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.
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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
Some big changes are coming with our new Open Time system. To help with the transition we’d like to point out some highlights and give helpful hints.
Open Time Video
For a full review of the new Open Time, check out the video that was produced during the TA-2 Roadshows:
Correction: Trading for any newly established domicile(s) would begin at 9am, not 3pm as stated in the video.
Fundamentals
- Flight Attendant to Flight Attendant and the new Open Time trading will begin simultaneously on the 15th of the month prior to the month in which the flying will occur. Trading remains unlimited. Access to trading will begin as follows: SAN at 9:00am PT, PDX at 10:00am PT, ANC at 11:00am PT, LAX at 12:00pm PT and SEA at 2:00pm PT.
- Flight Attendants may post trips at 8:00pm PT on the 14th of the month.
- Every sequence in the new Open Time is coded with a reason code: e.g., TO (trades with Open Time), CP (Coupon Drops), SL (Sick Leave), UB (Union Business) and CB (Company Business). There could be other reason codes, but these are the most common. The CP code will likely be very rare since drop coupons haven’t been issued in years.
- The “Threshold Sequence Number” is based on domicile population (see Section 12.F.3 [Open Time Trial]) and is currently calculated as 10 in Seattle and 3 in Anchorage, Portland, Los Angeles and San Diego. This means that when the total number of sequences coded as TO/CP in Open Time on that day meets or exceeds the Threshold Sequence Number, the day will be “limited.” Remember, only the first day of TO/CP sequences counts towards the Threshold Sequence Number and therefore the limiting of Open Time. The Threshold Sequence Number can change based on the number of Flight Attendants in a base; however, there will always be a minimum of 3. Any other type of sequence: SL, UB, CB, etc., does not count toward the Threshold Sequence Number.
- A Flight Attendant is able to reduce his/her schedule by a net 40 TFP as a result of dropping to or trading with Open Time each bid month. There is no cap on how much TFP can be dropped as a result of dropping to or trading with another Flight Attendant.
Open Days
- On any calendar day that is “open” and not “limited” (closed under the old contract), all sequences with that day of report may be picked up, traded or dropped into Open Time without respect to the number of flights, the number of days and/or duty periods, TFP credit or any other parameters.
- If you wish to trade a sequence with a sequence on a different calendar day, the only day that needs to be open is the day in which you report for your sequence. For example, you have a 3-day trip beginning on October 4th and you want to trade for a 2-day trip beginning on October 17th, as long as October 4th is open, regardless of the reason code, you can make this trade.
Limited Days
- Once a day is limited because the Threshold Sequence Number has been met, all trips coded other than TO/CP will be converted to a reason code of TX.
- If a day is limited it can be reopened if a Flight Attendant picks up a TO/CP sequence from that day.
- Any sequence reporting on a calendar day that is limited and is coded other than TO/CP may only be traded for a sequence (with the same date of report) of the same or greater number of days. For example, if a sequence is coded TX, SL, UB, CB, etc., and you wish to trade with that sequence and the day of report is limited, you could only trade your 2-day trip reporting on October 4th for a 2, 3 or 4 day trip reporting October 4th, and you could not trade for a turn.
- Any sequence reporting on a calendar day that is limited and is coded TO/CP then that sequence may be traded for another sequence with the same day of report regardless of the length of trip. For example, if you wish to trade your 4-day trip reporting on October 4th with 1-day trip reporting on October 4th, it would be approved provided the Open Time trip is coded TO/CP.
Miscellaneous
- All things being equal, it is to your fellow co-workers’ benefit if you are going to pick up a trip you do so out of the Flight Attendant to Flight Attendant trade box, or if you pick up out of Open Time, that you pick up a trip that is coded TO or CP. This will open the day if it is limited, allowing another flight attendants to drop a trip into Open Time.
- All of this information can be found in the Collective Bargaining Agreement in Section 12.F. [Open Time Trial].
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Questions? Contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers or your local Scheduling Committee members.
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 MEC Grievance Committee member Stephanie Adams
Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
The Master Executive Council (MEC) has recently filed numerous grievances on your behalf.
Grievances Settlements
First and foremost, we filed and settled two very important grievances:
Grievance No. 36-99-2-17-15: Assigning a Failure to Report after Successful Check In.
