Flight Attendants who are using iPads to trade are asking about the bookmark (url) for the new “Drop to Open Time” function. Here it is:
https://crxs.alaskaair.com/faDropAsmt.do
Enjoy!
In solidarity,
Your AFA Scheduling Committee
New Open Time User Guide
Some big changes are coming with our new Open Time system. To help with the transition we’d like to point out some highlights and give helpful hints.
Open Time Video
For a full review of the new Open Time, check out the video that was produced during the TA-2 Roadshows:
Correction: Trading for any newly established domicile(s) would begin at 9am, not 3pm as stated in the video.
Fundamentals
- Flight Attendant to Flight Attendant and the new Open Time trading will begin simultaneously on the 15th of the month prior to the month in which the flying will occur. Trading remains unlimited. Access to trading will begin as follows: SAN at 9:00am PT, PDX at 10:00am PT, ANC at 11:00am PT, LAX at 12:00pm PT and SEA at 2:00pm PT.
- Flight Attendants may post trips at 8:00pm PT on the 14th of the month.
- Every sequence in the new Open Time is coded with a reason code: e.g., TO (trades with Open Time), CP (Coupon Drops), SL (Sick Leave), UB (Union Business) and CB (Company Business). There could be other reason codes, but these are the most common. The CP code will likely be very rare since drop coupons haven’t been issued in years.
- The “Threshold Sequence Number” is based on domicile population (see Section 12.F.3 [Open Time Trial]) and is currently calculated as 10 in Seattle and 3 in Anchorage, Portland, Los Angeles and San Diego. This means that when the total number of sequences coded as TO/CP in Open Time on that day meets or exceeds the Threshold Sequence Number, the day will be “limited.” Remember, only the first day of TO/CP sequences counts towards the Threshold Sequence Number and therefore the limiting of Open Time. The Threshold Sequence Number can change based on the number of Flight Attendants in a base; however, there will always be a minimum of 3. Any other type of sequence: SL, UB, CB, etc., does not count toward the Threshold Sequence Number.
- A Flight Attendant is able to reduce his/her schedule by a net 40 TFP as a result of dropping to or trading with Open Time each bid month. There is no cap on how much TFP can be dropped as a result of dropping to or trading with another Flight Attendant.
Open Days
- On any calendar day that is “open” and not “limited” (closed under the old contract), all sequences with that day of report may be picked up, traded or dropped into Open Time without respect to the number of flights, the number of days and/or duty periods, TFP credit or any other parameters.
- If you wish to trade a sequence with a sequence on a different calendar day, the only day that needs to be open is the day in which you report for your sequence. For example, you have a 3-day trip beginning on October 4th and you want to trade for a 2-day trip beginning on October 17th, as long as October 4th is open, regardless of the reason code, you can make this trade.
Limited Days
- Once a day is limited because the Threshold Sequence Number has been met, all trips coded other than TO/CP will be converted to a reason code of TX.
- If a day is limited it can be reopened if a Flight Attendant picks up a TO/CP sequence from that day.
- Any sequence reporting on a calendar day that is limited and is coded other than TO/CP may only be traded for a sequence (with the same date of report) of the same or greater number of days. For example, if a sequence is coded TX, SL, UB, CB, etc., and you wish to trade with that sequence and the day of report is limited, you could only trade your 2-day trip reporting on October 4th for a 2, 3 or 4 day trip reporting October 4th, and you could not trade for a turn.
- Any sequence reporting on a calendar day that is limited and is coded TO/CP then that sequence may be traded for another sequence with the same day of report regardless of the length of trip. For example, if you wish to trade your 4-day trip reporting on October 4th with 1-day trip reporting on October 4th, it would be approved provided the Open Time trip is coded TO/CP.
Miscellaneous
- All things being equal, it is to your fellow co-workers’ benefit if you are going to pick up a trip you do so out of the Flight Attendant to Flight Attendant trade box, or if you pick up out of Open Time, that you pick up a trip that is coded TO or CP. This will open the day if it is limited, allowing another flight attendants to drop a trip into Open Time.
- All of this information can be found in the Collective Bargaining Agreement in Section 12.F. [Open Time Trial].
* * *
Questions? Contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers or your local Scheduling Committee members.
In solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance Committee chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl and MEC Grievance Committee member Stephanie Adams
Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
AFA Alaska MEC Grievance Update August 2015
The Master Executive Council (MEC) has recently filed numerous grievances on your behalf.
Grievances Settlements
First and foremost, we filed and settled two very important grievances:
Grievance No. 36-99-2-17-15: Assigning a Failure to Report after Successful Check In.
This grievance was filed due to the Company’s violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Section 32 [Attendance Policy], when it assigned failure to report occurrences after a Flight Attendant’s successful check in.
In certain circumstances management had been assigning a “Late Report” when a Flight Attendant arrived late to the gate or arrived late to the gate at RON, this was after a successful scan in at the beginning of her/his sequence. AFA’s long-standing position has been that “Late Report” occurrences only applied when a Flight Attendant failed to scan in at domicile. All other situations, which might result in a Flight Attendant arriving late to the aircraft, were handled as general performance issues; these will now be referred to as “Late Arrival to Aircraft”. Please note this does not change a Flight Attendant’s requirement to be at the aircraft 45 minutes prior to departure.
