Latest News

January 4, 2016 15:36

A message from your AFA Alaska EAP Committee

Wings of Sobriety telephonic meetings for Flight Attendants in recovery or wishing to explore their substance use concerns are scheduled for:

Wednesdays at 3 PM EST
Saturdays at 9 AM EST

Each meeting will last up to one (1) hour. The conference call in number is 1-855-544-2320. For International dialing Instructions, please hit the link below or visit our website at http://www.fadap.org/wingsofsobriety.

Flight Attendant Recovery Story

A former Flight Attendant shares her personal journey into recovery. Click here to read the story.

December 28, 2015 05:00

A message from your AFA Alaska Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

The New Year is not just a ritual. It is the celebration of new hopes and dreams. It is an opportunity to start with a clean slate. Typically, New Year resolutions tend to focus on weight, general health and finances. But, what might the new year offer us if we used it as an opportunity to commit to improvements in our emotional and mental well-being. Below are seven positive mental health resolutions that you can borrow for your new year.

“I will treat myself with respect and speak nicely about myself.” Try taping a list of positive characteristics about yourself in various places throughout the house to remind you of these affirmations.
“I will be physically active on a daily basis.” Multiple studies show a link between exercise and improved mental health.
“I will act and not react.” Many times we feel like everyone is “pushing our buttons”. When this happens, we are caught up in a reaction cycle. If you know you’ll be around someone who says negative things, plan for this and have a list in your head of disarming statements. You might even consider modifying your plans to limit exposure to negative people.
“I will learn to relax and enjoy.” Many times we become so busy we forget how or even when to take care of ourselves. Find or “re-discover” an activity that is relaxing and enjoyable to you. Dedicate time to this daily or at a minimum, weekly.
“I will be mindful.” Being mindful is about staying in the moment. We cannot change yesterday and we cannot predict tomorrow. We do, however, have control over our attentiveness in the here and now. So, commit to being aware in the moment, and enjoy that moment.
“I will work towards being the person I want to be.” When we see life as a journey and a time to continue to be the person we desire to be, we find hope and fulfillment in our tomorrows.
“I will resolve to be mentally healthy”. There is still a stigma about seeing a mental health professional. However, it is truly one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves. A therapist gives us an unbiased ear and can also help us to understand why we do the things we do … think of seeing a therapist as a mental health oil change. If you need assistance finding a referral, give your AFA EAP a call. Your local AFA EAP committee members are listed at www.afacwa.org/eap. We are just a phone call away.

These suggestions have been adapted from an email written by Chip Coffey, the Director of Outpatient Services at St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center.

December 23, 2015 18:00

Temporary contractual modification approved by roll call vote

By majority roll call vote, the Master Executive Council (MEC) has approved a temporary contractual modification that makes anybody who picks up a Premium OT trip returning to domicile on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ineligible for Junior Assignment off of that trip. Inflight management requested this temporary contractual modification with the hope that more flight attendants will pick up from Premium Open Time if they know they will not be JA’able on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. However, this request was made without any guarantee that they would have supervisors and managers flying as well.

Not an easy decision…

This was not an easy decision to make because there are several pro’s and con’s on each side of the argument whether or not to grant the temporary contractual waiver. Under the default MEC voting procedure outlined in the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws in Article VII.D.5.b [Master Executive Councils –> Master Executive Council Meetings –> Voting], each voting member of the MEC casts one vote on any issue before the MEC. A majority determines the outcome.

Votes were cast as follows:

Yes: 19 SEA, 39 PDX

No: 15 SAN, 18 LAX, 30 ANC.

Motion failed.

Roll call voting record

Council 19 Seattle subsequently requested a roll call vote on the issue, which is in order under the provisions of Article VII.D.5.b. In a roll call, each voting member of the MEC receives one vote for each member in good standing s/he represents. A majority determines the outcome. Votes were re-cast as follows:

Council number, number of dues paying members (in parenthesis), name of voting member(s) (in brackets), voting record

15 SAN (240) [Buker]: 0 Yes / 240 No

18 LAX (454) [Morrow]: 0 Yes / 454 No

19 SEA (1882) [Jones]: 1800 Yes / 82 No

30 ANC (315) [Pinkston]: 0 Yes / 315 No

39 PDX (452) [Gwynn]: 452 Yes / 0 No

Yes: 2252 / No: 1091

Motion carries.

