The much-anticipated full text TA2 is now posted at http://afaalaska.org/negotiations/ta!

The Negotiating Committee realizes there have been concerns over the timing of its release. We thank you for your patience and understanding as the NC worked through a complete overhaul of TA2. We believe all the effort has paid off and will make it much easier for you to review and understand the proposed changes.

If you have any questions, you may search the Negotiations blog by topic where you will find answers to many of your questions. You may posts questions on the blog under the related topic. This way all Flight Attendants can see the question and the answer provided. If you have additional questions that are not addressed via the blog, email the Negotiating Committee at negotiations@afaalaska.org.

In solidarity,

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

The NC absolutely does NOT receive any special bonus if the TA passes. We are eligible for the same signing bonus appropriate to our longevity as any other flight attendant but that’s it. In our specific cases, that would be the $2000.

Q: Because the “COLA” is going away and being replaced with the Longevity Premium will I lose money?

A:  NO. The COLA (real name: Profitability Bonus) for those with over 17 years of service does not compensate as well as the Longevity Premium. Also, the COLA only pays out when the company is profitable. The Longevity Bonus is paid on all Worked TFP regardless of the company’s performance.

But what does the reality look like? Below is a table with 5 actual comparisons – names withheld. COLA paid out in 2014 and what the FA would have received if Longevity Premium was in place. Because the more senior you are, the greater your Longevity Premium, the greater the difference.

A:  TA2 will be posted for viewing by end of the day, Wednesday, November 19th.

Current process:

If I have 35 days of vacation today I fly 340 TFP to receive my full accrual.

TA 2:

If I have 35 days of vacation today I would need to fly or be credited worked tfp including  minimum pay rules, training, reserve guarantee, premium pay, over duty pay and any pay in TFP that is not sick leave or vacation equal to 480 TFP to receive my full accrual.

(In the above example the vacation amount may vary based on your years of service.  Everyone must fly or be credited 480 Worked TFP in order to receive the full paid vacation benefit for the following year)

THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO FLY 620TFP!!!!

Yes!  New Years Day 2015 and all subsequent New Years Days will be a paid holiday, paid at 2x the applicable trip rate for flights flown including APSB and surface deadhead.

1. The AFA Scheduling Chairperson will be advised of important day-to-day scheduling issues including but not limited to Open Time, Reserve Assignment, Reserve Repositioning, JA and other related concerns.

2. The AFA Scheduling Chairperson will participate in the Scheduling Review Committee, Sequence Analysis, PBS and other scheduling related groups/committees. S/he will compromise one (1) of the three (3) PBS committee members.

3. The AFA Scheduling Chairperson will have the same access as the ALPA Scheduling Chairperson to the Crew Management System (CMS) and other equivalent systems/programs to include crew tracking, pairing optimization (will not perform transactions affecting production without management’s consent), PBS, Virtual Private Network (VPN), etc..

4. S/he will have a dedicated desk with Crew Scheduling and/or Crew Scheduling management in the Scheduling Department and twenty-four (24) hours access to Flight Attendant Crew Scheduling and a Company laptop.
5. Crew Planning must consult with the Scheduling Chair on a monthly basis and during pairing construction for specific sequence selection.
6.  The Scheduling Chair will be selected by the MEC after an interview process.  The Scheduling Chair serves at the pleasure of the MEC.

The AFA Scheduling Chair will be an advocate for our Flight Attendants and s/he will be able to assist with questions, concerns and processing of information when issues arise.

Due to availability of the Information Technology (IT) team and other automation support, which includes acquiring necessary software, and the time required to implement specific terms and conditions of the contract, the parties agree to an implementation schedule. All Flight Attendants will receive a copy of the implementation schedule and the specific items with an estimation of completion. Management is not putting resources towards implementation until this TA or a subsequent TA is ratified. Once the full TA is released we will be providing additional information for your consideration.