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Miscellaneous Scheduling Information February 2016

AFA Alaska has compiled the following information for Premium Open Time trading, Open Time trading, Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs) during month end overlap, and Sit Pay/Stranded Pay.

 

Premium Open Time trading

 

Effective February 1st, Crew Scheduling now manually processes trades within legalities for trips posted as Premium Open Time. See Inflight Bulletin # 2016-0032 Premium Open Time Trade Update for additional information.  The current programming in eMaestro does not allow for automated trading of/with Premium Open Time trips (indicated by dollar signs: $, $$ or $$$).

 

Management has agreed that Crew Scheduling will manually process the trading of Premium Open Time sequences for Flight Attendants until an updated program or successor system is able to process the “trade” function automatically. Please be aware that the posted premium will not follow the trade unless it is a straight pick up from Open Time by the Flight Attendant. The “pick up” function is fully operational and does not require that you contact Crew Scheduling.

 

The trade will be day for day or greater on the same date(s) unless the day of departure is open, which is very unlikely if the Company is offering premium pay.

 

Open Time Trading Helpful Hints

 

What code allows me to trade my 2-day trip on the 15th for a turn in OT on the 15th?

 

If you have a 2-day trip on the 15th, and the trip in OT is coded TO/DD/CP, then you can trade down out of your 2-day and into the turn within contractual and/or FAR legalities.

 

***AFA and Alaska Airlines management have heard your feedback that there are too many codes, which causes confusion. In the replacement to eMaestro/Maestro, Jeppesen Crew Tracking Enterprise (JCTE), AFA and management have requested to reduce the number of codes–ideally we would like to combine the TO/DD/CP codes into one code (to be determined).***

 

What if a 2-day trip in OT is a TX (or not coded)?

 

If a trip in OT is coded TX, then you can trade for trip length of the same or greater number of days and covering the same dates as the trip you are trading off of your line, within contractual and/or FAR legalities.

Month End Overlaps and Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs)

 

“Whole sequence” minimum pay rules (MPRs)—the Extended Overnight Rule (EOR), Multiday Sequence Minimum (MSM) and Average Duty Period Guarantee (ADPG) were being paid at the end of the sequence in the subsequent month when there was month end overlap. However, management has agreed in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that a Flight Attendant may file an Activity Claim Form in order to have a “whole sequence” MPR (e.g. EOR, MSM, ADPG) paid in the preceding month during month-end overlap.  Otherwise by default the “whole sequence” MPR is paid in the subsequent month—no paperwork is necessary.

 

Sit Pay and Stranded Pay

 

If there is scheduled Sit Pay (sit over 2 hours) and the flight subsequently is delayed over 2 hours more than the scheduled sit (total ground time 4 hours and 2 minutes or more), is the F/A able to retain 1.0 TFP for Sit Pay and then file for 1.0 TFP Stranded Pay?

 

No. You are eligible for Stranded Pay only when it exceeds Sit Pay. Each occurrence of Stranded Pay is reduced by 1.0 TFP for Sit Pay already paid in that duty period (CBA §21.N.2.c. [Stranded Pay]). In order for Stranded Pay to exceed Sit Pay, the delay causing the stranding must be greater than 6 hours—or in other words, the flight must block out more than 6 hours past scheduled departure time. Total ground time must exceed the scheduled sit time (over 2 hours) plus the subsequent delay/stranding (over 6 hours).

 

* * *

 

If you have any additional questions, contact one of your Local Executive Council officers (ANC 30 | SEA 19 | PDX 39 | LAX 18 | SAN 15) or local Scheduling Committee chairperson(s) or committee members.

 

In solidarity,

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones

AFA Alaska Logo Transparent Background

Friends Don’t Let Friends Breathe Oil Fumes on Aircraft: Contribute to Crew and Passenger Health Research Project (GIVE TEN, GET TEN…)

Ever smelled dirty socks onboard? A dirty socks smell in the cabin could be engine oil fumes in the ventilation air. You read that right: the air that comes through the cabin and flight deck vents is first compressed in the engines, and it isn’t filtered before you breathe it on all aircraft except for the Boeing 787. AFA regularly receives reports from members who report dirty socks or musty fumes in the cabin supply air. This exposure can result in problems with memory, balance, speech and other long-lasting symptoms. Nobody thinks it will happen to her or him until it does….

 

Remember Clean Up Cabin Air and the GIVE TEN, GET TEN campaign? Clean Up Cabin Air is led by volunteer flight attendants—including some of our very own (who wish to remain anonymous)—and their supporters. Clean Up Cabin Air has re-launched its campaign and “re-branded” it as Airline Crew and Passenger Health Research: Blood Test for Oil.

 

From Clean Up Cabin Air’s campaign page:

 

We are re-launching our campaign on this important subject, having raised more than $3000 which has already been forwarded to the research team. We are again calling everyone who flies to join our campaign to make air travel healthier. Please GIVE $10 (or something comparable, any currency) to a talented university research team to finish developing an important blood test for airline crews and passengers (more information below). Also, GET 10 more people (Facebook friends, any friends, anybody with a pulse…) to do the same….