* * *

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your LEC president.

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

December 23, 2015 13:16

Temporary contractual waiver in order to minimize Junior Assignment

In order to minimize Junior Assignment for tomorrow, the Master Executive Council (MEC) has granted the temporary ability for Crew Scheduling to pull trips from Open Time for Christmas Eve assignment to Reserves effective immediately (approximately 12:30 PM PT at the time the waiver was granted).

Therefore Section 10.E.d [Open Time] should be temporarily interpreted as the following:

Crew Scheduling may remove sequences from OT no earlier than 2:00 12:00 PM PT for reserve assignments for the following day except as provided for in Section 7.F.1.a. [“Job Familiarization” Flights…]. Any sequence not assigned to a Reserve by 6:00 PM PT will be returned to OT. Any sequences that become available after 2:00 12:00 PM PT will be subject to the withholding provisions of 1.d., below.

Any other contractual citations that refer to the withholding of trips at 2:00 PM PT for assignment to Reserves should be temporarily interpreted as noon. Example of 10.E.1.c [Open Time]:

Crew Scheduling may withhold a sequence from OT for up to fifteen minutes (:15) when necessary to determine a Like Sequence pursuant to Section 10.R. [Reassignments] and 12.J. [Crew Scheduling Trading Errors], or a Reserve or JA assignment. This includes sequences that become available between 2:01 12:01 PM PT and 6:00 PM PT the day prior to report. If Crew Scheduling does not assign the sequence within fifteen minutes (:15) but neglects to return it to OT, a Flight Attendant may contact Crew Scheduling and request the trade/pickup on a first-come, first-served basis. If the Flight Attendant then flies the sequence, s/he will be paid one (1.0) TFP in addition to all applicable compensation.

Although the contractual time is 2 PM under the current contract, trips could be pulled at noon in the previous contract. Therefore, the MEC does not anticipate a significant impact compared to the benefit received by minimizing JA.

“Premium” Premium Open Time

Inflight management has agreed to start widely using “premium” Premium Open Time, so we are appreciative of the step in the right direction. Crew Scheduling has posted double time (2x or $$ in eMaestro), but AFA will continue to strongly advocate for the use of additional premiums in order to further minimize JA and protect the operation.

Premium pay

Any premiums are paid on flights flown and not on Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs) or Sit Pay. All TFP is credited at straight time towards your 480 TFP thresholds, Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP) and other similar provisions. For example, a 5.0 TFP trip at 2x premium is paid at double your trip rate but still credited at 5.0 TFP towards your thresholds. It is somewhat of a flight attendant urban legend that “the trip is worth 10.0 TFP.” It is true that the trip is worth the equivalent of 10.0 TFP at straight pay, but it’s really not paid out that way.

* * *

We apologize in advance if anybody is inconvenienced by this temporary departure from the norm.

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

December 22, 2015 18:00

CSKD is currently JA’ing in Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles

Crew Scheduling is currently utilizing the new Junior Assignment (JA) language in Section 9 Junior Available and Premium Open Time in order to staff flights over the next several days. AFA believes JA is currently limited to the Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles domiciles, but there are no guarantees that other domiciles will remain unaffected.

So what happened to staffing?

Going into this week management believed staffing was more than adequate. However there has been a significant spike in sick leave utilization over the past several days that exceeded staffing resources. Inflight management directed Crew Scheduling to start JA’ing in order to maintain the operation just after 10 AM Pacific Time this morning.

