Wondering what your position is on this is article

http://www.thestreet.mobi/story/12892492/1/american-flight-attendants-got-13-million-more-thanks-to-delta.html

I expect us to exceed and surpass.

Answer:

Negotiations are a dynamic and fluid process.  Many external situations impact and complicate contract negotiations.  It is indeed an interesting and exciting story that at the final hour the Delta pay raise impacted the AA/US Airways negotiations and gave them the leverage to get even more money in the rates.

The Delta pay raise (and the AA/US Airways TA rates) alter the comps that are in the industry now.  However, if you compare the AA/US Airways TA rates to our TA1 rates in the chart posted on our website, you will see that our TA1 rates were higher in many steps.  Know that we intend to improve on those $ amounts even still.

Thanks for your comment and know that our outside economist consultant, Dan Akins, is the same person who was at the table advising the AA/US Airways Flight Attendant Negotiating Committee.  We have a great team representing our collective interests.

Comment:

Please communicate with the company during negotiations that we expect retroactive paychecks for all the time wasted since we voted down our last TA. A great number of us are simply going to vote NO again if we are not given retro checks.
As always, thank you very much for your tireless efforts on our behalf.

Hello, AFA negotiating team

I am a LAX Flight Attendant coming up quickly on my first year with the company. Not only am I a Flight Attendant, but I am also currently serving as active Air Force Reserve Airmen in the United States Air Force, something I have been doing for almost five years now. I am proud to serve, and also blessed by the protections in place by the USERRA act that allow me to pursue my career with this great company. I understand that negotiations for sick leave are still on the table and I wanted to bring to your attention some things that uniquely affect me as a Reservist in the U.S military. I am required to serve a minimum of one weekend a month, and 15 days annually in the Air Force Reserve. Often I do more time than that. When I go to work for the Air Force, I lose out on quite a bit of my benefits as a Flight Attendant. Each day I am gone I lose 5 TFP from my Reserve Guarantee, while I understand this, I am not working for Alaska Airlines on those days after all, Alaska told me many times that they were a Veteran friendly company. Many Veteran friendly companies offer pay to make up the difference from you military pay, or even pay you for a certain amount of days you are working for the military. Alaska offers neither of those benefits. Let me stop here to say that I do not feel that I am entitled to those benefits, though I would appreciate them, but I do feel entitled to say that Alaska Airlines should not boast about being a Veteran Friendly company when they do only what is required by Federal law under the USERRA act. Along with losing pay from Alaska Airlines, I do not accrue any sick leave the days I am on Military Leave. This becomes a serious problem when I attend annual tour, like I did in August and September of this year. I was out on military leave for over 23 days, and did not accrue any sick leave at Alaska Airlines. Even though I am serving in the Reserve those days, and not working at Alaska Airlines, I still get sick like every other person, and would like to receive some kind of sick leave when taking a required military leave. Jury Duty is paid, and is also a requirement from the United States government. When I serve in the military on my required days I am losing so much, sick leave, pay and money towards my retirement. I understand that there are not very many military reserve and guard Flight Attendants at Alaska Airlines, but this is a benefit I feel that all members should have. I ask for sick leave accrual, and pay while on military leave not only for myself, but for other Reservists and Guardsmen who plan on retiring from their respective branch. I am on my way out of the military, but you will still hear my voice asking for these benefits for our military men and women when I am a civilian again.

Thank you for taking your time to read this, if you have any question feel free to contact me, I included my email above.

Answer: First of all, Thank you for your service and your commitment to our country’s security.

It is unfortunate, but in the airline industry, even in pilot contracts where military reservist activity is more common, the norm is compliance with USERRA.  Many companies support reservists and make accommodations and supplement reservist pay.  However, that is not common in the airline industry.

With regard to your sick leave concern, Alaska and Southwest are the only carriers in the US where the sick leave amount accrued is based on a percentage of credited TFP.  At all other carriers, it is based upon whether or not an employee is “active” for a majority of the month (usually 15 days).  The accrual is a set number of ‘Hours.”  If a reservist is absent for 2 weeks at another US carrier, s/he would typically not get any sick leave accrual for that month.  We agree that this is a bad situation, but unfortunately, it is the context in which our management looks at military accommodations in our contract.

Comment:

Horizon just added a flight to SCC. Now the ANC base has lost flying to SCC, FAI, and ADQ. We are hearing OTZ is NEXT?!?
WE NEED SCOPE IN OUR CONTRACT or the ANC BASE WILL not doubt CLOSE. It’s just a matter of time before Horizon takes over all the arctic flying.

Comment:

My concern is regarding the SCOPE section in the current negotiations. PLEASE protect our flying! NO outsourcing of fa’s and flying of existing and future routes under AS or QX. any changes brought by management should be re-negotiated by our union!

Thank you, NO compromises please!

Comment:

Getting more Concerned about Horizon taking over our flying in the state of Alaska. Some of us want to work day trips due to family obligations and more day trips are disappearing. Please look more into SCOPE for our contract. It might be another company soon

Comment:

Nothing in the Voice feedback box anymore. It’s online now. FYI

Comment:

SCOPE
Outsourcing FA jobs

Clarify the language regarding type of a/c, or number of seats that AS or AAG is allowed to outsource.

i. e. 100 seat or more a/c must be flown by AS FAs

Comment:

Scope needs to be added and defined

Comment:

Please present and fight for SCOPE!!!! We need more money, benefit protection and retro pay, but Job Security is of utmost importance!!!!

Comment:

I would like to know if the length of the pay scale is even being negotiated.It takes 17years to reach the top of the scale and that’s ALOT longer than most of the other airlines . AA 12 years , Delta and Southwest 12 years I believe as well

Comment:

I am joining many of my co-worker concerns in regards to the language and protection or lack of, relating to “scope” language. My hope is that this item is a top priority as with the other top items to be discussed and taken into consideration in the up coming meeting in October. Lets get that contract we deserve!! Thank you!!

Comment:

Since sick/OJI is still on the table, I urge you to fight for those of us who have been seriously injured on the job. 3 months of continued medical insurance is not adequate. The COBRA premiums are unattainable when out on workers comp and living on a severely reduced income. The medical care from workers comp is beyond sub par, wrought with denials and/or delays. This is not how you get injured workers back to health and work. Please advocate for drastic improvements in this contract. The American TA is calling for 6 months of continued salary and benefits (more for certain incidents). I believe we should fight for at least that.
Thank you for reading my comment.

Comment:

Before you go back into another session, I just wanted to re-iterate the importance of having very specific SCOPE language that protects our jobs and our flying specific aircraft.

The other thing we should not compromise on is how we accrue sick leave. No hard time requirements. It needs to stay as it is. Past committees have fought hard to gain our sick leave policy and we need to stand firm.

Thanks for your consideration.

Comment:

I would like SCOPE to be clear in our new contract so that AS Flight Attendants have job protection. Please open this up again so that there is clear language and protection for us. Thank you.