AFA Alaska + Hawaiian

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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Not surprising there are several issues with Open Time…

 

It will not be surprising to most if not all of you that AFA and Alaska Airlines management are working on several issues with Open Time. The reality is that our new OT system is built into an antiquated trading program (Maestro/eMaestro) that has been dying a slow death for years and probably should have been replaced a long time ago. To make matters worse, the system can barely handle the number of users we have today. Unfortunately we’re stuck with eMaestro until the successor trading system, Jeppesen Crew Tracking Enterprise (JCTE), is implemented in late 2016.

Mitigation steps taken to prevent another crash on October 15th for November Open Time

 

In order to minimize the possibility that eMaestro will crash again this coming October 15th for November Open Time, the parties have agreed to several mitigation steps. Shortly before 2 pm Pacific Time—around 1:40 pm—eMaestro will be “bounced,” which basically means the system will be rebooted and everybody will be kicked off for approximately five minutes. Nobody is particularly happy about this, but we believe being logged out for five minutes in order to ‘clean’ the system is a minimally acceptable if it prevents the half hour crash that occurred this past month. The parties are also looking at increasing the virtual CPU allocation (i.e. processing power) and possibly the number of licenses (i.e. connections) for eMaestro.

Bidding alert: Out of Domicile trading and Seattle Open Time being moved in November for December Open Time

 

Starting in November for December Open Time, trading for Seattle will be moved from 2 pm PT on November 15th to 9 am on November 16th. This will likely greatly reduce the strain on the system by spreading out the server and connection load over two days rather than concentrating it on one. Out of domicile trading will be moved 24 hours later to the same regularly scheduled time but on November 18th rather than the 17th. This change will be tested for OT in November for December trading and in December for January trading at a minimum. Now that bids are open, please bid accordingly with these new dates and times in mind—AFA sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience!

Net 40 TFP Calculator

 

There is no net 40 TFP calculator presently, so you will need to keep track of that yourself for now. AFA finds this extremely frustrating and is diligently working toward a solution with management.

“TX” coding error

 

The “TX” code outlined in Section 12.F [Open Time Trial] was not programmed in the system properly. This is resulting in more “TO” trips than originally intended, which is both good and bad. On the plus side, all TO-coded trips may be downtraded based on the day of departure only even if the day is limited whereas TX-coded trips can be traded only day for day. On the negative side, all TO-coded trips count toward the Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) and therefore the closing of Open Time. Excess TO trips makes it more difficult to reopen a day once it is limited. The parties intend to have eMaestro reprogrammed with the originally agreed-upon rules.

Code visibility

 

The DD, CP and TO codes that count towards the TSN and that also indicate a trip may be downtraded based only on the day of departure are not currently displaying in eMaestro. This is also an oversight that is being corrected as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can still view the codes by logging into the World of Inflight –> My Schedule –> Open Time. The relevant codes are listed in the third column on the left under “Grp.” If the field is blank, that means the trip is coded something other than DD, CP or TO (e.g. TX, UB, CB, ML, SL, etc.) and the trip can be traded only day for day if the day of departure is limited in OT.

Next steps

 

Going forward AFA has insisted and management has agreed that we will be more intimately involved with the programming process. Additionally, AFA will test the system prior to rollout. Once we receive an update on the estimated time to implement the fixes, we will communicate those with you.

 

 

 

In Solidarity,

 

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

AFA Alaska

Common questions answered by your SEA Scheduling Committee!

Have a question? Email sea.scheduling@afaalaska.org 

WHAT IS THE TSN AND HOW DO I FIND IT?

FAs will be restricted from trading with Open Time from the bulletin board  or multiple trades when the number of trips in Open time that count towards the Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) is greater than the minimum TSN.

The TSN number for SEA in October appears to be 11 sequences per day.  There are currently 2066 FAs on the SEA seniority list.  The minimum a domicile receives is 3 sequences per day when under 650 FAs in the domicile. Once 650 is met they receive a total of 4 per day and an additional 1 sequence for an additional 200 FAs.

SEA:

1-649 FAs: 3 sequences

650 FAs: 1 sequence

1416 additional FAs: 7

Total of TSN for SEA with 2066 FAs (650 + 1416) = 11 sequences per day

The contractual reference is Section 12.F.3.

