03.06.2018

[Note: These notes were recorded at the time of the roadshow and are presented as recorded. Any clarifications or edits that have been applied after the roadshows are indicated in strikeout font for deleted text and underlined font for added text. – Edited 03.13.2018 jtp]

 

What does Section 6 mean?

Contracts remain in force until changed. Either party seeking to amend existing CBA’s must provide 30-day written notice as to desired changes. (Section 6 RLA.) There is no time limit by which contracts must be negotiated to avoid a work stoppage. Under Section 6 of the act either side may propose changes to an existing collective bargaining agreement, but agreements (for purposes of stability and labor peace) generally contain agreed upon moratorium clauses that provide no change may be demanded on specified subjects for a prescribed period of time.

 

When will VX received AS pay?

If ratified, immediately for many provisions; if not, they won’t receive until a CBA is reached.

 

Will there be calculator to show the PPP additional flying for us?

Yes, it will be updated.

 

“Shadow Vacation” (Vacation Coordination Bank) for Insurance?

What this means is you don’t have any paid vacation but have unpaid vacation you can use this to coordinate and receive your insurance and that would include anyone on your plan at the time of the leave.

 

Ground Commuting and if you got a flat tire and you showed them a picture would that be enough?

Yes you can but remember that it has to be done within 1 hours and documentation like from AAA.

 

What are the penalties for Company if they don’t implement this contract?

They have to put the VX on AS work rules (not pay) of the AS CBA but AS cannot fly on VX and it would hurt the company plans. They have a huge financial cost for themselves.

 

Cross Training of the aircraft, when will it start?

Should start June or July and end by November.

 

When will retro be paid out?

It should be in April or at the latest May. We will try and find out the correct answer so that you have time to change your deductions.

 

Wording on our current CBA – versus this JCBA on issues that have dates attached to them?

We are confident that it will be implemented at the date required…March.

 

2 year extension – additional duration – why?

This will actually be a benefit if we are unified as one group it is better for us from a negotiating standpoint.

 

Is this going to be a 5-year extension?

As far back as Southwest in 94 we really didn’t have many changes until this last CBA and that is why we went through from front to back. I don’t believe that the current agreement doesn’t need to be as comprehensive changes but more clean up.

 

480 changes in the next contract?

It will be a tough fight to get both vacation and sick leave and most FA’s want it to be inclusive of vacation and sick leave. Management has made it clear that they believe that you need to fly a certain amount to achieve vacation.

 

Timeline: If TA failed we go into Section 6…would we get a TA 2?

We have been told many times that they will not go back to the table and there is a 6 month gap between this contract and openers for the next.

 

Divided group for the next negotiations of another contract?

To be honest – it creates challenges if we aren’t unified.

[See also Healthcare Insurance: Premiums [JCBA] and Healthcare Insurance: Premiums 2 [JCBA]]

Q:     My concern is the TA clause regarding healthcare insurance premiums frozen at the 2019 rates. To my understanding, the clause has no bearing or protection regarding the $1500 the Company gives to the employee Health Savings Account (HSA) to assist with the high deductible plan. So technically the Company could rescind that amount starting in 2019 if this TA passes, and the high deductibles would be completely the responsibility of the employee. The $1500 is not a contractual item.  Currently we have protection and a cap on what our premiums can increase each year, which I believe is 20% for 2019. With this TA our premiums would be frozen at the 2019 rate, not our current 2018 rate.  If I run the numbers, it would be to my benefit to have my premiums increase even to the max of 20% verses having the Company rescind the $1500 they award to our HSA. Premiums notoriously increase each year and if our premiums are frozen, the Company’s share will increase. With that said, I don’t see the Company still giving money to help with the high deductibles. The Company will have to make up their share of increased premiums somewhere, and rescinding the $1500 would be the obvious as it is not contractual and just out of the goodness of the Company’s heart.

A:     The Company contribution to the Health Savings Account (HSA) has historically been and will remain management discretion under the TA. The Company has been providing annual financial incentives to move employees over to the high deductible plan by contributing to the HSA when employees switch to (or, depending on the year, are simply enrolled in) the high deductible plan. The year-on-year cap is 15%, so the 2019 healthcare insurance rates cannot increase more than 15% from 2018 (not 20% as indicated in the question). Additionally, the Flight Attendant cost share cannot be more than 20% of the actual cost to the Company. If management were to eliminate the HSA contribution, it would have to do that for all employees. This in turn would disincent employees from switching to (or remaining on) the high deductible plan, which is the exact opposite of management’s goal to migrate as many employees as possible from the higher cost PPO to the lower cost high deductible plan.

Q:     My crew today is all convinced that L-VX FAs will not receive L-AS work rules if the TA is ratified. Each of us is reading it differently. Is it just the money? Or will L-VX FAs get the L-AS contract?

A:     If the TA is ratified, L-VX FAs will start receiving the equivalent of L-AS pay on many of the L-AS contractual pay provisions (converted from TFP to block-hours until L-VX is transitioned fully to TFP). If the TA is ratified, L-VX FAs will also receive many of the L-AS contractual provisions starting at Date of Ratification. However, many of the L-AS scheduling-related work rules will not become effective until Full Implementation, which is currently expected in March 2019. Although the JNC pushed hard for L-AS contractual work rules to be implemented earlier, that is not possible due to programming limitation in Sabre (VX) and JCTE (AS) as well as staffing constraints on the VX partition.  Details regarding the timing of JCBA implementation for L-VX FAs is in the L-VX Implementation Timetable LOA TA.

Q:     If the TA is not passed, will L-AS FAs still experience aircraft differences training this year? Also…the differences training is mentioned many times in the blog as taking place this summer and fall. As summer is approaching (our next bid month is May!), do you have any information as to who will be scheduled and when? Will we have much notice as to when our training will be? If we have recurrent in June, for example, will it be incorporated with differences training? Or will it remain separate?

A:     Transition training (i.e. aircraft differences training) within both partitions will go forward regardless of the status of the TA. All Flight Attendants who are medically able to attend training are required to do so. The ‘live’ portion of differences training (there is also some computer based training) will be two days completely separate from Recurrent Training. The training is anticipated between July and November, with bidding for the training in late April to early May. More information can be found in the Airbus Transition Training LOA. The MEC is also planning a standalone communication to address differences training.