EAP Committee
Elizabeth Bonner
503-528-6496
Marty Ford - ORD Rep.
740-272-0893
Maria Ito – PHX Rep.
951-970-2251
A personal note from your MEC EAP & LEC 51 ORD/PHX EAP Chair:
Greetings! Our EAP has three parts. One is Employee Assistance, under this part, we serve as a resource for resolving problems through an international network of over 200 professionally-trained, peer support, volunteer Flight Attendants overseen by mental health professionals.
Part two is Professional Standards (PS). We help with conflict resolution between flight crews, flight attendants and other co-workers.
Part three is Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP). We help with substance abuse for yourself and your family. All of our services are confidential and free.
Marty Ford ,Maria Ito and I are your ORD/PHX LEC EAP team.
We are dedicated and caring representatives. Whatever your concern, we can help. Please reach out to us in your time of need, whether it is a simple question or a complicated issue. Nothing is too small or too large for us to help. If we can't help you, we will find someone who can.
Hello, I’m Julian Robinson, LEC 52 DFW EAP Chair.
My team and I are here to aid and support you in every possible way with any possible scenario. This may come in the form of rerouting you to a different committee that can best address your concerns. Please understand this is by no means a brush-off. We take pride in the training of our representatives and our abilities to discern. If we don’t have the answers, we will do our best to get you to the person who does. I have a very capable and competent representative working with me in DFW, Missy Melton.
Please be aware that in some rare cases, we may not have been informed of your emergency situation, so if you don’t hear from us please give us a call.
Hi! My name is Rebeca Stam, and I am the LEC 59 MIA EAP Chair.
As you know, the Miami base had been closed and was reopened a couple of years ago. We are now rebuilding the local union and are actively seeking members for our union committees, including our EAP committee. Please reach out to me if you feel called to support your fellow flight attendants in our day-to-day life. It is a privilege to lend a listening ear when you want one, and to be available for anything you might need. All our EAP bases work together, we are a very close team, and we each help, as needed, at the other bases, too. Feel free to call whichever base, or rep, you feel most comfortable with. If we can make your job more enjoyable, safer, or more compatible with the rest of your life, please do not hesitate to reach out. Blessings to all.
We could all benefit from reliable support through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Relationship issues, family concerns, emotional well-being, physical health concerns, stress, substance abuse, other addictions, financial difficulties, legal matters, and personal and work problems. As aviation's first responders, flight attendants prepare for and coordinate responses to emergency situations for carriers and the traveling public daily.
Our EAP representatives can help you:
- Understand the dynamics and impact of a critical incident or traumatic event.
- Recognize the normal signs and course of post-incident stress.
- Identify strategies for managing and alleviating these symptoms.
- Recognize when your recovery is getting stuck
- Access professional resources when needed
- Problems occur among coworkers
- However, there is an alternative to making a report to management if you have a conflict with, or a concern about a flying partner.
Professional Standards
Please call Professional Standards before "writing up" your coworker, to see how we can assist!
Professional Standards exists to help coworkers resolve conflicts involving or stemming from offensive conduct, work and/or personal habits, personality clashes, differences in communication and/or interaction style, and concerns about the well-being of your flying partner(s). We encourage professional relationships with coworkers. Professional Standards is a part of our EAP.
By using Professional Standards, you maintain control over the process and outcome, without turning that over to management. You can contact your local EAP representative and confidentially share your problem with a fellow employee. Together, you cand your local EAP representative will come up with an action plan to address the situation that makes the best sense for you and your concerns. Your identity and information will remain confidential unless you give your AFA EAP permission to share it. AFA's EAP/PS program is designed to empower you to address your workplace conflicts either directly or through an AFA EAP representative. Your AFA EAP has active working relationships with the pilot union(s) to address professional standard concerns between our respective members.
So, if you'd like someone to listen to your concerns and help you develop an action plan that feels right for you, give us a call. We are only a phone call away.
Talk it out, don't write it up.
Tips on Addressing Concerns:
- Approach your coworker out of the view and earshot of passengers. Consider waiting until after you are off the airplane.
- Speak in a calm, non-threatening manner.
- Discuss the specific behavior or area of disagreement and how it is impacting you.
- Find an acceptable solution that includes a commitment to professional behavior on future flights.
What is FADAP?
FADAP is a substance-abuse prevention program, created and promoted for and by the flight attendant profession and funded by the FAA. Throughout this site you will find stigma free information on substance use, abuse and dependence.
Mission
FADAP's mission is to support a culture of safety which will be able to assist flight attendants in meeting their personal and professional goals through substance-abuse awareness, combined with self and peer referrals for assistance, and the implementation of a flight-attendant-specific recovery support system.
The advancement of the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program has been endorsed by your flight attendant peers and managers from 25 carriers during a March 2009 "Return to the Cabin" Summit.
The Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program began September 2010 with funding from the FAA.
The following statement of values under which FADAP operates was created by the FADAP Advisory Board (January 2011).
Value Statement
- Substance Use Disorders are preventable and treatable chronic illnesses
- Left unaddressed, we all pay the price in numerous ways
- FADAP is dedicated to preventing and reclaiming personal and economic loss
Recovery is not a hard landing, it's a journey.
AFA-CWA Employee Assistance Program (video)
Critical Incident
AFA EAP representatives are available for you after an incident or accident. These trained representatives offer confidential education, referrals, and intervention services to help members cope with unsettling events both on and off the airplane. All information shared with AFA EAP is treated confidentially, similar to how health professionals handle sensitive data. AFA EAP discussions are kept separate from any company or FAA operational and investigatory proceedings.
- If you are involved in an aviation incident that you believe has overwhelmed your ability to continue to perform your safety-sensitive functions, contact your Flight Service Manager or Crew Scheduling immediately and ask to be removed from your flight.
If you had a Critical Incident, learn more about your options; click here.
Terrorism and threats are designed to cause fear and disruption, and it's normal to feel anxious, sad, or angry. People react differently, and some may struggle more due to varying tolerance levels for distress. To cope, the National Mental Health Association recommends taking breaks from news coverage, maintaining daily routines and social connections for stability, and having an emergency plan in place for a sense of control. If you're struggling to manage emotions, seek professional help, with AFA EAP offering support and referrals if needed.
DEA & Substances Awareness
DEA launched "One pill Can kill" campaign
"DEA has issued a public safety alert to warn Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. Criminal drug networks are mass-producing counterfeit pills and falsely marketing them as legitimate prescriptions in an effort to deceive the American public."
Protect Yourself
Going out for a drink? Always watch your own drink, only accept drinks directly from the bartender, and never leave your drink unattended. Unless you know the person, don't accept open container drinks. If you suspect you've been drugged or assaulted, get medical assistance right away and preserve evidence.
Your AFA EAP is available to provide peer support and assistance around all forms of victimization.