Government Affairs Committee

AFA Update – July 24, 2020

July 24, 2020 12:00

In This Edition

REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
Onboard Service Expansion
Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present
REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey
Grievance Committee Update

REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Government Affairs Committee

Keep up the pressure on our lawmakers to do the right thing and extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program. The House of Representatives is scheduled to break for recess on July 31st and the Senate on August 7th. Make your calls today and every day!

House – (888) 907-9365
Senate – (888) 848-4824

Sample Script:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

Onboard Service Expansion

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Last week, management implemented an expansion of onboard service by increasing beverage choices for passengers and re-introducing hot beverages as an available menu option. This expansion of onboard service took place despite vocal objections by our Master Executive Council (MEC), Inflight Service Committee, and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC). Among these objections are management’s failure to adequately address the increased risk of exposure that our Flight Attendants are facing due to the additional time being spent interacting with passengers to offer the prescribed service. In light of the recent nationwide increase in COVID-19 cases and many jurisdictions postponing or rolling back plans to reopen businesses, the expansion of onboard service seems counterintuitive and does not indicate that management is serious about “owning safety”.

The MEC is currently developing a survey to gather more information about the specifics of how the expanded onboard service has impacted our Flight Attendants. More information will be available in soon in another AFA update.

Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present

Human Rights Committee

Yale University is currently offering a free course on African American history taught by Jonathan Holloway. Professor Holloway was Professor of History, African American Studies, and American Studies at Yale University and Dean of Yale College.

This course represents a unique opportunity to assist in fulfilling our union’s promise to redouble our efforts to seek out, listen to, and amplify the voices of black and brown Flight Attendants within our Union and to address the systemic racism in our Union, our industry and our nation.

Additional information about the course can be found in the excerpt below from the Yale University website. You can access the course directly by clicking here.

About the Course

The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans’ urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.

Warning: Some of the lectures in this course contain graphic content and/or adult language that some users may find disturbing.

Course Structure

This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2010.

REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey

AFA International

As a reminder, AFA International is currently running a Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey to collect Flight Attendants’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to our work with our airlines, the federal government, and Congress to get your feedback.

Is there available PPE at work? Have you tested positive for COVID-19? How many trips have you worked since March? What’s your experience with aircraft cleaning? Are you on leave?

Click here to take the survey

All individual responses will be de-identified, kept confidential and only utilized publicly in the aggregate.

Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf. The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues. AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases. AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors.

Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination. COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in a Flight Attendant’s file for 18 months, and then are removed. If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation. Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline. If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline. There is no middle ground for certain violations.

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

Theft. Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination. (Temporarily there are Covid-19 exceptions).
Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things. Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted. If management determines abuse it results in termination.
Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay. Management has terminated for this violation.
Drug/Alcohol violations
Harassment
Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
Social media violations Including “friending” passengers on FB from information gained from the IMD
Commuter Violations
- Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home
- Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base
- Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities
- Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel
Lost IMD or other required items
Failing to complete CBT—even if FA just forgets to hit the close button within Cornerstone to switch the CBT from in process to complete.

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

Arbitration	April 21	Disciplinary Grievance
Arbitration	May 27	Contractual Grievance
Arbitration	June 15	Contractual Grievance
Arbitration	June 25	Disciplinary Grievance

Recent Arbitration Awards

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-52-17-Violation of §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 JCTE Denying Unlimited Trading of Reserve Days Due to Classification as a Reserve Block Split. This grievance alleged the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 [Reserve: Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades/Reserve Day/Blocks], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system denied unlimited trading of reserve days pursuant to §11.H.4 due to JCA incorrectly classifying such trade as a reserve block split pursuant to §11.H.3.b.

Arbitrator’s Decision: The grievance is denied. Alaska Airlines did not violate Sections 11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 and/or any and all related sections of the collective-bargaining agreement or past practice when its Jeppesen Crew Access trading system denied transactions where Reserve Flight Attendants sought to give away less than an entire block more than once per month. Alaska Airlines properly classified these transactions as a reserve block split pursuant to Section 11.H.3.b.

Recent Grievance Settlements

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-30-19-Violation of §28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy. This alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §28.G.2 [Domiciles: Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.