This grievance was filed due to the Company’s violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Section 32 [Attendance Policy], when it assigned failure to report occurrences after a Flight Attendant’s successful check in.
In certain circumstances management had been assigning a “Late Report” when a Flight Attendant arrived late to the gate or arrived late to the gate at RON, this was after a successful scan in at the beginning of her/his sequence. AFA’s long-standing position has been that “Late Report” occurrences only applied when a Flight Attendant failed to scan in at domicile. All other situations, which might result in a Flight Attendant arriving late to the aircraft, were handled as general performance issues; these will now be referred to as “Late Arrival to Aircraft”. Please note this does not change a Flight Attendant’s requirement to be at the aircraft 45 minutes prior to departure.
Management agreed and a settlement was reached with the following clarifications:
1) A Flight Attendant may only be assessed a Late Report (formerly Failure to Report) when s/he checks in after the scheduled check in time and has not been assessed a No-Show for the same event;
2) When a Flight Attendant is late to the aircraft at any time during a scheduled sequence, s/he will not be assessed any attendance points, these occurrences will be considered a performance issue and will be handled under the Company’s progressive discipline policy; and
3) The Company agrees to remove attendance points from any Flight Attendant who received them for being late to the aircraft during a scheduled sequence, provided the points were assigned in the 18 months preceding May 19, 2015.
If you believe that you may have been assessed a Failure to Report incorrectly and it occurred after November 19, 2013, please reach out to a local grievance representative for assistance.
A copy of the settlement language can be found by clicking here.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-26-15: Quarterly Productivity Premium.
The second grievance settlement involved Section 21.R [QPP]. It was filed due to Management’s position that Flight Attendants who had not received a PBS bid award for one or more months of the quarter were excluded from the Quarterly Productivity Premium. A copy of the settlement language can be found in its entirety here.
Grievances Upheld
Management granted the following two grievances:
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-11-15: Violation of Section 27.N [New Hire Initial Training Presentation].
The Company’s violation of Section 27.N, when it failed to provide the Association one hour for the purpose of new hire orientation during a regularly scheduled training day.
Resolution: Management has agreed to ensure that a full hour is provided.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-13-15-Failing to Provide Automated Trading of 4K Pairings.
The Company’s violation of Section 10.DD.6 [Long Stage Length (“4K”) Duty Period] and 12.C.1 [Trading Procedures], when it failed to automate trading of Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4K”) Pairings. In addition when it violated the Contract Implementation Schedule Letter of Agreement paragraph numbers six* (“One-hundred and twenty days after DOS-but no later than May 1, 2015,…”) and nine* (“The Company agrees to make a good faith effort to meet the above implementation time frames…”), when it failed to notify the Association of the delay and discuss the circumstances and necessary adjustments to the implementation schedule.
Resolution: Manual trading is in effect until the next emaestro release scheduled for September 15, 2015. Bulletin 2015-0182 issued on July 16, 2015, addresses how to manually trade “4K” pairings.
Grievances Pending
The following grievances have been filed and are still pending:
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-15-15-Limiting Access to the SAN Domicile.
The Company’s violation of Section 28.I [Company Provided Computers and Printers at Domiciles], when it limited access to the SAN Domicile including contractually required resources to only those Flight Attendants based in SAN.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-19-15-Failing to Pay Flight Attendants for Reasonable Suspicion Drug/Alcohol Testing.
The Company’s violation of Addendum to Section 21 [Compensation], when it failed to pay Flight Attendants for reasonable suspicion drug & alcohol testing.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-20-15-Converting a Line Holding Flight Attendant to ER Reserve Outside of her/his Contactable Period.
The Company’s violation of Section 11.C.3.b.6 [Conversion of Reserves to ER] and 11.C.3.c [ER Contactibility], when it converted a line holding Flight Attendant to ER Reserve outside of her/his contactable period.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-21-15-Section 21.M Compensation.
The Company’s violation of Section 21.M [Pay Protection Due to Weather, Mechanical or to Suit Company Convenience], when it removed a Flight Attendant from a trip and failed to pay protect her.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-22-15-Violation of Past Practice Regarding Manual Revision/Emergency Interim Bulletin (EIB) Insertion Timelines.