In order to see the TSN number you must hover your mouse over the date.  In SEA it will show 11 TSN threshold per day.

If a day is dark it is closed/limited.  If the day is open it has not met the number.

WHAT CONSITUTUES BLOCK OUT/BLOCK IN?

Block out:

Period of time beginning with the earlier of

  1. A) Aircraft movement (measured when all upper deck doorsare closed and the parking brake is release) OR
  2. B) Engine start sequence initiated (measured by oil pressure) for the purpose of flight or repositioning.

Block in:      

  1. A) Any upper deck door open
  2. B) All engines shut down (measured by oil pressure)

SIT PAY:

If pairing has a scheduled sit of 2:01 or more, 1.0 tfp is paid. If 2:01 is not scheduled but occurs the 1.0 tfp is due. If your sit time appears to be 2:01, but the CSAs are fast and close the door below 2:01 no sit pay is due.

Remember, the sit time must be scheduled to receive the 1.0 if actual sit time falls below 2:01.

September Open Time Crash

The MEC is working with the company to address issues with Open Time day. On September 15, the system crashed two minutes into the SEA Open Time slot. We have determined that the current antiquated computer system cannot withstand the amount of users attempting to process trades all at once. Until the new computer is uploaded we will continue to see this problem. We are in active discussions with management and should have a temporary solution, soon!

————————————————————————————–

EARNING VACATION FOR 2016: REMINDERS

Company Seniority:

Seniority that begins to accrue from the date an employee is placed on the Company payroll and will continue to accrue during the term of employment. Company seniority will determine vacation time, and all Company benefits.

Occupational Seniority Applications:

Occupational seniority/system seniority will be used for all vacation selection, eligibility for Longevity Paid Time Off…

SECITON 14 VACATION

SECTION A:

  1. Employment begins with the first day a Flight Attendant is placed on the Companypayroll.
  2. Vacation accruals in A.1. and A.2., above, are based on Worked TFP credited in the

previous calendar year.

(Worked TFP: All paid TFP excluding vacation/Longevity PTO and sick leave.)

Flight Attendants who are credited with four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP or greater will accrue the maximum days of vacation listed above for the subsequent calendar year.

Flight Attendants who are credited with greater than or equal to two-hundred forty

(240.0) TFP and less than four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP will accrue half of the

maximum days of vacation listed above for the subsequent calendar year.

Flight Attendants who are credited with less than two-hundred forty (240.0) TFP will NOT accrue vacation for the subsequent calendar year.

Unpaid TFP credit will be applied and/or look-back period will be modified consistent with Sections 15.M. [Leaves with Coordination…] and 15.N. [Unpaid Leaves…] as applicable.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS/VACATIONS:

May I pick up Premium OT on vacation?

Yes.

Longevity Paid Time Off (PTO): Seven (7) days of PTO provided to a Flight Attendant employed twenty-five (25) years or longer who is credited with greater than or equal to nine hundred-sixty (960.0) Worked TFP inclusive of vacation in a calendar year.

Section 13- Uniforms

A Flight Attendant who is credited with fewer than four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP

inclusive of Worked TFP, vacation and sick leave in the previous calendar year will not receive any uniform credits but will receive necessary uniform pieces upon approval of Inflight management. Unpaid TFP credit will be applied and/or the look back period will be modified consistent with Section 15.M. [Leaves with Coordination…] and 15.N. [Unpaid Leaves…] as applicable.

Q AND A SECTION 14:

Will my entitlement to vacation be reduced due to a leave of absence?

Unless a Flight Attendant has some // Worked TFP, vacation pay or sick leave in a bid month during a leave of absence, the Flight Attendant will have her/his annual vacation entitlement reduced by one-twelfth (1/12). Section 14.A.1. and 14.A.2.

[Vacation/Longevity Paid Time…].

Please let your officers and committee chairs know if you have any questions!

In solidarity,

LEC President Laura Masserant,

LEC VP/MEC Scheduling Chair Jake Jones,

LEC Sec/Tres Linda Christou,

Council Rep Stephanie Adams, and Council Rep Adam Clarey

Dear Reserve Flight Attendants,

As many of you know, after our contract was ratified there was some confusion on how sit time would be paid for Reserve Flight Attendants. Management initially believed that sit time should count towards your guarantee and AFA believed that it should be paid above the guarantee. Several months ago, the parties agreed to AFA’s position.  You should expect to see the retro pay on your your October 5th paycheck, please let us know if you believe you were due back pay and didn’t receive it.

