Click the link below to view the September 2015 edition of “Reserve TidBits”, just a few helpful reminders about Reserve!
Insurance Eligibility
AFA would like to clear up any confusion regarding insurance eligibility. CBA Section 23.B. [Eligibility For Insurance] states,
“1. Flight Attendants must fly or be credited four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP in a calendar year to be eligible for Company-paid medical, dental and vision insurance inclusive of the following:
- Worked TFP;
- Sick leave TFP; and
- Maximum vacation TFP (based on years of service, no pay or flying requirement.
Years of Service Maximum Days of Vacation
< 1year 1.167 days per month employed
1-4 14 days
5-9 21 days
10-17 28 days
18+ 35 days”
Vacation credit towards insurance based on years of service
Worked TFP and sick leave count toward insurance eligibility. The TFP value of your vacation based on years of service also counts toward the 480 threshold for insurance—even if you do not fly enough to accrue your vacation.
This means that if you have two years of service, you have 14 days of vacation @ 4 TFP/day, resulting in 56 TFP credited toward your insurance. If you’ve been a flight attendant for 18 years, you have 35 days of vacation @ 4 TFP/day, resulting in 140 TFP credited toward your insurance. This is an improvement over the prior contract, in which there was a flying requirement (i.e. you had to be eligible for vacation) in order to have it count towards the 480 for insurance.
Important: Look up your current year-to-date TFP so you can plan accordingly
It is important that you look up your current TFP for the year-to-date, so you can plan accordingly for the remainder of the year and make sure that you are on track for the appropriate 480 provisions. Log onto the Inflight page –> ”My Schedule” –> “Calculators” –> “All-in-one calculator.” The TFP calendar has been corrected, and you now have the ability to look up your accurate year-to-date TFP calculation to determine your insurance, uniform, vacation and Longevity PTO eligibility.
When you select the “Insurance Calculator” you will see a chart depicting your year-to-date totals. Under the “My Results” section it will list your Worked TFP to date, your sick leave and your maximum vacation TFP based on your years of service. It will then list the total amount credited toward the insurance benefits. It will also indicate how much TFP you need to earn your insurance benefits for 2016.
Leaves with Coordination Look-Back Provision
For those Flight Attendants who have been on a leave and coordinated with sick leave or vacation there is a look-back provision. Section 15.M [Leaves with Coordination…]:
“There is a 12-month look-back not including any month with an applicable leave. If you have been on a medical, maternity, FMLA, Workers’ Compensation or parental leave of absence WITH coordination of sick leave (or vacation with short-term disability or workers’ compensation) in any bid month then that month will not count toward the look-back threshold calculation for purposes of applicable provisions in Section 13 [Uniforms], 14 [Vacations], 23 [Insurance Benefits] and 32 [Attendance Policy].”
Therefore in order to determine your eligibility, you will need to count back 12 months that do not include applicable leaves. The look-back will be based on a calendar year but may extend into the prior year(s) to include additional bid month(s) equal to the number of excluded bid month(s), such that 12 full bid months are included in determining if either threshold (480 TFP/240 TFP) has been met.
Unpaid Leave Credit of 1.333 TFP per day
If you are on any type of unpaid leave and are NOT coordinating sick leave (or vacation with short term disability or Worker’s Compensation), you will receive an unpaid credit of 1.333 TFP for each day on which you are on such leave for the purposes of applicable provisions.
When to contact a Pay Analyst
If your look-back goes back prior to 2014, or if you find any errors in the calculation of your year-to-date TFP, you will need to contact a Pay Analyst. In order to find your Pay Analyst, logon to the Inflight page –> “Links” –> “Inflight Resource Directory,” then scroll down to “Inflight Administration” on page 6 and find the applicable Pay Analyst.