The Company’s violation of past practice regarding manual revision/emergency interim bulletin (EIB) insertion timelines, which fails to provide Flight Attendants sufficient time to thoroughly read and insert their revisions and/or EIB’s. Long standing past practice is articulated in the Flight Attendant Manual 6.500 page 1, dated July 6, 2012, which states: “Insert, post and record manual revisions within 14 days of receipt, no later than 30 days after distribution.” A new EIB 14-40 effective November 25, 2014, now states: “The holder of the FAM shall insert revisions/EIBs on or before the effective date or prior to the first assignment following the effective date, whichever comes first.”
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-23-15-Beyond Service Training Exceeding Contractual Training Hours.
The Company’s violation of Section 30.A.2 [Recurrent Training and Other Company-Required (Non-Computer-Based) Training; Hours], by conducting Beyond Service Training after 5:00PM local time, failing to provide a clear break between required training and the optional “Happy Hour” and failing to provide transportation information to Flight Attendants who choose to depart promptly at 5:00PM.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-24-15-Ground Floor Lodging While on Company Business.
The Company’s violation of Section 34 [Hotels], when it failed to avoid ground floor lodging for Flight Attendants attending company required Beyond Service training.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-29-15-Section 28.G.6 Commuter Boarding Priority. The Company’s violation of Section 28.G.6 [Commuter Policy], when it allowed Company employees (and their dependents) on pleasure travel to be given higher boarding priority than commuting Flight Attendants.
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The next step is to move forward to arbitration on any grievances that cannot be resolved appropriately. In addition, we continue to file disciplinary grievances, which occur on a near daily basis. Many of these will move forward to arbitration as well. All Flight Attendants system wide are impacted when AFA cannot resolve issues with management prior to arbitration. AFA is committed to resolving these issues and will soon be scheduling new arbitration dates for the year 2016. Periodic grievance updates will follow; however should you have questions on specific grievances, please reach out to your local grievance 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, MEC Grievance Committee member Stephanie Adams and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput
AFA Grievance No. 36-99-2-17-15 Failure to Report or Late Report Settlement
Dear San Diego Flight Attendants:
September bids are posted. We wanted to remind those of you that may have been awarded the September/October staffing adjustment leaves, that any carry in trips you are awarded with tfp flown into the month you are on a leave, your insurance will be covered. This does not include turns that depart on the last day of the month and return on the 1st.
If you have questions about any type of Leave that you have vacation or company mandated meetings/training during the period, please contact one of your Officers or our benefits chair Sonia Quackenbush, for more information on insurance and or pay during that period.
Here are a few notes from Chase Vandergrift’s last scheduling meeting:
Scheduling News August 2015
An update on San Diego’s disappearing turns! Help is on the way. For September I was able to get daily turns locked for the SAN base. This is the first time this has been attempted so it’s an experiment and not guaranteed to stay but they were able to lock both daily SJD departures as turns, so that is 8 positions in addition to the other turns the system will construct on its own.
9:55 report
238 SAN-SJD 10:55-14:00
233 SJD-SAN 15:00-16:01
Debrief 16:16
Duty 6:21
11:50 report
248 SAN-SJD 12:50-15:55
239 SJD-SAN 17:00-18:02
Debrief 18:17
Duty 6:27
This is also welcome news to those of us who like multi-days but don’t really enjoy doing a Cabo turn on the end (or start) of a 3 or 4-day trip. I realize SJD isn’t the ideal turn for everyone and there won’t always be an early morning option for those that prefer to be home between noon and 1, but getting the 5.0 TFP ADPG (instead of 4.6) and being only 2 carts round-trip in the back should help sweeten the deal. This seemed like the best compromise since the pairing optimizer will still be able to use the early SEA/PDX departures to construct other trips that may bring some occasional variety to our usual layovers on certain days of the week. You’ll also see the not-so-regular SEA/PDX early morning/late night turns in addition to these. We did discover they currently lock almost all of the LAX Mexico flying as turns but do not do so for SAN so I am going to lobby for this to become a permanent change if people like it. Trips you love? Hate? Please send me your feedback on the pairings for September at: sanscheduling@gmail.com.
