Council 35 SFO – Page 23

Sick Leave Policy Enforcement

June 13, 2017 10:00

Your Council 35 Officers have received questions and feedback from Flight Attendants about the “ITM Sick Calls” email from Jeff and Val. In an attempt to manage what appears to be high usage of sick leave, management has opted to enforce their current policy with additional measures. Alaska management views the misuse of sick leave as time card fraud and has been historically vigilant in investigating suspected abuse. Regarding Virgin America teammates, the percentage of Flight Attendants that use sick leave is significantly higher than the percentage of sick leave used by Alaska Flight Attendants, and this causes management some concern. Granted, AFA acknowledges that this is not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison due to differing sick leave policies, however management is still alarmed by the disparity.

Additionally, management has revealed that they will be evaluating Flight Attendant sick leave patterns. Management has indicated that certain trends could indicate sick leave abuse, and they will be investigating these patterns. Although this appears to be a new policy, it has always been the right of management to follow these procedures.

It is apparent that the tone and style of this recent communication is different than the tone historically employed in past communications. Jeff Butler is very straight forward; this can be refreshing to some because it removes ambiguity while others may interpret his bluntness as being too aggressive. Many of you have expressed to us that you feel personally offended by the presentation of the information. If you find yourself feeling that way, we suggest that you respectfully write to Jeff and Val and explain how the email was perceived. If you are not comfortable communicating directly with management, you may write to us at vx@afaalaska.organd we can forward the information to them anonymously.

Finally, if any Flight Attendant is notified by any member of management to attend a meeting regarding sick leave use, please contact your Council 35 Officers immediately at vx@afaalaska.org. You are entitled to have an AFA Representative present at any such meeting.

In Solidarity,
Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & James

[VX] Virgin America Flight Attendant Work Rule Improvements – Part 2

June 8, 2017 09:00

This message is for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

AFA met with the Virgin America leadership team (management) and Alaska Airlines management on Friday, June 2^nd in Seattle, WA as follow up to the Virgin America Flight Attendant Work Rule Improvements discussions a month ago. Representing the Virgin America (VX) leadership team: Vice President of Inflight & Guest Services Jeff Butler and Managing Director of Inflight Valerie Jenkins; representing Alaska Airlines: Vice President of Inflight & Call Center Services Andy Schneider; representing both carriers: Vice President of Labor Relations Greg Mays and Managing Director of Labor Relations-Air Elizabeth Ryan; and representing the Association of Flight Attendants: MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Council 35 VX President Melissa Osborne and Senior Staff Attorney and Negotiator Kimberley Chaput. The meeting was successful, and plans were made to continue discussions on interim improvements in the near future.

Grievance and Arbitration Procedure

AFA and the leadership team agreed to a grievance and arbitration procedure (System Board). Effective June 1^st, any Virgin America Flight Attendant who is given a corrective action (discipline) or terminated can have an AFA representative at all investigatory meetings and grievance hearings; s/he can file a grievance, and s/he will have access to a neutral arbitrator to decide the merits of the case if AFA takes the case forward. AFA can also file a ‘contractual’ grievance if management violates any terms of the AFA VX Interim Improvements Letter of Agreement (4/27/2017) or any other signed agreement we may reach in the future.

Virgin America Flight Attendants can now be disciplined only for cause, and management must prove its case—just like at Alaska Airlines. Discipline will still be issued, and terminations will be upheld if warranted. However, having an established grievance procedure will take the randomness and potential unfairness out of the equation. Disciplinary cases will be reviewed and decided based on objective evidence rather than subjective perception.

AFA VX Grievance Procedures and System Board of Adjustment Letter of Agreement (6/2/2017) »

It is basically the same grievance-related provisions as those reached between the Virgin America leadership team and the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) negotiating team. The grievance-related provisions in the TWU VX Tentative Agreement (TA) were in turn essentially identical to the Section (§) 19 Grievance and §20 Board of Adjustment provisions in the AFA Alaska contract.

If you are called into a meeting in which discipline is pending or is a possibility, your supervisor should tell you that you have the right to an AFA representative. If not, please contact your Council 35 officers so arrangements can be made for a qualified representative to be present with you in the meeting.

While many Flight Attendants go their whole career without ever encountering the disciplinary system, a grievance procedure is at the core of union representation. Historically, a grievance procedure is a benefit provided within a collective bargaining agreement. However, AFA has achieved this benefit for you outside of a contract. AFA is committed to collecting no union dues until you have the protections of being covered under a full contract. As a reminder, a full contract must be ratified by a majority of members in good standing. Management has stated that at this point in the merger process, it is shifting focus to achieving a full contract for VX F/As in the context of a merged agreement and an integrated seniority list.