* * *
Questions? Contact a Local Executive Council officer or your local Benefits Committee representative.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance Committee chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl and Grievance Committee member Stephanie Adams; and MEC Benefits Committee chairperson Terry Taylor
Personal Strategies for Approaching the Fourteenth Anniversary of September 11th
From Your AFA EAP
Here we are, fourteen years after. We don’t need to ask ’after what?’ We all remember. Like life in general, fourteen years can seem like an eternity and, at the same time, like the blink of an eye.
Looking back, how many of us would have predicted the resiliency that our profession has shown since September 11, 2001? Resiliency, the positive capacity to cope with and adapt to stress and adversity, sometimes means returning to a previous state of functioning. But for Flight Attendants, returning to the familiar was not an option. As we watched the events of that day unfold, we knew that our industry and our profession had changed forever. But where and how did our profession find a new way to cope?
As our numbness cleared in the months that followed, we reached inward to our own professionalism and outward to our flying partners to begin shaping our new norm. From the scars of September 11th, our profession found its voice.
Resilient populations believe that they have the power to take action that will positively affect their situation and their future—that they have an “internal locus of control.” The power of resiliency isn’t a trait; it is the result of taking action. Fighting for enhanced security training, certification, and safer working conditions are examples of our resiliency. Our ability to pick up the pieces and take control, however, relies on our ability to heal. Anniversaries offer an opportunity for healing—a time for acknowledging our memories and experiences; for connecting with others who share in them, and for paying tribute to our individual and collective journeys.
Whether you mark this September 11th with private personal gestures such as observing a moment of silence, spending quiet time reflecting, dedicating your flying to our profession, or with collective activities such as ceremonies and memorial services, know that there is no right or better way to recognize the anniversary. The following are some suggestions that may prove helpful as we approach the anniversary of September 11th:
- Observe the anniversary in a way that’s comfortable for you. Say “no” to events or activities that you sense may flood you with too many feelings.
- Don’t compare yourself to how others around you appear to be dealing with the September 11th
- Acknowledge that we all heal at different rates, in different ways, and with different outcomes.
- Give yourself permission and time to be affected. Though uncomfortable, anticipate and plan for having a stress reaction as the anniversary approaches. Trust that if you have moments of difficulty, you’ll be able to pull yourself back together.
- Try not to isolate. Isolation can often amplify difficult feelings. Pre-plan now to be with family or friends if you know you have this tendency.
- Think through in advance how much and the type of anniversary media coverage you can comfortably absorb. Actively monitor and control what news coverage enters your personal space.
- If you are interested in attending scheduled anniversary events, check local community websites . You can plan your own commemorative good deed for the day or volunteer with others at activities listed at 911day.org
- Ask for help, support, and opportunities to talk. Your AFA EAP is here to listen. Telephone numbers of your local EAP committee members are listed at afacwa.org under the EAP Section or at afaalaska.org/eap. You can also call the AFA Alaska EAP at 1-949-470-0493 or AFA International EAP at 1-800-424-2406.
Whether you choose to fly on this anniversary or to recognize the day in another way, know that you are part of a Flight Attendant population that celebrates resiliency.
Your AFA EAP is here to support you. We are Members helping Members.
In tribute to all first responders,
Your AFA EAP
PBS BASE SITS
Members of the PBS Committee and Crew Planning will be in the bases in October and November to help with holiday bidding and questions about pairings. Here’s the schedule:
Oct 5th SAN 930a-130p
Oct 6th LAX 6a-1p
Oct 7th PDX 615a-130p
Oct 8th SEA 5am-1pm
Nov 5th ANC 9am-3pm
Nov 6th ANC 5am-1230pm
Nov 9th SEA 5am-1pm
Local AFA Scheduling Committee members may be assisting as well.
Hope to see you!
FIRST ROUND OF VACATION BIDDING IS OPEN!
Refer to bulletin: #2015-0212 for more information
First Round: September 8, 2015 – September 22, 2015 (midnight); awards posted by
September 28, 2015
If you have enough days to bid two (2) or more openings and you only bid one (1) opening, you will be assigned your second block of seven (7) or more days. Do not leave yourself less than seven (7) days to bid in the second round.
