AMFA National - Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association

Dear Members:

During the first week of February I participated in the NEC conference call. Later that week I spoke with Bill Darnell, Local 11 Safety & Standards Chairman, who has found a company that will provide additional conflict resolution training to the Local 11 Professional Standards Committee. I also spoke with Scott Paine, SWA ASAP representative. He expressed some concerns with the way SWA is self disclosing events to the FAA without first sharing the information with AMFA so as to allow a mechanic the opportunity to file a sole source report rather than a sufficient evidence report. Both of which can have entirely different outcomes.

The following week I was in Houston for the Joint Advisory Council (JAC) meeting in which Scott Paine and John Paonessa made the trip down for the day to address the NEC & LECs in regards to the ASAP issues previously mentioned. During the JAC it was also requested that AMFA National address and draft policy in regards to Accident team training and responsibility for such training. I had already begun drafting a policy and during further discussion with the rest of the NEC made some adjustments. I now feel that I have developed a fair and equitable policy that should accommodate and benefit all of the teams.

Later in the month I met with Dave Brooks, L32 SSC and Warren Wittig AMFA/SWA accident team party coordinator at the local 32 office. We discussed the status of the team and the projected training for 2010. We also discussed improving and revising the AMFA national accident response manual. We later participated in the SWA LEC conference call which was chaired by Jack Coonrod. The purpose of the call was to answer questions by both L11 & L18 in regards to the accident team’s proposed budget for 2010. Both Dave and Warren clarified the invaluable necessity for further training of the team members. It was voted and agreed upon in which all 3 locals would present to their members the revised budget amount for approval. It was agreed that L32 would provide to the other locals a quarterly expense report detailing the team’s expenditures.