Details: See the July 13, 2020 AFA Update for more information.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-159-19-Violation of §11.F, §11.F.13 and §11.D.2.c Airport Standby Reserve and On Duty at 4:29 am. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §11.F [Reserve: Airport Standby], §11.F.13 [Reserve: APSB on Duty at 4:29 am] and §11.D.2.c [Reserve: Notice of Time to Report], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to or inconsistently compensated Flight Attendants when they were: 1) Sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am; 2) Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am; and 3) Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment after 4:29 am.

Details:

Reserve Flight Attendants sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am local domicile time who do not receive a flight assignment during APSB:
1. Will be compensated pursuant to §11.D.2.c at one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives less than nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment; or
1. Will be compensated straight time (1.0x) towards the reserve guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives at least nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment.
Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.
Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment after 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-116-18-Violation of §10.J.4 Bidding Timelines. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 10.J.4 [Scheduling: Bid Packets and Bidding Timelines], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about March 13, 2018, management re-opened its Preferential Bidding System (PBS), NAVBLUE, for a full bid re-award for April 2018 because it was not programmed to match the bid “duty on” preference on the new web application user interface. However, due to system limitations the re-award required the PBS to reopen which allowed access for Flight Attendants to submit new bids after the contractual bid submission deadline.

Details: The Company and AFA will The parties will actively work on installing an administrative lock-out function (or other mutually agreed upon solution) in the NAVBLUE bidding system (or any successor system). The lock-out function will allow the ‘back end’ of the bidding system to be opened for bid protests, technical issues, or other adjustments while locking out Flight Attendants from altering their bids on the ‘front end’. It is unknown whether NAVBLUE can accommodate a lock-out function exactly as described in this paragraph. If it is not possible, the parties will work together and mutually agree on the alternate solution and how it would work. If an alternate solution is not mutually agreed upon, AFA reserves the right to refile this grievance.

Compensatory Settlement: The Company will pay compensation to all Flight Attendants whose adjusted April 2018 bid resulted in a loss of four (4) or more TFP and at least one day of flying from their original April 2018 bid. Approximately 150 Flight Attendants are in this pool, plus two additional Flight Attendants who do not meet the requirements but whose situations present unique circumstances that warrant settlement. The total TFP amount to be paid out is 1130.6 TFP. A list of said Flight Attendants will be provided to the Company by the Association pursuant to this Settlement Agreement. The Company will pay the TFP to all the above-named Flight Attendants no later than on their June 20, 2021, paycheck. For any affected Flight Attendant who is inactive (due to separation or furlough) as of June 20, 2021, the Company will mail a check (less applicable withholdings) to the Flight Attendant’s last known address. The pay will be at the respective rates in effect on the day the Flight Attendant is paid. Payment will be paid above the reserve guarantee if applicable.

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

None

Grievances Recently Filed and Denied

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-200-20-Violation of §25.C.1 Failure to Include ASHSC in Safety Meeting. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.C.1 [Air Safety Health and Security: Safety Meetings], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about April 3, 2020, it failed to include the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) in a meeting to discuss passengers who were scheduled to travel on Alaska flights after disembarking from a cruise ship which had suffered an outbreak of COVID-19. The company instead opted to brief AFA about the issue after the meeting and decision was made about how to proceed.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-201-20-Violation of §10.Q & §11.E.4.d Violation of Reserve Assignment List Order. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10.Q [Scheduling: Low-Bid Option] and §11.E.4.d [Reserve: Order of Assignment, Assignment of Open Sequences/Assignments], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system places low-bid option and no-bid lineholder Flight Attendants who pick up reserve days and opt out of the Reserve Assignment List (LTFA) at the top of the list rather than listing them in inverse seniority order following all other Reserves within the same classification (AM/PM/ER) and with the same number of days of availability.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-207-20-Violation of §10, §11.D & §24.L Bundled Scheduling Notifications. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10 [Scheduling], §11.D [Reserve: Scheduling/Notice of Time to Report] and §24.L [General and Miscellaneous: Company-Provided Inflight Mobile Device (IMD)], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system sent bundled scheduling notifications to Flight Attendants on their Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) or directly in Crew Access, requiring Flight Attendants to batch acknowledge or ignore such notifications and thereby resulting in Flight Attendants potentially waiving multiple contractual protections via an extra-contractual point of contact (i.e. Crew Access scheduling notifications).

