportDEPARTMENTS:2 From the Editor’s Desk4 President’s Page6 Domicile Reports12 That’s Life13 Treasurer’s Report20 Grievance Team Update21 FYI22 Capitol Hill Update23 Put Up or Shut Up24 Scheduling Committee Update27 Uniform Committee Update28 To Your Health30 JetSet31 Spotlight on Garry Drummond32 POINT/COUNTERPOINTMISCELLANEOUS:2 TWU Local 556 Editorial Policy5 Calendar of Events18 WANTED: Contract Negotiators18 2007 Transportation Day of ActionP 11P 14P 29On our Cover: This quarter’s cover was designed by MDWDomicile Executive Board Member Kyle Whitely, and ourcover model is Maranda Wanland, MDW Flight Attendant#79382. Many thanks to Kyle and Maranda for helping makethis quarter’s cover art the best yet!P 31

President’s Pageby Thom McDaniel - TWU Local 556 PresidentNo one knows betterthe value ofdeveloping andnurturing good relationshipsthan our Union.Our ties to our communities,our co-workers, andour Customers were key to achieving the industryleading Contract that we now enjoy. Since negotiations,our relationships with our International,Southwest Airlines, and other Unions have helpedus to develop and implement other improvementsin our quality of life including a drastic reduction in4-day trips, research on cabin-air quality, and ourreciprocal cabin seat agreement with AmericanAirlines. And of course, our solidarity and supportfor each other have made the Flight Attendants ofSouthwest Airline leaders in our profession and theLabor Movement at large.One of the most important areas where wemust develop and cultivate relationships is with ourelected officials. Through our coordination with ourfriends on Capitol Hill, we have enjoyed great successboth in achieving our Contract and allowingthe eventual repeal of the Wright Amendment.Through another productive relationships, ourUnion meets regularly with a coalition of all organizedFlight Attendant leaders. We have developeda legislative agenda that includes OSHA protection,cabin air quality, Crewmember fatigue,improved FMLA qualifications, carry-on baggagelimitations, transportation worker’s identificationcard, mandatory Crewmember self-defense training,and enhanced Flight Attendant certification.While this is a very aggressive agenda, we dofeel optimistic that we will be able to meet many ofour goals because after many years, we finallyhave a much larger number of Labor friendly leadersin Congress. We have developed relationshipswith many of these elected officials over the years,and they are now in positions to push our agendaforward for the benefit of our profession. In only afew months, the 110th Congress has passed morepro-worker legislation than in the previous six yearsincluding raising the minimum wage, paving theway for TSA Screeners to form a Union to negotiatefor better wages and working conditions, andHouse passage of the Employee Free Choice Act –three accomplishments that previously could noteven see the light of day.It is now up to us to make sure that we continueto support and elect Labor friendly candidates.Some of our Members feel that we should not usuallybe involved in politics, but these issues are notpolitics as usual. The laws that are made today willaffect your job tomorrow. You can make hugeimprovements in our Contract, but they can betaken away with the stroke of a pen in Washington.Although we can not use dues money to supportcandidates, we do have a mechanism to helpfinance the election of Labor friendly candidates.You can join COPE (Committee On PoliticalEducation) with as little as a dollar a month payrolldeducted or contribute more to become a COPEClub Member with t-shirts, jackets, and other giftsgoing to the higher contributors. Of course onedollar can’t make a difference, but when combinedwith the dollars of all of our Members, wecan support the candidates who deserve it. COPEfunds are used to support Democrats, Republicans,and Independents. The only criterion is that thecandidates are Labor friendly.During the months of April and May, our ShopStewards will be conducting a COPE contest to signup new members and allow current members toincrease the amount of their contributions. TheShop Steward who has the highest dollar amount innew or increasing contributions will win the opportunityto attend the TWU COPE Convention in WashingtonD.C. in July where they will get to hear manyof our elected leaders speak on important Laborissues and visit the offices of Senators and Representativesto encourage them to support legislation toimprove the quality of life of our Members.I hope that all of our Members will join COPE.When Gary Kelly announced that he was no longer“passionately neutral” about the WrightAmendment, American Airlines pledged to spend200 million dollars to keep it in place. This was afterthey had subjected their own employees to hugewage cuts to stay out of bankruptcy. Our COPEfunds will never be able to match the kinds of bigmoney that corporations put up to buy candidatesand legislation, but we can more than make up forthe deficit in our numbers.We need Labor friendly leaders in electedpositions and COPE is your opportunity to put themthere. Please join COPE and support the leaderswho support you. Those are the relationships wecan’t live without.4

Calendar of Events:What’s going on inyour Union?Crew Member Self Defense Training ScheduleTo enroll in the CMSDT Program, simply select the community college location of your choice from thelist below and call or write the designated point of contact. They will provide you with all necessarydetails and requirements for attendance, and assist you in enrolling in a training date of your choice.Please be sure to check www.tsa.gov often (click “What We Do”, then “Crew Member Self Defense”under the “Law Enforcement” header), as new training dates will be announced. Class availability maychange, so please refer to the website for the most up to date information. The following are the classesthat are scheduled at this point for 2007. All classes for 2007 are now scheduled in the one-day format.We expect additional classes will be added in the following cities, so please check the websiteoften for more information: Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.ATLANTA, GAGeorgia Perimeter College652 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston, GA 30021April 27May 4, 21June 11, 29Contact: Fran Mohr, Phone: (678) 891-3016E-mail: fmohr@gpc.eduDENVER, COCommunity College of Aurora16000 East Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO80011-9036April 19, 20, 21May 15, 18, 19June 7, 8, 9Contact: Michael Carter, Phone: (303) 360-4742E-mail: Michael.Carter@ccaurora.eduCHARLOTTE, NCCentral Piedmont Community CollegeP.O. Box 35009, Charlotte, NC 28235April 19May 1, 7, 8June 1, 5, 6Contact: Doug Norwood, Phone: (704) 330-4107E-mail: Douglas.Norwood@cpcc.eduMIAMI, FLMiami Dade College North Campus11380 NW 27th AvenueMiami, FL 33167May 7, 15Contact: Richard Masten, Phone: (305) 237-8481E-mail: rbloom@mdc.eduCHICAGO, ILWilbur Wright College4300 North NarragansettChicago, IL 60634-1591April 19, 26May 10, 17, 24June 14, 21, 28Contact: Jonna Brodersen Phone: (773) 481-8861E-mail: jbrodersen@ccc.eduContact: Chris Wilkerson, Phone: (773) 481-8842E-mail: cwilkerson@ccc.eduPHOENIX, AZGlendale County Community College6000 West Olive AvenueGlendale, AZ 85302April 26May 12, 22June 6, 21July 14, 24August 9, 21Contact: James Hornburg, Phone: (480) 517-8461E-mail: james.hornburg@riomail.maricopa.edu5

News from your Domicile News from your Domicile News from your Domicileby Lucy White-Lehman, BWI Executive Board MemberAS THE BASE TURNSPut your surprised faceon – we have morechanges in the BWIInflight office. DerrickDixon and RogerProudfoot went back on line in February. PamelaRaymond went back on line in March. Who’s next?KNOW YOUR POINTSIt is extremely important to know your point totals. Ihave seen Flights Attendants get fired becausethey thought their point total was 9 instead of 12.Once your points hit termination level, it makes atough case for the Union to overturn unless a mistakewas made in your file. Always follow-up tomake sure FMLA or a Doctor’s note was applied toreduce points. If you are in a situation where youhave high points (9.5 + = danger zone), make sureyou know all of your options. If you don’t qualify forFMLA, request a medical leave if you are going tobe out for 14 days or more.PROBATIONARY FLIGHT ATTENDANTSYou are entitled to Union Representation in anymeeting with Management. If asked to attend ameeting, call the Union for representation. Eventhough you are on Probation, you still have rightsand some protection under the Contract. You arecovered by the language in the Contract, forexample: Hours of Service, Crew Rest, Overlap, FARlegalities, Bidding, Pay issues, etc. You can call theUnion at any time to ask questions or for clarificationon issues. Don’t make the mistake that as aNew Hire you are on your own. The Union may beable to intervene and help.MISCELLANEOUS:On the last day of the month there is no orderof assignment. Scheduling can call you in anyorder to prevent overlap or pulling a trip in the newmonth. If you’re not sure, call the Union to ask. If you need to build up your sick bank, you cancall Payroll at 214-792-6160 and asked not to bepaid for a particular sick call. The BWI Spirit Party is on May 2nd at CamdenYards Check www.swalife.com for more info. Visit www.twu556.org and download theContract onto your computer so you can alwayshave it with you. CONGRATULATIONS! BWI won the Base of theYear and The Customer Service Award. BWI haswon the Customer Service Award 7 out of the last8 years. YEAH!As Always, if you have any questions or needadvice, please do not hesitate to call the Union at800-969-7932.by Kyle Whiteley, MDW Executive Board MemberHello Chicago! Itseems thatspring is finally inthe air. Get ready toput away those coats,scarves and keyboards.Keyboards? You know, keyboards, used towrite up fellow co-workers. I have worked on thisarticle in my head for over a month, and there is nofun way to dance around the topic, so I will simplypresent it as I see it.This past quarter I’ve had the misfortune of sittingin several Fact Finding meetings where oneFlight Attendant had written-up the other. Thesecases have ranged from simple personality conflictsto alleged violations of Federal AviationRegulations. These he said / she said cases rarelyresult in any discipline being issued, and oftenbackfire on the one that did the write-up.We should all work with the same goals inmind, though how we get to these goals may differfrom one person to another. Occurrences can6

News from your Domicile News from your Domicile News from your Domicilearise that you feel need to be addressed by a thirdparty, skip Management, and try callingProfessional Standards. They’re a peer-basedCommittee that assists all Flight Attendants withwork-related issues or conflicts. Confidential phonecalls are directed to Committee Members, whoassist in mediating an amicable solution. TheCommittee operates within the confines of FederalAviation Regulations, safety, and commitment toduty as defined by the Flight Attendant manual.The Committee Members will listen and seek tohelp provide solutions without Management orUnion involvement. The primary emphasis is thatbefore you write-up a fellow Flight Attendant, trytalking it out. Their number is 1-888-322-3735.Please don’t forget that if you are ever askedto meet with Management, for whatever reason,call the Union Office at 1-800-969-7932 to schedulea representative to stand with you. You paymonthly dues for the Union’s services; take advantageof our help and knowledge.In other MDW news, the construction on thePilot Lounge is finally over and the build out for theirnew bag storage room is almost complete. Ournew liquor money drop will be located in this newstorage room on the “A” concourse. The secondphase of our lounge construction will begin soon.I would like to welcome our two newestSupervisors, Kelly and Kathy. They both have previousairline experience and are looking forward toworking with us. On a sad note, we have lost twogreat friends from the office. Liz Pender has movedover to the People Department, and Rita Tubillejahas left to fly the skies. They will certainly be missed.Have a great spring, and please give call me at773-960-1702 if there is anything I can help you with.by Gwen Dunivent, DAL Executive Board MemberBy the time youread this, theExecutive Board’s“World Tour” will be infull swing. I hopemany of you had theopportunity to talk to your elected Leaders to let usknow what is important to you and your future.We have some new faces and positions in ourDallas Base Leadership. First of all, Tisha Hirsch, previouslyan Inflight Supervisor in Dallas, has been promotedto Assistant Base Manager. Tisha joinsRandall Miller in the Assistant position, and Henry isthrilled to have both of them. A second AssistantManager’s position has been added in anticipationof more growth in our Base, so that is very goodnews. We also have three new Supervisors in Dallaswho are replacing Janice, Jo Ann, and Danny,who have gone back on line. Dawna Edinbyrd hasbeen a SWA Flight Attendant based in both MCOand OAK. She has a rich background in leadershipin the telecom industry, and is a Texas Longhorn!Hector Barrera comes to Inflight from the Source ofSupport department at SWA, but also has years ofInflight experience, including the start-up of FrontierAirlines and Braniff Two and Three. He is thrilled tobe in the Inflight department, “where his heart is”.Thomas Kaminski comes from our Inflight TrainingDepartment, and has a fascinating history in ourindustry, including having been one of the originalFlight Attendants at AirTran, and also having flownfor Delta. All three of these new leaders have interestingstories to tell, and they all look forward tomeeting more of our fantastic Base. And it’s importantto note that all three of them have been Unionmembers in their past!At Love Field, in order to get through securityexpeditiously, please proceed to your far left asyou face the screening lines. All the way over tothe left you will find a line with just a strap across it.If you are in full uniform, and have your Crew I.D.badge prominently displayed, you will be allowedto move to the front of the nearest line. I am awarethat we need a crew-dedicated line and will continueto work towards that goal. However, thecoming renovations of the terminal may cause adelay in the process, so I will keep you posted. Asalways, please don’t hesitate to call me or e-mailme if I can be of any assistance. Thanks to those ofyou who have taken the time to e-mail me yourthoughts on the Pass/Fly Reserve system. My e-mailaddress is dal-debm@twu556.org, and the phonenumber at my desk is 214-640-4309.7