1 – 13 days: must bid all in first opening
14 – 20 days: bid in one or two openings
21+ days: bid in one or two openings in the First Round; may leave seven (7) or more days for Second Round
***The remaining days available for the Second Round on your bid form when the Second Round opens.
Second Round: October 2, 2015 – October 15, 2015 (midnight); awards posted by October 23, 2015
Bid remaining days after First Round in up to four (4) openings. Again, each opening must contain at least seven (7) days.
***If you forget to bid in the Second Round, you will be assigned after all Second Round bids are awarded.
Vacation Trading will start October 28, 2015.
You will have until October 31, 2015 to trade January 1-4, 2016 vacation days.
NEW OPEN TIME PROCESS
Refer to Bulletin #2015-0210
New OPEN TIME key points:
Start date for trading/dropping trips is the 15th of the month. This date is for both FA-to-FA trades and OT trades.
New start times for each base:
• SAN-9am PT
• PDX-10am PT
• ANC-11am PT
• LAX-12pm PT
• SEA-2pm PT
Out of domicile pick-ups start on the 17th of each month.
Calendar will still show a white background for an open day and gray for a limited day just like before.
You can now drop a trip into Open without trading, if the day is open.
Starting Sept 15th for Oct Flying, only the day on which the trip reports has to be open in order for the trip to be traded or dropped
4K sequences will be processed within the system, no need to contact Crew Scheduling after Sept 15 for OCT sequences.
COUNCIL 19 LOCAL AFA BASE MEETING: OCTOBER 21ST
SEA TAC CONFERENCE CENTER
SEOUL ROOM
1PM TO 4PM
Parking in garage paid for if parked on Levels 1, 2, 3, 5, or higher (not level 4).
In solidarity,
Your Council 19 AFA LEC Officers and Council Representatives:
Laura, Jake, Linda, Stephanie, and Adam
Save The Date October 8th
LAX and SAN flight attendant bases will have a joint AFA meeting on October 8th. Please bid for the day off if you plan on attending this event with your LEC officers, committee chairs, and MEC President Jeff Peterson as the guest speaker.
Time and place TBD (somewhere between the two bases).
In Solidarity,
Your LEC
Sandra Morrow, LEC President • sleemorrow@verizon.net •
Kelly Johnson, LEC Vice President • laxvice@aol.com •
Kelese Stallings, LEC Secretary • kelesestallings@yahoo.com •
David Lehman, LEC Rep • lehmaninla@yahoo.com •
A letter from your LEC President,
Laura Masserant
Seattle Flight Attendants~
As some of you may know, my family and I are moving to Crete, Greece. next month. For those of you who have not heard, my husband has accepted a Security Specialist position at Souda Bay Naval Station on the island of Crete. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience one of the many deployments my husband has been assigned throughout our 19 year marriage, together, as a family!
What does this mean for our Seattle base?
We are awaiting the government to process our flight information. However, we have asked to travel on September 18th. My September schedule is: BSE (Beyond Service Training) Aug 31-Sept 1, in the AFA office Sept 1-3, FADAP (Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Training) from Sept 9-11 in Baltimore, Recurrent Training on the 15th, and attending the Sept MEC Meeting on the16-17.
The MEC scheduled monthly meetings through December. It is my intention to commute back for those meetings, and to be available in Seattle for a 2-week period during this time.
October: I will be arriving in Seattle on the 13th for the MEC meeting on the 14th -15th. I am scheduling an AFA Local Base Meeting for October 22, 2015 (mark your calendars!).
November: I will be arriving back in Seattle on the 8th for the MEC meeting on the 9th-10th.
December: MEC meeting is the 14th~ I anticipate coming back to Seattle prior to this meeting and leave just after.
