Negotiations News Archives

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.

A productivity premium is not a requirement, but in essence a bonus for the quarters Flight Attendants are able to achieve it.  Not every Flight Attendant will achieve a Productivity Premium every quarter.  Some Flight Attendants may earn the bonus every quarter, while some Flight Attendants may never earn it; and some Flight Attendants will achieve it some quarters but not in other quarters.  It is just extra money in the quarter(s) a Flight Attendant flies a minimum of 0.1 TFP more than their awarded line totals added together for the quarter .

What impact does vacation have on the Quarterly Productivity Premium?

Vacation is credited in your monthly awarded line value in PBS, so in the quarter you have vacation awarded, you would have to fly the equivalent of your vacation TFP extra plus 0.1 TFP more.

Example:

JAN – line award = 70 TFP (28 TFP vacation + 42 TFP sequence value), FEB – line award = 70 TFP (all 70 TFP sequence value), MAR- line award = 70 TFP (all 70 TFP sequence value). Take Jan (70) + Feb (70) + Mar (70) = 210 TFP for the quarter. A Flight Attendant will need to fly 210.1 total TFP in the quarter, not including vacation or sick leave.  Flight Attendants have two choices in this quarter:  First, don’t fly through (make up the 28 TFP of vacation) and forego the productivity premium that quarter or second, have worked TFP (which means you will be flying the extra 28 TFP as vacation isn’t credited towards total) and receive the quarterly productivity premium.

These numbers are tracked by looking at the left hand column in PBS where it shows your line value for the month, and to reiterate, vacation is reflected in that number so you will need to fly your vacation TFP plus one tenth (0.1) TFP more than the total PBS line value of the three months added together.

See below for an interactive chart (you will need to scroll at the bottom to view the entire chart) that allows you to plug in your own PBS line award values and your own TFP flown each month to see the impact they have on the Quarterly Productivity Premium.