Where Do My Dues Go?
The Dues Pie Chart depicts where all funds at AFA are budgeted. About 80% of dues dollars are directly
allocated to fund the work at each airline, ie. Local Councils, Master Executive Councils, Negotiations, and
System Board. The remaining budgets at the International Office support Government Affairs, Air Safety,
EAP, and Communications Departments, each of which provides expert services that are Flight Attendant
focused and provide resources for the local leaders and committees of Flight Attendants at each airline.
100% of our dues dollars are allocated to priorities that provide Flight Attendant representation.
There are four distinct areas where dues money is spent:
1. Locally and Airline-wide
Each base has a Local Executive Council (LEC) with elected Officers who provide direct representation and
deal with local grievances and other issues. These Local Officers will answer your phone calls and make sure
member interests are represented in front of management. For example, in the event of discipline or a
contract violation, Local Officers will address the issue where it happened and work to get swift resolution.
Additionally, elected Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers provide representation at the corporate level.
At both the LEC and MEC, there are committees that solve problems in areas such as safety, schedules,
hotels, grievances, etc. These committees also enforce the contract specific to their area of expertise,
produce newsletters, and participate in union meetings. The role of your LEC and MEC Officers and
committee representatives at each airline is to ensure you are represented by Flight Attendants who know
your job because they share it with you at your airline. AFA promotes this autonomy at each airline where
your representatives, assisted by experts, negotiate with management and develop and maintain the
relationship between airline management and the Union.
2. Negotiations
Bargaining for pay and working conditions is one of the core representation activities performed by the
Union. We start with a membership survey, schedule meetings with management, conduct caucuses with
the committee, develop contractual language, support membership engagement and information programs,
and we work with AFA-CWA professional negotiators throughout the process including all direct
negotiations/mediation with management. The end result is improved contractual language with higher pay,
better working conditions, and improved benefits.
3. System Board (Grievances)
The first step in any grievance is to try to resolve the matter locally. Some airlines have negotiated an
alternative dispute process for a faster, collaborative resolution. If that fails, then the final stage for
resolution, whether disciplinary or contractual, is an appeal to a neutral arbitrator. An AFAâ€CWA attorney will
work with our Grievance Committee to present our case to the neutral arbitrator. We defend the contracts
we negotiate.
4. International Office Support
While your LEC is the face of the Union to local management and the MEC to corporate management, the
International Office is the public persona and brand of the Union. Our presence and name recognition can
legislate or improve federal regulations, remove obstacles from the bargaining table, better our position in
negotiations and improve our experience on the job across the profession. The International Office maintains
the professional staff of attorneys, negotiators, and other personnel that provide administration, accounting
and membership services to members and elected leaders. We all work together to support the programs
that encompasses our profession.
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