Q: I tried to find the language in the contract but unable to find. Is date of hire the mandate for the agreement? If an Alaska Airlines FA was hired previous to all Virgin America’s FAs, the only people who are senior to the Alaska FA are other Alaska FAs, right?
A: The contract specifics that Flight Attendant Date of Hire (DOH) inclusive of time spent in Initial Training as provided for in the ISL will define Occupational Seniority/System Seniority. This can be found in the JCBA LOA Changes to the 2014-2019 CBA TA, Section 6 [Seniority].
A. Seniority Applications
2. Occupational Seniority/System Seniority
a. Hired as a Flight Attendant prior to Date of Ratification: Seniority that accrues from the date an employee is placed on the Company payroll as a Flight Attendant, which will be retroactive to include credit for time spent in Initial Training as provided for in the Integration Seniority List (ISL) certified by the Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC).
b. Hired as a Flight Attendant after Date of Ratification: Seniority that accrues from the date an employee is placed on the Company payroll as a Flight Attendant, which will be retroactive to the first day of Initial Training.
c. Occupational Seniority/System Seniority will be used for all vacation selection, eligibility for Longevity Paid Time Off, leaves of absence other than medical leaves, emergency leaves and additional personal leaves as defined in Section 15 [Leaves of Absence], reduction in force, return to active status after release due to reduction in force and bidding rights for line of time, reserve, extra sections, charter, Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) and other flying applications as provided for elsewhere in this Agreement.
In addition Section X [Merger Policy…] of the AFA Constitution and Bylaws spells out the full provisions of how the ISL is achieved.
In answer to the example provided, then you are correct: a L-AS FA hired prior to all other L-VX FAs is senior to them. Only other L-AS FAs who are already senior to the example L-AS FA prior to the merger will be senior to that person following certification of the Integrated Seniority List (ISL).
