Q: How do the TA2 wage rates compare with the proposed AA/US Airways TA rates and the new increased rates Delta FAs will get in 2015?
A: The Alaska TA2 pay rates are higher in every pay step and will continue to be throughout the life of the proposed 5-year deal.
Q: I know the current Alaska rates are pretty low in comparison to the rest of the industry. Where do we rank with TA2?
- Please see the chart posted in the summary – it indicates our current pay rates and also the new TA2 rates vis-à-vis the rest of the industry.
Q: How come the more junior and middle of the scale rates received greater increases than the top of the scale (TOS) rates?
A: Two things complicate bigger raises at the TOS:
1) As you can see from the Industry Comparison Rates Chart, the TOS rates were already high for the industry. Does that mean you don’t deserve a significant raise: Absolutely Not! However, management’s overriding goals was to have rates to be no higher than #2 or #3 in the industry.
2) Additionally, and more significantly, management insisted that the total increase to our TOS rate not exceed the percentage increase to the pilot’s TOS increase. That was an absolute that management put down from the beginning and stood firm on that requirement. We focused on securing Longevity Premium to the more senior FAs.
Q: The $2.50 per diem rate – How does that compare with the rest of the industry?
A: It is the highest domestic rate in the industry. AA/US Airways new TA puts Domestic Per Diem at $2.10 and International Per Diem at $2.40 if ratified. Southwest has a Domestic Per Diem of $2.15 and International Per Diem at $2.65 (but AirTran flies all of their international routes).