Commuter Policy

AFA and the leadership team recognize that a large percentage of Virgin America Flight Attendants commute. AFA and management also agree that Flight Attendants regularly encounter difficulties commuting to SFO, JFK and LAX, due to the high probability of encountering delays at these airports. Although sick leave is not directly tied to commuting challenges, management is alarmed at Flight Attendants’ sick leave usage—particularly in JFK—and they are concerned about being able to staff flights. AFA is definitely interested in a commuter policy, and the leadership team is willing to explore a commuter policy if it is mutually beneficial to all parties—and especially if it will improve operational reliability.

AFA advocated that the Company should implement the Get Going Policy established in the TWU VX Tentative Agreement. The leadership team’s concern with the Get Going Policy is that it was agreed to in exchange for enhanced reserve utilization and other items negotiated into the TA. The parties discussed a couple ideas, but management was reluctant to implement a ‘standalone’ (outside of a full contract) commuter policy without fully understanding the impact to the operation. Although we did not establish a commuter policy this session, the parties agreed to do additional research and connect in the next few weeks to continue discussions.

Personal Electronic Device (PED) Policy Update

As you might recall, AFA and the leadership team agreed in the AFA VX Interim Improvements Letter of Agreement (4/27/2017) to implement the Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Personal Electronic Device (PED) policy for Virgin America F/As. The Alaska PED policy would allow you to use your PED while commuting or jumpseating, and, under stricter rules, during downtime while working. As mentioned in “Council 35 News – May 29, 2017,” the PED policy is located within the VX Inflight Manual (IFM). Any changes to the IFM are subject to FAA approval and must be made in a scheduled revision. The leadership team confirmed the Company is slated to adopt the Alaska PED policy in the August IFM revision.

Relaxing hair standards

AFA continues to advocate for relaxing the hair standards to the Alaska Airlines policy. The Alaska standard is to allow hair to be down when not doing a beverage/meal service and to be secured back during service. The leadership team explained that it needs to finesse the Virgin America brand expectations with regard to Flight Attendant appearance standards and the fact that VX has continuous on demand food service. However, AFA has convinced the leadership team to adopt the Alaska standard. It may take a couple months, but management is willing to go there.

Crossing seatbelts

AFA advocated to the leadership team that eliminating the seatbelt crossing and cleaning requirements would be a very welcomed improvement for Virgin America Flight Attendants. Management agreed and has communicated to AFA that the requirement to cross and clean seatbelts will change by the end of the year.

Pass travel and jumpseats

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Flight Attendants can travel on each other’s jumpseats for pleasure travel or to commute. The leadership team is open to the possibility of adding Virgin America to this reciprocal policy. In order to adopt a reciprocal jumpseat agreement, VX F/As will need to be entered into the Jumpseat Access and Control System (JACS). JACS is the program used to confirm whether an individual is jumpseat qualified. It is anticipated that VX F/As will be loaded into JACS by the time the carriers achieve Single Operating Certificate, which is currently estimated in early 2018. AFA believes that all our AFA sisters and brothers within Alaska Air Group (Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air) should enjoy reciprocal cabin jumpseat agreements between all our respective carriers.

AFA and the leadership team agreed that VX Flight Attendants should be able to sit on VX (own metal) jumpseats out of uniform. The parties also agreed that pass riding Flight Attendants should be treated as much as possible like guests (e.g. ability to sleep and/or use the IFE, Wi-Fi or one’s PED) when traveling in uniform (e.g. deadheading and commuting). The leadership team has communicated to AFA that both improvements will be scheduled for IFM revision cycle 4, estimated in October.

Miscellaneous improvements

AFA sought several additional potential interim improvements. AFA advocated for revisiting items in the TWU VX Tentative Agreement that had been ready for implementation if the TA had ratified. These included but were not limited to the ability to drop below the minimum requirement of 70 hours per month by trading to another Flight Attendant, changes to Reserve rest and mid-sequence & deadhead report times. Management reiterated that it is now focusing on merger negotiations, so the leadership team is steering away from additional ‘standalone’ compensation and/or rule work improvements other than those already discussed.

AFA also inquired about other work rule improvements aligned with the Alaska policies and procedures and discovered that many of them are already pending as the carriers move towards a merged Inflight manual. Most are scheduled for implementation by October. AFA is going to hold off on listing those improvements for the time being because they are subject to change. Once we have more firm details, we’ll pass those along.