New Open time Delayed. We were as frustrated as everyone else to hear that it will be another month before the new open time rules go into effect but we have been assured there will not be any further delay and the testing is progressing well. The bad news is that this does push everything else from the new contract implementation timeline including the new reserve self-assignment back by about 60 days. The good news is that a new replacement program to e-maestro has been selected and is scheduled to be implemented by next fall. Hopefully that project can stay on track. The software is called JCTE (Jeppesen Crew Tracking Enterprise) and is apparently the one that AA uses so if you have friends at American ask them how they like it. It will add a ton of new features including a mobile interface.
Did you know crew-planning sends out text alerts that you can sign up for? Look for informational bulletin #2015-0155 if you’re interested in signing up. Some of the alerts seem redundant but others could be useful.
Once signed up you’ll get alerts for the following events:
- Recurrent bidding open for XXX
- Recurrent bidding closed for XXX
- Recurrent training posted
- PBS monthly bids open
- PBS monthly bid close
- PBS monthly bid posted
- Bid protest ends
- Open time available
- Vacation bids open
- Vacation bids close
- Base trades close
- Vacancy bid open
- Vacancy bid close
- Leave requests for XXX month due
- Vacation trading available
- Hotel change in planning process (tells the crew to read bulletin XXX)
- Hotel hotline posted
These alerts can be received on your personal device but not on the IMD. A solution is in the works to provide these to the IMD in the form of push notifications but we discussed that most of us don’t use the IMD off the aircraft very much, and certainly don’t carry it around on our days off. Remember these are sent as text messages, so be sure that your carrier’s plan includes them to avoid extra charges.
People still seem to have a lot of questions about line averages. To possibly help clarify we recommend reading “Bidding Windows” on the Navtech PBS splash page. If someone wants a MAX line they can still use the MAX TFP option, which should guarantee their line, is built between the base line average +10 TFP (we haven’t heard of this being denied yet unless you are one of the very last line holders in the base). To add to the confusion the threshold at which PBS decides to stop adding TFP to your line and the base line average can be different. Also, no matter what the system will always try to get your line to the threshold or above even if you don’t specify MAX TFP; so essentially everyone’s bid is set to MAX by default. Since there is no longer a MIN TFP option what is happening is more senior line holders are finding their lines stacked with one or two extra trips to push them above the threshold. That’s because early in the award process it is easy for the system to find pairings to fit your bid preferences. As the system reaches more junior lineholders it has a harder time finding available trips and if nothing is available that fits their bid preferences but their line has reached the minimum window it will simply complete the line and move on. This creates a situation where more senior lineholders in general are seeing lines built higher than more junior bidders. For senior bidders it is possible to trick the system into thinking there are no other trips available to put on your line and that is to ask it to avoid any pairing >1TFP. This has been used with varying amounts of success, but in theory if you have a legal line and you insert this preference the system should then ignore all the remaining trips available and complete your line. This is seniority dependent and may not work in all cases but it’s one technique to try. -Chase
From Brice McGee – Council 15 Secretary:
San Diego based? We have an app for that.
I would like to present to you something exciting and exclusive to San Diego flight attendants that I have been working on.
SANAFA App
Inside this app you will find links to the contract, various forms, jump seat agreements, known crew member info, base news, and hotel crew care.
More items to come soon. Please let me know if you find any errors or if there is something you would like to see added.
Please open the following link using your Android, or Apple device. (Phones, tablets)
http://m.magmito.com/131271/843219counci
Instructions:
IPhone/ IPad: Click on the link. It will take you to the Magmito website click on install, it will download to your device. You will see a box with an arrow coming out of it that says add app to your home screen.
Android phones / tablets (there are a few more steps than iPhone) Click on the link it will take you to the Magmito website. Click on install. It will download to your device. Click on the downloaded file, follow the instructions; it will say install blocked, because the app did not come from the Play Store. Click on settings; scroll down towards the bottom until you see Unknown sources, click on that. It will give you a warning that downloading from unknown sites may be harmful. Click on OK, and then click on INSTALL.
Anytime Your LEC adds new content your app will ask you if you wish to update to newest version.