Management agreed and a settlement was reached with the following clarifications:
1) A Flight Attendant may only be assessed a Late Report (formerly Failure to Report) when s/he checks in after the scheduled check in time and has not been assessed a No-Show for the same event;
2) When a Flight Attendant is late to the aircraft at any time during a scheduled sequence, s/he will not be assessed any attendance points, these occurrences will be considered a performance issue and will be handled under the Company’s progressive discipline policy; and
3) The Company agrees to remove attendance points from any Flight Attendant who received them for being late to the aircraft during a scheduled sequence, provided the points were assigned in the 18 months preceding May 19, 2015.
If you believe that you may have been assessed a Failure to Report incorrectly and it occurred after November 19, 2013, please reach out to a local grievance representative for assistance.
A copy of the settlement language can be found by clicking here.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-26-15: Quarterly Productivity Premium.
The second grievance settlement involved Section 21.R [QPP]. It was filed due to Management’s position that Flight Attendants who had not received a PBS bid award for one or more months of the quarter were excluded from the Quarterly Productivity Premium. A copy of the settlement language can be found in its entirety here.
Grievances Upheld
Management granted the following two grievances:
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-11-15: Violation of Section 27.N [New Hire Initial Training Presentation].
The Company’s violation of Section 27.N, when it failed to provide the Association one hour for the purpose of new hire orientation during a regularly scheduled training day.
Resolution: Management has agreed to ensure that a full hour is provided.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-13-15-Failing to Provide Automated Trading of 4K Pairings.
The Company’s violation of Section 10.DD.6 [Long Stage Length (“4K”) Duty Period] and 12.C.1 [Trading Procedures], when it failed to automate trading of Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4K”) Pairings. In addition when it violated the Contract Implementation Schedule Letter of Agreement paragraph numbers six* (“One-hundred and twenty days after DOS-but no later than May 1, 2015,…”) and nine* (“The Company agrees to make a good faith effort to meet the above implementation time frames…”), when it failed to notify the Association of the delay and discuss the circumstances and necessary adjustments to the implementation schedule.
Resolution: Manual trading is in effect until the next emaestro release scheduled for September 15, 2015. Bulletin 2015-0182 issued on July 16, 2015, addresses how to manually trade “4K” pairings.
Grievances Pending
The following grievances have been filed and are still pending:
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-15-15-Limiting Access to the SAN Domicile.
The Company’s violation of Section 28.I [Company Provided Computers and Printers at Domiciles], when it limited access to the SAN Domicile including contractually required resources to only those Flight Attendants based in SAN.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-19-15-Failing to Pay Flight Attendants for Reasonable Suspicion Drug/Alcohol Testing.
The Company’s violation of Addendum to Section 21 [Compensation], when it failed to pay Flight Attendants for reasonable suspicion drug & alcohol testing.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-20-15-Converting a Line Holding Flight Attendant to ER Reserve Outside of her/his Contactable Period.
The Company’s violation of Section 11.C.3.b.6 [Conversion of Reserves to ER] and 11.C.3.c [ER Contactibility], when it converted a line holding Flight Attendant to ER Reserve outside of her/his contactable period.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-21-15-Section 21.M Compensation.
The Company’s violation of Section 21.M [Pay Protection Due to Weather, Mechanical or to Suit Company Convenience], when it removed a Flight Attendant from a trip and failed to pay protect her.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-22-15-Violation of Past Practice Regarding Manual Revision/Emergency Interim Bulletin (EIB) Insertion Timelines.
The Company’s violation of past practice regarding manual revision/emergency interim bulletin (EIB) insertion timelines, which fails to provide Flight Attendants sufficient time to thoroughly read and insert their revisions and/or EIB’s. Long standing past practice is articulated in the Flight Attendant Manual 6.500 page 1, dated July 6, 2012, which states: “Insert, post and record manual revisions within 14 days of receipt, no later than 30 days after distribution.” A new EIB 14-40 effective November 25, 2014, now states: “The holder of the FAM shall insert revisions/EIBs on or before the effective date or prior to the first assignment following the effective date, whichever comes first.”
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-23-15-Beyond Service Training Exceeding Contractual Training Hours.
The Company’s violation of Section 30.A.2 [Recurrent Training and Other Company-Required (Non-Computer-Based) Training; Hours], by conducting Beyond Service Training after 5:00PM local time, failing to provide a clear break between required training and the optional “Happy Hour” and failing to provide transportation information to Flight Attendants who choose to depart promptly at 5:00PM.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-24-15-Ground Floor Lodging While on Company Business.
The Company’s violation of Section 34 [Hotels], when it failed to avoid ground floor lodging for Flight Attendants attending company required Beyond Service training.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-29-15-Section 28.G.6 Commuter Boarding Priority. The Company’s violation of Section 28.G.6 [Commuter Policy], when it allowed Company employees (and their dependents) on pleasure travel to be given higher boarding priority than commuting Flight Attendants.