AFA is very encouraged by the overall progress so far. Look for updates regarding interim improvements for VX in future Council 35 communications. If you have any questions, contact your Local Council 35 officers.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Joint Local Council Meeting – June 15

June 1, 2017 20:00

In accordance with the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, each Local Council must hold at least two Local Council Meetings each year that are open to all members in good standing. At least one of those meetings must be held prior to the annual AFA Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting to give all members the opportunity to discuss the items on the agenda at the BOD meeting.

The annual AFA BOD Meeting will be held later this month in Phoenix, AZ. Local Council President Melissa Osborne is our representative on the BOD who will represent all Council 35 Members and vote on our behalf at the BOD meeting. The Local Council Meeting is your opportunity to give input as to how you would like Melissa to vote on the BOD agenda items. You can find more information about the BOD Meeting on the AFA International website at http://afa-bod.org/.

The AFA Constitution & Bylaws also encourages AFA Local Councils located in the same city to hold their Local Council Meetings jointly. As such, we will be holding a joint Local Council Meeting with United Airlines Council 11. Information about the Joint Local Council Meeting can be found below.

Joint Local Council Meeting Information

Date:	Thursday, June 15, 2017
Time:	10:30 AM to 12 PM
Location:	San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2 Conference Room 2
Agenda:	Discussion of AFA Board of Directors Meeting agenda items

If you have any questions about the Joint Local Council Meeting, please email us at vx@afaalska.org

In solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & James

Council 35 News – May 29, 2017

May 29, 2017 12:00

Agenda for Meeting with Management on June 2

AFA is scheduled to conduct another round of discussions with management later this week regarding further work rule improvements. This meeting is specifically focused on achieving a modified grievance procedure for the protection of Virgin America Flight Attendants. Normally the grievance process is a benefit of a collective bargaining agreement and the procedures are outlined within it. Management has agreed to discuss formulating a special grievance process outside of a contract.

Retro Lump Sum Payment and the IRS

The first pay period to include the recently negotiated pay increase is coming up this week! Both the retro lump sum payment and the new wage rate will be included in the 5/31 paycheck. As a reminder, the retro lump sum is considered regular income and will be taxed as normal wages. Keep in mind that like the times when you might work more than your average credit hours in the month, the total earnings are higher in that month. This can potentially trigger a change in the payroll tax percentage applied for that paycheck. Remember however, that when you file your taxes at the end of the year, your actual tax rate will depend on your total annual earnings, rather than the amount issued per paycheck. So, if the retro pay causes your payroll tax to increase on the May 31st payroll, any over payment of tax would be refunded when taxes are filed.

Clarification on the New Red-Eye Language

Prior to the Work Rule Improvements Letter of Agreement (LOA) that was recently negotiated by AFA, there were no tangible protections regarding red-eye tagging. Assignments were completely at the discretion of CSS and were limited only by an email promise from management regarding OGG tagging and FAR restrictions. The new LOA is more comprehensive and contains language that prohibits anyone from being tagged after completing any red-eye (not just OGG), prohibits anyone from being assigned a red-eye after working more than 2 legs prior, and requires that all available reserves be assigned prior to tagging anyone arriving from a trans-con flight.

Additional to this enforceable protection, Flight Attendants can utilize the improved Walk or Waive Policy which can be exercised once a duty day is projected to exceed 16 hours. And lastly, if anyone feels that they are unsafe to fly, the Fatigue Policy is in place and should be used without fear of repercussion.

Your Local Council Officers are available to assist you in determining the options that exist and advocating for you with management. If you become aware of any red-eye related assignments that violates the new LOA, please report the details to your Local Council Officers so that we can hold CSS accountable. The language in the LOA took steps in the right direction and we will absolutely continue to work towards improvements in our duty day and scheduling language as we begin the process of negotiating a merged agreement. You can help this process by supporting our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) as they advocate for the entire combined work group.

Update on the New PED Policy

The PED policy is referenced in the IFM, which means that a change to the policy must go through the proper approval process with the FAA prior to being implemented. Additional complications include the fact that we are in the process of merging manuals, and subject to revision cycles (scheduled revisions to tackle large amounts of changes). AFA has clearly stated to management that the intent of the LOA was to make the policy effective immediately, however management is not able to do so without first receiving FAA approval. AFA has requested that management attempt to get the approval as quickly as possible and they have agreed to expedite the change request with the FAA. Stay tuned for further updates.

Have You Filled Out and Submitted Your Paper AFA Membership Application?

Have you filled out the AFA membership application yet? This form cannot be completed online, and must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in D.C. You can download and print one by clicking here. Completing an application ensures that you have the right to vote in officer elections and on tentative agreements.