In addition, a few of you would have qualified for the first quarter QPP if you had received the sit pay correctly. If this is the case, you will see the additional $500 QPP payment tomorrow (the 29th).

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any Reserve Committee Member, MEC Reserve Chairperson Jarod McNeill or any of your Council 19 Officers. 

Dear Reserve Flight Attendants,

As many of you know, after our contract was ratified there was some confusion on how sit time would be paid for Reserve Flight Attendants. Management initially believed that sit time should count towards your guarantee and AFA believed that it should be paid above the guarantee. Several months ago, the parties agreed to AFA’s position.  You should expect to see the retro pay on your your October 5th paycheck, please let us know if you believe you were due back pay and didn’t receive it.

In addition, a few of you would have qualified for the first quarter QPP if you had received the sit pay correctly. If this is the case, you will see the additional $500 QPP payment tomorrow (the 29th).

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jarod McNeill

MEC Reserve Chairperson

Please join us for our joint AFA Meeting (LAX & SAN)

October 8th from 11 am -2pm

What A Dish Cafe

24921 Dana Point Harbor Drive, b 100

Dana Point, CA 92629

Please join us for lunch with guest speaker, Jeffery Peterson

RSVP by October 6th to:

LAX – Sandra Morrow – sleemorrow@verizon.net – 951-532-3880

SAN – Melanie Buker – melanie.buker@gmail.com – 208-890-1849

Please feel free to stay and join us for an un-hosted Happy Hour that starts at 3:00 pm.

3pm Update

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants, 

As of 3pm today Seattle Open Time has been up and working since 2:33 pm. At this point, several days remain open and active trading appears to be working well. However, the initial concern with the system failure is still my main focus. 

I have discussed the failure with Director of Crew Scheduling, Kieran Whitney, who reports that a corporate system update around 2pm today may be the culprit. I am awaiting futher information and will prepare a detailed blast for you in the upcoming days. 

In the meantime, I have registered my complaints with the company for failing to provide a system that allows Seattle Flight Attendants (and Flight Attendants system wide) their contractual right to trade trips. They are working on a solution for next month and will be sharing the information with you, as well.

Rest assured, I will continue to press the issue with the company to ensure that contractual Open Time procedures are afforded to all Flight Attendants every month. 

In Solidarity, 

Laura Masserant 

LEC President~ Council 19

 

Open Time Technical Issues

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants, 

At approximately 2:01 pm today Open Time crashed due to the large amount of action on the server. Your Council 19 Officers and closely monitoring the situation and working with managment to resolve the issue. 

We will update you with any updates as soon as we get them! 

AFA recently sent out the “New Open Time User Guide,” which describes the reason codes associated with trips in Open Time. It has just come to our attention that eMaestro does not display the reason codes that are associated with the individual pairings in Open Time.

 

If you place your cursor over a specific date in the Open Time calendar, you can see the number of trips associated with each reason code that counts against the limiting of Open Time. You will also see the Threshold Sequence Number (TSN), which shows how many sequences need to be dropped into Open Time before the day becomes limited. However, the specific reason codes for each pairing are not yet visible.

 

AFA is committed to working with Alaska Airlines management and Jeppesen to display the reason codes on each individual pairing as soon as possible. Since the codes are already programmed into the system, we are hopeful the turnaround will be fairly brief. AFA will provide an update once we have additional information.

 

All other aspects of the new Open Time are expected to go live tomorrow.

 

In Solidarity,

 

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

AFA Alaska

New Hotel Tab

There is no longer a need to be standing in the shuttle pick up area at an airport wondering what hotel to go to.

Check out the new tab on the Flight Attendant Web Page:

HOTELS

Very simple, just type in your trip number and the date and hit submit.  Instantly and clearly you will know where you are staying and how you are getting there.

Unless you are on a 1000 pairing – then you must call scheduling!

Please check out the site. It has just about everything you need to know about Crew Hotels.

Feel free to send me any feedback or if you have any questions.

 

Dori Marron
Anc LEC Hotel Chair
907-250-0797
mailfordori@yahoo.com

https://afaalaska.org/anc/6375

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