 

Aviation engine oils contain neurotoxic additives, so breathing the fumes can cause lasting damage to your brain. Also, flight safety can be compromised when crews are impaired inflight. You will meet some affected crew members in our video….

 

Join us. Change the way the industry handles the air you breathe on regular commercial flights. Donate now! Currently, 95% of your donation goes directly to the researchers, and 5% to Indiegogo, per their rules. We have been approved as a non-profit organization, such that contributions (made in the US, at least) will be tax-deductible. EVERY dollar, euro, pound, peso and yen, every bit – however small – helps. Larger contributions are also encouraged… Go ahead, watch our video and add your voice to the people who want clean cabin air now. We thank you.

 

All flight attendants and pilots need this blood test to be available, so the MEC is encouraging everybody to GIVE TEN, GET TEN. (Helpful hint from your MEC: Remember to confirm that the donation level matches your desired contribution prior to submitting.) As an added incentive and in keeping with the GIVE TEN theme, AFA Alaska will automatically match each member’s donation dollar for dollar up to a maximum of $10,000 total donation. We will work directly with Clean Up Cabin Air to make that happen—it’s easy to contribute, and there is no need for you to do anything for the donation matching!

 

If you are exposed to oil fumes onboard, then you need to be able to prove it. All of us need the industry to feel more motivated to clean up the cabin air!

 

In solidarity,

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Air Quality Chairperson Karyn Kobe; and AFA-CWA Air Safety, Health and Security Department Industrial Hygienist Judith Anderson

AFA Alaska Logo Transparent Background

What You Need To Know About New Ties & Scarves

After years of discussion and speculation, Alaska Airlines management has announced the launch of a new brand identity. As part of the rebranding, management has discussed the intent to produce a new “custom” uniform. The production of a custom uniform can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months from initial approval. This means that Flight Attendants will continue to wear the current “interim” uniform for the foreseeable future.

New Ties and Scarves Developed By Management With NO AFA Input

Because a custom uniform is still in the design phase, management has made the decision to produce and issue a new tie and scarf to all uniformed employees to include new brand elements in the mean time. This new piece has been designed and developed exclusively by management, without any input from the AFA Uniform Committee or the AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), despite contractual language requiring them do to so. The new piece is not being produced by Land’s End, but by a different vendor whom AFA has not had the opportunity to vet or review. Additionally, we have been given no information about the safety standards employed by this new vendor or any fabric testing performed on these new pieces.

AFA Not Allowed To Wear Test The Final Product

The AFA Uniform Committee has a long history of working with management to wear test new uniform pieces and accessories. Wear testing allows working Flight Attendants the opportunity to trial new uniform items in a real-life environment. Uniform and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Members are able to evaluate fit, function, comfort, and possibly discover whether the combination of fabrics, dyes, and other garment components used will cause adverse reactions. This testing increases the chance that the final uniform will meet our needs and is safer to wear.

In the case of the new uniform scarves and ties, management declined to give AFA the opportunity to conduct a full wear test of the final uniform product. Management instead offered the committees the chance to wear test uniform “blanks”, solid color ties and scarves that did not contain the actual mix of fabric and dyes that Flight Attendants will be expected to wear onboard the aircraft. AFA was told that a wear test of the actual ties and scarves was not possible because it was important that the new pieces remain a surprise for employees and the design not be leaked to the public. Because a test of anything other than the final product would not effectively determine how those actual pieces would react to our work environment, the Uniform Committee and ASHSC declined to participate in a test of “blank” pieces.

We feel that it is important that you are aware that AFA has not participated in the production or design of these new pieces.

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Uniform Committee.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt, MEC Uniform Committee Chairperson Bob Moore and MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple

AFA Alaska Logo Transparent Background

IAH Layovers for March 2016

We will resume layovers in IAH starting in March.  Please be advised that some of the trips in IAH had to be moved to a new secondary  layover hotel.  Management was only able to contract a limited number of rooms at both properties.  There were also some short layovers that needed to be moved out of the long layover hotel.

Unfortunately, the bid packets will still show the primary layover hotel for the trips that were moved.  The hotel information will be updated in eMaestro (in the notes sections) and the trips that have been moved are listed under the news and announcements section on the hotel tab of the Flight Attendant websites.  Specific hotel information for both hotels is also listed on the hotel tab of the Flight Attendant website.

A direct link to management’s information about the move can be found here (AS log-in required)

Be On Guard: Hotel Scams on the Rise

A new scam where con artists try to get credit card numbers out of hotel guests is on the rise.  Always be alert on your layovers and never give your credit card number out to anyone who calls your room.  If hotel staff need to get payment information for your incidental charges, they will always ask you to come down to the front desk and will never ask for your credit card number over the phone.  Alternately, you can hang up and then call back down to the front desk so that you know exactly who you’re talking to.

A recent NBC news story provides some more background on the scam.  You can read the story here: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43662080/ns/business-consumer_news/t/summer-travel-alert-scammers-target-hotel-guests

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