Don’t Forget to Wear Your AFA Pin

The AFA pin is an approved uniform piece and should be worn on the left collar. If wearing both your AFA pin and anniversary pin, the anniversary pin should be placed closest to the tip of the collar.

Your AFA pin represents our combined strength and unity as we work toward achieving improvements for all of us and should always be worn with your uniform. If you don’t already have an AFA pin, you can pick one up from an AFA representative during an upcoming Village Visit. Visit the Council 35 Facebook page for recent “pin pics.”

Have your own pin pics to share? Send them to us (along with the name of everyone in the picture) at vx@afaalaska.org.

FAQs

Will the passport reimbursement benefit cover expedite fees or just the renewal?

Currently policy requires VX F/As to expedite their passport renewals, which results in an additional fee. Management has agreed to reimburse F/As for the renewal and expedite fees for all those teammates who were required by the company to expedite their passport reimbursement. Management is evaluating the need for expedited renewals and will adjust the requirement and reimbursement policy if expedited passport renewal is no longer required. Stay tuned for an update from management on this policy.

Are disability and Workers Comp claims eligible for the retro pay and rate increase?

UNUM (VX leave vendor) has all the info on the new rates, and they are in the process of calculating any retro pay that may be applicable for impacted teammates. If there are additional earnings due, that will be paid either via check or direct deposit (whichever the teammate has signed up for). Teammates can reach out to the VX leave team directly if they have specific questions about retro pay on their disability payments. For Workers Comp, we are still awaiting updates on how these retro payments are to be handled with Gallagher Basset (VX WC Vendor).

I have questions for Melissa and James, how can I reach them?

Please refrain from sending messages to VX email accounts and/or via Facebook messenger. Your questions will be answered faster if you send them to the Council 35 email vx@afaalaska.org. Being available to you is important to your AFA leadership team and by following the prescribed methods of communication, your leaders can better assist with your questions, suggestions and concerns. Thank you for understanding!

I am not getting any emails from AFA Alaska Council 35. What can I do?

Please be sure to subscribe to Council 35 emails using a non-Virgin America email account. You can subscribe online at http://afanewsletters.org/subscribe/. If you encounter any problems with the online subscription page, please email us at vx@afaalaska.org.

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts! You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & James

Council 35 News – May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017 12:00

Become A Member, Have Your Voice Heard!

If you haven’t already had the chance to complete an AFA membership application, you can download and print one by clicking here. The AFA membership application is not a form that can be completed online; it must be filled out, signed in ink, and returned to an AFA representative or mailed to AFA. Signing up to receive AFA email communications is not the same as completing a membership application. Completing an application ensures that you have the right to vote in officer elections and on tentative agreements.

Equal Rest for Flight Attendants

AFA International has actively been lobbying lawmakers to change FAR rest minimums for Flight Attendants. In 2014, FAR 117 was enacted to protect pilots from extensive duty days and provided minimum rest requirements. AFA believes Flight Attendants should enjoy the same protections. For more information on how you can get involved and help make this change for all of us, please visit AFA Interactive. There you will find instructions on how to petition our political leaders for change.

Village Visits

For several days each week, Local Council President Melissa Osborne, Local Council Secretary James Ikehara, and several other AFA Alaska leaders have visited the Villages in JFK, LAX and SFO to share information about AFA, answer questions, and provide AFA membership applications. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Additional Village Visits will be held over the next few weeks. You can also find the most up-to-date information on Village Visits on the Council 35 Facebook page.

Don’t Forget to Wear Your AFA Pin

Have your own pin pics to share? Send them to us (along with the name of everyone in the picture) at vx@afaalaska.org.

Seniority Integration

Seniority will be integrated based on competitive (bidding) seniority date in accordance with the AFA Constitution & Bylaws. Competitive seniority date is often referred to as “date of hire” although the actual application is more complicated than that. A previous communication on the AFA seniority integration policy can be found here.

Joint Negotiating Committee and Merger Representative Positions

Thanks to everyone who applied for the JNC and Merger Representative positions. Interviews for both positions were conducted at the MEC Meeting in Seattle earlier this week. An announcement of the appointees will be sent out within the next several days by AFA email and will also be posted on the Council 35 page of the AFA Alaska website.

FAQs

Are new-hire ITMs able to apply for AFA membership?

Yes! New hires achieve active member status with AFA after four full calendar months of employment but are considered “apprentice” members from their first day. For example, if you were hired on January 3, you would attain active member status on June 1 (first of the month after completing four full calendar months of employment). “Membership” is a relationship between the F/A and the Union; this is separate from the “probationary period”, which is a relationship between the F/A and the company. As an apprentice member, you enjoy the benefits of the Union however you will not be able to participate in any voting activities nor hold an officer and/or committee position.

