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        You are here: Home / Archives for Committees

        Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Update for May 2015

        April 4, 2015 16:48

        The PBS program was down for a short while on March 18th so that a program update could be installed. This update addresses the contractual changes related to bidding in April for May schedules. Please familiarize yourself with these PBS-related changes and pass the word about them. Both management and AFA will be communicating the many changes coming in April for May…both bidding-related and pay-related.

        Effective bidding in April for May:

        Minimum TFP bid eliminated: 

        The ‘Set Condition Minimum TFP’ bid preference is no longer available. This bid preference will still appear on PBS for a few more months until it can be removed…but if you bid for a Minimum TFP line that request will NOT be honored. All lines will be built within the ‘Normal’ range of TFP. The ‘Set Condition Maximum TFP’ bid is still available, giving you a line built between the base line average and the maximum allowed that month. If you’re currently using ‘Set Condition Minimum TFP’ you might want to delete that line from your bid…it will no longer be honored.

        Change in Bid Protest:

        The bid protest period will now be from 9am Pacific on the 13th to 9am Pacific on the 14th…24 hours in length. The reason for this is that very few protests were filed in the second day of bid protest. You can send your line award question to the PBS Q&A at any time outside the bid protest period. See Sec 10 Par L for information regarding Bid Protest.

        New Line Average Range:

        The monthly posted ‘base line average’ can now range from a low of 75tfp to a high of 85tfp. If past history is any guide, you can expect higher line averages in the summer and lower line averages in the winter (except possibly December). Remember, a ‘legal’ line can range anywhere from 10tfp below the posted line average to 10tfp above. Again, the ‘Minimum TFP’ bid has been eliminated but the ‘Maximum TFP’ bid remains available.

        New rules:

        1. No Same-Day Pairings will be awarded (two pairings on the same calendar day) unless…

        PBS will no longer be able to award you more than one pairing on any calendar day. You can waive this new rule if you wish…look for this option at the ‘Waive’ tab. If you wish to be awarded back-to-back SEA-ANC/FAI redeye turns, consecutive LAX-GDL/MEX pairings, back-to-back ANC-Hawaii-ANC-ORD pairings or ANY other situation where you wish to be awarded two different pairing numbers on the same day then you must ‘waive’ the ‘No Same-Day Pairings’ rule.

        ‘Coverage Awards’ and this new rule…attention junior lineholders!!

         This new rule ALSO applies to ‘Coverage Awards’ (aka ‘unstacking). You cannot be forced-assigned two different pairings on the same day (get home in the morning and leave again that evening). Most all would agree this is a good thing but there is a potential down-side for the most junior lineholders. If being awarded two pairings on the same day was necessary for someone to hold a line and they failed to ‘waive’ the rule, they could be potentially forced to Reserve. This is a tough call…no one can tell you whether to ‘waive’ this new rule or not….or what might happen in any given month.

        1. No Charters can be awarded by PBS unless…

        Charters cannot be awarded or forced onto anyone via ‘Coverage Awards’ during bidding. If you’re ANC-based and wish to bid for RDG charters, you MUST waive the new ‘No Charters’ rule at the ‘Waive’ tab and ‘Allow Charters‘. The ANC-Red Dog charter is currently the only ‘known charter’ that can be bid for during bidding on PBS. Other frequent charters such as the Apple charter (ORD-PVR) have such a long duty day that they cannot be bid for or awarded during PBS bid awards.

        1. 48/7 waiver

        Lineholders can now ‘waive’ the 48/7 contractual rest rule down to 24 hours off, Look for this option at the ‘Waive’ tab.  A Lineholder could have as little as 24 hours off between up to six-day blocks of flying.  Contractual rest must be at your base for bidding purposes…only during trading can it be on a layover.

         

        If you do NOT choose to ‘waive’ the ’48/7′ rule then your line award must still respect that rule during line construction.

         

        1.  New six day block option for Reserves

        Reserves can fly a block of six days instead of the previous five days maximum.  The ‘Waive Maximum Days On 5’ option is found at the ‘Waive’ tab. The minimum two calendar days off per week rule is still in effect.   This new ‘waive’ option will assist the bidder in potentially getting a longer stretch of days off somewhere in the month.  For example, by flying six on, two off, six on, two off, six on you can now potentially have up to eight consecutive days off in a 30-day month, nine consecutive days off in a 31 day month.  Being able to hold this long of stretch of days off may be contingent on the requirement for someone to work ‘Coverage’ days in a month.

        New flying:

        Long Stage Length/Duty Period pairings

        Long Duty Period (aka ‘4K’) pairings will not be awarded during bidding unless you ‘waive’ that rule. There is a separate rule for both day and redeye 4k pairings. Go to the ‘Waive’ tab to ‘Allow Non-Redeye Long Duty Period Pairings’ or ‘Allow Redeye Long Duty Period Pairings’. If you wish to waive both rules, you must enter two separate lines. If you are waiving the ‘Non-Redeye’ rule, this will NOT allow the program to award you a ‘Redeye’ 4k pairing.