News from your Domicile News from your Domicile News from your Domicileby Jill van der Werff, HOU Executive Board MemberOur base hasbeen relativelyquiet lately, sothere isn’t a whole lotto report. BeckyGreen, a former HOUbase coordinator, has completed Initial Training andis now an official Inflight Supervisor.According to our Base Manager, Kevin Clark,the construction on the Central concourse is progressingand is still on schedule to be completedsometime this summer. Once that is done, all of ourflights that are presently operating out of the “A”concourse will be moved to the Central concourseand we won’t have the added security checkpointhassles of going back and forth between the twoconcourses! That’s the good news! The bad news isthat due to the extensive and costly constructiondelays, all of the airlines will be using the completedCentral concourse which will reduce the number ofgates that we had originally anticipated having thissummer. The “C” concourse will then be destroyedso that we will finally be able to utilize the 4 gates thatare presently being blocked by that building. Oncethe “C” concourse is gone, the location of our localMembership Meetings will obviously have to change,so be sure to check out our base page for the latestbase information and domicile news between UNITYpublications! After you’ve read Houston’s basepage, be sure to check out the other bases’ pagestoo, just don’t look at Chicago’s! Kyle Whiteley putsthe rest of us to shame!I only received two Emails regarding the presentReserve Pass/Fly system. One was completely positiveand the other suggested the change of lineholders picking up Reserve days to go behind scheduledReserves who want to fly and to the head of theline on the “pass” option list. I asked around and gotmainly positive comments from Flight Attendants.Please don’t hesitate to contact me personallyat (832) 754-8110 if you have an issue that you’d likeclarification on. For emergencies, always call theUnion Office directly at (800) 969-7932. If you’d liketo receive a reminder for local quarterly MembershipMeetings, please send me an Email athou-debm@twu556.org.by Mark Torrez, OAK Executive Board MemberThis month’s basereport is going tobe a little differentthan normal, so I hopeyou enjoy it. As FlightAttendants, we areconstantly forming new relationships each time wecome to work. Whether it’s with your Crew, Pilots,new Supervisors, Customers, or even other AirportEmployees, each new day we make impressionson others that either reflect on us personally, ourdepartment, or even SWA as a Company. I wouldreally like to see us focus mainly on our relationshipswith our fellow Crewmembers both internally (OAKcrews) and externally (other bases).First of all, please stop writing each other up. Irealize that things are going to happen on the airplaneand at work in general that may cause youconcern and you may feel compelled to report certainissues. While this is important, and sometimesnecessary, did you know we have more than oneway to handle it? We have a Professional StandardsCommittee that deals with all sorts of issues. Nowyou may be wondering, “What if it’s something serious?”No problem, the Professional StandardsCommittee does have a scope of issues that theyhandle, and in a situation is beyond their scope,they advise that Member to refer the issue toManagement (think safety violations). Did youknow that OAK’s own Lorrie Powell is the chair for the8

News from your Domicile News from your Domicile News from your Domicilewestern division which includes OAK, PHX, and DAL?Next, I’d like to talk about our relationships withour fellow Flight Attendants at other bases. Howmany times have you been asked, “So where areyou guys based?” Ever wonder why people dothat? Part of it is probably just small talk, but sometimesthere is more to it than just that. Think aboutwhen we ask each other that question and whatwe may use that information for. Think about whatbase stereotypes stem from that… ”OAK crewsnever help clean/are lazy”, “PHX crews are snobby/aren’tcourteous”, and “MDW crews party toohard”. We all know these generalities are not true,but the perception is still out there. I am proud tobe based in OAK not because of our shabby airport,or because of our state’s great healthcarelaws, I proud to say I’m OAK based because of thegreat Flight Attendants that I get to work with eachtime I fly a trip. I challenge each of you to dosomething each time you fly to change the negativestereotype associated with our base.Well, if you’re still with me, thanks for reading. Iknow this is a bit of a departure from my normalbase report but I hope you enjoyed it. For morebase specific news please visit our base webpage.Log in to www.twu556.org, click on “BaseInformation”, then “OAKLAND” for the latest news.While you are there, take a minute to give us somefeedback on the “What’s Next” page and tell uswhat you’d like to see changed in the nextContract. Email me at oak-debm@twu556.org withany base concerns.by Susan Kern, MCO Executive Board MemberWell Orlando,the impossiblehas happened.We have acheck-in phone outsideof Security–it onlytook from August of last year to accomplish! In allfairness, the GOAA didn’t help matters. Also, intheory, a bid has been awarded for the constructionon our lounge, with the stipulation that it becompleted within a 12-week timeframe. Be still myheart, I don’t think I can bear up under the weightof all this change…Fortunately I don’t think I’ll have to worryabout changes to our uniforms in the near future –the wear testing is still ongoing, and there’s been alot of back and forth between the UniformCommittee and Cintas. Please take a look at theUniform article on page 27 for more details,For all the chest thumping I heard before thenew terminators arrived in March I would havethought we’d have hundreds of new FlightAttendants running around the lounge. But no,since January 1, we’ve seen vacancies allowingfor 65 more in our base. That’s a far cry from the300 or so they were forecasting. At least we haveseen a return of that nearly extinct species calledVJA on days other than Overlap! Perhaps someonedecided it’s cheaper to offer VJA than it is toincrease staffing levels.Have you been challenged when comingthrough the Security Checkpoint as to whether youwere working that day or not? I’m trying to determineif this is an isolated incident with an overzealousTSA agent, or if in their attempt to protect theflying public the TSA is randomly asking this question.My personal opinion is it’s one of the fewremaining perks I have as a Crewmember- theability to use my magic decoder badge whetherI’m working or not. Please let me know if youencounter any issues with TSA- just drop a note inmy box or email me.Make sure you take a moment to read thechanges to the manual when inserting those revisions.Did you know that ‘C’ is supposed to tell the‘A’ Flight Attendant, “Forward cabin secured forpushback” after arming the galley entry door? Ididn’t, and you know the first thing Managementwill tell me is that I’m responsible for knowing thatwhile conducting a check ride - I’m sorry, it’scalled an “Inflight Audit” these days. All the betterto see if I’m wearing the right socks.Smokers take note- there’s a wild man in BDLwho runs hot and cold on smokers on the ramp. It9

News from your Domicile News from your Domicile News from your Domicileappears if you’re with a Pilot you’re OK- it’s whenyou fly solo that he gets all bent out of shape.Regardless of the station, double check withGround Personnel about smoking locations. Itcould get ugly.By the time many of you read this, we will bewrapping up the Executive Board “World Tour”. InMay you’ll have the chance to speak with membersof the Scheduling Committee and tell themdirectly what you think of the reduction in 4-daytest. I spent a day in DAL trying to learn line writingfrom the Scheduling Committee, and it is onetough job. If you want to know more about myday learning to write lines, check out the BaseInformation page on our website www.twu556.org.It was an eye opening experience. That’s it fornow- fly safe!by Michael Broadhead, PHX Executive Board MemberFor those who havenot been to thePHX lounge lately,we are finally in themidst of our remodeling.What a mess, buthopefully it will turn out as nice as the blue printsshow. The access code to the bag storage roomson the concourse level is NOT the “universal code”.There have been problems with theft, so pleasecheck with the Inflight Office for this information.Dave Kissman our Base Manager for approximatelysix months was promoted to WesternRegion Manager. Sonya Lacore, former AssistantBase Manager from MCO, is now in place filling hisshoes. PHX also has three new Supervisors: MikeByrd, Steve Murtoff, and Trey Kemp.A massive airport renovation and expansionplan for Sky Harbor is now under way. Major componentsare a monorail connecting all terminals,parking lots, the rental car facility (already in use),and demolition of Terminal Two. A new 33-gateTerminal will be built and SWA is slated to be thesole tenant. The city is also going to build a light railfrom the airport to connect to the new light railbeing built in the city of PHX. Terminal Four will addone more ten-gate concourse in the short termand it will be shared by SWA and US Airways.Many of you that have signed up to receivemy “PHX E-Connection” emails are not receivingthem due to your ISP blocking them as potentialspam. If you have signed up for the “E-Connection” and are not receiving the emails, youmust notify your ISP or adjust your settings to allowmy email address to be received. The email theyare sent from is: phx-debm@twu556.org.February unfortunately was a busy month withsome serious discipline issues for PHX FlightAttendants. The most common issues were pointsand conduct issues. We were also made awarethat a terminated Employee was contacting currentFlight Attendants by phone regarding his/hertermination. If you are ever contacted by someonethat has been terminated and they attemptto get you to make phone calls or write letters andmisrepresent the facts, it is best to contact theUnion immediately. While we can not violate confidentiality,we can certainly provide some clarity.Don’t get caught in the rumor mill.In February, I had the chance to meet theExecutive Director of AM 1480 talk radio in PHX atthe Maricopa Area Labor Federation meeting thatis held in PHX regarding a donation project sponsoredby the radio station. The plan involved a fleetof four large U-Haul trucks full of appliances andhousehold goods donated by PHX residents to betaken to Jackson Mississippi as part of Katrina reliefto an area that was somewhat overlooked comparedto New Orleans. The trucks were being drivenby four volunteers from PHX, but they needed away back. The next day, I talked with former PHXBase Manager Dave Kissman and submitted arequest. Just a few days later, he and Sr. DirectorEmployee Resources & Base Operations, NaomiHudson provided four tickets to the volunteers!TWU Local 556 and Southwest Airlines receivedmany statements of deep appreciation and gratitudeon the radio. This is yet another great exampleof how the Union and the Company can worktogether and make great things happen.10

“That’s Life”A look into the lives of real Flight Attendantsby Stacy K. Martin, 2nd Vice PresidentAfew months ago, Allyson asked me if I wouldbegin writing a regular column for UNITY. Ialways enjoyed writing my Houston DomicileReports, and to tell you the truth, I’ve felt a little“lost” without having a set subject to write abouteach quarter. I’d been giving it a lot of thought,and one day, it hit me. Life. If there’s one thing Iknow a lot about, it’s life. Our theme this quarter is“Relationships”, and through our relationships, weencounter our most significant life experiences. I’vebeen very open with my experience of losing mywife Shanna. This has been a helpful way for me todeal with my grief. Through this experience, I havemet many others who have encountered significantlife experiences, and I am constantly amazedand inspired by so many of you.Well, suffice it to say, I’ve found my niche. I’mgoing to start authoring a regular column in UNITYthat I’m calling “That’s Life”. A little more on thatlater. But in the meantime…Sunday night, February 28th, 8:12 P.M. to be exact:It was a wonderful day. That morning, I woke upwith my son Kendon staring me in the face. “Areyou ready” he asked. I had promised we would eatpancakes this Sunday morning. He picked a convenienttime of 7:19 in the morning to remind me ofthis. Of course, we got up, and off we went…breakfast was waiting after all. The day was full of“Kendon time”. We played, rode bikes, playedagain, all day. Around six in the evening, I preparedfor the next day, washing clothes, taking a bathwith Kendon. I started to stress about leaving forwork the next morning. My mom was in town totake care of Kendon for the week. All of whichbrings me back to the time of 8:12 pm.My mother was getting Kendon’s school foldertogether. I heard him telling her what he expects toeat for lunch Monday. I was folding clothes. Allseemed normal. I thought to myself, “things are OK,Kendon is bossing us around, and I am packing forwork”. Then, at exactly 8:12 PM, I stopped what Iwas doing. It is hard to explain what I was feeling inmy body. I felt like lead, I could not move. Then thethoughts came to my mind. It was not the first timethis had happened since Shanna passed away. Mymind was shifting to a different thought. I realizedthat everything that was going on, the bath, thelunch for school, getting ready for work… all threeof us happily doing a normal routine…Just oneproblem: This is what was supposed to happen withour lives. But I expected Shanna to be the one inthe kitchen preparing Kendon for his school day. Idrifted in to a state of mind of “How could this havehappened?”. It was like a thousand flashes ofmemories of spending time with Shanna. What anunbelievable mother she was. The love she had forKendon was passing through my body. I felt sad,love, joy, anger, and then it is was over. I looked atthe clock. What felt like being frozen in time, wasonly one minute, then it was gone.For most of you, maybe all of you, what I justdescribed to you is not unique to just me. We haveall experienced and lived these same rituals ofwhat we call life.I want to tell you about how Kendon and Ihave been doing since Shanna passed away.Kendon is doing remarkably well. He is funny, veryloving – a show-off. He is now 4 ½ years old, and Ido not think a day goes by that he does not talkabout his Mommy. I did not know what Kendonwould do, think, or how he would react to not havinghis mother around. What I have witnessed isincredible. Things were very tough for him the firstcouple of months after she died, and I was worriedabout him. He consistently has talked about theday they took Mommy away. The day she went toHeaven.About two months ago, he started asking methe same question every night. ‘Tell me about themorning Mommy died’. Each day he wanted toknow the details. Each day I told him. She wokeup at 4:30 AM. We cried together, she rubbed hishead as he was sleeping next to her. She told himshe loved him, she told me she loved me, and shetold us that she did not want to leave us. I told himwhat I said to her. She was going to leave us physicallybut would never leave us spiritually. I told himI kissed her, I said good-bye, we love you, she went12

