Q:     I’m a pmAS SEAFA and commute from the Bay Area. Can I go to a SFO roadshow or will that be more geared towards pmVX FAs’ needs and issues?

A:     All Flight Attendants are welcome to attend any of the road shows.  The JNC anticipates that the SFO and LAX roadshows will have additional focus on the pmVX transition issues, but we will be presenting the same basic information. It’s likely the question and answer section will encompass a lot of pmVX questions. The corollary is true for any pmVX FA who wishes to attend a roadshow in ANC, SEA, PDX or SAN: the same basic information will be presented, but the Q&A will likely have a lot of pmAS questions.

The roadshow schedule can be found on the Merger TAs & Info page.

[Note: This JNC Blog post was revised in “[REVISED] What Happens if the TA is Voted Down?” The following strikeout text will remain for reference.]

Q:     Without this extension, VX stays at their current pay and awful work rules until when? When we get a whole new contract is that right? And then our new brothers and sisters from VX will be voting for things on that contract they have not experienced or worked under, including, work rules and company ethics, such as broken promises. Also correct? I’m trying to see the whole picture- short term and long term. And then decide where we (all) make the best strategic decision to be strongest and most united.

A:     You are correct on all points regarding the VX situation and what would happen if the VX FAs do not come over to the AS CBA (which would become the JCBA) as a result of a ratified TA.

Q:     If we say No to this “first offer,” you will be sent right back to the table, and we will get more because they [management] never give us their “best offer” first, correct? Some people think that if they vote no, we will go back into negotiations and get a larger [pay] increase and the 480 improvements.

A:      Contract negotiations is not like buying a car or a home. The “you never accept the first offer no matter what’s in the deal” approach is very troubling. Just remember that the parties passed multiple proposals prior to reaching an agreement, and the JNC rejected many of management’s offers. Therefore, the TA is not management’s first offer. Although it is possible that there might be improvements in another pass, there are no guarantees either. Additionally, it takes time to go through the process again.

Q:      If this is voted down, would we go right back to the table or is this a one time merger TA offer? Would we then hold off until openers for the full contract negotiations coming up at the end of the year?

A:     If the TA is voted down, management has told us that they will wait until October when the earlier re-opener for our Section 6 negotiations is slated to begin under our existing CBA. If that occurs, we will go into full Section 6 negotiations and our entire CBA will be potentially open for re-negotiation. Those talks have historically taken a significant amount of time. There are no guarantees regarding any provision to stay the same or to improve (e.g. pay raises, 480, etc.). Unless the parties were able to achieve a Merger Agreement TA2 prior to October, we would be back at the bargaining table potentially negotiating a full contract, yet with pmAS and pmVX on extremely disparate pay and work rules.

Q: Will our hire/step date/rate be revised to this new date in the synch up so in other words, will it be the same date for all things?

A: For pmAS FAs, the new “synch-up date” will be the same date for competitive bidding seniority and Occupational Seniority.

Historically these have always been the same date for pmAS FAs, and we do not want to change that because of the merger. Although this has been long standing practice as required by our contract, it is theoretically possible that your competitive bidding date for bidding purposes could be a different date than your Occupational Seniority date for pay raises and such.

The JNC is anticipating that the Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) will be giving credit to pmAS FAs’ competitive bidding dates for time spent in Initial Training. The job of the SMIC is to merge the lists and to certify the Integrated Seniority List (ISL) in a fair and equitable manner consistent with the Merger Policy in the AFA Constitution & Bylaws.

The revised Occupational Seniority date will then align with the new competitive bidding date just like it always has for the vast majority of FAs. The new Occupational Seniority date will apply everywhere the current Occupational Seniority date does in the current CBA: for pay rate increases, Longevity PTO qualification, Longevity Premium, etc.

Additional background info: For FAs who were hired directly into Inflight as a Flight Attendant from outside the Company, your Occupational Seniority date (i.e. the date you were hired as a FA) is the same as your Company Seniority date (i.e. the date you were hired as a Company employee). For FAs who transferred into Inflight from within the Company, the two are not the same date.

Q: Is VX voting on their TAs and AS voting on their TAs, or is VX and AS voting together to get the Merger Agreement ratified?

A: All Flight Attendants (VX and AS) must vote collectively on the entire Merger Agreement.

Under AFA’s Constitution and Bylaws, all pre-merger Virgin America and pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants are in one Master Executive Council. The pmVX and pmAS transition agreements are part of the Merger Agreement. The Merger Agreement also combines both groups under one Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA). At Full Integration (currently estimated March 2019), all Flight Attendant will be working under the JCBA.