More Information

For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.

AFA Update – July 13, 2020

July 13, 2020 05:00

In This Edition

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
Vanguard Retirement Webinars
Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants
Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events
Temporary Requalification (RQ) Training Timeline Modification

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Government Affairs Committee

We need to generate phone calls to Congress every day. Flight Attendants and family members should be making two calls to the Senate line and one call to the House line.

We are calling for a six month aviation Payroll Support Program extension through March 31, 2021, to protect our jobs. This is the most successful jobs program of the CARES Act and it needs to be extended since COVID-19 cases are again on the rise.

All of aviation labor is standing together to call on Congress to pass a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program before the summer Congressional recess. Waiting until September for this action is too late because October planning will be done and hundreds of thousands of workers will already be told they are out of work. Already, Delta Air Lines pilots and United Airlines workers have received WARN notices.

We need urgent action on this now:

1. Call your Representative and Senators: Flight Attendants and family should make three calls every day. Two to the Senate line and one to the House line.

House: (888) 907-9365
Senate: (888) 848-4824

Sample Script:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

2. Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >

3. Tell 5 flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

A CARES Act extension must pass Congress before they recess later this summer. Take action now and plan to keep taking action every day throughout July.

WATCH: AFA Government Affairs Activists Urge Flight Attendants to Make Calls

Vanguard Retirement Webinars

Retirement Committee

As the company will be offering early out packages, your AFA Retirement Committee, in conjunction with Vanguard, the company’s 401(k) plan administrator, will be conducting an online webinar to provide information and answer questions about the planning process for retirement. More information from Vanguard is below.

Switching from earning a paycheck to living off your retirement savings and Social Security is a big change. If you’re within a few years of retiring, learn how you can turn your savings into a steady paycheck. This webinar will help you answer:

How much will my retirement cost?
Where will I find the money to pay for retirement?
How do I make my savings last as long as my retirement?
How do I invest my money during retirement?

Dates, Times, and Registration Information

Two sessions will be available:

Friday, July 17 – 10 AM PDT
Wednesday, July 29 – 1 PM PDT

Advanced registration is required and can be completed using the link below:

Click here to register for one of the sessions

Questions?

If you have any questions about the upcoming webinars, please contact MEC Retirement Committee Chairperson Terry Taylor at terry.taylor@afaalaska.org.

Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Build your resiliency by joining these telephonic support groups just for Flight Attendants. Groups are sponsored by your AFA EAP/FADAP and facilitated by a confidential mental health professional. All Flight Attendants are welcome.

Learn some techniques on stress management, decision making under pressure, emotional balance and connect with flying partners during this period of uncertainty in the Aviation Industry. Join any or all sessions. No pre-registration required.

Calls start on Monday, July 13 and are scheduled Mondays (July 13, 20, 27, August 3) and Fridays (July 17, 23, 31, August 7). Each call begins at 12 PM PDT and will last one hour.

Call-In Number

(855) 544-2320 or (401) 648-9218

If outside the U.S., follow the directions here.

Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events

Grievance Committee

The MEC recently mediated Grievance 36-99-2-30-19, Violation of Section 28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy. This grievance arose out of the February 2019 snow events. The grievance alleged the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 28.G.2 [Domiciles: Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.

Originally, we sought to arbitrate this grievance, however it seemed better with this particular case to mediate the issue with an unbiased mediator. Arbitration results in a decision made by the arbitrator usually with one side winning and the other side losing; whereas mediation allows both parties to have a say in the outcome. An arbitration award cannot change or add contract language, it may only interpret what was already present, however in mediation the parties may come to agreements about adding or changing language.

The issue was resolved very favorably with the addition of language for ground commuting during significant weather delays. This adds protections for Flight Attendants attempting to get to work whether the weather event is anticipated or not. The new language adds a detailed process for management to follow, thereby removing any subjectivity, which typically was only a detriment to our Flight Attendants.

A complete copy of the sideletter of agreement that includes the newly agreed upon language related to ground commuting during significant weather events has been uploaded to the AFA Alaska website and can be accessed by clicking here.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the grievance or sideletter of agreement, please contact your Local Grievance Committee.

