Response to correct Patti Allens post from earlier this week.

I am writing to all of you today to share what I believe are valid reasons to vote no for the tentative agreement (TA). I do not believe a strike is a realistic option to fear. I do not believe this work force would vote for one nor that the NMB/government would allow us to strike. Youre probably right there is NO way that in an election year and with the people in control at the NMB that a 30-day cooling off period (pre cursor to a strike vote) would be approved by the NMB. Even if that were to happen, this workforce would more than likely not vote to strike. We are now protected with a Scope clause in our current contract (which protected us adequately during the US Air merger) as well as additional protections under the Flight Attendant and Pilot Transitional Agreements. Really, do tell how exactly we were protected adequately? Is it because we still kept our jobs???? If there is an AA merger, their 14,000+ ranks will make you a junior flight attendant! What protected you, in the US Airways merger was the fact that we were both in the same Union. As a result of being in the same Union and the AFA merger policy within the AFA Constituion and By-Laws seniority is combined via date of hire. That policy does not apply when an outside Union is the surviving representative. Further the TA Labor Protection Provisions are in the East Agreement not in the West unless a single agreement ratifies. Our seniority will be diluted the day this contract is signed and East flight attendants will begin to come to PHX. (Section 20 C.) Yes, that can happen if there is an open position in PHX. Likewise, if there are open positions in East domiciles, West flight attendants can post for and dilute the East seniority. How long are we willing to buy our fence using all West flight attendants pay increases???? Some of our co-workers are fortunate enough to have another income source, but most of us do not. The salary increase minus taxes does not financially equal what our economic losses are in other sections of the TA. Base increase=$4,037; per diem increase=$414; 401(k) increase if not currently contributing=$662; Insurance premium cost, employee only 100% PPO = (619); vacation value increase=$520; Total estimated annual increase for 40 hour flyer, not including any other premiums/overrides = $5,014 BTW, who knows of any airline that DOES subsidize flight attendants pay increases by the amount of additional tax they will have to pay? Insurance: Copays, Deductibles, premiums all increase - immeasurable loss in monetary value; No non-diminishment language for any plan as we have today (Section 26) This is measurable, but differs by person. The companys contractual performance requirements ARE defined and cant be diminished for the life of the TA. Vacations - Loss of vacation days; Loss of vacation flexibility; Inability to drop to zero. If you bid 10 or more days in a month, you effectively have dropped to zero. Additionally, those f/as that have 30+ vacation days per year, can conceivably drop to zero 3 months of every year. Vacation days can now be bid to start and end on any day of the week rather then begin Friday and end Thursday.

No company guarantee of unlimited 7 day vacation blocks in yearly vacation matrix; Theres no Company guarantee today of unlimited 7 day vacation blocks in the West vacation matrix. Its based on what you bid for and what your seniority can hold. Loss of vacation credit overall (4.0 credit) and with less than 7 day blocks (3.5 credit; More junior flight attendants forced into less vacation credit (Section 8) Not true, every f/a gets at least 7 days vacation. Further, the bidding process is by domicile, so everyone is still bidding within domicile by seniority. Long Term Disability reduced to 50% of last 12 months average salary; Elimination of LTD buy-up to 66.6% of salary (Section 26 E. 2. a.) Current basic LTD pays 50% of 70 hours for 2 years. TA LTD pays 50% of W-2 compensation until you turn age 65 in combination with social security disability! Sick Policy - Starting sick bank based on use it or lose it from the past 2 years; West flight attendants will receive the balance of sick time remaining from 2011 and 2012

No adequate ability to build up sick bank; 4.5 hours accrue monthly if you are available to fly for at least 15 days of the bid month. This applies regardless of how much flying you do in the bid month. Example: From the first day of the bid month through the fifteenth of the month you fly 40 hours then on the sixteenth of the month I go out on a medical leave. Have I been available for 15 or more days that bid month? Yes, therefore, I am given the 4.5 accrual for that month. This provision applies even if you call out sick for up to 21 days, you will still accrue that months 4.5 sick accrual. No longer able to use sick for child (Section 9)Under HIIPA, you are not required to disclose the reason for your sick call. Under the TA, each occurrence allows you up to 21 days of time off before a doctors note is required. Retiree medical will not apply to west flight attendants because we have no sick bank to convert (Section 26) Any f/a who retires after attaining age 55 but before age 65 with 5 or more years of service may participate in the retiree medical benefits, including prescription drug coverage. Monthly premiums will be the total cost of the retiree plan for the level of coverage elected.