No “premium” (2x or greater) Premium Open Time

Despite the fact that your Negotiating Committee specifically advocated for a tiered Premium Open Time system in order to maximize flexibility for Crew Scheduling and minimize the potential for JA, management has refused to utilize Premium Open Time higher than a 1.5x premium. Why would management want to force flight attendants to fly when they are scheduled to be off duty and pay them a 2.5x premium rather than offering Premium Open Time to eager volunteers at, say, double time (2x premium or listed as $$ in eMaestro)? Or alternatively, if the Company anticipated that it was going to pay the JA premium of 2.5x, but Crew Scheduling could find an eager volunteer through Premium OT at the same premium (2.5x premium or listed as $$$ in eMaestro), wouldn’t it make sense to take the volunteer over the draftee?

We believe Inflight management has been unwilling to offer Premium Open Time any higher than the standard (1.5x premium or listed as $ in eMaestro) because they fear creating an expectation that such premiums will be routinely available around the holidays. There is a certain logic to that line of thinking, but the Master Executive Council (MEC) does not understand how avoiding setting expectations for “premium” Premium OT is better than JA’ing. The Company is going to spend more money JA’ing than if management had sweetened Premium OT to 2x premium prior to JA’ing.

JA eligibility

A flight attendant cannot be Junior Assigned on vacation or while off duty—any JA notification must occur while on duty and prior to the conclusion of the scheduled debrief period. The list is comprised of all flight attendants on duty during the JA period in question and who are legal to accept a JA. Assignments are made off that list in reverse seniority (junior) order.

A flight attendant cannot be JA’d into any day that was traded away or dropped from her/his original schedule as long as the day(s) has not been subsequently restored prior to JA. There are several other contractual provisions in Section 9 that govern JA procedures, which are too numerous to detail here. A JA list will be posted after the fact and accessible via the World of Inflight. If you believe that you were JA’d out of order, you will have the ability to review the list yourself or you can seek assistance from AFA.

JA procedures

Under the new contract, Crew Scheduling may JA up to the full calendar day prior to the trip. Unfortunately, Inflight management waited until after 10am this morning to JA, which very likely resulted in artificially inflating the seniority of those who were ultimately JA’d. You see, Crew Scheduling lost the opportunity to potentially JA anybody who returned to domicile prior to 10am this morning. If JA had been initiated earlier, many more flight attendants would have been in the JA pool.

AFA believes management waited so long because they were seeking a contractual waiver from the MEC. Management asked if the MEC would allow Reserves to be assigned earlier than provided by contract, believing this would minimize the need to JA. The MEC declined the waiver, and JA began shortly thereafter.

In our opinion, Inflight management ironically made JA worse by going more senior as a result of the wait. This is extremely unfortunate considering that AFA provided the exact same feedback and recommendations to Inflight management earlier this year. Very similar circumstances occurred during the last and only other time we have JA’d under the new contractual rules.

Trading JA and Pay

Flight Attendants may trade or give away JA assignments. Until the new JA rules are programmed into the new crew management system, flight attendants will be able to post a JA trip on the eMaestro bulletin board using a workaround: Crew Scheduling must first remove the default “PP” label code. Crew Scheduling was initially unaware of the workaround earlier in the day, but going forward they have been informed of the interim procedure. For your information, the new system is called Jeppesen Crew Tracking Enterprise (JCTE) and it is scheduled to go live later in 2016.

Suggestion: use the “Comments” field to indicate the trip is a Junior Assignment at 2.5x premium. Junior Assignments are paid at 2.5x premium for all flying (excludes Minimum Pay Rules and Sit Pay). If a JA is flown on a flight attendant paid holiday (e.g. Christmas), the total premium is 3.5x for flights flown on the holiday.

Crew Scheduling must manually process the actual trading of the trip(s) in eMaestro. It is Crew Administration’s responsibility to reconcile the JA pay with the trip, but we anticipate this will all be automated in JCTE. Until implementation of JCTE, we recommend that you submit an Activity Claim Form on the World of Inflight in order to claim the JA premium.

Recommendations so far

In summary, AFA would have preferred that Inflight management had more aggressively utilized “premium” Premium OT once management had identified a staffing need prior to the date in question. If increasing premiums did not improve staffing and management deemed it necessary to JA, that decision ideally should have been made much earlier in the morning in order to sufficiently widen the pool.