Temporary Requalification Training (RQ) Timeline Modification

Grievance Committee

For Flight Attendants returning from a leave of absence or who have been unable to complete Recurrent Training (RT) by the end of their eligibility period, completing Requalification Training (RQ) is a requirement before being able to return to work. Section 30.B.3 of the joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) requires management to offer a full RQ class within the first five working days of every month, but this requirement has recently caused significant stress for many of our Flight Attendants. Due to a recent changes in how management interprets the eligibility period of Flight Attendants who are required to take Requalification Training (RQ), the home study CBT that must be completed prior to attending class is no longer made available until the first day of the month when scheduled to attend class. With this change, Flight Attendants who might be scheduled to take RQ on the 2^nd of the month would not even have access to the CBT until the 1^st of the month.

Due to this very compressed timeline that Flight Attendants are now being given to complete the CBT prior to RQ, the MEC approached management to work to extend the period of time that would be available to complete the CBT prior to class. We were able to reach a temporary agreement with management to extend the contractual requirement for the Company to offer a full RQ class from within the first five working days of the month to having the class offered no sooner than the seventh working day of the month. The temporary agreement also provides pay protection for any affected Flight Attendants between the fifth working day of the month (the contractual requirement to offer class) and the day prior to when the Company actually offers the class. Even with this temporary extension to the Company’s requirement to offer a full dedicated RQ class, Flight Attendants who are due to take RQ may continue to exercise their contractual right to trade into the RQ slot in any regularly scheduled RT class during the month if space is available.

This temporary agreement will take effect with the August 2020 bid month and will remain in effect through at least the December 2020 bid month. A complete copy of the letter of agreement is available on the AFA Alaska website and can be viewed by clicking here.

Questions?

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

AFA Update – June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020 15:00

In This Edition

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program
Pandemic Response
Fraudulent Face Mask Exemption Card
Management Provides Contractual Furlough Notice
Company “Early Out”
CARES Act Additional $600 Ends Soon

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program

AFA International

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 are calling for a six-month aviation Payroll Support Program (PSP) extension through March 31, 2021, to protect our jobs, extend the restrictions on stock buybacks, dividends, and executive compensation, and maintain service to all of our communities. Tell Congress to keep our industry intact to ensure aviation can help fight the virus and contribute to economic recovery as opposed to adding to an economic depression.

Amplify Your Voice With a Call

In addition to sending a letter, you can amplify your voice by following up with a phone call to your Members of Congress. Call your Representative and Senators and say:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

AFA COVID Relief House – (888) 907-9365
AFA COVID Relief Senate – (888) 848-4824

You may also receive a phone call over the next several days from AFA Government Affairs Committee Members or other AFA volunteers to ask for your support in making these calls.

Pandemic Response

Master Executive Council (MEC)

AFA remains dedicated to our mission to protect the safety and health of our members, and we continue to do so on multiple fronts during this pandemic. Representatives from the Master Executive Council (MEC); the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee; and the Inflight Service Committee meet multiple times per week with management to advocate on your behalf. AFA recently met with an infectious disease expert from the University of Washington on more than one occasion to discuss our questions and concerns.

We echo your concerns about diminishing social distancing onboard, mask compliance, personal protective equipment (PPE) and increasing service levels. Be assured we will continue to work with management to maximize the safety of our Flight Attendants. See the Company’s Listening & Acting: Actions we are taking in partnership with AFA resource page (AAG sign-on required) for the latest updates.

Fraudulent Face Mask Exemption Card

Master Executive Council (MEC)

AFA Interactive (June 26, 2020) reported that a Facebook group dubbed the Freedom to Breathe Agency, or FTBA, is promoting fake face mask exemption cards featuring an eagle image reminiscent of the Department of Justice (DOJ) seal. Images of the laminated cards have been circulating on social media and were recently deemed fraudulent by the DOJ. Read more >

The MEC has requested that management take the following actions:

Alert Flight Attendants and CSAs that the card is fake and what to do about it and similar exemption cards if presented.
Communicate what documentation is required by passengers to substantiate medical or religious exemptions for wearing a face mask while travelling.

