Association of Professional Flight Attendants · Section 5
Committees and Contract Administration
How negotiators are selected, agreements are ratified, grievances are reviewed and contract protections differ.
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Negotiating Committee selection
The Constitution specifies a seven-person Negotiating Committee for the American Airlines agreement: the National President and six representatives selected through three routes.
| Members | Selection |
|---|---|
| National President | Serves on and chairs the committee, with the constitutional power to delegate responsibility for chairing a meeting. |
| Two representatives | Elected by the membership at large. |
| Two representatives | Appointed by the National President. |
| Two representatives | Appointed by the Board through a two-thirds affirmative vote of the Voting Board. |
This constitutional selection process is distinct from the day-to-day work of contract and scheduling departments. Article X separately addresses committees involving the specified OAL operations.
Sources: Constitution, Art. X §§4–5 (printed pp. 54–55; PDF pp. 64–65).
Agreement approval and member ratification
- A proposed agreement must first be accepted by a majority of the Negotiating Committee and presented to the Executive Committee.
- If the Executive Committee rejects it, the Negotiating Committee presents it to the Board, which may decide to submit it to the membership.
- Ratification requires an affirmative majority of active members in good standing covered by the agreement who cast valid ballots.
Under the ordinary Article XI §1 process, members receive the complete changes before or at the start of balloting, and the ballot deadline is at least 30 days after ballots are sent. Article XI §2.E provides a separate process during a strike. A decision to send an agreement to members does not necessarily endorse its merits.
Letters of agreement or side letters that alter rates of pay, rules or working conditions require Executive Committee ratification. If it determines that the alteration is substantial, the letter goes to the affected membership for ratification.
Sources: Constitution, Art. XI §1.A–G and §2.E (printed pp. 56–57; PDF pp. 66–67).
Grievance review and sponsorship
The Grievance Review Committee consists of the National Vice President and Regional Representatives. It meets monthly under the current Policy Manual. Its decision about union sponsorship is subject to the specified appeal process.
The member’s notice includes appeal materials. An appeal must be received within 30 days of delivery of the specified express letter. The five Ad Hoc members act as the Grievance Appeal Panel.
Final internal decision: the Constitution makes the Grievance Appeal Panel’s decision final and binding. The Executive Committee and Board cannot reverse it.
Sources: Policy Manual, §11.H–I (printed pp. 11.5–11.6; PDF pp. 139–140); Constitution, Art. III §4.J(11) (printed p. 16; PDF p. 26).
Different remedies and costs
A decision about union sponsorship is different from the contractual dispute itself. The Policy Manual describes a specified self-funded route for a discharge grievant after appeal, with deadlines and payment conditions. It does not promise unlimited union-paid counsel.
Contractual notices of dispute, union-wide grievances, internal Article VII charges and recall each follow their own rules. They do not form one automatic route to arbitration. The elections and member-control section explains the separate Article VII and recall procedures.
Sources: Policy Manual, §11.C.4 (printed pp. 11.3–11.4; PDF pp. 137–138); §17 (PDF pp. 221–230); Constitution, Arts. VII–VIII (PDF pp. 50–58).
Joint scheduling participation
The CBA provides for APFA to designate a scheduling committee of up to six members and for Company participation from Crew Planning/Crew Scheduling, Inflight and Labor Relations as needed.
Within APFA’s appointment rules, regional representatives are recommended by the National Scheduling Chair and approved by the National President. The System Board of Adjustment (SBA) representative is appointed by the National Vice President. These rules govern APFA’s representatives; they do not appoint the Company’s participants.
Sources: 2024 CBA, §10.A.1 (printed p. 10-1; PDF p. 47); Policy Manual, §13.B.1.i(1)(b)[2] (printed p. 13.19; PDF p. 171).
Airline mergers and seniority
The CBA’s successorship and merger provisions govern specified airline transactions and incorporate different integration protections depending on the circumstances. Constitution Article XII separately governs APFA’s affiliation or merger with another union. These are different decisions with different rules.
CBA §20 also distinguishes occupational seniority from pay and vacation-accrual longevity. Its 2024 redline shows particular historical wording changes. Those changes alone do not establish that anyone’s seniority rank changed or create an unconditional date-of-hire integration rule for a future merger.
Sources: 2024 CBA, §1.C–H (printed pp. 1-1–1-3; PDF pp. 5–7); §20.A–C (printed pp. 20-1–20-2; PDF pp. 164–165); 2024 CBA redline, §20 (printed p. 20-1; PDF p. 180); Constitution, Art. XII (printed p. 58; PDF p. 68).
Assessing enforcement
Committee duties, access to scheduling information and formal appeal rights explain how representation is organized. An assessment of a particular dispute also needs its governing provision, deciding body and documented result.
Organization-wide spending categories do not establish the outcome of a case or the cost of service at a base. See Financial Transparency and LM Reporting for the separate financial record.