Loss of Dependent Partner coverage for both medical and travel, yet same sex partners continue to receive all benefits (Section 26). Loss of opposite-sex domestic partner benefits is for medical, dental and vision. Travel benefits remain covered. Same sex registered domestic partners still have medical, dental and vision coverage if they elect to have them. Besides JNC member Eva De Castro, this change of benefits affects 52 West flight attendants. Loss of sick, vacation, and longevity accrual if not on active status (15 days of month) (Section 9) There is no loss of accrued sick, vacation and longevity. Additional sick, vacation and longevity accruals are suspended during certain leaves of absence. For instance, if you have a VLOA, you will still accrue sick, vacation and longevity.

Under the current West contract, longevity stops accruing after 30 days for most leaves of absence and you have to work 15 or more days in a month to accrue vacation for the following year.

Hours of Service - Company can build up to 13.15 hour days; Current max scheduled duty period is 13.0 vs 13.15. We have 4 hours of service parameters in the West contract. However, in the TA, there are 10 duty periods, 9 of which have scheduled duty day periods that are in fact less than the current West maximum of 13.0 hours. Also, the Hours of Service report time is based on home domicile time not local time (this allows a shorter duty day when reporting early or late in other time zones). Hawaii not co-paired which means we could lose that flying to the east. How many Hawaii flights have been lost to the EAST?? 14 Hour TI Minimum rest applies to Hawaii rest rules. Hawaii not considered Transoceanic International so Company can add any domestic legs and not pay TI pay for those legs; Hawaii IS paid at NTI international rates (+$3.00/hr) Reserves lose one day off. In lieu of 1 less day, reserve guarantee is increased from 70 to 75 hours/month. Mexico is defined as part of North America and not an international destination (Section 11) False, Mexico is considered NTI international (+$3.00/hr) PHX position bidding is not integrated into the TA but is one paragraph that could be negotiated away by the MEC (Section 10) NOT TRUE this provision is integrated into the TA as is every other provision of the TA!! Elimination of our 401K plan replaced with Defined Contributions of 3% - Our Loss; All FAs will be required to participate regardless of whether they want to or not (Company receives tax breaks for doing this) (Section 26 F. 2.) This provision is a benefit to all West flight attendants who are currently not able to afford contributing into the fund. Flight Attendants are NOT required to participate and they will still get the 3% non-elective company contribution. The same funds are available, same plan rules apply. You can still continue make voluntary contributions to the Plan. Holding pay reduced to $7.00 from $10.00 (Section 3) So for example, currently at the $10.00 rate, you receive $0.83 if your holding time is 35 minutes. Under the TA your ground holding pay will give you $7.00 if the ground holding time is 35 minutes. At 1:01 ground holding time, the TA gives you $14 vs $5.17 under the current West contract.

Five year contract - with what we have learned from the last contract and with all of the changes in the new one, the duration should be less (Section 39 B.)Negotiations for next contract begin at 4 years as opposed to waiting for the amendable date.

Loss of our PHX MEC; We will merge and become an LEC reducing representation of PHX base (Merger Policy, AFA Constitution & Bylaws) In fact, the power rests with the LEC Presidents, who provide on-going direction of what the MEC President can and cant do. PHX representation will not be reduced. LODO changes - must be a LODO to fly those pairings. Not true. Currently the language destinations have 1 LODO flight attendant on the flight. In the TA the LODO position is always an ADD position over and above the FAR required minimum. Therefore, like on the East, each pairing with a LODO position will be carrying an extra flight attendant. The LODO position does not take anything away from the Non-LODO flight attendants who are in fact able to bid international pairings in all the FAR required positions. Reserves-new bucket system, extension of a new OPR shift at company discretion. Reserves will be called for assignments on a strict seniority system. Current West OPR is 5 hours and can be extended at company discretion up to a total of 10 hours. TA OPR shift assignments will be either 4 or six hour shifts at assignment. A 4hour OPR shift can, however, be extended to 6 hours if there are 1) no reserves available to be assigned an OPR shift or there is inadequate time to call an available Reserve for OPR duty. The pay component of OPR duties is substantially improved. The current West contract only pays f/as 50% of the total number of hours of his/her OPR shift. The TA will pay 3.5 hours for every 4 hour OPR shift and 5.25 hours for every 6 hour OPR shift. Thus, the TA pays 87.5% of the OPR shift vs the current 50%. RSVs being charged more for sick time per day than a line holder will be charged (Section 9) Line-holders will be charged the greater of their duty day or 3.5 hours. Reserves will be charged 3.56 hours (31 day month) or 3.45 hours (30 day month). So line holders can be charged more sick time than Reserves. Change of disbursement of Paychecks-15th and 30th paychecks meaning a 2 week lag in paychecks. No lag in receipt of paychecks. However, there will be a 2 week delay of payment of pay period to allow for adjustments when the full period is not worked. Side letters delivered to voters after ballots have been mailed-need I say more. It is not unusual for side letters to be created during final review of a TA. All side letters have been disclosed and posted immediately after being created.