* * *

There are many moving parts to the operation at the moment, so it will likely take some time to gather all the facts and for management and AFA to debrief the holiday staffing. In the meantime if you have any questions or concerns, contact one of your local Scheduling Committee members or Local Executive Council (LEC) officers (ANC 30 | SEA 19 | PDX 39 | LAX 18 | SAN 15).

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones

December 16, 2015 16:15

As we approach the end of 2015, the Master Executive Council (MEC) wants to remind you of a few important items. But first we want to thank all of you for your professionalism and support this past year. We are truly honored to represent the best Flight Attendants in the industry!

AFA EAP

Alaska Flight Attendants are the best in the industry and this is due, in part, to our amazing Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee! EAP is always available to assist and support you. As we approach the holiday season our jobs become much more difficult and we are away from our families. EAP peers help FAs assess their expectations, troubles, health issues and commitments. Re-evaluating commitments and expectations will help to make the holiday season more manageable and enjoyable. AFA EAP’s greatest tool is the ability to listen, calming the presenting issue. Referring to professional resources appropriate when the FA is unable to find resolution.

You can find EAP contact information here: http://afaalaska.org/eap.

Employee Choice Travel Credits

Please remember that you need to convert any remaining Employee Choice Travel Credits by December 31, 2015. Once you convert the credits you have three months to travel or make changes to those credits. These credits do not roll over! You will find your Employee Choice Travel Credits in your Paperless Employee Travel (PET) account.

Uniform Allotments

Allotment #3 from late 2013 will expire on December 31^st. Allotment #2 from January 2015 and allotment #1 from July 2015 will rollover into 2016 and expire after next December. If you have used up all other allotments, they will not be numbered separately in the uniform allotment look-up function.

Taxes and shipping will be covered once the new Land’s End portal is up and running, which is scheduled to debut on December 17^th. Multiple allotments will be combined into one allotment at that time as well. True blue/China blue items are being discontinued in the uniform program as of April 1, 2016. You will receive an additional allocation on December 17^th for any True blue/China blue items purchased in 2015 and that allocation will expire on September 30, 2015.

You can find the link to Land’s End on your World of Inflight FA homepage under the pictures. Make sure you copy your People Soft (PS) number from your homepage, as you will need this number to access the allotment link on the Land’s End homepage and to place uniform orders. If you have questions you can contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) Uniform Committee.

Changes to Occufit Solutions Compression Hose/Stockings

Beginning January 1, 2016, there is a change to the current coverage of non-medical (low-grade) compression hose/stockings. On this date, low-grade compression hose/stockings are no longer covered under the health plan–even if the employee has a prescription for them. Employees can still use their FSA/HSA dollars if they have a prescription from their healthcare provider. Medical-grade compression stockings will continue to be covered on the health plan, assuming they are medically necessary and prescribed.

If you have any questions about your FSA/HSA accounts please refer to the 2016 Employees Medical Handbook (Alaskasworld (log in required) –> Benefits/Pay –> Health Care and Total Rewards –> Health and Insurance –> Your Employee Handbook [under “Quick Links”]); or you can contact Premera for the information.

Questions About Your Christmas / News Year’s Day Trip?

Remember: if you have scheduling questions make sure you contact your LEC Scheduling Committee. You can also find the electronic version of the contract on your IMD and on the web at http://afaalaska.org/contract.

Year End Record Improvement: Section 32.G.4

Please note there is a change to the year-end record improvement application:

At the end of each calendar year, any Flight Attendant who has achieved a minimum of four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP including vacation/Longevity PTO and who has four (4) or fewer points and did not accumulate // any point(s) since November 1^st of that year, will have her/his record reduced to zero (0) points. In no circumstances will a Flight Attendant receive more than eighty (80.0) unpaid TFP credit toward the four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP threshold calculation for purposes of this provision. Unpaid TFP credit will be applied and/or the look back period will be modified consistent with Sections 15.M. [Leaves with Coordination…] and 15.N. [Unpaid Leaves…], as applicable.

It usually takes a few weeks into January for the year-end record improvement adjustment to occur.