to sleep and went to Heaven.Of course, I knew where the daily questionswere going. I knew he was going to ask it. He did.On February 11, 10:17 PM, Kendon asked, “How didher body get to Heaven?” There it was. I knewwhat he was asking. He said, ‘Where is the road toHeaven?’ I teared up. It was time. I explained burialand cremation. I told him that Shanna was cremated.And that her ashes were spread at the lakehouse. But I reminded him that Shanna had a souland her spirit went straight to Heaven. Everyone’sbody stays here, not just Mommy’s, but everyone’s.I tried to envision what life would be like withoutShanna. I think I knew it was going to be unbelievablydifferent. But my comfort came in the form ofKendon. Every time I look at Kendon, I see Shanna.Luckily, he received plenty of her genes, as he isbeautiful. What I underestimated was whatKendon would have to deal with. But I am learningfrom him. He is showing me the way. Like I said, itwas a pretty deep question for a little boy of hisage. But I must face it. He depends on me to tellhim the truth to his questions.Many times I have had Flight Attendantsapproach me by saying “I know what I want to tellyou doesn’t compare to what you have gonethrough”. I want you to know that’s just not true.Helping others also helps me. Whatever you havegoing on in your life, divorce, caring for parents, losinga pet, whatever the situation. Do not discountthe impact it has on your life. I have always said“My loss is no greater than yours, nor is yours greaterthan mine”. In the end, they are the same. It’s justthat each event is unique unto itself.So that’s my story for this quarter. In future editions,I’m not going to focus only on death, but onthe stories and life changing experiences of otherFlight Attendants. I feel strongly that through writingthis article and sharing these experiences, others willknow that they are not alone. If you have encountereda significant life experience from which youhave learned and grown, please email me andshare it with me at vicepresident2@twu556.org.In closing, Kendon and I are taking it a day ata time. Shanna is in Heaven but will always be withus. We are surrounded with love. And this is our life.Treasurer’s Update: Technology, friend or foe?by Gayle Ross, TreasurerIam sure most of us have experienced alove/hate relationship with our computer. Whenit works we love it and it is the best thing everinvented, but when it does not work correctly, weare ready to smash it against the wall!Lately, I have been ready to smash our DuesDatabase against the wall! I know I would neverwant to bill our 9000+ Membership manually, so Ido love the technology, but lately the database iscreating huge errors which have caused the databaseto be a foe to you and me.I have created two billings since taking theoffice of Treasurer and both have had databaseissues. The creator of our database has agreed torepair the system, so I am optimistic that our thirdbilling will be accurate. My sincerest apologies tothose of you who received Final Notices on whatshould have been First Notices. I promise I am nottrying to harass you. Trust me, I feel the databaseis harassing me! The system overlapped threemonths in 2006 and many of you were re-billed forpayments already received.I am hopeful that our database creator willrestore our system and it will once again be ourfriend. Many of you called with questions regardingpayments actually owed and not understandingwhy your dues were not automatically deductedfrom your next paycheck. SWA will not allow us todeduct back dues from your next paycheck,which is why we must send you a bill.Also, many of you felt you had just sent me acheck, but that was for 2005 and/or the first half of2006. This billing was supposed to have been forpast dues and/or the second half of 2006, insteadthe system billed April thru September 2006, whichduplicated the months of April, May, and Junefrom the previous billing. The next billing will includeall of 2005/2006 and will be the first bill for themonths of October thru December of 2006.I again apologize for the database confusionand ask you to give me one more chance for acorrect billing. If the technology is my foe and the“third time is not the charm” I may be inviting theMembership to help me smash the system againstthe wall… only teasing.I promise I am manually adjusting eachaccount and if you sent in a duplicate payment Icredited your account. If your credit is not used onthe next billing I will issue you a refund. I appreciatethose of you who have been supportive andunderstanding during this frustration and encourageany of you with concerns or questions toplease give me a call at 214-640-4304, or send mean email at treasurer@twu556.org.13

vs.by Cuyler ThompsonRecording SecretaryIwas flying B position andhad come running backonto the plane in St. Louiswith an Asian ChickenSalad for the C-girl and abig bag of chips and salsafor me. I paused in the frontgalley for a minute, my cell-phone ringing in mypocket, preboards trying to run me over, to bebriefed by the new Captain. I headed for theback galley and promptly dropped the phone as Itried to turn it off with one hand and quickly stowthe food in the Flight Attendant storage cabinetwith the other, trying to stay out of the Provisioner’sway. I reached down quickly, grabbed the phoneout of the puddle of water and stood up too fastunder the open door of the cabinet (again)!Ouch! I stumbled backwards and was guideddown onto the jumpseat by the Fourth, who hadappeared out of nowhere. I saw stars, I saw double,I saw this guy that I hadn’t seen in what felt likeforever. What was his name? Casey? Kelly?OK, you know how you fly with someone acouple of times, get to know them fairly well andthen don’t see then again for years? And you foolishlytry and pick up where you left off? And thenyou foolishly try to make small talk so you don’t looklike such an idiot for hitting your head where westewardesses always foolishly hit our heads (again).Charlie? What the hell was his name?“Are you still with the hot Venezuelan stewardess?”I asked innocently.“No, she married a pilot and I’m gay”, heanswered bluntly.“Oh, that’s tragic”.“That I’m gay?”“No, that she married a pilot.“Oh right. How’s your head, dude?” he asked.“Fine,” I lied.“You’ve changed a bit yourself since we flewtogether.”“You’re still looking at my head; I shaved it a whileback.” I replied knowingly.“Yeah, I noticed that from your picture in the Unionrag, but that’s not what I’m getting at,” he teased.“You were pretty pissed off at the Union the lasttime I flew with you and look at you now: nowyou’re an Officer”.“Has it really been that long since I’ve seen you?”I tried to stall.“What happened to change your mind?” hepressed.“What happened to change yours” I retorted.“About what?”“About the Venezuelan……”“Very funny,” he replied, not amused.“I guess you could say that we’ve both sort ofcome out of the closet, eh?” I was proud of myjoke.“Excuse me sir, can I get an unopened can ofwater and a straw? I need to take some Advil,”some polite paying customer rudely interrupted. Istared at her.“I’m your Fourth, Cuyler. I’ll do your peanuts. Niceto see you.” He smiled and turned back towardshis seat in the cabin.“Hey, see you in ten years or so… thanks for the14

help... with my head,” I answered after him.“Excuse me, can I get that water?”“Ma’am, may I have some of that Advil, please?”Carey? Keith? Curley? I’m so stupid sometimes:I always think of the perfect thing to say tenminutes after I could have said it. Well there I sat onthe jumpseat and it had been fifteen minutes andI still didn’t know what I should have said. What thehell? He had asked a very good question; one thatwas not easily answered on the spot, obviously.Why had I appeared so angry at our UnionLeadership ten or so years ago? I remember beingpretty mad at them and talking trash about them,I just don’t really remember exactly the reasonwhy. I mean, I was a new Flight Attendant and Icame to work (a lot), I did my job (very well, I think),and stayed out of trouble (for the most part).Really, the only reason I knew that we even had aUnion was because they were taking money out ofmy paycheck and because some senior mamahad told me that the Union’s Negotiating Teamwere all awarded diamond tennis bracelets afterthe Contract was signed in 1997 (sneaky bastards).There were a lot of those types of rumors and misconceptionsback then. I feel very differently nowabout our Union and its Leadership than I did backthen. So what has changed? Well the Union haschanged, its Leadership has changed, and theCompany has changed but most importantly: Ihave changed.FLASHBACKI was flying with this senior Papi in Oakland,Marty Nelson, and knew that he was involvedsomehow with our Union Leadership. We had afew drinks one night (I know, put on your surprisedface) at that weird Karaoke place down the streetin Seattle and I proceeded to get ugly drunk andtried to affect some credibility for all the nastyrumors and gossip that I had heard about ourUnion and its Leadership. What I heard andlearned instead was that I had a lot of misconceptionsabout our Union. I also learned from Martyhow very easy and wise it was (and is) for someonewho has a question for or about our Union or itsLeadership to pick up a phone and call the UnionOffice and simply ask. (I used to call anonymouslyat first). Anyway, what I am trying to convey to younow (and should have told Kitten there in the backgalley) is that the reason that I was so angry anddistrustful of our Union was because I had so manymisconceptions about it and didn’t really knowhow to ask the questions much less what it was thatI wanted to ask. I’ve gotten better about askingquestions and stopping rumors. Even before I wasinvolved with the Executive Board, I would hearsomething on the jumpseat and simply call theUnion (1-800-969-7932: I had it memorized) and ask.It’s like those people who are afraid to fly. Some ofthem are not really afraid that they’re gonna die oranything; it’s sometimes a fear of the unknown. Butwhen you talk to them a little and explain a fewbasic things, they seem to relax. I swear, the moreI learned about the Union, the better I felt.We all know how dangerous rumors are. If youask the Flight Attendant next to you on thejumpseat if she has heard that Cuyler Thompsonwas electrocuted by his cell phone when aProvisioner, enraged because Cuyler had put abag of trash in the LAV, knocked him in the headand into a puddle of water on the galley floor,doesn’t it just advance the rumor? Call the UnionOffice and ask, dammit! So, let me get you startedhere. Here’s a little something to talk about on thejumpseat. In no particular order, what follows arethe top fifteen myths and misconceptions that ourShop Stewards were able to come up with andwhat I’ve found out about them.“I heard that a former Officer is suing the Union.”Our Local is not currently involved in any litigation.“I think the Executive Board makes changes to ourContract without the input of the Membership.”I asked Lucy White-Lehman, Baltimore DomicileExecutive Board Member, for help answering thisquestion because she was recently very proactivein determining how the Baltimore Base felt regardingthe new Reserve Pass/Fly System.“Recently the Executive Board asked for your inputregarding the new Reserve Pass Fly System. Weasked you to email your Domicile Executive BoardMembers any and all comments/feedbackwhether it was negative or positive. In Baltimore, Icollected 172 positive, 2 negative and 1‘not sure’email responses. Also in Baltimore there were ShopStewards in the lounge every week during themonth of February to ask you for your feedback. Iwas elected by the Baltimore Membership to representyou. It is very important for me to know howBaltimore feels about certain issues. Please feel freeto contact your Domicile Executive Board Memberor any other Board Member at any time with yourcomments whether they are negative or positive. Ifyou feel a Board Member is not accurately representingthe Membership, pass on those concerns tothe Executive Board immediately.”“The concept of “Fly Now Grieve Later” is part ofour Contract.”(Continued on next page)15