        Redeye Definition: Any flight that departs between 14:00 and 04:00 that then lands between 02:00 and 12:00.

        Screenshot that includes the new ‘Waive’ options…found at the ‘Waive’ tab:

        Add Bid Preference to Default BidIf you have any questions, send them to PBS Q&A via Outlook or FirstClass.

        Thanks!

        Your AFA PBS Committee—MEC chairperson Stephen Poynter, Rebecca Asbell; and MEC Scheduling chairperson Jake Jones

        Filed Under: Latest News, Preferential Bidding System (PBS)

        Quarterly Productivity Premium

        March 31, 2015 05:00

        Definition

        The Master Executive Council (MEC) has received several questions regarding the Quarterly Productivity Premium (Section 21.R). The first Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP) of our new contract for the first quarter of 2015 (Q1 2015) is due to be paid out May 5th. A flight attendant will receive the QPP of $500 if her/his Worked TFP (Section 5 Definitions) during Q1 2015 exceeds the TFP equivalent of her/his combined monthly PBS bid award in that calendar quarter. Taxes on QPP will be withheld at the flight attendant’s personal tax rate just like regular wages; this is in contrast to Performance Based Pay (PBP), which has taxes withheld at the IRS “supplemental rate” (or “bonus rate”).

        Worked TFP is all paid TFP exclusive of sick leave and vacation/Longevity PTO. That is, Worked TFP includes but is not limited to regular TFP, deadhead, Minimum Pay Rules, pay protection, training, et cetera. As long as vacation/Longevity PTO and sick leave TFP is “made up” at some point in the quarter, usage of these benefits will not in and of themselves disqualify a flight attendant from achieving QPP.

        QPP was a “take it or leave it” management proposal

        As we explained at the roadshows, QPP was a management proposal. Management offered it at the end of the negotiations. Our Negotiating Committee told management at the time that the proposal had some problems. Management, however, told us we could take it as is or leave it. Since the Negotiating Committee understood that QPP would definitely put money in the pockets of many flight attendants, of course we took it.

        Example

        To illustrate the language, let’s assume a flight attendant was awarded 82 TFP in January, 79 TFP in February and 67 TFP in March. His combined monthly PBS award over the quarter would equal 228 TFP (82 + 79 + 67). If the flight attendant were to be paid at least 228.1 TFP (228 + 0.1) not counting sick leave and vacation/Longevity PTO (the definition of “Worked TFP”), he would receive the QPP. If he were to be paid 228 or fewer TFP not counting sick and vacation/Longevity PTO, he would not receive it.

        Simple trip trading does not directly affect QPP eligibility, only “downtrading”

        There is no requirement to exceed the PBS bid award each month, only the combined amount of each month over the entire quarter. Please note you do not actually have to work your awarded schedule but rather the equivalent amount of TFP. Therefore trading in no way affects QPP unless you “downtrade” as measured against your combined monthly bid awards across the quarter.

        Worked TFP excludes vacation/Longevity PTO (and sick leave)

        Unfortunately, Worked TFP excludes vacation/Longevity PTO. Vacation/Longevity PTO TFP is part of the PBS award. So a flight attendant with a week of vacation has a deficit in that quarter. Assume the flight attendant was awarded the same schedule as in the previous example. Her combined monthly PBS bid awards over the quarter still equals 228 TFP. But 28 of those TFP (7 days of vacation x 4 TFP vacation credit/day) does not count as Worked TFP. In order to qualify for the QPP, she would have to work the 200 TFP from her bid award (228-vacation of 28), PLUS at least 28.1 additional TFP. Lack of vacation/Longevity PTO credit was a major problem we pointed out to management during negotiations but AFA knew there were several.

        Dispute over QPP eligibility

        Now our concerns have been realized. AFA and management disagree about how QPP should be paid out. So far we anticipate the dispute to be focused around flight attendants who have not received a full line at some point in the quarter (such as those on various leaves). AFA believes that the language is unambiguous and that a flight attendant who works one-tenth (0.1) TFP more than the total TFP equivalent of her/his PBS monthly bid awards over the quarter should receive it.

        Quickly approaching deadline to pay QPP on time

        Despite multiple requests by AFA over the past several weeks, management still has not articulated in writing exactly what their problem is with QPP. Management has also not provided an explanation of how they expect to pay QPP. In order for QPP to be paid on time on May 5th the issue must be resolved by around April 10th, which is the deadline for programming the payroll system to pay out QPP.

        As of late last week, AFA’s understanding is that the payroll system is currently programmed to correctly pay out QPP exactly as the language indicates. Interestingly, the Information Technology (IT) department programmed the payroll system based on rules supplied by none other than the Alaska Airlines management negotiating team. Only after management had time to contemplate the implications of what they agreed to did they lodge objections.