* * *

We wish everyone a safe and happy winter holiday season and a Merry Christmas!

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

December 14, 2015 05:00

The Master Executive Council (MEC) and your Contract Committee is excited to point out that on December 17, 2015, a date of signing raise is in effect.

CBA Section 21.A., states:

STEP RATES OF PAY

Flight Attendants will be compensated on the basis of the appropriate step rate as follows:

Step DOS DOS +1 DOS +2 DOS +3 DOS +4

DOH* $21.31 $21.63 $21.95 $22.28 $22.62

Step 1 $24.16 $24.52 $24.89 $25.26 $25.64

Step 2 $25.35 $25.73 $26.12 $26.51 $26.91

Step 3 $27.53 $27.94 $28.36 $28.79 $29.22

Step 4 $28.75 $29.18 $29.62 $30.06 $30.51

Step 5 $32.40 $32.89 $33.38 $33.88 $34.39

Step 6 $35.56 $36.09 $36.63 $37.18 $37.74

Step 7 $36.70 $37.25 $37.81 $38.38 $38.95

Step 8 $37.71 $38.28 $38.85 $39.43 $40.02

Step 9 $39.12 $39.71 $40.30 $40.91 $41.52

Step 10 $42.00 $42.63 $43.27 $43.92 $44.58

Step 11 $44.82 $45.49 $46.17 $46.87 $47.57

Step 12 $48.78 $49.51 $50.25 $51.01 $51.77

Step 13 $49.69 $50.43 $51.19 $51.96 $52.74

Step 14 $50.59 $51.35 $52.12 $52.90 $53.70

Step 15 $51.50 $52.27 $53.06 $53.85 $54.66

If you look under your applicable step rate and then look over to DOS+1 that will your new rate of pay as of December 17, 2015. This is a raise in addition to your anniversary step increase and longevity premium, if applicable.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

December 10, 2015 17:00

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) encourages you to GIVE TEN dollars to this important cause, and GET TEN friends to do the same in order to combat toxic oil fumes onboard.

Ever smelled dirty socks onboard? A dirty socks smell in the cabin could be engine oil fumes in the ventilation air. You read that right: the air that comes through the cabin and flight deck vents is first compressed in the engines, and it isn’t filtered before you breathe it on all aircraft except for the Boeing 787. AFA regularly receives reports from members who report dirty socks or musty fumes in the cabin supply air. This exposure can result in problems with memory, balance, speech and other long-lasting symptoms. Nobody thinks it will happen to her or him until it does.

As things stand, flight attendants often have difficulty accessing the aircraft maintenance records—if at all—in order to prove that oil contaminated the cabin air. Even when maintenance records are accessed, it can be very challenging to verify after the incident that oil contaminated the cabin air. Additionally, there is no current blood test specific to these fumes. Consequently, airlines often say that “nothing was wrong” and that crews are just imagining their disabling symptoms.

Fortunately, a dedicated research team at the University of Washington is developing a blood test specific to the aviation engine oil. KOMO News ran an article back in September “UW creating test to measure toxic exposure in airplane cabins” in which AFA International President Sara Nelson was quoted. You may be interested to know that Council 19 Seattle and your MEC coordinated to donate $5000 to UW’s Dr. Clem Furlong and his team this past fiscal year.

You can help the effort by visiting GIVE TEN, GET TEN. The GIVE TEN, GET TEN campaign is overseen by Clean Up Cabin Air, which is a group that as of this writing is in the final stages of becoming a non-profit organization. Clean Up Cabin Air is led by volunteer flight attendants—including some of our very own (who wish to remain anonymous)—and their supporters.

From the GIVE TEN, GET TEN campaign page:

“A single person’s TEN DOLLARS won’t fund anything, but our GOAL is to bring ENOUGH people onboard that ENOUGH ten dollar donations are received, that the research will be a success, for the good of crews everywhere. So please, GIVE TEN, GET TEN, and encourage your flying partners, family, friends, people you don’t even like, your dog, your barista, the guy who fixes your car, anyone and everyone, to do the same…

Don’t leave the page until you have given $10 and sent the link to ten people!“

All flight attendants and pilots need this blood test to be available, so the MEC is encouraging everybody to GIVE TEN, GET TEN. As an added incentive and in keeping with the GIVE TEN theme, AFA Alaska will automatically match each member’s donation dollar for dollar up to a maximum of $10,000 total donation. We will work directly with Clean Up Cabin Air to make that happen—no need for you to do anything!