IPhone users the update is easy, Android users you have to follow the steps basically for installation.
The only issue I have found so far for fellow android users are when you first try and launch the app it will say SANAFA has stopped, click ok and open it again. It will open the 2nd time.
I have found no issues with the IPhone.
Your AFA leadership hopes that you enjoy the APP and find it useful, this was a labor of love that I’ve worked on for the exclusivity of our SAN Flight Attendants. Please let me know if you have any issues or questions or even suggestions for additional content.
Remember, for our SAN base; tell everyone, “We have an app for that!” – Brice
In solidarity,
Your LEC Officers – Stephen Couckuyt, Melanie Buker, Brice McGee
Due to resignations in AFA Council 30 Anchorage, Vice President Lisa Pinkston became Local Executive Council (LEC) president of Council 30 ANC on August 1, 2015, pursuant to Article III.C.5.a.(1) [Local Council and Local Executive Councils à Local Council Officers à Council Officer Vacancies] of the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws (C&B).
Pursuant to Article III.C.5.c.(3) [Local Council and Local Executive Councils à Local Council Officers à Council Officer Vacancies] of the AFA-CWA C&B, a special officer election was held to fill vacancies for the positions of Council 30 ANC vice president and secretary. The special election ended at 8am ADT this morning – August 6, 2015. The certified election results are as follows:
Vice President: Karen Ferrell
Secretary: Laura Rueckert
The officers will complete the current term in election Category III that began on January 1, 2014, and will run through December 31, 2016. Nominations and elections are governed by procedures outlined in Article VIII [Nomination and Election of Officers] and the AFA Policy Manual in the AFA-CWA C&B.
The Master Executive Council (MEC) congratulates the officers-elect and we sincerely thank the former officers who served our union and those who stepped forward to run in the election.
In solidarity,
Your MEC –Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt
Dear Anchorage Flight Attendants,
Although most of you know me, I wanted to take some time this week to say Hi, and to let you know I am honored to be representing each of you as your Local Executive Council (LEC) President for Council 30. I am a fellow Anchorage-based Flight Attendant who has been with Alaska since 2005. My husband, Brian and I have been Anchorage residents since 2000. We have two daughters, Kinsley and Keeley. This past July we moved my mother up to Anchorage, so she now resides with us.
As you are aware, we are having a special election to elect a new LEC Vice President and LEC Secretary to serve out the remainder of this term with me. I am looking forward to working with our newly elected officers on behalf of the entire base . The polls will close August 6th, at 8:00 Alaska Time and the results will be published on that date. Please cast your votes by calling 1-888-488-7288 or online at http://www.afacwa-elections.org. It only takes a few minutes to vote and will ensure your voice is heard.
July began a 30-day transition period for my LEC President position. I have been meeting with other officers and receiving some training on the job responsibilities and duties of an LEC President. In addition, I have been reaching out to each of our Local Council 30 Committee Chairs and scheduling times to meet with all of them. We do have some committee positions open, as well as some Committee Chair positions coming open due to Flight Attendants transferring. If you have any interest in getting involved, please let me know. We would really appreciate the help!
Please continue to reach out with any questions, comments and feedback you have. We really need your input in order to best serve as your voice! Communication is key to making our base run as cohesively as possible. I look forward to working with each of you, both as a Flight Attendant and as LEC President!
In Solidarity,
Lisa Pinkston
LEC President
lisa.pinkston@afaalaska.org
Open Time initially delayed until August for September
According to the Contract Implementation Schedule, Open Time (OT) was originally scheduled for implementation in July for the August bid month. AFA Alaska received notice in June that Open Time was delayed until August 15 for the September bid month. See the communication from June 13, 2015, “New Open Time Trading System Implementation Delay” for more information. You may access an electronic copy of that notice (that lists all the technical reasons for the first delay) here.
Open Time now subsequently delayed until September for October
Unfortunately, AFA received official notice from management yesterday that implementation of the new OT trading system will be delayed another month—until September for the October bid month. You may access an electronic copy of the most recent notice (that lists all the technical reasons for the delay) here. Therefore upcoming Open Time will commence on August 18th using the existing rules.