Is it true that that Skywest has the same boarding priority as VX on Alaska metal?

Skywest, though not owned by AAG, operates flights on behalf of Alaska Airlines through a capacity purchase agreement (CPA). For nonrev purposes on AS metal, Skywest is grouped into the E7 boarding priority code, which is then further subdivided (E7A, E7B, etc.). In addition to Skywest employees, pass riders of several other airlines are also slotted into the E7 boarding priority code. All Virgin America teammates should be boarded after Alaska and Horizon employees and dependents but before other airlines when they use ZED 0 on Alaska flights, including those operated by Horizon or Skywest. Management is working to integrate the two travel programs and expects this to occur sometime in early 2018. In the meantime, two different systems prevent them from generating an integrated priority list.

Can we implement a commuter code like AS F/As have in order to get priority boarding status?

Boarding priority for commuters is part of the current AS contract and will not likely become a benefit for VX until we’re on a merged agreement.

Can we adopt the AS summer attendance program?

AS Flight Attendants do not have a perfect summer attendance program per se, but rather a quarterly productivity premium (QPP). The premium provides an incentive for AS F/As to pick up flying over their awarded schedules. The incentive is $500 per quarter except for the third quarter (July, August, and September) when it is $1000. This provision is not a company-wide policy, however, it is outlined in section 21.R of the AS contract. Therefore, VX F/As would not be eligible to participate in the program until we are on a merged agreement.

Will the pay increase be applied to initial training pay?

Training pay is a flat rate for the entire training period and therefore would not be eligible for a rate increase. Immediately following training, the pay rate is brought up to the pay scale for the 1st year, so on that date the pay increase will be applicable. Anyone who worked at least 1 day after graduation (between Jan 1 and Apr 30, 2017) would be eligible for the retro pay increases.

Alaska’s maternity policy is much more parent friendly. Can we adopt the same policy at VX?

Some of the maternity leave provisions are contractual, and other parts of it are AS company policy. As for the contractual side of it, we won’t see any changes for VX until we have a merged agreement.

I commute from SAN, when will I be given the opportunity to change bases?

Base transfers between pre-merger VX and AS bases will not occur until after we are on a merged agreement and have an integrated seniority list. The earliest this could possibly happen would be approximately Q2 2019, but could take longer.

I would like to leave Virgin America to apply for a position at Alaska. Can I retain my VX seniority?

Any VX teammate interested in applying to be a Flight Attendant at AS will need to resign from VX and begin as a new-hire employee. To be eligible for hire at AS, VX teammates would be required to remove their name from the integration list and give up all their seniority rights. If this is something you have been considering, AFA would like to caution you to consider how this course of action will impact your position and seniority. If you have any further questions, please reach out to the Council 35 leadership team at vx@afaalaska.org.

I have questions for Melissa and James, how can I reach them?

I am not getting any emails from AFA Alaska Council 35. What can I do?

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts! You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & James

Grievance and Arbitration Procedure

Commuter Policy

Personal Electronic Device (PED) Policy Update

Relaxing hair standards

Crossing seatbelts

Pass travel and jumpseats

Miscellaneous improvements

Joint Local Council Meeting Information

Agenda for Meeting with Management on June 2

Retro Lump Sum Payment and the IRS

Clarification on the New Red-Eye Language

Update on the New PED Policy

Have You Filled Out and Submitted Your Paper AFA Membership Application?

Don’t Forget to Wear Your AFA Pin

FAQs

Will the passport reimbursement benefit cover expedite fees or just the renewal?

Are disability and Workers Comp claims eligible for the retro pay and rate increase?

I have questions for Melissa and James, how can I reach them?

I am not getting any emails from AFA Alaska Council 35. What can I do?

Become A Member, Have Your Voice Heard!

Equal Rest for Flight Attendants

Village Visits

Don’t Forget to Wear Your AFA Pin

Seniority Integration

Joint Negotiating Committee and Merger Representative Positions

FAQs

Are new-hire ITMs able to apply for AFA membership?

Is it true that that Skywest has the same boarding priority as VX on Alaska metal?

Can we implement a commuter code like AS F/As have in order to get priority boarding status?

Can we adopt the AS summer attendance program?

Will the pay increase be applied to initial training pay?

Alaska’s maternity policy is much more parent friendly. Can we adopt the same policy at VX?

I commute from SAN, when will I be given the opportunity to change bases?

I would like to leave Virgin America to apply for a position at Alaska. Can I retain my VX seniority?

I have questions for Melissa and James, how can I reach them?

I am not getting any emails from AFA Alaska Council 35. What can I do?

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