The deceptive shenanigans continue to eminate from the House of AFA!!
With the National Mediation Vote underway for the Delta flight attendants; the all out AFA fear mongering rhetoric, filled with exaggerations and deceptions, rages on. It has become blantly clear, that the money-grubbing AFA machine, will resort at any cost to "pursuade" the Delta flight attendants the necessity to join the AFA ranks.
The lies are getting HOT at AFA
It certainly has not taken the Northwest flight attendants very long to see the reality of AFA. That reality is a long history of deception and exaggeration to take credit for the achievements, while blaming all the failures on others. Here are just a couple of examples we have experienced in our short relationship with AFA
- Just a short 10 months ago, with two TA rejections by the NWA flight attendants, the election count deadline of TA 3 was extended 3 hours! Think that was honest?
- The past 10 months we have learned the Membership offices of AFA are a mess!! Have you been incorrectly billed? or threatened over AFA errors?? And this same membership office determined the legitimacy of valid membership during the TA 3 count. Think that was honest and accurate?
- AFA has claimed $30 million dollars in improvements between TA 1, TA 2 and the AFA negotiated TA 3. Where? Be it TA 1, TA 2 or TA 3; be it PFAA or AFA, when Judge Gropper said $195 million, it mean't $195 million. Shifting the numbers around is just that, shifting the numbers. Think the AFA rhetoric was honest?
- 10 months after the TA 3 ballot count, the NWA flight attendants are still waiting for their completed contract. While the negotiating team of Retrum, Offerly and Yung continue spending the money? And MEC President Griffith continues to allow changes and alterations to your TA 3 contract! Think that is honest?
- In recent AFA Delta organizing materials, AFA takes credit for the flight attendant "exiting bankruptcy claim". AFA fails to mention that the bankruptcy claim was in a previous TA, negotiated with a previous union! Think that is honest?
- In the most recent Delta/AFA Newsletter of March 31, 2008, Organizer Traci Kali authors an income comparison with "real live AFA represented" members containing 2007 W-2 Statements. "W-2's don't lie" she tells the Delta group. Well, I made no where near the $63,000 claimed by Kali. And the 2007 W-2 income would include the NWA bankruptcy exit claim (that fact is NOT mentioned by Kali), less than honest for the 92 hours claimed by Traci Kali. Check out Kali's work at http://deltaafa.org/aefiles/DeltaWklyNewsLtr25.pdf Think that is honest?
It is quite evident, that the lies and firestorm continues to rage at AFA.
All by the seat of their AFA pants..........
The deceptive lies, exaggerations and deceptions continue. You know the truth and should expect honesty and transparency, at the very least, from your AFA leaders!
Do you really want these dishonest and deceptive AFA folks representing your future? Are there not other more honest and accountable unions? Maybe holding the power in your hands, rather than Washington, keeps them honest?
Remember to hold AFA accountable for their lies and deceptive practices! Let your leaders know; you know and demand the truth. lecmec@nwaafa.org
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE>>>>>>>>>>>>
LIES, LIES, LIES..........THE LIES CONTINUE FROM AFA
THE $64,000 QUESTION ???
Did you earn nearly $64,000 last year? AFA thinks you did.
The following e-mail correspondence discusses the concerns raised regarding the truthfulness of the recent Delta/AFA Newsletter of March 31, 2008 and newswriter Traci Kali.
- Dear Michael,
My name is Mark Stell and I am one of the Co-Chairs for Communications for our Delta-AFA campaign. Our campaign received your email today and I have been asked to respond to it on behalf of Ms. Kali.
Firstly, let me assure you that our primary goals in communicating with our co-workers are to be honest, sincere and inspiring to our readers. Our communications team prides itself on our commitment to journalistic excellence at all times. Our campaign has never been solely about winning our representation election ... it has also been about building the future of our Delta-AFA structure. We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished over the last 18 months and we would never risk the hard work of all our activists by exploiting a mis-information campaign. In addition, Ms. Kali, a former writer for the Associated Press, is constantly checking and re-checking any fact or statement that could raise any ethics question. We are very lucky to have her working with us on our campaign.
I have attached the 12/27/07 – end of year paycheck stub – from a Northwest Airlines flight attendant. This is what we used, along with similar documentation submitted by other AFA represented flight attendants, to write our article. In the Northwest example, this FA’s salary was enhanced by a payment of a $15,000 post bankruptcy equity claim that Delta flight attendants did not receive. Further, this Northwest flight attendant also received a share of the savings Northwest Airlines realized from the cost reductions associated with their flight attendant early out program. In Delta’s current job reduction programs, Delta flight attendants have no similar opportunity to share in the cost savings our company expects to realize.