Alaska Airlines management and AFA do not want to go live with a new Open Time trading system that has the possibility of crashing not only Open Time but also electronic trip trading in general. Although this additional delay is a disappointing development, we all want the new Open Time system to be a success. The good news is that management reports being “very confident” that Open Time will be implemented in September for October. As a reminder, the trial period of the new Open Time trading system begins once the system is actually implemented.
* * *
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl; and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput
Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
7.29.15 OT Delay Letter to AFA
Grievance filed in June 2015
On June 18, 2015, AFA Alaska filed Grievance No. 36-99-2-26-15 Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP). The grievance requested an investigation and hearing into whether the Company violated Section 21.R [Quarterly Productivity Premium] and all related section of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it excluded Flight Attendants who did not receive a PBS bid award due to leave status from the QPP. Effective July 23, 2015, the Master Executive Council (MEC) is pleased to announce the grievance has been settled. A copy of the signed grievance settlement can be found by clicking here.
0 TFP threshold (including carry-in and pre-planned absences) on no-bid status January through July 2015
For the months of January through July 2015, Flight Attendants who did not receive a PBS bid award in each applicable month due to leave status (medical-related leaves, staffing adjustment leaves, military leaves, Company Business and Union Business leaves, etc.) will have their QPP threshold set at zero (0.0) Trips For Pay (TFP) plus any TFP from month-end carry-in and pre-planned absences. This is the original “AFA interpretation” of Section 21.R.
Q1 and Q2 QPP payments
Second quarter (Q2) QPP (April through June) will be paid normally on August 5th. Any Flight Attendants who will now achieve Q1 QPP (January through March) will be made whole by receiving a retroactive payment no later than September 30, 2015.
75.0 TFP threshold (excluding carry-in and pre-planned absences) on no-bid status starting August 2015
Starting in August 2015, AFA and management agreed that Flight Attendants who did not receive a PBS bid award due to leave status will have their QPP threshold set at 75 .0 TFP for each month on no-bid status. Month-end carry-in and pre-planned absences will be excluded in such months.
Settlement language incorporated into the final print version of the contract
The following settlement language will be incorporated into the final print version of the contract currently being indexed as the new Section 21.R.2 (and all other paragraphs afterwards will be advanced by one citation):
“For any full bid month in which a Flight Attendant is on a ‘no bid’ status, the TFP equivalent of her/his bid award will be seventy-five (75.0) TFP. The TFP value of any month-end overlap carry-in or pre-planned absences will be excluded in a ‘no bid’ month for the purposes of determining the TFP equivalent of her/his bid award.”
Settlement should alleviate concerns regarding perceived inequality in achieving QPP for those on no-bid status
This grievance settlement should alleviate the concerns some Flight Attendants have expressed that QPP is perceived as easier to achieve for those on no-bid status than for those flying on the line. That was never the intent of the Negotiating Committee when this provision was negotiated. QPP was proposed in the last days of negotiations and the parties had very limited time in which to make adjustments to the provision. After some discussion management essentially took the position that QPP was a “take it or leave it” provision. Because QPP had the potential to put money into the pockets of many Flight Attendants, the Negotiating Committee accepted the QPP language as it was.
* * *
Please contact a Local Executive Council (LEC) officer if you believe you are eligible for the Q2 QPP and you do not receive the payment as scheduled on August 5, 2015; if you believe you are eligible for the Q1 QPP retro payment and do not receive one by September 30, 2015; or if you have any general questions or concerns about the QPP settlement.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl; and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput
Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
36-99-2-26-15 Quarterly Productivity Premium Settlement Final Signed
Hello Seattle Flight Attendants,
This weekend I announced that I will be moving to Greece~ The Island of Crete, this fall. My husband found a wonderful job at the Souda Bay Naval Station and the entire family is able to join him! It is my intention to continue in my role as LEC President of the Seattle base and commute back and forth. I will be available 2-3 weeks a month in Seattle and will continue to be available via email/text/and phone otherwise.
I know that this will be a transition, but we have a highly trained and very effective LEC Officer team in place who is here to assist you and the Flight Attendants. I am very happy to speak with any of you further if you have any questions!
In solidarity,
Laura Masserant~ LEC President, Seattle
laura.masserant@afaalaska.org
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