I emailed Stacy Martin, 2nd Vice President for helpwith this question. Here’s what Stacy said:“This is a frequently asked question of our Union. Iam tired of the Company using it as a tool to getaround the Contract. The concept was establishedin the 1926 Railway Labor Act, a Law thatwas passed by Congress and later amended toinclude Airlines. Because certain Industries weredeemed ‘vital’ to the economic interests of theNation, in this case, Railroads, the process was setup to settle work disputes through a grievance procedurethat would prevent the shut down of theIndustry because of violations of a Contract.Airlines were added to this Law under the LaborManagement Reporting Act: As Amended in 1959.Simply put, once you have established a Union tobargain with Management on your behalf, yourContract becomes part of the Law. This allows forthe resolution of work rules to be enforced, while atthe same time, allowing for the operation of theIndustry to continue without a disruption. It allcomes down to the Economic importance andsuccess of the Nation. Transportation is consideredvital to the best interest of the Nation, including thecarrying of Cargo on trains, and now, the transportof Passengers. Although the process may at timesseem unfair or cumbersome, it allows for continuedoperations even though the Company may be inviolation of the Contract. This does not give theCompany Carte Blanche to not adhere to theContract. If your Union is strong, and enforces theContract through the grievance process, then theincentive is for the Company to abide by theContract. This is standard in the Industry.“I believe that the Union Leadership is anti-Company.”False! I may get pissed off at middle Managementon occasion (you know, like when they hide tripsthat should be in Open Time, assign you to a tripoutside of your contact hours or have an office fullof Inflight Supervisors that don’t have a clue whatit’s like to be a Flight Attendant) but I and the restof the Executive Board positively outrageouslyLOVE this great Company and want what is bestfor it. It would be pretty stupid for us not to. Iexpect us all to have happy, prosperous and longcareers at Southwest Airlines.“I heard the Executive Board does not share rentalcars while in Dallas.”All Executive Board Members are allowed theirown rental cars while in Dallas for Union business.However, to save money, your Executive BoardMembers usually share rental cars. I share withLucy, Stacy shares with Jill, Susan shares with Brett,Michael M. shares with Michael B., and Allysonshares with Mark. Gwen and Gayle don’t needrental cars because they live in Dallas. Thom drivesthe Local’s van, and shuttles people wheneverneeded. Kyle gets his own car because he hasalternative lodging.“The Executive Board is not taking a strong stanceagainst the increased number of days worked andare not very sympathetic because some of themdon't fly”I contacted Kyle Whiteley, Chicago DomicileExecutive Board Member and Co-chair of theScheduling Committee, for help answering thisquestion:“The Executive Board has not taken a strongstance with the Company regarding the number ofdays worked, because the Company is not violatingour Contract. We are seeing more pairings onthe lines because we voted in our last survey toreduce the number of 4-day trips. There’s moreinformation about the end of the reduced 4-daytest on page 24. As far as the Executive Board notbeing sympathetic to the plight of the FlightAttendants, only four of our Officers are on full timepulls. The other ten Officers bid lines and fly, andare pulled on an as-needed basis. As for myself, myUnion duties are on my mind almost every wakinghour, and, first and foremost, looking out and workingfor our Membership.”“The Executive Board just gave themselves all payraises.”False. Political suicide? No thank you.“The Union Offices are housed in ‘Trump towers’,the ‘Taj Mahal’, or (insert name of famous largeextravagant building here).”I needed an unbiased, non-vested person toanswer this question. I contacted Houston FlightAttendant Jerry Lindemann to answer this questionsince I had recently seen him at the Union Office.“I am happy to answer that question for you. Thenew union offices are nice, especially when youcompare it to the OLD office. There is no questionabout that. The office is located on the top floor ofa seven story office building that was built in 1986.The space was been re-decorated before theUnion moved in, but the building is still 21 years old.Recently, the electricity went out in the building forseveral days, which indicates the building is anolder one. Having recently seen the space, I cantell you it is nice, but not luxurious. It is adequateand professional, not unlike any other professionaloffice you may go to. The old office was an16

embarrassment with dingy, dirty carpets and walls.The new space is cheery, bright and secure. It isalso much cleaner and better decorated. The bottomline is professionalism, location and security. Itis close to headquarters and the airport to reducetravel time for the Executive Board Members whooften must travel or hold meetings in SouthwestAirlines Headquarters. It also provides security asanyone who works in the office must possess acard to enter the office. This helps to track who isin and out of the office and at what times. Whilesome may not understand the need for this currently,you never know when the Union must needto know this in the event of a breach of informationor break in. The Union need no longer feel “embarrassed”to hold meetings with the Company in thenew offices. I can tell you that the new space isadequate for a multi-million dollar operation andthat your Union dues are being put to good use byrenting this space”.“Somebody told me that the Executive Board ispushing for minimums.”Minimums have been such a hot topic on thejumpseat lately. The Executive Board published arecent POINT/COUNTERPOINT article in UNITYMagazine to help explain it to those who may notunderstand what all the fuss is about. IfManagement wanted to implement minimums,they would have to negotiate them duringContract Negotiations. The Executive Board will beconducting several more surveys between nowand when the next round of contract negotiationsbegins; we’ll make sure that we know how theMembership feels about minimums before we doanything. (For now, you can visit the TWU 556Website and make contract suggestions by clickingon the “What’s Next?” tab.) How do I feelabout it personally? Well, I’m glad that you asked.Just the word minimums makes me cringe! I WILLNEVER VOTE TO IMPOSE FLYING MINIMUMS ON OURMEMBERSHIP! So there.“Is it true that there are hidden pay steps in thecontract and the original employees are on asuper-secret pay scale.”I contacted Gwen Dunivent, the Dallas DomicileExecutive Board Member and the most seniorBoard Member, for help answering this question.Flight Attendant pay is outlined in our CollectiveBargaining Agreement (CBA) or Contract. Gwenreported that the “Topped Out” Flight Attendantsreceive no more nor less than what is detailed inthe pay rates that appear on page 85 underArticle 21 of our Contract. After slinging peanutsfor 27 years Gwen earns $47.63 per trip. Cuyler,after 12 years, earns $43.08.“I was told that the Union was sued by theDepartment of Labor over the last elections”.I asked our President, Thom McDaniel, for helpanswering this question. Here’s what Thom had tosay:“The Union was not sued by the Department ofLabor (DOL) over the 2006 Officer Elections. TheDepartment of Labor oversaw our Officer electionsas a result a settlement regarding the 2003 FirstVice President’s election. There were three complaintsfiled by candidates on our 2006 elections.All complaints were investigated as required andno violations were found that could have affectedthe outcome of the election. The DOL requestedand Local 556 agreed to seek change in therequirement in our Local Bylaws to attend twoMembership Meetings or submit letters of nonattendancewithin 30 days of the last meeting torun for office. The Executive Board agreed to complywith this request and will seek the change subjectto Membership vote in our upcoming round ofBylaw revisions.”“The Executive Board and Office Staff haven't flownlines in years.”True. Well, some of them haven’t. According toour Local’s Bylaws, Officers are required to fly amulti-day Pairing or conduct a multi-day LoungeMobilization at least once each quarter. TheExecutive Board may excuse them from fulfilling thisobligation if necessary to not disrupt the operationof the Local. There is no Bylaw requiring that membersof our Grievance Staff must fly. Our GrievanceStaff Members are Flight Attendants but have been‘pulled’ to work in the Union Office full-time. Theydo not bid a line of time (that would add their tripsto Open Time). They work Monday through Fridayat the Union Office; they may fly on the weekendsif they want to.“The Executive Board and Office Staff make$94,000 a year.”I contacted Gayle Ross, our Treasurer for helpanswering this question. Here’s what Gayle had tosay:“All Full-time Grievance Staff Members and Officersare paid the same as the highest paying line in thesystem, which is never more than 130 Trips for Pay.All Full-time Officers receive an extra 15% whichbrings the trip total from 129-130 to 148-149, this isdue to all of their extra committee work and dutiesafter office hours. They are each paid at their individualbase rate and receive all applicable perdiem. All of our current Officers are “topped out”,(Continued on next page)17

which is coincidental. The Union does notpay their vacation weeks; this is paid by theCompany. Sick calls are paid from theFlight Attendant’s sick bank, not by theUnion. This places the Officers’ annualsalary in a range of $85K to 92K beforetaxes. The Grievance Staff has a widerrange due to their more varied rates ofpay. Their salaries fall between $45K to$70K before taxes.”“I heard the retainer we pay the lawyer torepresent us is $500 a month. If he has to doany legal work it is more. Same lawyerwho represented the Union in previous lawsuits.”I contacted attorney Ed Cloutman for helpanswering this question. Mr. Cloutmanreported that both of the above statementsare true. In the early 1990’s, EdCloutman was on retainer with what wasthen known as the Ramp, Ops andProvisioning Association (ROPA) ofSouthwest Airlines which later became TWULocal 555. In the mid-1990’s TWU 556 waslooking for an attorney and the ROPALeadership recommended Mr. Cloutman.He has been with us ever since then. Wepay him $500 per month as retainer (abouthalf of the standard rate). He is availableto give us legal advice via telephone,proofread documents, etc. anytime at noadditional cost. If we require him to representus in court or at arbitration or somethingof that nature there is an additionalcost associated with the work.CONCLUSIONSo, now what? I’ve heard a few FlightAttendants say over the PA system, “Besure and tell a friend that we were earlytonight, because I know you would tellthem if we were late!” Come on; spreadthis information, will you? And in the future,if you hear something about your Union orits Leadership that you would like to knowmore about, talk to someone who knows,call the Union Office or call Cuyler; I maynot know the answer but I know someonewho does. Well, my head has healed nicely,thanks for asking, but I never did rememberthe name of the guy that kept me frombeing electrocuted by my cell-phone. I’msure I’ll be on his jumpseat in a few yearsand foolishly ask him if he’s still with theVenezuelan pilot.WANTEDTwo highly motivated, hard working FlightAttendants who have a good knowledgeof our Contract, are willing to learn, workwell with a Team, and who are willing to standup for the Membership of TWU Local 556.What position are we looking to fill? Injust over a year, our Contract will becomeamendable, and the time is drawing near toassemble our 2008 Contract Negotiating Team.According to the TWU Local 556 Bylaws, theNegotiating Team is comprised of thePresident, 2 Flight Attendants appointed by theExecutive Board, and 2 Flight Attendants electedby the Membership. In July, your ExecutiveBoard will be appointing 2 Members, and atthe August Membership Meetings, nominationswill be taking place for the 2 Flight Attendantswho will be elected by the Membership.If you are interested in being consideredfor appointment by the Executive Board,please send a letter of interest along with aresume to:Thom McDaniel, PresidentTWU Local 5567929 Brookriver Drive, Suite 750Dallas, TX 752492007 TransportationDay of Action!Everyone is welcomed to practice their lobbyingskills on Capitol Hill, May 17, 2007and participate in the "2007 TransportationDay of Action." Transportation Unions are comingtogether from around the United States toWashington, DC to lobby transportation issues.Come join TWU and represent TWU Local Local556 at this very important event.For more information call:Portia Reddick White at (202)638-6154 orThom McDaniel at (800) 969-793218

Relationships at WorkWhat they say about us and who is to blame?by Michael Broadhead, PHX Executive Board MemberWhile working as a FlightAttendant, we have“relationships and associations”based on our job dutieswith other coworkers, SWA,Customers, TWU Local 556, andthe FAA just to mention a few.These relationships take manyforms and can change veryquickly depending on the circumstances.Many of the peopleor entities we have associationswith at work can be effective,pleasant and professional.But when we add conflict to themix, sometimes even minor,some coworkers take a hostileattitude towards others and theymay even resent them. Adjustingto those associations takes constantchange because everythingchanges.Sometimes we can make anadjustment in the name of gettingalong until the trip is over orthe flight is over and theCoworker or Customer leaves.Problem solved. But what aboutthe larger picture – what if WEare the reason people have toadjust all the time? Now who’sto blame? Is it their fault, or couldit be my fault?We all have worked withsomeone at one time or anotherwith whom we have felt it wasdifficult, if not impossible to communicate.We may even haveour own mental “no fly list” as ameans to cope. They makedemands, demonstrate what wethink is strange behavior(s),speak to others in what we mightfeel is a strange or derogatorymanner, violate SWA proceduresor violate FAR’s. We all walk athin line of “letting things go” vs“saying something”. We all knowthat approaching someoneabout a questionable behavior,violation of an FAR or SWA policycan be extremely stressful. Whendiscussing situations like this, mostof my coworkers tell me “theyjust let it go and say nothing atall”.Many times when weobserve or hear something formanother co-worker, and thenmake the choice to approach it,we state the concern in arespectful manner (a hugerequired factor). We may begreeted with a defensive andsometimes hostile reaction.What is it about mentioningto someone that somethingneeds to be adjusted or discontinuedthat causes people tobecome so hostile and defensive?What is it about being a selfmanaged Flight Attendant, thatwhen it comes to respectingsomeone enough to say, “hey,that might not work very well”, or“that policy just recentlychanged” or “I just hadRecurrent and they addressedthis issue and it has changed”that elicits anger and hostilityrather than an expression ofappreciation or just a simpleacknowledgement. If someonehas enough respect toapproach a concern, respect isdue in return.I heard a saying a few yearsago from a co-worker. It was inregards to a discussion abouthuman behavior. The expressionwas “How’s that working foryou?” Meaning, what part of myactions, behavior and communicationswas I responsible for?What part do I own? What resultsdid they produce, or not. I couldno longer blame anyone once Irealized the truth of the statement.What does it say about me ifsomeone says, “Hey Broadhead,that changed and we no longerdo that” and my response is tobecome angry and hostile anddemand that it be my way andeveryone else is wrong. Whatdoes it say about me if I resentFAR’s or SWA policy or procedures?It means I am going to bevery difficult on my Customersand Co-workers!Relationships with othersrequire a commitment for dualrespect. It requires the knowledgethat our work placechanges, and so must we. Itrequires each of us to beaccountable to ourselves and toeach other. It requires that weadjust to our surroundings thatchange by the minute. It requireswe let each other know thatsomething may not be correct ormay not work very well withrespect and professionalism. Itrequires that we respond ratherthan react. It simply means thatwe respect another person in theprocess of learning new information.Our work experience andwho we are is largely defined bythe relationships and associationsthat directly affect our workplace, and by the fact that weare to blame (code for accountableand responsible) not anyoneelse.19