If you are exposed to oil fumes onboard, then you need to be able to prove it. All of us need the industry to feel more motivated to clean up the cabin air!

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Air Quality Chairperson Karyn Kobe; and AFA-CWA Air Safety, Health and Security Department Industrial Hygienist Judith Anderson

December 4, 2015 05:00

Under normal circumstances, we don’t give the air we breathe onboard the aircraft a second thought. As we’re all taught in initial training, cabin air is bleed air that is taken in through the aircraft engines then cooled and pressurized to make it usable. As with any piece of mechanical equipment, there’s always a possibility of malfunction. As a part of the engines, a malfunction in the cabin air system has the possibility of introducing oil, hydraulic fluid, or other materials into the cabin.

What to do if You Think You’ve Been Exposed to Contaminated Air

Being prepared and knowing what to do in the event of an air quality exposure incident can help you and your crew to the help you need as quickly as possible. Here’s what to do:

1. Identify the Situation

If you encounter unusual fumes (odors), smoke, or haze:

Quickly rule out in-cabin items (e.g. burning food, oven residue, etc.)
Report the situation to the pilots immediately. If the source is the air from the vents in the cabin, there is the possibility of oil/hydraulic fluid contamination.
If no passengers are on board, step off the aircraft, especially if maintenance boards to test systems
Avoid breathing fumes coming from vents

2. Get Help if Sick

If in the air, notify the pilots to call MedLink
If still at the gate, ask the CSA to call paramedics. Deplane if possible.
Seek medical attention as soon as possible. Most tests that detect exposure are time sensitive; even a few hours can make a difference. Your symptoms can persist, worsen, or return after another incident.
Call AFA for help

[su_panel background=”#ffffff” color=”#000000″ border=”3px solid #3399cc” radius=”1″]

Call First

Karyn Kobe, Air Quality Chairperson
(206) 457-2010, Extension 1101

Backup

Seth Heiple, ASHSC Chairperson
(206) 457-2010, Extension 1100

[/su_panel]

Print and begin completing the AFA exposure checklist
Review the AFA International Air Quality website

3. Report & Document

File an I-21 (employee injury report) and ASAP report with the company
Keep printed copies of each report for your records
Send a copy of the completed I-21 form to airquality@afaalaska.org
Ask supervisor to complete their Alaska Airlines air quality checklist with you
If sick, file a worker’s compensation claim and see a doctor as quickly as possible. Claims do not start until you see a doctor.
Keep a symptom diary and document everything with a doctor

Keep This Information With You In Case You Need it

Get Your New Quick Reference Card

New air quality exposure quick reference cards have been printed and will soon be available in your base. These cards replace all old versions of the air quality cards (gold or blue lanyard cards or old black and white folded paper card). When you pick up your new card, please discard any old cards that you have and replace them with the new one. This card fold up to the size of a credit card and will fit easily inside a plastic badge holder or in your purse or wallet. On the card, you’ll find information that you’ll need in the event of an air quality exposure incident as well as links to online AFA resources and contact information for AFA representatives who can assist you.

Print Your Own Quick Reference Card

You can download and print a quick reference card at any time by clicking this link.

Find it on the AFA Alaska Website

This information is also available on a dedicated page of the AFA Alaska website at: http://afaalaska.org/ashsc/airquality/checklist.

From the AFA Alaska mobile website or web app, a quick link is located on the main page of the site. For instructions on how to save the AFA Alaska web app as a desktop icon on your IMD or personal Apple device, click here.