Management Provides Contractual Furlough Notice

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Pursuant to Section 18.G of the JCBA, management provided notice to the MEC President last Thursday (June 25) that the Company intends to use a Reduction of Force of Flight Attendants effective October 1, 2020. The contract requires that the parties meet for a period not to exceed fourteen (14) days from the date of notice “to consider… programs to help mitigate a reduction in force.” We are meeting every day this week to negotiate on the terms of additional and/or enhanced furlough mitigations.

Company “Early Out”

Retirement Committee

Management recently indicated that “Early Out” program details and application processes will be communicated over the next few weeks “depending on union agreements and company timelines.” Management has stated, “[W]e are still finalizing details with union and operational leaders,” and that “options may be different depending on union representation, current CBA language and operational needs.” However, AFA did not negotiate this Early Out package.

AFA approached management back in March regarding our interest in negotiating an Early Out, but management declined our offer. Although management has provided AFA with the opportunity for limited feedback, the Company developed its own version of an Early Out for all represented work groups rather than engaging each union—including AFA—in direct negotiations. The MEC would like to level-set the expectations of our members by being clear this is a management-developed Early Out package. More information to come once management has publicly released the details.

CARES Act Additional $600 Ends Soon

The additional $600 in weekly unemployment insurance benefits provided by the federal government is officially set to end July 31, but all states except New York will pay it only through the week ending Saturday, July 25. Read more >

Tell Secretary Mnuchin: You Can’t Leverage People!

April 1, 2020 12:32

March 31, 2020

The grants in the relief package provide paychecks for workers, not bailouts for airlines. These grants do one thing and one thing only: fund paychecks and benefits for two million hourly workers like flight attendants, pilots, gate agents, mechanics, the people who clean planes, cook the food, and help people through the airport.

Secretary Mnuchin is threatening to take equity on the grants — leveraging the very people who make aviation fly and who right now are on the frontlines of this pandemic. Congress did not intend for this to work this way. The payroll grants are intended to keep us out of the unemployment line. The return to taxpayers is no involuntary furloughs or layoffs, keeping our vital industry intact for essential service during this national emergency, and our ability to continue to pay taxes, be consumers, and take care of ourselves and our families during this crisis. Warrants make sense on the loans, they do not make sense on the grants that are designated for our paychecks.

You can’t leverage people. We’re the ones the CARES Act is supposed to protect. This is our money, but the Secretary is planning to make conditions so onerous that the airlines can’t take it. That will mean hundreds of thousands of jobs lost and bankruptcies all over again. Not this time! This isn’t right. We are asking President Trump to make sure the Treasury Secretary doesn’t dismantle the bipartisan agreement to keep us in our jobs, connected to our paychecks and healthcare.

Click here to take action now!

AFA International COVID-19 Resource Page: afacwa.org/coronavirus

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – March 28, 2020

March 28, 2020 20:00

In This Edition

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
Staffing Adjustment Leave, Low Bid Option or …?
Pre-Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Schedule Changes (Section 10.S)
Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) Sequences During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

The AFA-CWA International Officers sent out an AFA Interactive message yesterday regarding the House of Representatives passing vote on the CARES Act, the hard work that went into achieving the relief package, and the upcoming work that will need to be done to implement the bill. You can read the entire message by clicking here.

What Happens Next?

Now that the CARES Act has been passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, the work begins to implement the bill. The language within the CARES Act is extensive and both AFA and management are conducting an extensive review to ensure that there is a full understanding of the contents.

AFA representatives have received many questions about how the relief package will apply to Flight Attendants, how management intends to manage staffing, how unemployment benefits might apply to the various leaves of absence available, and many more. It is critical that your AFA leaders understand how the CARES Act, our collective bargaining agreement (CBA), state and federal benefits and any other significant factors interact. We thank you in advance for your patience while we work through the answers to these and other questions over the coming week.

Staffing Adjustment Leave, Low Bid Option or …?

Many of you are looking to AFA for guidance whether to take one of the approximately 2700 (!) 30-day Staffing Adjustment Leaves or one of the approximately 205 Low Bid Options for May or to hold out for potentially something else. The Master Executive Council (MEC) completely understands. You have our commitment to be as transparent as possible and to keep you informed regarding the latest information and developments. There is a lot of material to absorb, so we are taking a few days to educate ourselves before we communicate more to the Membership.

