How do the Minimum Pay Rules in TA2 impact my pay and 480 credit?

Duty Period Minimum (DPM):

This is the same provision we have in place today that guarantees you will receive a minimum of 4.0 TFP per for each duty period in a pairing.  Today, if the raw or hard value of a sequence is less than 4.0 TFP, it gets paid a minimum of 4.o TFP.

Example:  A SEA- GEG turn has a raw/hard TFP value of 2.0 (1.0 TFP per leg), but with the DPM applied, you are paid 4.0 TFP and 4.0 TFP is credited towards your 480 threshold calculation.

Average Duty Period Guarantee (ADPG):

This provision ensures a Flight Attendant will receive a minimum of 5.0 TFP times the number of duty periods.  Turns flown today that are worth anywhere from 4.o-4.9 are paid and credited towards 480 as such.  However, under the TA, all of these will be paid a minimum of 5.0 TFP  if flown. That has a great positive impact on your pay and 480 application.

Example:  You are awarded a line of 18 – 4.0tfp turns (18 x 4.0 TFP) = 72 TFP line award, if you fly your turns, 18 turns (duty periods) x 5.0 TFP (ADPG) = 90 TFP.  In this example, you will be paid 90 TFP instead of the 72.0 TFP awarded and you will get 90 TFP that month towards your 480 requirement.

Multi-Day Sequence Minimum (MSM):

This provision applies to sequences that are 3 or more calendar days but have fewer duty periods than the number of calendar days.  These types of sequences will be paid a minimum of 4.0 TFP per calendar day.  These are typically the pairings that span midnight on the last day of the trip.  These values are included in the pairings when constructed and are paid if flown, calling in sick, etc…

Example:  You are awarded a 3 day trip containing only 2 duty periods (Day 1: PDX- ANC, Day 2: ANC-PDX, releasing in  PDX early AM on Day 3)  this trip has a raw/hard TFP value of (4.2 + 4.2 = 8.4 TFP), but with the MSM applied, you are paid (4.0 TFP x 3 days = 12.0 TFP.  In this example, today, you would be paid and credited for 8.4 TFP but in TA2, you will be paid 12.0 TFP and credited 12.0 TFP towards your 480 requirement.

Extended Overnight Rule:

This provisions applies to sequences that have no duty from 0100 to 2300 which triggers an additional 4.0 TFP to be calculated into the sequence total value.

Example:  You are awarded a 3 day sequence (Day 1: PDX-OGG arrives at 22:55, Day 2: departs at 23:55 OGG-PDX  releasing in PDX at 07:27 on Day 3.  This trip has a raw/hard TFP value of (6.8 + 6.8 = 13.6 TFP), but there is no duty from 22:55 to 23:55 so the EOR would apply.  With the EOR applied, you will paid (6.8 + 4.0 (EOR) + 6.8 = 17.6 TFP).  In this example, today you would be paid and credited 13.6 TFP, but in TA2, you will be paid 17.6 TFP and 17.6 TFP will be credited towards your 480 requirement.

Sit Pay:  This provision applies to any scheduled or actual ground time that exceeds 2 hours between flights.  You will be paid 1.0 TFP unless stranded pay applies.

Example: A LAX-SEA turn worth 5.6 TFP is constructed with a 2:35 minute sit time or the same LAX-SEA turn was constructed with a 1:45 minute sit, but you block in 20 minutes early creating an actual sit of 2:05, then Sit Pay would apply and you would receive (5.6 + 1.0 Sit Pay = 6.6 TFP).  In this example, today, you will be paid and credited 5.6 TFP, but in TA2, you will be paid 6.6 TFP if flown and 6.6 TFP will be credited towards your 480 requirement.

Minimum Pay Rules help us achieve our 480 worked TFP for the year. Keep in mind the only place the 480 needs to be worked TFP is for vacation accrual. For benefits, 480 includes worked, vacation (even if not earned)/PTO and sick, all other applications it is worked TFP plus vacation/PTO.

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?

1. 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).

A: No. That’s what happens today: the reality is that normally only those on duty get JA’d. With today’s technology (cell phones, caller ID, etc) FAs rarely answer the phone at home/off duty if they suspect that Crew Scheduling is calling to JA.

Remember:   Under the TA provisions, after the 15 minute debrief in Domicile, you cannot be JA’d, even if you are still in the terminal. You are off duty.

The NC accepted that reality and instead focused on improving the provisions governing a FA JA’d.

How So?

• JA Premium increased to 2.5x from today’s 1.5x.
• If JA’d, a FA can immediately post the trip for pick-up and the premium follows the trade.
• A FA can Jet Bridge Trade a JA trip.
• If a FA is assigned a JA trip out of order s/he is paid 3.0x trip value. The FA who was “skipped” is paid 2.5x the trip value.
• FAs are not contactable for JA while on vacation, including the last day.
• If you trade flying off your line and do not replace it, you are immune from JA for those days.
• A FA cannot be JA’s while on a JA assignment.
• A FA cannot be JA’d while non-revving.

A: This provision is an improvement and will help more FAs attain the 480 TFP threshold. Today’s 480 TFP calculation is based on a calendar year. Under TA2,If a FA was on a leave of absence and coordinated sick leave in any month, s/he can “reach back” beyond the calendar year if s/he did not meet the 480 TFP threshold in order to capture months in which s/he was flying full time.

Example:       For the calendar year 2013, FA Susan was credited a total of 420 TFP. Susan was on a medical leave of absence, coordinating with sick leave for July and August and only was credited with a total of 19.6 TFP for both months (9.3 TFP x 2 months). Under TA2, Susan will now “look-back” and capture all the TFP she was credited with in November and December of 2012 in which she was credited with a combined 85 TFP. That brings her total credit toward the 480 TFP Threshold to 505 TFP and Susan qualifies for all her benefits tied to the 480 Threshold. See below:

Total 2013 TFP:                 420 TFP

Nov + Dec (2013) TFP:     85 TFP

Total TFP toward the 480 Threshold: 505 TFP

A: Alaska already has the highest vacation pay in the industry for carriers with PBS. Our vacation pay is 4 TFP per day – which translates to 4.52 block hours per day. As a comparison the AA/USA TA put the value of a vacation day at 3.5 block hours for “filler days” and 4.o block hours for days in a full block.