If you have questions, please contact your Local Air Safety, Health, and Security (ASHSC) Committee.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt, Air Quality Chairperson Karyn Kobe and MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple

December 3, 2015 17:00

There is some confusion regarding continuation of health benefits coverage and vacation accrual while on a Staffing Adjustment Leave of Absence (or “Staffing Leave”/”Staffing Adjustment Leave” for ease of reference). Hopefully this will answer some of the questions that have been raised.

Continuation of heath benefits coverage

As stated in the Informational Bulletins that are posted when Staffing Adjustment Leaves are offered, health benefits coverage will end on the first day of an awarded Staffing Leave—with an exception. If a F/A has a trip that overlaps from the prior month to the awarded leave month, the Staffing Leave begins on the first day following the overlap. This means your pairing must have some duty that touches the awarded leave month. (However, keep in mind that in order to not have your vacation accrual reduced by 1/12 you must have some paid time in the leave month. That requires duty beginning after midnight in the leave month rather than duty simply touching the leave month.)

For example, if a trip begins on the final day of the prior bid month, and overlaps into the second day of the leave month, the leave would officially begin on third of the month. Since the overlap would result in Worked TFP during the month of the staffing leave, health benefits coverage would continue throughout the remainder of the month.

If no overlap trip exists, health benefits coverage will lapse on the first of the month and a COBRA packet will be sent. There are several options in this case:

Complete the COBRA paperwork and submit it along with the appropriate payment to continue health care coverage.

If the leave is only one month, complete the COBRA paperwork and mail it in promptly. If health care expenditures during the leave are less than the amount of the COBRA payment, there is no need to pay the payment.

Secure other coverage in the marketplace, or through a convenient union supported health care portal such as Working America Health Care (a joint partnership between Working America and Union Plus); their phone number for AFA members is 866-961-3297.

If you have other coverage, there is no need to complete the COBRA paperwork.

If you have Recurrent Training or other Company required training during a Staffing Adjustment LOA, your health care coverage will re-start on the first day of training and continue through the end of the bid month.

We have been told that if the leave is 30 days or more, it will be necessary to call the Benefits Portal number (AON) when you return to work in order to restart your health care benefits. This is a fairly new procedure.

Vacation accrual

Vacation accrues each month that a F/A has paid TFP for that month. If there is no pay for the month, vacation accrual is reduced by one-twelfth (1/12).

If there is an overlapping trip, vacation will accrue during the leave month.

Scheduled vacation during a leave of absence is not automatically paid, and does not automatically result in vacation accrual for the following year. For vacation during a Staffing Adjustment Leave of Absence, there are two options:

Vacation days can be manually traded to later available days. First it is necessary to find available open vacation time, and then call Crew Administration to request the trade to be processed due to the leave status.

You may request that any of your awarded vacation days be paid to you on either the fifth (5^th) or twentieth (20^th) paycheck while you are on a Staffing Adjustment Leave. The request must be made no later than seven days prior to the selected pay date. If you have requested that you receive vacation pay during the month of the Staffing Adjustment Leave, this will prevent your vacation accrual from being reduced by 1/12 for that month.

* * *

Questions? Contact one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers (ANC 30 | SEA 19 | PDX 39 | LAX 18 | SAN 15).

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Benefits & Retirement Chairperson Terry Taylor

Flight Attendant Recovery Story

Temporary contractual modification approved by roll call vote

Not an easy decision…

Roll call voting record

* * *

Temporary contractual waiver in order to minimize Junior Assignment

“Premium” Premium Open Time

Premium pay

* * *

CSKD is currently JA’ing in Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles

So what happened to staffing?

No “premium” (2x or greater) Premium Open Time

JA eligibility

JA procedures

Trading JA and Pay

Recommendations so far

* * *

AFA EAP

Employee Choice Travel Credits

Uniform Allotments

Changes to Occufit Solutions Compression Hose/Stockings

Questions About Your Christmas / News Year’s Day Trip?

Year End Record Improvement: Section 32.G.4

* * *

What to do if You Think You’ve Been Exposed to Contaminated Air

1. Identify the Situation

2. Get Help if Sick

3. Report & Document

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Continuation of heath benefits coverage

Vacation accrual

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