TWU Local 556Grievance TeamDefending Your Rights!by Denny Sebesta,Grievance Committee ChairpersonSince the last Grievance update in the January2007 UNITY Magazine, your Union Leadershiphas been working on several issues brought forwardby Members. Through a collective effortbetween Management and the Union, 5 Letters ofUnderstanding were developed and approved bythe Union’s Executive Board which has helped toclarify the following issues:SINGLE HOTEL ROOMS: Due to unforeseen circumstancesand not enough hotel rooms, Schedulingasked a Flight Attendant Crew to share a singlehotel room. Management understood the potentialramifications for Harassment and/or Safetyproblems. This letter clarifies that Scheduling willnot ask Crews to share a hotel room in accordancewith Article 22.3 of our CBA, and if suitableaccommodations are not available, Schedulingwill notify the Union.NOTE: A Crewmember may volunteer to share aroom to rectify the problem but will not berequired.FLIGHT ATTENDANT ELIGIBILITY FOR DOUBLE THE TIMEOFF AFTER AN ILLEGAL DUTY DAY: This became anissue when Flight Attendants picked up an assignmentafter becoming illegal on the pairing theywere currently flying. The Union and Managementagreed that the intent was to compensate thoseFlight Attendants who had an affected assignmenton their schedule prior to becoming illegal. This letteralso outlines pulls and pay.Your Grievance Team (seated L to R): Denny Sebesta,Catherine Rea, Amy Montgomery, and Amy Lynn Neeper.Standing (L to R): Shae Grajeda, Kathy Anderson, Becky Parker,Gwen Dunivent, and Stacy Martin. Inset: John Parrott. Not pictured:Lyn MontgomeryUNSCHEDULED RON BETWEEN ORIGINAL ANDPICKED UP OR TRADED RESERVE DAYS: Schedulingwas not adhering to the Contractual languageunder Article 11.12.B with regard to compensationfor Reserves and unscheduled RONs betweenOriginal and Picked Up or Traded Days. This letterclarifies that the Reserve is entitled to all; RIG of 1trip for every 3 hours from block to end of debrief indomicile, time and one-half (1.5) and an additionalday off with pay in accordance with ourContract.CHARTER HOTEL ROOMS WITH GREATER THAN 4HOURS GROUND TIME: This was brought to theUnion’s attention by a Member who felt that therewas a potential fatigue and safety issue for FlightAttendants flying a Charter scheduled over 14hours with a long period of scheduled ground timein domicile. This letter was developed to be incompliance to a previous settlement that statedhotel rooms are to be provided for greater than 4hours of ground time at an outstation, with anaddendum to include a hotel room in domicile foronly those Charters that fall within the parametersof this letter; Charters scheduled with greater than14 hours of duty and greater than 4 hours of groundtime will be provided hotel rooms in domicile.NOTE: This is the only exception for hotel rooms providedin domicile when ground time exceeds 4hours.RESERVE JETWAY TRADES: Since Negotiations, therehas been a recurring question as to why a Reserveon the last day of their Reserve obligation is notallowed to jetway trade their last live working leg.Management agreed that a Reserve would beallowed to jetway trade the last live working leg oftheir pairing if they met the following criteria:1. The Reserve is not legal for an additionalassignment2. The Flight Attendant accepting the jetwaytrade is scheduled as a paid deadheadon the same flight number and is FAR legal(Continued on page 34)20

fyoriournformationby Kathy AndersonTWU Local 556 Grievance Teamfyi:When calling Scheduling to complete a jetway trade, your duty day can go to 14 hours FAR ifyou waive your legalities.fyi:The Contractual 48 hour break is required within 7 days from the last day worked; not betweenbid line months. This usually becomes an issue between bid months because this is where the illegalcombinations occur. Legal combinations are defined on page 33 of the Contract.fyi:All overlap adjustments are made in the new month which pay protects the current month.Please refer to the Overlap Q&A in the Contract on page 157.fyi:During the overlap period, Scheduling can pull from the trip which begins in the old month at theSIP if the SIP falls in the new month. The part of the trip that is pulled will be in the new month.fyi:If you receive less than 10 hours crew rest followed by a duty period that exceeds 12 hours, youwill receive triple time for trips flown after 12 hours.fyi:One more time!! Any time you speak with Scheduling, it is very important that you make a noteof the date, the time (CST) and the name of the Scheduler, just in case you need to file a grievance later.Keep in mind that there are literally hundreds of conversations on these tapes. If we are not given accuratetimes, it could take us several hours to find just one conversation and the resolution of your grievancecould be substantially delayed or worse, the tape may never be found.fyi:When you call in sick to Scheduling the only information needed by the Scheduler is your name,employee number, pairing number. You do not need to explain the details of your condition.fyi:If you call in sick on line, you are Positive Space back to your Domicile. Scheduling is to makearrangements to get you back to your Domicile. If you are told to make your own reservations, pleasecall the Union.fyi:If your crew is scheduled as Must Ride Deadheads, two passenger seats and the 4th jumpseat willbe blocked for you.fyi:fyi:If you pick up a trip during your vacation and call in sick for that trip, you will not be paid for that trip.If you submit a pairing for give-away and that pairing is changed in any way, the pairing numberwill change and the pairing that you originally submitted will be dropped from the give-away box.You will have to go back and submit the new pairing number for give-away.21

Capitol Hill UpdateEverything an 8th Grader knows aboutUS GovernmentLesson One: The United States Constitutionby Portia Reddick White, TWU Legislative RepresentativeThis is the second of a series of articles to help theFlight Attendants of TWU Local 556 understandTWU’s involvement in the legislative processWhen you work in and around the D.C. areayou become quite familiar with the phrase“On the Hill”. But in essence you don’thave to live in DC to participate on the Hill. In fact,the process on the Hill begins and ends with you,the voter, the constituent.The power of change belongs to you becauseof your vote, your voice, and your convictions. Thelast ‘Capitol Hill Update’ (January 2007) specified agoal to explain the legislative process that we havein the US and how we function with that system.The first article in the series is a review of the U.S.Constitution in regards to the legislative process.There is a new television game show that has acatchy title – something like “Are You as Smart as a5th Grader?” In the show, contestants answerquestions that normal 5th graders know theanswers to. And, in answering some of the questions,the contestants figure out that they have simplyforgotten what they learned in grade schooland are aided by 5th graders helping them answervarious questions. So, borrowing from that theme…6th to 8th grade students learn the basic structureof our government. Thus the title “Everything an 8thGrader knows about US Government. Lesson One:The United States Constitution.”Most of us probably remember that there are3 branches of government; the legislative branch,the executive branch, and the judicial branch. TheConstitution of the United States speaks to eachbranch in separate Articles. Article 1: the legislativebranch (the House and the Senate), Article 2: theexecutive branch (the Presidency) and Article 3:the judicial branch (Supreme Court and inferiorcourts).Article 1 of the Constitution established theBranch of Congress and gives Congress the powerto make laws.Our three branch system of government wasestablished by the “founding fathers”, the framersof the Constitution, as a means to form a governmentwithout allowing one person to have toomuch control. The Constitution provided for a separationof powers with each branch having its ownresponsibilities with the idea to make sure the rightsof citizens were not ignored. The three branch systemallows for a branch to check and balance thepowers of the other branches so that a balance ofpower is maintained.As someone who is living in the United States, aMember of TWU, and a Flight Attendant ofSouthwest Airlines, we have a civic duty to fulfill.There will always be specific issues that weencounter at work like OSHA protections, FMLA,security issues and/or something like the FAA allowingthe use of cell phone usage onboard airborneaircraft that will have our Membership in the forefrontof legislation that affects our working environments.Additionally, issues like healthcare, taxes,and education (that affect us whether we work inthe airline industry or not) demand our involvementin lobbying, explaining our position on the issues toour local, state and federal legislators. It comesdown to first understanding the background of theprocess, the process itself, and the role we play inthe process.Hopefully, the brief explanation within this articlehas renewed your understanding and knowledgein the history and purpose of the legislativebranch. For more information for those who wouldlike to be experts of the process, the following is abrief list of websites where you can get more information:www.house.gov/www.senate.gov/www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/Legislative.shtmlhttp://thomas.loc.gov/http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/legi.htmlAnd finally, here’s a challenge to test yourknowledge: finish the following tidbits of informa-22

tion and see what you canremember from your governmentclass (answers can befound below the quiz upsidedown). Understand this andyou are on the path to becomingproficient as a member ofsociety who “gets it”, who is“involved”, who is “instrumental”in affecting change in ourMembership, in your community,and in our country. It’s justthe basic facts, but it is also thenuts and bolts of the systemthat our federal legislative governmentfunctions.1. The legislative Branch ofthe federal government isknown as ___________________.2. Congress is divided into____ chambers.3. The chambers of Congressare the _______________ andthe _________________________.4. Members of Congress areelected by people from their_________________.5. The number of members inthe House of Representatives isbased on state ______________.6. Today, the House ofRepresentatives has a total of________ seats.7. The Senate consists of_____ members from each_____________ totaling _____seats.8. Members of the House ofRepresentatives are electedfor ______-year terms andSenators are elected for ____-year terms.Answers:1. Congress2. Two3. Senate, House of Representatives4. States5. Population6. 4357. 2, state, 1008. 2, 6Put Up or Shut UpIt’s time to stopcomplaining andget involvedby Brett NevarezBoard Member at LargeThis quarter’s theme is “Relationships” so I want to focus on ourworkgroup and treating each other with respect. We alwaysseem to hear about the Golden Rule whenever CustomerService is mentioned in Recurrent Training or Company publications.I would like to remind everyone to apply this very same conceptat work with our fellow Crewmembers and other co-workersthat we come into contact with each and every day. We allknow that our work environment is stressful and hectic so beingkind to one another is a simple way to make it better for all of us.Preparations are starting for our next Contract. We haveContract Negotiations coming up next summer (the amendabledate is June 2008), so this year we will be electing 2 NegotiatingTeam Members and the Executive Board will appoint the other 2Negotiating Team Members that will be lead by the President ofour Local. We can send a message to Management with a largeturnout in this upcoming election. Please remember that voting isa very important and simple way to affect change in your career.We have been using the Point/Counterpoint articles to stimulateinterest in contractual matters. This has created discussionand even a little controversy in regards to the Reserve pass/flyoption, Charters, and flying minimums. Our purpose is to generatedebate not divisiveness. It is very important that our discussionsremain professional and that we remember that we can agree todisagree without our positions becoming personal. Unity does notmean we all think alike but that we respect one another enoughto get beyond differences of opinion. Those of us that have beenhere during previous negotiations can relate our experiences toour fellow Flight Attendants that have not been through thembefore. Our recent history proves what can be accomplishedwhen we stick together. We have also activated an idea/suggestionmechanism with an e-mail stockpile from the “What’sNext” button on our Local’s website, www.twu556.org. Our Unionis Membership-driven and that means that we must have yourinput on changes and improvements for our future. Please makesure that your voice is heard by contributing.Solidarity in the workplace is important and has helped inContract Negotiations in the past so we must remember to supportthose that we work with and come into contact each day.We need to treat them how we would want to be treated. Ourfriends in the flight deck (SWAPA Southwest Airlines PilotsAssociation) are currently in negotiations and need our support.Please let our Pilots know that we are behind them with a kindword whenever possible.23

