Twicebaked
Veteran
- May 22, 2003
- 1,788
- 18
I saw this on the AFA website and thought it really painted a picture. Many of us may be unhappy with our union representation and the money that we pay, but this put it into perspective for me. Hopefully, this will be read by more people here.
Where Do My Union Dues Go
Imagine life without the $39.00 monthly union dues…
What would it be like working at US Airways without having to pay $39 to AFA every month?
It would mean no union and no AFA...
Do you think that is the answer?
Then the question really is…
What would it be like working at your airline with no contract to protect you?
How would management treat you and your flying partners if it didn't have to negotiate and adhere to the contract?
What would it be like if you had no voice?
You've seen how supervisors routinely attempt to violate your contract and how this management team never seems to think it's taken enough from you. Without AFA and the flight attendants and attorneys who represent you, things would likely be a lot worse. With no contract to protect your wages, benefits, and work rules, management could create new work rules, cut benefits and reduce pay at their whim - and you would have no recourse.
Without... a contract protecting you on the job, your pay and per diem would probably be cut. You'd likely have to pay a lot more out of your pocket for a lot less health insurance. Sick leave would be virtually non-existent. Vacations would be reduced significantly. Pensions and retirement would be unheard of.
Without... a contract, safety and security training and protections would get slashed. Duty days would get longer and rests would get shorter. Days off would never be "free".
If... management had its way, the quality of hotels you stay in would go way down, because standards for the hotels you stay in are set in your contract and monitored by AFA representatives.
And if... AFA hadn't already won the legal battles against these practices, you might even have to weigh in, remain single and retire at 32.
Your $39... a month goes to pay professional negotiators and financial and benefit experts to work with flight attendants in negotiating new contracts. It pays attorneys who work with elected leaders (also paid with your dues) and flight attendant committee members to enforce your contract.
Your $39... is used to pay lobbyists and flight attendants who take time away from flying to work to change laws and give you a voice on Capitol Hill. It's used to make sure the FAA doesn't overlook us when it's creating safety and health policies that affect our workplace. Dues are used to help us advocate for better security and training with the TSA.
Your $39... brings you up-to-date communications on our industry, workplace and employers. When flight attendants need to be in the news to alert the flying public about our issues, your dues enable AFA to communicate effectively with the mass media. And with your dues, AFA is able to provide a nationally recognized Employee Assistance Program that's available to flight attendants in need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Just think about it: Without membership in AFA, especially in these last two difficult years for our industry, where would we be now? How much further would airline management have cut if it didn't have to negotiate?
AFA dues have not increased since 1994. In fact, that's one reason our union is struggling financially - over the past two years, we've lost over 10,000 members. That means 10,000 fewer people paying dues. And with the cost of living going up and revenue going down, and management taking out its financial missteps on the front-line employees, we have to change the way we do business to survive to fight another day. Just doing nothing and continuing down this same road would be a failure to each and every flight attendant who shows up to work each day.
To make sure we can continue to fight from a position of strength, we are considering a merger with the Communications Workers of America. Gaining the strength and backing of CWA's 700,000 workers would give us the economic and political resources to get through the downturns in our industry without weakening our union through cuts in services to members.
Sure, AFA might not always be successful in our fights against powerful corporations and government agencies. We don't always come out on top. But our progress over nearly six decades is proven. Your local and MEC leaders, and the International Officers and staff never stop fighting for a better workplace and a better career for all 40,000 AFA flight attendants. And your dues give us the ability to do that.
Where Do My Union Dues Go
Imagine life without the $39.00 monthly union dues…
What would it be like working at US Airways without having to pay $39 to AFA every month?
It would mean no union and no AFA...
Do you think that is the answer?
Then the question really is…
What would it be like working at your airline with no contract to protect you?
How would management treat you and your flying partners if it didn't have to negotiate and adhere to the contract?
What would it be like if you had no voice?
You've seen how supervisors routinely attempt to violate your contract and how this management team never seems to think it's taken enough from you. Without AFA and the flight attendants and attorneys who represent you, things would likely be a lot worse. With no contract to protect your wages, benefits, and work rules, management could create new work rules, cut benefits and reduce pay at their whim - and you would have no recourse.
Without... a contract protecting you on the job, your pay and per diem would probably be cut. You'd likely have to pay a lot more out of your pocket for a lot less health insurance. Sick leave would be virtually non-existent. Vacations would be reduced significantly. Pensions and retirement would be unheard of.
Without... a contract, safety and security training and protections would get slashed. Duty days would get longer and rests would get shorter. Days off would never be "free".
If... management had its way, the quality of hotels you stay in would go way down, because standards for the hotels you stay in are set in your contract and monitored by AFA representatives.
And if... AFA hadn't already won the legal battles against these practices, you might even have to weigh in, remain single and retire at 32.
Your $39... a month goes to pay professional negotiators and financial and benefit experts to work with flight attendants in negotiating new contracts. It pays attorneys who work with elected leaders (also paid with your dues) and flight attendant committee members to enforce your contract.
Your $39... is used to pay lobbyists and flight attendants who take time away from flying to work to change laws and give you a voice on Capitol Hill. It's used to make sure the FAA doesn't overlook us when it's creating safety and health policies that affect our workplace. Dues are used to help us advocate for better security and training with the TSA.
Your $39... brings you up-to-date communications on our industry, workplace and employers. When flight attendants need to be in the news to alert the flying public about our issues, your dues enable AFA to communicate effectively with the mass media. And with your dues, AFA is able to provide a nationally recognized Employee Assistance Program that's available to flight attendants in need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Just think about it: Without membership in AFA, especially in these last two difficult years for our industry, where would we be now? How much further would airline management have cut if it didn't have to negotiate?
AFA dues have not increased since 1994. In fact, that's one reason our union is struggling financially - over the past two years, we've lost over 10,000 members. That means 10,000 fewer people paying dues. And with the cost of living going up and revenue going down, and management taking out its financial missteps on the front-line employees, we have to change the way we do business to survive to fight another day. Just doing nothing and continuing down this same road would be a failure to each and every flight attendant who shows up to work each day.
To make sure we can continue to fight from a position of strength, we are considering a merger with the Communications Workers of America. Gaining the strength and backing of CWA's 700,000 workers would give us the economic and political resources to get through the downturns in our industry without weakening our union through cuts in services to members.
Sure, AFA might not always be successful in our fights against powerful corporations and government agencies. We don't always come out on top. But our progress over nearly six decades is proven. Your local and MEC leaders, and the International Officers and staff never stop fighting for a better workplace and a better career for all 40,000 AFA flight attendants. And your dues give us the ability to do that.