        It’s really too bad that management didn’t heed AFA’s concerns and take more time to fully vet QPP prior to signing the deal. In fairness to management, both parties were under pressure to conclude the deal in Chicago. However, that being said, management was under no obligation to pursue this provision. In our opinion it seems a little late to dispute the details after the fact simply because they don’t like what they negotiated.

        AFA will file a grievance if QPP is paid any other way than according to the clear and unambiguous language

        If management pays the QPP any way other than according to the clear and unambiguous language, AFA will file a grievance. We are certainly amenable to further discussions with management to resolve the issue short of taking this to arbitration since both sides stand to gain from a mutually beneficial agreement. Management has promised to provide us with an update this coming week. As soon as AFA has more information, we will also keep you posted on any other developments.

        * * *

        In solidarity,

        Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl; and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput

        AFA Alaska Logo No Tag

        Filed Under: Grievance Committee, Latest News

        Clarification to iPhone 6+ Charging

        March 30, 2015 17:00

        On March 8, an AFA communication was released outlining recommendations for the iPhone 6+ inflight mobile device that is currently being distributed to all Flight Attendants. In that communication, it was suggested that Flight Attendants could potentially leave the iPhone 6+ in their crew bag while the device was plugged in and charging.

        After further review of documentation provided by Apple, it is recommended that you do not leave your iPhone 6+ in your crew bag while it is charging. The iPhone 6+ must be kept in a well-ventilated area while charging in order to ensure proper temperature regulation of the device. When charging your iPhone 6+, please ensure it is in an open area away from materials that could insulate the device and potentially cause it to overheat.

        You can find more information and safety recommendations pertaining to use of the device in the iPhone User Guide located on the Apple website at https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1565/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf.

        In Solidarity,

        Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Chairperson Seth Heiple

        MEC 5B Logo

        Filed Under: Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), Inflight Service Committee, Latest News Tagged With: 2015, inflight mobile device, iPhone 6+

        Premera Blue Cross Customer Data Compromised

        March 17, 2015 16:03

        It has recently come to light that Premera Blue Cross, the company that manages a large number of Alaska Airlines employer-sponsored health plans, has experienced a cyber attack that might have exposed the personal data of up to 11 million customers.  The attack was discovered on January 29 of this year but initially occurred on May 5, 2014.  There is no indication that the attackers have used the data illegally as of this time.

        Premera has indicated that they will provide two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to those affected.  A special website has been set up by Premera to provide more information at http://www.premeraupdate.com.

        In Solidarity,

        Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Benefits Chairperson Terry Taylor

        MEC 5B Logo (Email)

        Filed Under: Benefits Committee, Latest News

        Introducing the AFA Pairing Analyst

        March 12, 2015 20:00

        At a meeting held last week, your Master Executive Council (MEC) interviewed candidates for the position of MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson for Pairing Construction, commonly referred to as the AFA Pairing Analyst.  In total, nine candidates interviewed for the position (three Seattle-based Flight Attendants, three Portland-based Flight attendants, two Anchorage-based Flight Attendants, and one Los Angeles-based Flight Attendant).  The MEC would like to thank those candidates for stepping forward in the spirit of Union service.  After much discussion, the MEC has appointed Sherrijon Gaspard to the position.

        About Sherrijon

        A passion for helping people has been a driving force in Sherrijon’s life for as long as she can remember.  This dedication to service has been apparent at Alaska Airlines, where she has been a Flight Attendant since 1998.  Her commitment to helping people does not stop when the plane hits the ground and the cabin door opens.  She has been creative and resourceful in generating new ideas and solutions applicable to both the inflight department as well as the Union serving on various committees (Reserve Committee, PBS Committee, Inflight Service Committee, Hiring & Recruitment).

        As part of her dedication to improvement, in 2006, Sherrijon decided to pursue an MBA at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business Management.  At Pepperdine, she honed her innate ability for hospitality, team building and enhancing the customer experience and added developing and implementing integrated marketing and client satisfaction programs to her skill set. After earning her MBA in 2009, she founded Eos Ventures, a small business consulting firm and launched Vina Sympatica™ Sparkling Wines.

        Now in her new position as Pairing Analyst, Sherrijon is ready to once again dedicate time to AFA and use her keen eye for detail and strong organizational skills to help ensure fair yet equal pairings and improved Flight Attendant quality of life while also paying close attention to management’s cost concerns and contractual obligations.

        Thank You To Jeff Stein

        The MEC would like to thank outgoing Pairing Analyst and Portland-based Flight Attendant Jeff Stein for his service to our Flight Attendants.  For years, Jeff worked hard to improve Flight Attendant quality of life by advocating for better pairings and more efficient flying.  Please join us in wishing Jeff well in his future pursuits.

        In Solidarity,

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

        MEC 5B Logo

        Filed Under: Latest News, Pairing Construction, Scheduling Committee Tagged With: 2015, chairperson appointments, committee appointments, Pairing Analyst, Scheduling

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