Scheduling Committee UpdateTracking the quality of your lifeby Kyle Whiteley, MDW Executive Board MemberScheduling Committee Vice ChairI have written this article in Q&A format as there isso much information to present:Why did we reduce the number of 4-day trips?The end of the reduced 4-day test is quicklyapproaching, and we have received lots ofmixed feedback from our Flight Attendants.Soon, you will be given the opportunity to cast yourvote as to whether we continue the reduced 4-dayschedule or return to the previous 4-day levels. Iwould like to give you a snap shot of the big pictureso when the time comes for you to cast your vote,you will have all the information to make aninformed decision.From December through April, we have beenbuilding the reduced 4-day schedule by spreading-outthe additional pairings generated by thetest. In May and throughout the remainder of thetest, you will see a change in the way the lines willbe constructed. In May, we have consolidatedthose additional pairings into what would havebeen the 15% 3-on, 3-off lines. This change hasresulted in approximately 85% of the lines beingvery pure, while 15% are, for lack of a better word,dirty. We believe that in making this change, FlightAttendants that have vacation and want to maximizepay will bid for the more condensed lines.With 85% of the lines being pure, there is more roomfor those who wish to pick up pairings to do so.As you read further into the Q & A, you will seethat there are no guarantees as to what the futureholds when it comes to our lines. This change weare making starting in May is what we believe to bethe best way to lessen the impact of schedule transitionson our Flight Attendants schedules and lives.Clearly the most junior Flight Attendants in eachbase will be affected by this change, and whenyou are deciding whether to pick up or not, keepthese Flight Attendants in mind.Members of the TWU Scheduling Committeewill be in each base in June to hear your concernsabout the schedules, and to talk more about theupcoming survey. If you are able to come visit withus, please stop by your lounge on the dates listedon page 33.When your current Executive Board first took office,the number one complaint we received was thatthere were too many 4-day pairings. We created asurvey that would allow us to show the Companysome hard numbers of what we had already beentelling them. They agreed to reduce the number of4-days as a test for six months at our request. Thetest officially ends in May.Why are we taking another survey?After we reduced the overall number of 4-day pairings,we immediately began hearing from FlightAttendants who wanted 4-days back, not only forvacation bidding, but because it created a purerschedule. Now that the test is ending, we wouldlike to know how you feel in order to make decisionsabout our schedules.If we take this survey, how long will it be before wetake another scheduling survey?There will not be another scheduling survey for ayear. That is why it is so important to make aninformed decision when you place your vote.If we do vote to return to the higher number of 4-day pairings, when will it happen?The next logical time to switch back to the 18% 4-day pairings will be August 26. This planned schedulechange will give us the chance to transitionincreased 4-days back without having to generatea more impure schedule than we are currently seeing.What did you mean by “impure schedule”?When we were in talks with the Company aboutreducing the 4-day trips, we were told that wewould see approximately a 10% increase in thenumber of impure lines. These impure lines would24

include trips that began on different days, additional48-hour breaks, and having to place 3-dayand 4-day trips on the same line to cover the additionalflying. If we return to a higher lever of 4-daytrips we simply cannot guarantee purer lines due tothe automation changes that have been made inthe past several months.How many 4-day trips are there currently, andwhat is the maximum number of 4-days we can bescheduled to work?We currently are working less than 7% 4-day trips.Our contract allows us to be scheduled to a system-widetotal of 22%.Why is the Company giving us only two options inregard to the number of 4-day trips, i.e. less than7% or greater then 18%? Why not have 12% 4-daytrips?The Company saves money in Reserve costs whenwe have a schedule that has less than 7% 4-daytrips. If the 4-days go over 8% they are forced tobuild Reserve blocks as if they were running a 22%4-day schedule. This is due to the need for Reservecoverage of flights. Additionally, the Company isaware that we will break-up the allowed one blockper month. It is also aware that Open Time will befull of 4-day pairings.If I vote to keep 4-days at less than 7%, will our linesever get better than they are today?The lines in May, June, and July will be the cleanestwe will ever be able to generate under thereduced 4-day test. If the Company were toreduce the number of Reserves or agree to hireadditional Flight Attendants—which is unlikely consideringthat many airlines, including Southwest,have adopted cost-saving policies to off-set issuessuch as rising fuel costs—they may become cleaner.Will there be more purity in the lines if we vote toreturn to 18% 4-day trips?There will be little improvement in line purity. It ishard to say whether the lines will remain pure, asthe Company is now able to constantly rework ouraircraft flows in order to improve the productivity ofour fleet. We will continue to see fluctuations in thelines as normal transitions occur in our schedules.These transitions include new or additional aircraft,major holidays, and normal schedule changessuch as those that occurred over daylight savings.By placing the additional pairings that were generatedin the 15% 3-on, 3-off, we are lessening theimpact to the majority of the Flight Attendants. TheScheduling Committee will continue to work tomake the lines as pure as possible.If we reduced 4-day trips, and it created morepairings, shouldn’t they have hired more FlightAttendants?The only way the Company would agree toreduce the number of 4-day trips was for us not topush for additional staffing. We have maintainedthe same staffing levels during the test as if we hadcontinued to run the higher 4-days. That is whythere are more pairings on the lines.Why doesn’t our Union make the Company give uswhat we want?Currently, the Company is working within thebounds of our contract. During the next contractnegotiations, we will have the opportunity to discusschanging the somewhat vague language ofthe Scheduling Rules. Until then, the Union is ableto make requests of the company, but again, weare bound by the current contract.Will returning the 4-day pairings reduce the numberof 48-hour breaks that are on the schedules?There will still be some 48-hour breaks.Why are there so many more 3-on, 3-off lines now?There is actually the same number of 3-on, 3-offlines as there were before we reduced the numberof 4-days. These lines are built to no more than 15%,and this is a hard rule that we follow during linebuilding. In May, June, and July you will see the 3-on, 3-off lines loaded with the additional pairings. Ifwe bring back the 4-day pairings, we will still have15% of the lines with 3-on, 3-off.If that is a “hard rule,” what are the other rules youfollow when building our lines?The only other hard rule that we follow is that 35%of our lines are written with weekends off. We wentunder the 35% rule in December to give more peoplethe opportunity to have Christmas Day off.However, if Christmas had not fallen on a Monday,we would not have been able to make thatchange.I would pick up a 4-day trip once in a while if itpaid well. Can we not make them pay better?(Continued on next page)25

Under our current Contract, the least a 4-day canpay is 26 TFP. Higher paying 4-days are generallydue to the flow of the aircraft.Will we get more turns and 2-day trips if we bringback 4-day pairings?The number of turns and 2-day pairings are notbased on the number of 4-days. If the Companywants to raise the number of these trips they areable to do so. Again, this is an issue that may beaddressed during the next contract negotiations.Will there be more SIPs?No. While the Union and the Company have discussedthis, the Company feels that SIPs increasereserve utilization in non-productive ways.Currently, we do not have the contract languageto force the return of SIPs.What happens to VR lines and Reserve blocks if wevote to return 4-days to 18% or higher?There will be more 4-days on VR lines. The reserveshells will be built almost entirely of 4-day blocks. Ifwe continue to run the reduced 4-day schedule, itis possible that we will see 3-on, 3-off reserve shells.Why do we have so many aircraft changes?Doesn’t the ground time cost money?There is an additional cost due to aircraft changesand deadheads, as well as ground time. UntilMarch 11, we had less than 33% of our aircraftovernighting in our Crew Bases. In order to getFlight Attendants on planes that were headedback to base, aircraft changes, deadheads, andground time were a cost that the Company had toincur. Schedule Planning has been asked to keepthe number of aircraft overnighting in our basecities above 33%. The Company will see those costsrise again if customer demand requires that thatnumber to be reduced.Why have there been trips in Open Time when it isreleased? Some days have even been full?In an effort to reduce the number of 48-hourbreaks on our lines, we have instructed the LineWriters to leave trips in Open Time, if necessary. Thisdecision was a tough one to make. We knew thatit had the possibility of making it harder for ourFlight Attendants to move pairings, while increasingthe number of pure lines. Over the Christmasholidays, some of our bases had trips put into OpenTime due to additional flights being added in orderto meet customer demand. These trips were createdafter our regular schedules and VR lines hadbeen written. The Scheduling Committee and theCompany continue to work toward amicable solutionsshould this happen in the future. The way theschedules are being built in May, June, and Julywill make it possible for us not to have to fill up asmany days of Open Time. Other times that OpenTime has released full have been due to leavesand pulls that include Company and Union business,and for various training classes.If my base votes to keep the reduced 4-day pairings,will we be able to have them even if otherbases vote differently?In January 2005, the Company all but eliminated 4-day pairings from three of our bases. The otherdomiciles were then forced to pick up the additional4-day pairings. If we get half of the baseswanting less 4-days, while the others vote to bring4-days back to their previous level, we will investigatethe possibility of base-specific line building.What will happen to the schedules when Las Vegasopens?At this point, we are unable to answer this question.We can tell you that in the past, when a new basehas opened, the numbers of 4-day pairings werereduced.When is the follow-up Scheduling Survey?The survey will run from July 1 – 21, 2007What will the survey questions be?There will be two questions on the survey:1. Where are you based?2. Do you prefer:Choice A: Keep the reduced 4-day scheduleand all that goes with it.Choice B: Keep the reduced 4-day schedulesand consolidate the additional pairings asmuch as possible and all that goes with it.Choice C: Return to higher 4-day scheduleand all that goes with it.Please read the POINT/COUNTERPOINT articles onpage 32 and 33 and take a look at the SchedulingCommittee Listening Tour Dates and “Schedules bythe Numbers” on page 33 for more information.26

TWU Uniform Committee UpdateSlowly but surely,new pieces are on their way!by Karen Amos, TWU 556 Uniform Committee ChairpersonNew updated uniform itemsare in the works. Perhapsyou have had the opportunityto see the wear-test piecesout on line, or you have justheard bits and pieces of informationabout the new uniformitems. The Membership hasexpressed that they are lookingforward to being offered updateduniform pieces that fit well,provide comfort as well as makingthe Customer ContactEmployees look a bit more polishedand professional. With thatsaid, perhaps a brief overview ofwhere Uniform Committee is atthis time regarding the uniformproject would be appropriateand helpful.Before I go on, I shouldexplain that the UniformCommittee is made up of 23Employees from all of theCustomer Contact departments.While there are several FlightAttendants on the Committee,TWU Local 556 is allowed onerepresentative on theCommittee who is designated bythe Executive Board. That is myrole on the Committee, as aUnion Representative for theFlight Attendant group.What are the items currentlybeing wear-tested?Various Committee Members aswell as individuals from allCustomer Contact Groups arewearing new pants, shorts andshirts. The pants being tested areflat front khaki and single pleatnavy for females and a smallerdouble pleat for males. Pleasenote however the Committeewould like to offer the navy in flatfront as well as pleated. The pantwaist is lower and relaxed. Thepant leg is wider and nottapered. The material is 65 percentpolyester and 35 percentbrushed cotton. The new khakicolor is tan-based verses thegray-based khaki of the currentuniform pant. The navy is darkerthan the current navy pant andwe are trying to get the navypant closer to the color of theblazer so that the blazer may beworn with either khaki or navy.We have looked at offering theshorts in both flat front and singlepleat. The new shirts that arebeing tested are blue herringboneand white. The currentfabric content is 60% cotton and40% polyester. The female shirtcollar has been changed to giveit a more feminine appearance.The sides of the blouse aretapered. The shirt has darts andthe pocket has been removed.The male shirt has a pocket andis tapered and the collar is nolonger button down. The shirts(Continued on page 34)The above photos show 3 different combinations with the new uniform items.27

