Exclusive

Breaking News

OUSTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
EX-UNION LEADER SEEKS RE-ELECTION

Monday February 12, 2008
By Roger Graham


St. Louis, MO – While elections loom across the nation, only one is more important to the flight attendants of American Airlines. They have begun casting their ballots for the president of the nation’s largest independent flight attendant union the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA).

Former APFA president John Ward has thrown his hat in the ring for the coveted seat. As the incumbent in the 2004 National Officer election, he was declared president in the heated run-off election with his opponent Tommie Hutto-Blake amid false fire alarms during the ballot count; ultimately beating out Hutto-Blake by as little as five votes.

Later that year, Tommie Hutto-Blake was installed president on August 25, 2004, by unanimous resolution of the APFA Board of Directors following the close review of an August 17, 2004 letter to Ward from John H. Heaney, Chief of the Employment Standards Administration Department of Labor, Division of Enforcement. The Department of Labor had stepped in following formal DOL election complaints in March 2004. District Director of the Office of Labor-Management Standards, DOL, Kermit Perkins and Investigator Ann Woodward, validated, opened, counted and certified 16 ballots of APFA members who had been denied the right to vote on August 12, 2004. These additional counted votes brought the previously recorded tally which had been certified on March 12, 2004, to be recertified on August 27, 2004 with Hutto-Blake declared the true winner by seven (7) votes.

In a letter dated August 17, 2004 to the union, John H. Heaney, Chief, Division of Enforcement, U.S Department of Labor had stated “it is the OLMS position that APFA should immediately install candidate Tommie Hutto-Blake to the position of APFA president”. In doing so, Chief Heaney’s letter further states it would remedy the violations that occurred during the runoff elections giving APFA an August 26, 2004 deadline.

Other issues have surrounded the ex-union leader and candidate in the past. In 2004, Mr. Ward was also brought up on charges of improperly terminating an APFA staff employee without the knowledge and approval of the Executive Committee; a violation of the union constitution and policy upheld by arbitrator Francis Quinn. “The actions surrounding the termination of (said staff member) have all the appearances of arbitrary and capricious political retaliations”. Mr. Quinn further stated “The claim that he (Mr. Ward) did not act intentionally or that there was ignorance of the contractual mandate is without merit”.

“It’s time we unite, bring about change and restore our credibility as a union”, stated Toni Delia. Delia a furloughed flight attendant recently assisted in spearheading a grassroots effort to extend the recall rights of those currently laid off. “I am casting my vote for Laura Glading”, she stated.

Mr. Ward’s opponent is long time trade unionist Laura Glading who joined him in the run-off after last month’s primary. The successor to the current president will undoubtedly have their hands full as union members are demanding pay increases and better working conditions. American’s flight attendants suffered huge pay cuts, furloughs and reduction in benefits in 2003 through a restructuring agreement signed by Mr. Ward and the airline which is now in Federal court over the voting approval process of that agreement.

Nearly 19,000 flight attendants will be waiting in the wings to see who their next union leader will be as ballots are counted on February 26, 2008.

copyright 2007 Roger Graham