Q:     Can you tell me when the current contracts and pay scales expire for United (UA), Southwest (WN), American (AA) and Delta (DL)?

A:     Yes.

• AFA United: CBA amendable August 2020.
• TWU Southwest: CBA amendable October 2018.  
• APFA American: CBA amendable December 2019.
• Delta FAs are currently non-union and therefore not covered under a collective bargaining agreement, so their pay and work rules can be changed at any time.  

Click here for FA Industry Payscale Comparisons in TFP >

Click here for FA Industry Payscale Comparisons in Block-Hours >

Q:     At one point management was leading a focus group to start a mentorship program to help with training a consistent service for our new hires. It seems like this would be a perfect time to implement such a program. Is this kind of program even being talked about anymore?

A:    Management presented a proposal for a trial mentorship program to the MEC for consideration back in 2016 (see “Mentorship Program Update – November 2016”). The MEC rejected the proposal for a variety of reasons, including troubling shortcomings in terms of scheduling requirements and pay.

Management did not address the Mentorship Program with the JNC in these negotiations. The MEC remains open to conversation about establishing a Mentorship Program if the timing is right and the program is deemed to be a benefit to the membership as a whole.

Q:     The full TA we are reading is comprehensive, correct? What I mean is this the TA for both of us? There isn’t a portion that applies to VX we at AS are not seeing?

A:     Correct. All the documents that comprise the Merger Agreement ( the global document) have been released in full text. There are no other agreements that have not been released other than that management has agreed to pay for some transition-related training (e.g. PBS). The parties will finalize that agreement this week.

p.s. The VX work rules, which are currently neither considered a ‘contract’ nor addressable by the grievance procedure, would be considered ‘contractual’ and therefore enforceable if the TA is ratified. At that point, the work rules would be ‘frozen’ and could not be further amended except by mutual agreement of the parties.

Q:     When the TA is approved, will service and inflight labor (amount of work performed) be matched to that of AS? For example, LAX SFO is a full beverage service for the entire cabin, whereas AS, correct me if I’m wrong, has a reduced beverage service. Will the VX service be adjusted to match? Equal work for equal pay?

A:     Not immediately. Flight Attendant service duties are determined at management’s discretion, so this is not a contractual issue. We know that management will align the product offerings and service flow, but it will not occur at date of ratification. Management has indicated to AFA that the bulk of service alignment is anticipated to occur this fall.

Q:     Why can’t we fight for more Positive Space (PST) tickets? We use those more frequently and we don’t seem to be getting them as often.  Can they be added to the contract?

A:     Pass travel is a Company benefit and therefore management discretion. The only contractual language we have regarding discretionary (i.e. for pleasure) pass travel is that FAs receive the same pass privileges as other employees and that you may continue to have pass travel privileges under certain conditions while on leaves of absence. Management considers pass travel to be a management’s rights issue, so it is extremely unlikely that AFA will be able to negotiate PST tickets.