Please bear with us as your technologically-challenged Local 98 Officers try to learn how to put together a new web site. We are working with the very talented Jim Bowen, webmaster for AFA International. Jim is helping us to create this new site. He handles web and myriad other technical issues for the entire AFA organization of over 20 carriers and 50, 000 members. Our transition to this new site may take several weeks. We are confident that when the project is complete that we will be able to give you a web site that is more efficient and user friendly than our previous one. Please stay tuned, and, again, we thank you for your patience.

Les, Kaki, Elisabeth and De Jur

We all have lived through one full day now since the announcement of the merger between NWA and Delta. There has been a little time to let the news sink in and to begin to reflect on what it all means. The story should not really have broadsided any of us as there had been so much hype about a probable deal during the past few months. Nonetheless, when spin and speculation become reality, it gives us pause as we face a change that has many unknown variables. Let's focus on what we do know to both assuage our anxieties and to guide us into a direction that has hope for our new collective future.

- We know that for right now nothing changes with regard to our seniority, work rules, or any other protection or provision that is within our contract.

- We know that a merger is a complex transaction that will take several months at minimum to complete.

- We know that the National Mediation Board has set an representational election for Delta flight attendants to choose whether or not to join AFA. Polls will open on April 23 and close on May 28 when the certified results will be announced.

Now let's consider why that last point is so important to us. If the Delta flight attendants choose to join AFA, seniority integration between us and them becomes a simple matter of AFA procedure: each flight attendant from each carrier will be rostered onto a new combined list with his or her current list seniority date. For a complete reading of AFA's Merger Policy, follow this link: http://www.afanet.org/cb/default.asp?id=61.

The AFA merger policy between two AFA-represented airlines takes away the possibility of an arbitrator's unfavorable rank/ratio or other formulaic integration method for the NWA flight attendants. However, it appears that Delta's management may have already started a "whisper campaign" that, if the DAL flight attendants vote down AFA, they could possibly wind up with a rank/ ratio that puts them at a higher seniority over NWA F/A's than they would have with AFA's merger policy.

The best outcome for all F/A's at NWA and DAL would be for us to all come together under AFA representation; it is the only assurance that seniority on both sides will be integrated in the truly fair fashion of AFA's merger policy.

This is what the NWA F/A's of LAX can do to help:

We need volunteers to Get Out the Vote (GOTV) for the Delta AFA campaign. To find out what you can do to help, please e-mail GOTV@deltaafa.org and copy me in on your e-mail at either lecp98@nwaafa.org or lmeeks@nwaafa.org. Remember that our DAL flying partners begin voting on April 23, and we will target our efforts out of LAX starting right around that time. The time to act to best protect your seniority is NOW! Please let us hear from you.

Finally, it must be recognized that as we proceed through this merger there will undoubtedly be moments that will test our emotions, our endurance, and possibly even our humanity. Remember that we have a terrific group of AFA EAP volunteers who will lend an ear to listen when things seem to be too much to handle. If this happens to you, be sure to call:

Joanne Tillson: 602.738.7040 Carole Nelson: 480.882.8939

Bob Cundy: 949.650.4679

Mark Roberts: 619.756.6114 Raul Vertiz: 619.852.2970

Let's now move forward armed with knowledge and with patience.

Fraternally yours,