* * *
The next step is to move forward to arbitration on any grievances that cannot be resolved appropriately. In addition, we continue to file disciplinary grievances, which occur on a near daily basis. Many of these will move forward to arbitration as well. All Flight Attendants system wide are impacted when AFA cannot resolve issues with management prior to arbitration. AFA is committed to resolving these issues and will soon be scheduling new arbitration dates for the year 2016. Periodic grievance updates will follow; however should you have questions on specific grievances, please reach out to your local grievance representative.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance Committee chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl, MEC Grievance Committee member Stephanie Adams and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput
AFA Grievance No. 36-99-2-17-15 Failure to Report or Late Report Settlement
New Open Time System Delayed Another Month Until September for October
Open Time initially delayed until August for September
According to the Contract Implementation Schedule, Open Time (OT) was originally scheduled for implementation in July for the August bid month. AFA Alaska received notice in June that Open Time was delayed until August 15 for the September bid month. See the communication from June 13, 2015, “New Open Time Trading System Implementation Delay” for more information. You may access an electronic copy of that notice (that lists all the technical reasons for the first delay) here.
Open Time now subsequently delayed until September for October
Unfortunately, AFA received official notice from management yesterday that implementation of the new OT trading system will be delayed another month—until September for the October bid month. You may access an electronic copy of the most recent notice (that lists all the technical reasons for the delay) here. Therefore upcoming Open Time will commence on August 18th using the existing rules.
Alaska Airlines management and AFA do not want to go live with a new Open Time trading system that has the possibility of crashing not only Open Time but also electronic trip trading in general. Although this additional delay is a disappointing development, we all want the new Open Time system to be a success. The good news is that management reports being “very confident” that Open Time will be implemented in September for October. As a reminder, the trial period of the new Open Time trading system begins once the system is actually implemented.
* * *
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl; and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput
Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
7.29.15 OT Delay Letter to AFA
Grievance Settlement No. 36-99-2-26-15 Quarterly Productivity Premium
Grievance filed in June 2015
On June 18, 2015, AFA Alaska filed Grievance No. 36-99-2-26-15 Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP). The grievance requested an investigation and hearing into whether the Company violated Section 21.R [Quarterly Productivity Premium] and all related section of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it excluded Flight Attendants who did not receive a PBS bid award due to leave status from the QPP. Effective July 23, 2015, the Master Executive Council (MEC) is pleased to announce the grievance has been settled. A copy of the signed grievance settlement can be found by clicking here.
0 TFP threshold (including carry-in and pre-planned absences) on no-bid status January through July 2015
For the months of January through July 2015, Flight Attendants who did not receive a PBS bid award in each applicable month due to leave status (medical-related leaves, staffing adjustment leaves, military leaves, Company Business and Union Business leaves, etc.) will have their QPP threshold set at zero (0.0) Trips For Pay (TFP) plus any TFP from month-end carry-in and pre-planned absences. This is the original “AFA interpretation” of Section 21.R.
Q1 and Q2 QPP payments
Second quarter (Q2) QPP (April through June) will be paid normally on August 5th. Any Flight Attendants who will now achieve Q1 QPP (January through March) will be made whole by receiving a retroactive payment no later than September 30, 2015.
75.0 TFP threshold (excluding carry-in and pre-planned absences) on no-bid status starting August 2015
Starting in August 2015, AFA and management agreed that Flight Attendants who did not receive a PBS bid award due to leave status will have their QPP threshold set at 75 .0 TFP for each month on no-bid status. Month-end carry-in and pre-planned absences will be excluded in such months.
Settlement language incorporated into the final print version of the contract
The following settlement language will be incorporated into the final print version of the contract currently being indexed as the new Section 21.R.2 (and all other paragraphs afterwards will be advanced by one citation):
“For any full bid month in which a Flight Attendant is on a ‘no bid’ status, the TFP equivalent of her/his bid award will be seventy-five (75.0) TFP. The TFP value of any month-end overlap carry-in or pre-planned absences will be excluded in a ‘no bid’ month for the purposes of determining the TFP equivalent of her/his bid award.”
Settlement should alleviate concerns regarding perceived inequality in achieving QPP for those on no-bid status
This grievance settlement should alleviate the concerns some Flight Attendants have expressed that QPP is perceived as easier to achieve for those on no-bid status than for those flying on the line. That was never the intent of the Negotiating Committee when this provision was negotiated. QPP was proposed in the last days of negotiations and the parties had very limited time in which to make adjustments to the provision. After some discussion management essentially took the position that QPP was a “take it or leave it” provision. Because QPP had the potential to put money into the pockets of many Flight Attendants, the Negotiating Committee accepted the QPP language as it was.
* * *
Please contact a Local Executive Council (LEC) officer if you believe you are eligible for the Q2 QPP and you do not receive the payment as scheduled on August 5, 2015; if you believe you are eligible for the Q1 QPP retro payment and do not receive one by September 30, 2015; or if you have any general questions or concerns about the QPP settlement.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl; and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput
Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
36-99-2-26-15 Quarterly Productivity Premium Settlement Final Signed
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