While I am in Greece, it is my intent to continue to do AFA work and be available to you. Seattle has been afforded the unique opportunity as we have an office to work out of~ thanks to the generous support of the MEC! The LEC Presidents in our other bases do their work from their home offices. It is not a requirement of the LEC President position to log time in the AFA office.
Section 27 P (AFA Collective Bargaining Agreement) does stipulate the necessity of the LEC Presidents to be available, during normal office hours, every week in case we need to meet with management. To ensure that I am adhering to the contractual language in regards to the LEC President company business pay, I will only be filing for CB pay for the time I am in the Seattle base. During the time I am in Greece one of the other LEC Officers will be designated to meet with management, if need be.
Again, while I am in Greece I will continue to do my AFA work that I do today. The majority of the work I do is via phone calls, emails, and text messages. I will continue to use the same cell phone number, 360.633.5905, and I will implement an international calling plan that allows me to send and receive calls, text messages and email. Crete is currently 10 hours ahead of Seattle and will fall back to 9 hours this fall. While I am in Greece you will have 24 hr access to an AFA rep!
For the past 4 years your LEC Officers and LEC Chairs worked hard to ensure that we are always available to you, and I don’t wish to see this change. Council 19 has a fully trained team of grievance reps that will attend meetings with management during the time I am out of the country. I choose to participate in grievance work because it is a passion of mine, but again, this work is not a requirement of the LEC position. I have been able to get out and fly an average of once a month since this past spring, and I believe that it is important I continue this practice throughout the rest of my current term~ which is just under 2 years (July 1, 2017 begins the new LEC Officer term).
This past year the MEC office changed from a traditional fax line to a Ring Central fax line. This means that any time you send me a fax at the following number, 206. 457.2622, it arrives via my email account. I can send faxes to you through the same system. In addition, your SEA LEC Officers have a Ring Central phone number, 206.457.2010, that rings my phone first. If I cannot answer the call it moves through the officer list until someone is able to pick up the call. If we are not able to answer any call right away, it is our policy to return calls within 24 hrs. However, at any given time, there is usually an LEC Officer available to you within a few hours of your call.
If you have any questions or concerns I hope that you call me so we can discuss. I also look forward to seeing you October 22 at the AFA Local Base Meeting.
In Solidarity,
Laura Masserant
LEC President- Council 19 Seattle
Dear San Diego Flight Attendants:
October bids are posted; please note the Open Time changes beginning in September:
- Posting of trips for trade: 14th at 20:00 PT
- Open Time trading & FA to FA trading: 15th(see below for base start times)
- Out of domicile trades, pick-ups and giveaways: 17th at 09:00 PT
- Trading/Open Time start times for each base:
SAN 09:00 am PT
PDX 10:00 am PT
ANC 11:00 am PT
LAX 12:00 noon PT
SEA 14:00 pm PT
Save the Date – October 8th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm we will have a joint AFA Meeting with the LAX base. SAN based F/A and MEC President, Jeff Peterson, will be the guest speaker. Place to be determined (somewhere between LAX and SAN).
Scheduling Notes from Chase Vandergrift
Not much in the way of news from the last scheduling meeting. The eMaestro update went live today and is a “go” for September 15. The one thing to note is that now SAN trading will be first at 9am, which is a change from our usual 2pm. Both FA-to-FA trades and open time will happen all at once.
Hotels – we are about 2 weeks away from a new tool on the inflight page which will allow you to enter your pairing number and it will tell you what hotel you are staying at. It will not work for 1000 pairings but most of the time, those have an original pairing number listed at the bottom or a comment referencing the pairing the hotel is from at the top.
The SAN PBS base visit is first on Oct 5th from 9:30 to 13:30, for people with bidding questions. I believe Sabrina from crew planning and Steve Poynter will be on hand.
We plan to have a pairing/trip suggestion box in place in our Inflight office if you would like to give me your feedback or feel free to send me an email – chase.vandergrift@gmail.com
– Chase
Tips & Reminders:
- Vacation Bidding starts September 8th – refer to Bulletin #2015-0212 for more information.