In the meantime, management has agreed to extend the deadline for applying for a Staffing Adjustment Leave or Low Bid Option to Monday, April 6, 2020 at 0900 PT. This will give everyone more time to consider their options.

Additionally, management has agreed to work with AFA to potentially revisit the COVID-19 Staffing Adjustment Leaves and the other COVID-19 leaves already in effect in order to provide maximal benefit to Flight Attendants and to the Company depending on the implications of the CARES Act. Because of this commitment, we do not have concerns with Flight Attendants submitting an application for any of the leaves at this time.

Pre-Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Schedule Changes (Section 10.S)

Scheduling Committee

Due to the unprecedented number of flight cancellations on a daily basis, Flight Attendants have reported difficulty in achieving timely assistance from Crew Scheduling and receiving phone calls for non-urgent issues at all hours of the night. Crew Scheduling is overwhelmed with the sheer number of cancellations, pairing modifications and associated follow-up.

AFA and management have agreed to temporarily modify the notification procedures under Section 10.S [Pre-Cancellations] from Sunday, March 29, 2020 at midnight PT (Saturday night tonight) to April 30, 2020 at 2359 PT.

*** Crew Scheduling will continue to give notice of cancellation per contract but not until the departure date of the sequence is within 7days. ***

For sequences more than 7 days out:

To waive pay protection: If FA wishes to waive pay protection for a sequence containing one or more legs of cancelled flying, please email CrewSked.FADesk@alaskaair.com. Crew Scheduling will process timely per the LOA but no more than 24 hours after submission.
To not waive pay protection: If FA wishes to review alternative options and not waive pay protection, please wait to call Crew Scheduling until it is one day prior to the departure date of the sequence.

For sequences 2 to 7 days out:

To waive pay protection: If FA wishes to waive pay protection for a sequence containing one or more legs of cancelled flying, please email CrewSked.FADesk@alaskaair.com. Crew Scheduling will process timely per the LOA but no more than 24 hours after submission.
To not waive pay protection: If FA wishes to review alternative options and not waive pay protection, please wait to call until it is one day prior to the departure date of the sequence.

For sequences 1 day out: (i.e. the day prior to the departure date of the sequence):

Call Crew Scheduling per contract

More details can be found in the Pre-Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Schedule Changes Letter of Agreement.

Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) Sequences During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions (Section 10.DD)

Scheduling Committee

AFA and management would also like to reduce the number of unnecessary mid-continental (“mid-con”) remain overnights (RONs) for Flight Attendants resulting from schedule disruptions related to COVID-19.

AFA and management have agreed to temporarily allow Crew Scheduling to build additional Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) sequences that are not already in the bid packet (i.e. following bid awards) under Section 10.DD.11 [Pre-Cancellations] from Sunday, March 29, 2020 at midnight PT (Saturday night tonight) to April 30, 2020 at 2359 PT.

More details can be found in the Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) Sequences During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions Letter of Agreement.

In This Edition

REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Onboard Service Expansion

Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present

About the Course

Course Structure

REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey

Grievance Committee Update

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

Recent Arbitration Awards

Recent Grievance Settlements

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

Grievances Recently Filed and Denied

More Information

Questions?

In This Edition

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Vanguard Retirement Webinars

Dates, Times, and Registration Information

Questions?

Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants

Call-In Number

Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events

Questions?

Temporary Requalification Training (RQ) Timeline Modification

Questions?

In This Edition

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program

Amplify Your Voice With a Call

Pandemic Response

Fraudulent Face Mask Exemption Card

Management Provides Contractual Furlough Notice

Company “Early Out”

CARES Act Additional $600 Ends Soon

In This Edition

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

What Happens Next?

Staffing Adjustment Leave, Low Bid Option or …?

Pre-Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Schedule Changes (Section 10.S)

For sequences more than 7 days out:

For sequences 2 to 7 days out:

For sequences 1 day out: (i.e. the day prior to the departure date of the sequence):

Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) Sequences During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions (Section 10.DD)

Recent Posts

Local Councils

Master Executive Council

Contract

Committees

News By Month

News By Category

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Connect With AFA