I realize you do not support the Association of Flight Attendants, Michael. At the same I time, I’m sure you realize any organization, whether it’s a homeowner’s association or the board of directors of a local church, needs the valued participation of its members in order to be effective. While AFA may not be perfect, the majority of my colleagues and I believe joining AFA offers us a greater opportunity to have a meaningful voice and role in our professional careers. Once we win our representational election we intend to negotiate our first contract in record time and to be a role model for labor relations for the entire airline industry.
Sincerely,
Mark Stell
Co-Chair of Communications
Delta-AFA Organizing Committee
Response regarding untruths and deceptive reporting
Dear Mr. Mark Stell,
Thank You for taking the time to respond to my recent e-mail. I appreciate your efforts. However, I along with hundreds of Northwest Airlines flight attendants, continue to discuss the disingenuous $63,000 earnings question, authored by Ms. Traci Kali, in a recent article.Despite the credentials of Ms. Kali, I continue to question the validity of many of her claims and the truth and accuracy of her reporting.
First, it is less than honest to just put out there, the number $63,000 without clarifying for the reader the truthfulness of such a statement. You did mention, in your e-mail, the resulting $63,000 "was enhanced" to include the bankruptcy claim AND the early out cost savings the Northwest Airlines flight attendants received ($15-$18,000). However, the story did not.
An unsuspecting reader of your article (Delta flight attendant) may not get a true and accurate picture of a "real live" Northwest flight attendant earnings. Do you not think that information should also be included?? Do you not want to give a "fair and honest" report to the Delta flight attendants? Is it not dishonest to omit such a caveat? So maybe, a more truthful and accurate earning report for a Northwest flight attendant would be at most, $45,000. That would be at the bottom of Ms. Kali's comparison (yep, right next to Delta!)
Honesty and truthfulness are not judged simply on the written word; rather ethical and truthful journalistic practices include not taking the liberty to omit facts. This factual omission may unjustly bias the reader or may indeed, alter the accuracy of the reporting !! As a former Associated Press writer, who "is constantly checking and re-checking any fact or statement that could raise any ethics questions" Ms. Traci Kali failed miserably in clearly and truthfully stating the "real live" Northwest flight attendant income.
Secondly, Ms. Kali's report states "19 years 92 hours". This figure implies that the Northwest flight attendant worked 92 hours a month to reach that $63,000 figure. But where, on the information you provided, is that "92 hour" information?? By failing to qualify her statements, Ms. Kali implies that a Northwest Airlines flight attendant in 2007 flew (92 hrs x 12 months) = 1,104 hours divided by $63,000 and earns over $60 per hour in earnings......simply, not the truth!!
Third, Ms. Kali clearly states "W-2" statements and "W-2s don't lie", the fundamental premise of her article NOT the paycheck stubs you forwarded to me. Is that not less than honest, if Ms. Kali used paycheck stubs instead of the stated W-2s? If I may explain. I have a domestic partner who receives medical/dental coverage and travels frequently on NWA. As a result, I am taxed for those benefits, which are added into each one my paychecks as additional income. Not a real reflection of my true earnings. In the attached paycheck stub, we have no evidence what is and is not included in the "year to date earnings". In your e-mail you state: "I have attached the 12/27/07-end of year paycheck stub-from a Northwest Airlines flight attendant. This is what we used, along with similar documentation submitted by other AFA represented flight attendants, to write our article."
So which is it?
The paycheck stub you claim or the copy of the W-2 Ms. Kali vehemently claimed did "not lie"? I would suspect your willingness to submit a copy of the paycheck stub validates your statement and once again calls into question the accuracy of Ms. Kali's reporting.
Mr. Stell, as the Co-Chair of Communications for the Delta AFA organizing campaign, I have identified several issues regarding your recent publication. I, along with hundreds of Northwest Airlines flight attendants, are once again disappointed in a communications team "that prides itself on our commitment to journalistic excellence at all times". In your e-mail you have stated "that our primary goals in communicating with our co-workers are to be honest, sincere and inspiring to our readers." Ms. Kali's recent article has certainly failed each of those goals.
On behalf of my dedicated and hard-working colleagues at Northwest Airlines; struggling to make their mortgage payments and put food on the table, I urge you and Ms. Traci Kali to offer a correction and clarification of your mis-information campaign. A true and accurate picture. I would expect no less from an organization "that prides itself on journalistic excellence" and an AFA organization that has unfairly misrepresented its Northwest Airlines Membership.
Unfortunately, another example: Why does AFA continue to have difficulty in "just telling the truth"? The members deserve better.
Regards,
Michael Lehr
Read the story, you be the judge!
http://deltaafa.org/aefiles/DeltaWklyNewsLtr25.pdf
Let Pat Friend and your LEC-MEC know you earned nothing like her over $100,000 salary. It is evident, AFA needs to be reminded how much you really earned last year under an AFA negotiated contract!!
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