Upcoming Events:
September 9th – 11th – FADAP (Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program) Melanie, Brice and several of our EAP Representatives will be attending this conference in Baltimore.
September 10th – Bi-Monthly Air Safety, Health & Security Committee Meeting
September 15th – Quarterly Uniform Meeting
September 16-17th – MEC Meeting
September 18th – Benefits Meeting
Please feel free to contact one of your Officers or Committee Chair/Members if you have any questions or concerns you would like answered.
The PBS Committee and Crew Planning will be in the bases in October and November to help with your holiday bidding and answer any questions you may have about pairings.
Oct 5th – SAN 9:30 am-1: 30 pm
Oct 6th – LAX 6:00 am-1:00 pm
Oct 7th – PDX 6:15am-1: 30 pm
Oct 8th – SEA 5:00 am-1:00 pm
Nov 5th – ANC 9:00am -3:00 pm
Nov 6th – ANC 5:00 am-12: 30 pm
Nov 9th – SEA 5:00 am -1:00 pm
In solidarity,
Stephen Couckuyt – SAN AFA Council 15 President
Melanie Buker – SAN AFA Council 15 Vice- President
Brice McGee – San AFA Council 15 Secretary
Flight Attendants who are using iPads to trade are asking about the bookmark (url) for the new “Drop to Open Time” function. Here it is:
https://crxs.alaskaair.com/faDropAsmt.do
Enjoy!
In solidarity,
Your AFA Scheduling Committee
Flight Attendant Manual Revision and the Appearance of Sleeping
On July 8, 2015, our Flight Attendant Manual (FAM) was updated. One of the updates in “Standards” Section 7.100 page 6 regarding sleeping and the appearance of sleeping has raised a lot of concerns.
FAM Section 7.100 now states that if a Flight Attendant is in uniform, regardless of his or her on/off duty status, a FA is not allowed to sleep in the presence of customers. The only exception while in uniform is if the FA is deadheading and assigned a passenger seat.
Questions regarding commuters sleeping in uniform
AFA realizes there are looming questions regarding commuters sleeping in uniform while on board an aircraft. Management has assured AFA they will be issuing a communication addressing this concern very soon.
Flight Attendant recently terminated for the appearance of sleeping in uniform while on a sit
AFA has strong convictions about this issue in part because management recently issued a termination to a Flight Attendant who gave the appearance of sleeping while in uniform—and on sit time no less! The changes to FAM Section 7.100 were largely unaddressed in the manual revision summary: the only mention is “Revised Personal Conduct.” AFA believes that if a longtime policy is changed and that change could lead to termination on the first offense, management should address the new policy with proper notice and much more vigor than they did.
No reasonable sleeping policy
AFA made several attempts to engage management to develop a reasonable sleeping policy. Unfortunately, management chose to go in a different direction despite our concerns regarding inadequate rest facilities provided for Flight Attendants.
If you are too fatigued to fly or start to doze off while on a sit and in public view…
To date there is no official fatigue policy. If you find yourself too fatigued to fly or starting to doze off while on a sit and in public view, our recommendation is for you to call in sick on line. Additional information can be found in the AFA Alaska communication from January 8, 2015 “Too Fatigued to Fly.”
File an Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) report
This is extremely important: any time you are too fatigued to fly or if you believe you might have inadvertently nodded off (i.e. given the appearance of sleeping) while in the presence of customers, immediately file an Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) report. This is so the FAA can track Flight Attendant fatigue, which can help lead to regulatory changes. The other benefit is that if the ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) accepts your report, you will not receive discipline for the contents of the report according to the terms of the ASAP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the “ASAP and Discipline” Letter of Agreement from July 25, 2006.
* * *
Questions? Contact one of your Local Executive Council officers.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance Committee chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl and Grievance Committee member Stephanie Adams
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