This is APA Communications member First Officer Scott Shankland with the APA Information Hotline for Friday, May 21.
APA SPRING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING: The APA Board of Directors adjourned its regularly scheduled spring meeting at 3:45 p.m. Central today after spending the week at union headquarters in Fort Worth.
During the past couple of days, the Board received a series of briefings in executive session, including updates by General Counsel Ed James, Pension Committee Chairman First Officer Mike MacMurdy and Negotiating Committee Chairman First Officer Neil Roghair.
Director of Benefits Mike Knoerr provided an overview of the health insurance reform legislation that Congress passed earlier this year. He described the legislation as fulfilling the same general purpose as a tentative agreement between APA and management, whereas forthcoming regulations containing much more specific details can be likened to actual contract language.
Benefits attorney Dan Feinberg briefed the Board on the success his firm has had assisting pilots engaged in disability appeals. He cited the value of retaining a reputable and impartial third-party medical authority, such as the Mayo Clinic, in the effort to maintain our disability benefits. Mr. Feinberg also noted the importance of having thorough clinical reviews of disability claims, as opposed to simple paper reviews of medical files. Clinical reviews often result in more precise diagnoses that in turn lead to more effective courses of treatment, which benefits employee and employer alike.
Director of Industry Analysis Allison Clark gave a first-person debrief of this week’s AMR shareholders’ meeting in New York and also detailed the current status of that city’s highly competitive airline market. Ms. Clark also discussed recent fuel volatility and noted that the forward curve for prices continues to slope upward, despite recent declines.
Director of Representation Bennett Boggess updated the status of pending arbitrations and reviewed the 2010 arbitration schedule.
Also during this week’s meeting, the Board voted to approve a series of resolutions covering various facets of APA’s operations. Click here to view all closed and pending resolutions.
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