To Your Health“Spring” into healthby Gayle Ross, Treasurer and Health CoordinatorIjust returned from a Health & Safety Symposium inLos Angeles where I learned many exciting thingsfor the Flight Attendant industry. I will be sharingmany of those ideas with you in my next few articles.Every topic we discussed came back to howto keep Flight Attendants healthy while working inairplanes, airports, and staying in hotels filled withsick people and germs. The overwhelming responsewas, “wash your hands!” it seems so basic, yet canmake such a huge difference. How many timesafter washing your hands have you turned off thefaucet, pressed the lever for a paper towel, oropened the door to exit the restroom? Germs!! Pressthe lever for the paper towels first, then wash yourhands, grab the paper towels, and use the papertowel to turn off the faucet and open the door. Trykeeping hand sanitizer with you in the galley and byall means use the gloves when picking up trash.Many of you have called me and asked me topublish my article about vaccinations again, sosince we are “springing in to health”, your wish is mycommand…. wash you hands, stay healthy, andread on!The following are diseases which catch yourattention and may change your life. They are all lifethreatening, but most have a vaccine which couldprevent the disease from ruining your life. The followingis some information based on research Ihave done. Please consult your doctor for moreinformation and to discuss these diseases and therisks/rewards of any medication or vaccination.Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver causedby one of five currently identified Hepatitis viruses.All of these viruses can cause an acute disease withsymptoms lasting several weeks including yellowingof the skin and eyes (jaundice), dark urine, extremefatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.Hepatitis A virus is spread from person to personby putting something in the mouth that has beencontaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitisA. Transmission can occur through exposure tocontaminated water, ice, or shellfish harvestedfrom sewage-contained water; or fruits, vegetables,or other foods that are eaten uncooked andthat were contaminated during harvesting or subsequenthandling. Hepatitis A is the most commonvaccine-preventable infection acquired duringtravel. Anyone who travels should consider receivingthis vaccination. The safety of Hepatitis A vaccinefor pregnant women has not been determined.Hepatitis B (HBV) is transmitted by direct contactwith the blood or bodily fluids of an infectedperson; it is not spread through food or water or bycasual contact. A person can get infected in severalways, such as: having unprotected sex with aninfected person, sharing needles, being stuck with aused needle on the job, or during birth when thevirus passes from an infected mother to her baby.People should not receive the Hepatitis B vaccine ifthey have ever had a life-threatening allergic reactionto baker’s yeast or to a previous dose ofHepatitis B vaccine.Hepatitis C is transmitted like Hepatitis B andcan lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure.Hepatitis C is a common co-infection among HIVpositivepeople. While there are vaccines that canprevent Hepatitis A and B infections, there is no vaccinefor Hepatitis C. Even without treatment, risk ofprogression can be minimized through: abstinencefrom alcohol and other drugs and vaccinations withthe Hepatitis A vaccine and Hepatitis B vaccine.Hepatitis D & E are very rare and there is novaccine. Hepatitis D is dependent on HBV for replication.Hepatitis E is transmitted primarily by thefecal-oral route. Virtually all cases in developedcountries have been reported among travelersreturning from high HEV effected areas.Meningococcal Meningitis is caused by bacteriawhich invade the lining surrounding the brain,(the meninges). It is called MeningococcalSepticemia or Meningococcemia when it entersthe blood stream, destroying organs and tissue in amatter of hours. Meningococcal disease, althoughrare, is devastating because early symptoms resemblethe flu, making it difficult to recognize.Adolescents and young adults are at an increasedrisk of contracting meningococcal disease due to(Continued on page 35)28

The Reserve ReportHow do I read it, what does it mean, andhow on earth do they come up with the order?by Audrey Stone, BWI F/A #74952 and Shop StewardHave you ever looked at theReserve Report and wonderedhow, exactly, the listcame to be ordered the way itis? And what do all the columnsmean? There are three thingsthat factor into order of assignmentnow: RDV, preference,and seniority.RDV stands for “RelativeDaily Value”, and is the first considerationin the ordering of thereserve list. RDV is a calculationof how close you are comingtowards your guarantee for themonth. This number could bepositive, negative, or zero. Zeromeans you are exactly meetingyour guarantee at the moment,not going over or under yourguarantee. A positive numbermeans you're under your guarantee,that is, on average you'veflown less than 6 trips a day onReserve. A negative numbermeans you are projected to goover your guarantee; you'veflown more than 6 trips a dayand for lack of a better term,you’ve "banked" extra trip credits.Also, if you're looking at theRDV, place a decimal point twoplaces over to the left.Example 2: On your first 3 day RRblock, you do not receive anassignment the first 2 days. Onthe 3rd day you sit APSB for 5 TFP.So your RDV is calculated as follows:18(guarantee) - 5(tripsflown) = 13.So… your RDV at the start of yournext Reserve day will be 13.A negative RDV means youwill go to the bottom of thegroup of your reserve classification(AR, PR, or RR; 4 day - 1day)on the report, with the most negativenumber last, no matterwhat your preference or seniority.This is because the Companydoes not want anyone to goover their guarantee, costingextra money, so RDV is the firstfactor in the order of assignment.Keep in mind that AM & PMReserves are almost always usedbefore Ready Reserves.Next, your preferences areconsidered. Keep in mind thatthe "Pass/Fly" is only what youwould like to do that day; ifScheduling needs you, you aregoing to fly! If you are at 0 orhigher for the day, you will be listedwithin your grouping on thereport with "flys" first, and "passes"next. For example, if there arefive of you who want to fly, it willstart with the most senior first,down to the most junior. For thepasses, it's reverse seniority withthe most junior first.It doesn't matter how"under" your guarantee you are(positive number); your spot onthe list will be based on yourPass/Fly preference & seniority.For those of you "over" your guarantee(negative number) you fallto the bottom, even if you havechosen "fly" as your preference.Hopefully, the next time youlook at that Reserve Report youwill better understand RDV, preferences,and seniority. Now youcan keep an eye on the ReserveReport with confidence.Example 1: On your first 3 day PRblock, you are assigned a tripthat pays 20. Your RDV is calculatedas follows: your guaranteewas 6TFP x 3 days = 18. 18(guarantee)- 20(trips flown) = -2So… your RDV at the start of yournext reserve day will be -2.Lawanda has a negative RDV with a “Fly” preference. Even though she issenior to Michelle, she is behind her on the lineup since Michelle is at“0” RDV. If they both had a “0” RDV, and both had a “Fly” preference,Lawanda would be ahead of Michelle.29

JETSETHow green is your galley?by James Gordon, MDW F/A #25994Recently there’s been debate regarding aviation’simpact on the environment and globalwarming. A greater social responsibility isbeing put on the shoulders of air carriers and passengersto be environmentally conscious.Air travelers in the UK and Europe now pay a“Green Tax” on individual airline tickets from £5 to£10 on short-haul flights and from £20 to £40 onlong-haul journeys. Flight Attendants traveling overseasshould be prepared to pay extra US greenbacksfor those already over- taxed non-rev tickets! For every flight hour worked (243 miles) youpersonally generate about 157 lbs of CO2 into theatmosphere. Create your personal emissions reportbased on your working/commuting flights atwww.terrapass.com/flight/flightcalc.html. According to the American PetroleumInstitute, it takes approximately 10 gallons of crudeoil to make one gallon of jet fuel. The U.S. EPA states that 200 million to 600 milliongallons of wastewater are created each yearfrom airplane deicing.Annually, the US Airline industry discardsenough aluminum cans to build 58 Boeing 747 aircraft.In 2004, the industry discarded 9,000 tons ofplastic and enough newspaper and magazines tofill an entire football field to a depth of more than230 feet, which is fully 100 feet deeper than the recommendedmaximum limit for recreational dumpsterdiving.“Trash Landings: How Airlines and Airports CanClean Up Their Recycling Programs” presentsthese findings and more from a yearlong study ofthe airline industry. Read it in its entirety atwww.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/airline/airline.pdf.The report states “SWA allows the local staff atOAK to keep the revenue generated from the saleof recyclables to fund employee barbeques, specialevents, and a rainy day fund for employeeassistance.”At SWA all recycling funds are combined intoa single account. In 2005 $84,000 was gained andthe money was distributed as follows:$65,000 to Employee Catastrophic Fund$7,000 to Flight Attendant Appreciation Week($1,000 to each base for Flight Attendantcelebrations around Earth Week)$6,000 to Provisioning Stations$6,000 was allocated by the HeadquartersRecycling TeamScott Halfman, VP of Provisioning states in ane-mail that in 2006 $147,000 was deposited into thisaccount. The only distribution to date is $100,000 tothe Employee Catastrophic Fund. $7,000 will beallocated to Inflight Bases and $10,000 toProvisioning Stations in the near future. The remainderof the funds will be held to purchase recyclingequipment throughout the system.If I understand Scott correctly, that leaves$30,000 to buy “recycling equipment” for nearly 60airports (FLL, LAX, SEA and PDX already havenotable sorting and recycling programs in place).That equals an average of $500 per airport or $70per aircraft (SWA has 484 flying as of March 2007).I wonder how many rolls of black trash bags$70 buys? I certainly hope that’s not what SWAconsiders “recycling equipment”!Also, if you crunch Scott’s numbers, you maysee something amazing:$147,000 divided by 365 days = $403 daily. Thismeans that in 2006 our entire fleet of 479 aircraft(as of Nov 2006.) generated an average $403 perday. Roughly $0.85 a day, per aircraft.2006 prices paid per pound for aluminum variedwildly with market fluctuations, from a low of .35(a penny per can) to the high of .75 (about two penniesper can). According to the Can ManufacturersInstitute 34 empty aluminum cans equal 1 pound.(Continued on page 35)30

“SPOTLIGHT” ONGarry DrummondTWU International Vice PresidentThere are two types of leaders.There are those that makedecisions from a big fancyoffice somewhere who are disconnectedfrom those they lead.Then, there are the kind that rollup their sleeves, aren’t afraid toget dirty, work hard, and at theend of the day, sit down anddrink a beer with the peopleunder their direction. If anyonehas ever spent even a few minuteswith Garry Drummond,you’d have no doubt that he’sthe second kind of leader.Garry was born in HammondIndiana on April 8, 1950, but youwouldn’t know it by listening tohim talk - he sounds New Yorkerall the way. Garry grew up asone of 10 children. He graduatedfrom Union College,Schenectady, N.Y. in 1972 with aB.A. in History.Garry was hired byAmerican Airlines at JFK airport inJune of 1973 when he joined TWULocal 501 and later became aShop Steward. This began a longand distinguished history withTWU including the following highlights:Station Chairman, Local514; President, Local 590; TWUInternational Representative;Organizer; Contract Negotiator;and International Vice President.In addition to his responsibilitiesas International VicePresident, Garry currently servesas the Southwest Airlines SystemCoordinator working with Local555 and 556, serves as SafetyDirector for the Air TransportDivision, and is also responsiblefor Contract Negotiationsbetween the Hertz Corporationand TWU Local 516, Tulsa,Oklahoma.So now that we know Garry’sinvolvement with TWU, let’s lookdeeper into his involvement withour Local. Garry first became theTWU International Representativefor Local 556 in April, 1994 underthe tutelage of formerInternational Vice President PaulGaynor. Garry says, “I couldn’thave chosen a better mentor”.During the 13 years thatGarry has been involved with ourLocal, we have gone throughboth good and bad times. Whenasked about these ups anddowns and how we can stay onthe right track in the future, Garrysays, “Local 556’s history is oneevery Flight Attendant shouldknow about, be proud of, andlearn from. I have learned neverto be satisfied with the statusquo; it can always be improved.Also never assume anything; findthe answers from those whoknow best, the people actuallyperforming the work. As for stayingon the right track, I would saynever lose sight that it is theMembership that matters; that iswho we all work for; and we muststay in touch: communicate,communicate and communicatesome more”.Garry has stood by our Localthrough thick and thin, andGarry’s no-nonsense Leadershipstyle has both inspired people,and ruffled a few feathers alongthe way. In fact, some of yourcurrent Leaders got involved inour Local because they got madA bearded Garry with his wife Billieat the TWU Local 556 30-year partyat the Union - some even at Garryhimself. But once they had theopportunity to get to know Garry,see his commitment to not onlyour Local, but to the Labor movement,and learn from his vastexperience, in all cases Garrybecame a mentor, friend, andone who is constantly looked tofor advice and counsel.When Garry is not doingUnion work which involves extensivetravel and time away fromhome, he enjoys spending timewith his family. Garry is marriedto Billie, and has 4 children:daughter Jenni, 30, who is asinger, songwriter, and works atJohns Hopkins doing stem cellresearch; son Matt, 27, a graduateof University of Pennsylvaniaand is currently serving as a StaffSergeant in the U.S. Army; stepdaughterSara, 18, who is a seniorat Irving Academy; and son,Alex, 9, a third grade student.Garry, thank you for continuingto stand by us through thickand thin, for your commitment tous, and for your Leadership.31

point/counterpointThe hot topic these days has been the quality of our lines. The reduction of 4-day pairingsin our schedules has created fewer “clean” lines. There are those who feel passionatelyon both sides of the issue, so we posed the following question to two FlightAttendants and got two very different responses: "For years, Flight Attendants haveasked for fewer 4-day pairings, so the Company agreed to a test period with a vastlyreduced number of 4-day trips. Now Flight Attendants are concerned about theinconsistency in the lines. Should we continue the reduced 4-day schedule, or shouldwe go back to the higher 4-day schedule?" Let’s see what they have to say.POINTby Will MentonMDW F/A #76342Being a FlightAttendant hasmany great benefits,one of which is theflexibility of our schedules.This includes theflexibility to trade,move, or pick up tripsto better suit your schedule, and your lifestyle.I think that most of us will agree that the reductionof 4-day trips is a welcome addition to ourschedule. Quality of life for many of us hasimproved. Whether you are a commuter and youtry to back up your trips, or you are a local trying topick up extra trips, it’s easier to do so with a 3-dayline as opposed to a 4-day line.Let’s face it, when speaking to co-workers,very few people indicate a preference to fly 4-daytrips. And if you bid a 4-day line, chances are youhave vacation that month, or you plan on tradingyour 4-days down to 3-days.Of course this is not the case for everyone.Just as with every situation, there are exceptions.For the people who prefer to work 4-day trips, 4-day lines are still available. If someone is not ableto hold one of the diminishing numbers of available4-day lines, there is always the option of trading upat a later date.With the reduction of 4-days, Open time nowgives you more 3-day trip options when you arelooking to trade your trip. Again if you prefer towork 4-day trips, you always have the option totrade your 3-day up to a 4 day trip.For Flight Attendants on Reserve, this translatesto fewer 4-day Reserve blocks, again making iteasier to pick up or allowing more time to be athome. As someone who sits Reserve regularly, Ienjoy having more days that I can control, whetherI choose to take time off, or pick up trips from otherFlight Attendants. With 4-day blocks of Reserve, it ismuch more challenging to pick up additional trips,due to a limited number of turns and 2-days asopposed to the number of available 3-days in triptrade/give away.Some Flight Attendants have voiced a concernabout the rotating line working 3-days andhaving only 3-days off. Remember, whether wecontinue the reduced 4-day schedule or go backto the old schedule, our Contract is still the same.The number of 3-on, 3-off has remained consistent.And the fact remains that the contractual limit is nomore than 15% of trips consisting of 3-on, 3-off.The changes that have been made in buildingfewer 4-day trips are to help Flight Attendants andimprove our quality of life.Now let’s hear the other side of this debate...COUNTERPOINTby Mario MontoyaPHX F/A #30756Ihave seen a reductionin both my walletand my quality of lifewith the reduction of 4-day pairings. Onebeautiful thing aboutvariety in the pairings isthat we all want differ-32

ent things. 4-day pairings afforded more flexibilityin bidding and trading for me. I was ableto hold a better start day during the week if Ibid 4-day pairings. If I needed to make adjustmentsto my schedule, it was far easier to tradea 4-day down to a 3-day or lower than to movea 3-day to another start day.I feel like my seniority dropped, becausewithout 4-day pairings, I can only hold quality 3-day pairings (7+TFP per day) on days that Idon't prefer. Reducing 4-day pairings has resultedin extra 3-day pairings that must be built intothe lines. I'd rather be responsible for three orfour 4-day pairings a month than five 3-daypairings. More pairings on my line results in lessflexibility.As a commuter, I loved the commutable 4-day pairings that paid 30+TFP. I could go towork, make a decent week's wages and comehome without the added expense and wastedtime of a hotel room. I was able to find pairingslike that regularly. Now, if I want 30+TFP perweek, I have to fly two pairings and purchaseas many as two nights in a hotel. The time andmoney lost is hundreds of dollars per month.I used to hold weekday 4-day pairingswhich equaled 16 scheduled days. I wouldthen VJA for a 4-day on both ends and end upwith 20 workdays and 140+TFP. Since the reductionin 4-day pairings I have to work partialweekends Sunday –Tuesday or Thursday -Saturday to hold the quality of pairing I like(7+TFP per day). This has resulted in lines withfive 3-day pairings for 15 days, plus VJAing for 3-day pairings instead of 4-day pairings at thebeginning and end of the month. This totals to19 workdays and 130+TFP. I end up with oneday less of VJA and I have to commute onemore time.Vacation bidding is also affected by thisreduction. The TFP pulled when bidding vacationduring the first seven days of the month orthe ability to create 19 days off with a singleweek of vacation is not possible with thereduced 4-day schedule. I have four weeks ofvacation accrued and it is difficult to place anaccurate monetary value or quality of lifevalue on this loss.I've spoken with many people about this,and though most prefer 3-day pairings, themajority agrees that the lines have gotten uglierin general than when we had more 4-daypairings. Please bring back the 4-day pairings!Tell us what you think! Send an email to:unityfeedback@twu56.orgScheduling Survey Dates:July 1 – 21, 2007Listening tour dates:The Scheduling Committee will be in your baseto hear your concerns and answer questionsyou may have about the upcoming survey.Please stop by your lounge anytime from firstcheck-in until 3:00 p.m. local time.Dallas June 11Houston June 15Phoenix June 21Oakland June 22Baltimore June 27Chicago June 28Orlando June 29Schedules by the Numbers:Here are the numbers from October ‘06 andFebruary ‘07. October and February are themost recent months that represent the mostpure schedules under the 18% and 7% schedules.Oct. ‘06 Feb. ‘07Percentage of 4-days 18 %s < 7%Tot. # of Active F/As 8250 8439Tot. # of Pairings 9873 10,352Tot. # of turns 709 661Tot. # of 2-days 1266 1477Tot. # of 3-days 6364 7764Tot. # of 4-days 1534 450Avg. TAFB* 53:34 50:37Avg. legs per duty day 3.44 3.29Avg. length of duty day 8:17 8:08Tot. # of A/C changes 7272 8248Tot. # of deadheads 1340 1097Tot. # of overnights 56,776 53,070*Time Away From Base33

GRIEVANCE TEAM UPDATE(Continued from page 20)3. No additional cost to the Company isincurred4. All other conditions of Article 12.6 (JetwayTrades) are metThese Letters of Understanding are not consideredchanges to language in our Contract, but ratherclarification on the intent of the existing language.CURRENT HOT TOPICSOPEN TIME GRIEVANCES: We will be presentingthe Group Grievances on Open Time to anArbitrator on April 19-20. Once the Arbitrator hasheard the case, a decision will be rendered inapproximately 60 days. Please remember, this isan approximate timeline, not a guarantee. Assoon as the Union receives a decision, we willupdate the Membership.RESERVE PASS/FLY: Some of you may have questionedwhy the Reserve Pass/Fly system was notpresented to the Membership for a vote. Simplyput, this was a Group Grievance presented atArbitration and at the end of the hearing, theArbitrator recommended that both parties continueto meet and try and settle the issue before afinal and binding decision was rendered by theArbitrator. The Union and the Company adheredto his instructions and a settlement was reachedprior to the Arbitrator’s decision.With regard to the working system itself; theUnion and Management are still reviewing thePass/Fly system currently in place. Your DomicileExecutive Board Members have collected feedbackfrom Flight Attendants in their bases, throughemails, lounge visits, and the Union website. Thisinformation will help give the Union a broaderunderstanding of what you like or dislike about theReserve Pass/Fly system, and help us determinewhere changes, if any, need to be made.CONCLUSIONAs I’ve mentioned in previous grievanceupdates, the Grievance Staff works daily toresolve issues before they become a grievance.They do a great job and the numbers reflect substantialsavings to the Membership, as well as aquick resolution for those Flight Attendants whohave been disciplined unjustly or denied compensation.The following data is a compilation ofDecember 2006 thru February 2007: Total Trips Paid to Flight Attendants - 373.81TFP Terminations Reinstated – 1 No Shows Removed - 8 UTC’s Removed - 3 FTR’s Removed – 3 Letters of Awareness / Written WarningsRemoved - 2 Points Removed for Other Reasons – 11.5Finally, I would like to welcome our newestGrievance Staff Member, Lyn Montgomery. Shehas a good working knowledge of our Contractand brings 12 years of flying experience with her.Lyn will be focusing on discipline cases.UNIFORM UPDATE(Continued from page 27)are more tailored and seem to provide a morepolished look to them.What are the other items that could be implementedor are on the table for possible consideration?The Committee has looked at a skirt for the femalesin lieu of the skort, an updated fleece zip up jacket,a scarf for winter, an updated female sweater,as well as new scarf and tie patterns and colors.When is the expected time frame for the roll out ofthe new items?At this point in time there is really no way to predictwhen the proposed uniform items will be ready forproduction. The Uniform Committee wants tomake sure that each proposed item is a qualityitem and will wear well prior to being approvedand placed into the offered items for purchase.Should I go ahead and order uniform items insteadof waiting for the new items?If you currently need items added to your uniformwardrobe, yes, you should go ahead and orderthem. As previously stated there is no rollout datefor the wear-test items at this time. So if you needsomething, order it.Will there be a complete replacement of the currentuniform?No. Any approved new items will update the currentuniform. Once these items are approved theywould then be placed on the Cintas website forpurchase. The cost would be taken out of one’suniform allotment or by payroll deduction if one’sallotment has been depleted.*Please note that until the roll out of the new updateduniform pieces the above information could be subjectto change, based on the wear-test results and additionaldata/criteria gathered from the wear-testing program.34

TO YOUR HEALTH(Continued from page 28)certain lifestyle factors, such as crowded livingconditions, new residences, attendance at a newschool with students from geographically diverseareas, sharing beverages or utensils, going to bars,active or passive smoking, and irregular sleepingpatterns (sounds like a Flight Attendant).Immunization is the best method of protectionagainst Meningococcal Disease. It is believed that83 percent of cases among adolescents andyoung adults are potentially vaccine-preventable.There is no general vaccination against ViralMeningitis. The MMR (Measles, Mumps, andRubella) and Chickenpox vaccines are safe andprotect against Meningitis and Encephalitiscaused bythe Measles, Mumps, and Chickenpoxviruses. No vaccines are available againstenteroviruses, the most common cause of viralmeningitis. Meningitis prevention includes handwashing, and covering your mouth and nosewhen you sneeze.Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib) diseaseis a serious disease caused by bacteria. It usuallystrikes children under 5 years old. Before Hib vaccine,Hib was the leading cause of BacterialMeningitis among children under 5 years old in theUnited States. Hib disease can also cause:Pneumonia, severe swelling in the throat, infectionsof the blood, joints, bones, and covering ofthe heart, and death. Children over 5 years oldusually do not need Hib vaccine. But some olderchildren or adults with special health conditionsshould be vaccinated. These conditions includesickle cell disease, HIV/AIDS, removal of thespleen, bone marrow transplant, or cancer treatmentwith drugs.Tetanus (lockjaw) and Diphtheria are seriousdiseases and can lead to death. Tetanus is causedby a germ that enters the body through a cut orwound. Diphtheria spreads when germs pass froman infected person to the nose or throat of others.Tetanus is characterized by muscle rigidity andpainful spasms, often beginning in the muscles ofthe jaw and neck. Diphtheria causes a thick coatingin the nose, throat, or airway and can lead tobreathing problems, heart failure, paralysis, anddeath. Vaccination is the best way to protectagainst Tetanus and Diphtheria. Cases are rare inchildren because most receive DTP vaccines.Anyone whose history of primary Tetanus andDiphtheria vaccination is uncertain should be consideredunvaccinated and should receive thethree-dose series. Thereafter, routine booster dosesof Td should be given every ten years. When wasyour last booster?Chickenpox, Pneumonia, and Flu vaccinationsare also available. As with any medicine,there are risks involved. People who are moderatelyor severely ill at the time the shot is scheduledshould usually wait until they recover beforereceiving most vaccinations. Some vaccines arenot appropriate for pregnant women or childrenless than 6 weeks of age. Each vaccine has sideeffects and risk and should be discussed with yourdoctor before receiving the vaccine.We hope you find this information helpful.Again, please consult with your doctor for moreinformation regarding these diseases.JETSET(Continued from page 30)With a stated $147,000 gain, how many cansdid Flight Attendants toss into the recycle bin?Depending on the date, location and marketprice, anywhere between 14,700,000 cans at thelow price or 7,350,000 cans at its high.In 2006 Southwest served 61.5 million cans ofsoda, juices, and water. (Beer not included.) That’s1,808,824 pounds of aluminum, or 904 tons andsome change - equivalent to 21 empty Boeing737-700’s!Had we recycled EVERY CAN served in 2006the revenue would have been astonishing:“Lowest Price” revenue = $615,000“Highest Price” revenue = $1,230,000Recycling 904 tons of aluminum saves theequivalent in energy of approximately 2,124,400gallons of gasoline. That equals in the neighborhoodof 424,800 gallons of jet fuel; enough to fillthe tanks of nearly 62 737-700’s!It’s obvious: putting as many aluminum cansinto the recycling bin or black bags as possible willhave numerous benefits. A change of habit in yourgalley could reduce landfills, generate additionalrevenue and perhaps achieve what most FlightAttendants believe is impossible:To be offered a variety of tasty “non-institutional”meals and treats during Flight AttendantAppreciation Week, and have enough food, platesand utensils for Crews who check in after 1500!It’s Inflight’s first step in giving a FlightAttendant’s Warrior Spirit greater incentive to turntrash into cash.E-mail your comments/suggestions to feedback@jetsetpodcast.com35