TA2 Provision Comparison Chart now available
The Negotiating Committee has developed a document that compared the various provisions in TA2 with those in the current Contract. The TA2 Provision Comparison Chart has now been posted at http://afaalaska.org/negotiations/ta.
Check out the Negotiations blog for the latest information regarding TA2
There has also been quite a bit of activity on the Negotiations blog over the past several days. If you are active on social media then mostly likely you are up to date, but for those who are less active we suggest you check out the blog at http://afaalaska.org/negotiations/blog.
In solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee—MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
The formal formatting of TA2 is nearly finished! The Negotiating Committee had hoped to release an electronic version of TA2 to you by now. However, we heard from management’s team Friday afternoon that they would need a few more days to make sure there were no language changes in the final version that were not agreed to previously. While the delay is frustrating, we understand that this is an important part of the process to ensure what you review in TA2 is accurate and inclusive of all information.
The Negotiating Committee knows this process was handled differently during TA1. When the Membership demanded we leave no detail out or no stone unturned for TA2, the NC took that very seriously. We want Flight Attendants to have a document they can understand and that leaves no question as to the inclusion of all provisions. Due to the massive amount of work and the attention to detail, we believe TA2 will be much easier to review. The downside of course is that this process took just a little longer than originally anticipated.
The Negotiating Committee will have TA2 to you online within a time frame that will allow approximately four weeks to review before the closing of the voting period and available in hard copy at the Roadshows and in domiciles. We will also be available to answer questions and provide clarity right up until the closing of the polls. There will be Roadshows, Q&A posts on the Negotiations blog, videos posted on line at www.afaalaska.org/negotiations and multiple ways for you to have your questions answered, including emailing negotiations@afaalaska.org and the Negotiations Feedback Form. We hope these options will give you all the resources you need to make an informed decision for your future.
Thank you for your patience. We’re nearly ready for you to see the TA2 full-text language!
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 Negotiating Committee has had a little extra time after we released the TA2 Summary last Saturday, which has provided us the ability to answer questions on social media this week. During this time we have also been making posts on the Negotiations Blog as we have seen questions arise. We have enjoyed the opportunity to interact with you and answer your many questions about the proposed changes of TA2.
This coming Sunday, November 16th, the Negotiating Committee will be headed back to Seattle for the entire week. More long hours are in store for us as we prepare for the upcoming Roadshows. At the request of the Membership we will also be doing videos that will be posted as an additional reference. Those who are unable to attend a Roadshow should find them very useful.
Due to the amount of preparation required, we need to wisely use the minimal time we have left to ensure we are thoroughly prepared for the Roadshows. We want to remain available to answer TA-related questions and in order for us to do that efficiently we need to pull our resources into one location. We are asking all Flight Attendants to join us on the Negotiations blog at http://afaalaska.org/negotiations/blog to ask questions and comment in real-time on the information we are publishing. This will help you better understand the provisions of TA2. You can also email negotiations@afaalaska.org or use the Negotiations Feedback Form.
We will continue to monitor social media and will be directing you to the Negotiations blog to find the answers to your questions. Please know this is our way of using our time to the benefit of the entire Membership because every Flight Attendant has access to the Negotiations website and blog.
We look forward to hearing from you and providing you with accurate information so you can make an informed decision for your future!
In solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee—MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
Many Flight Attendants have asked, “What did we give up to achieve that provision?”
Most often it’s not as simple as the Negotiating Committee had to “give up” one provision in order to gain another. Sometimes there is a certain amount of trading for various aspects of the Tentative Agreement but not always. There were many times during these negotiations when management would give us a “freebie” when we asked for it, usually when it was a non-economic item.
For instance, some have wondered what AFA had to give up in order to achieve protections in Section 25 Air Safety, Health & Security from having to ferry on a flight with an inoperative engine. What has particularly concerned Flight Attendants is that regulations actually prohibit F/As from ferrying such flights. Therefore, some are concerned that we gave up something to achieve what we already have (even if it’s not in contractual language).
AFA had a whole list of protections or clarifications we were seeking in Section 25, some of which we achieved and others we did not. Even though regulations prohibit ferrying on those flights, AFA believed it was important Flight Attendants were aware they were not required to ferry such flights by including language in the contract. In this case, management agreed without further discussion.
There were plenty of similar instances when AFA asked for something and management agreed to incorporate it into the contract. Of course there were plenty of times when there was a lot more discussion and potentially even some “trading” to make it happen. We certainly didn’t have to give up something in order to gain something else for every change in the TA.
A message from your AFA Benefits Committee
We’ve had a number of questions, and have heard that many of our group is confused about the purpose of the Benefits Call Center. Additionally, some have reported having trouble navigating the system and revising selections once they have made them.
This is a new enrollment process, so we compiled some of the more frequently asked questions to assist you through the process. If you have additional questions, please contact an AFA Benefits Committee Member. You can find contact information at http://afaalaska.org/benefits.
What information can be found at myalaskabenefits.com?
The new benefits web site, myalaskabenefits.com, is your one-stop shop for learning about, and choosing which benefits are right for you. The site includes detailed information about medical, dental and vision plans, as well as other coverage options like life insurance and optional short-term disability coverage.
Details are great, but what about tools? The site includes a number of “estimators”, including the Medical Expense Estimator (found in the Benefit Tools tab). It predicts healthcare usage, based on demographic data, and shows you what each plan will cost you, based on those assumptions. If you’d like to spend a little more time customizing those assumptions, you can tailor it based on your own known healthcare needs, or your own assumptions. Before you make a healthcare plan selection, or choose to keep your existing plan, you should give this estimator a try – you will likely be surprised by how much money you can save yourself.
How do I compare the costs and coverage of the Premera PPO and Consumer Choice PPO plans?
For a good side-by-side comparison, log in to the enrollment screen. Once there, select “Make Changes” in the medical section. On the right side of the page is a button that says “Need Help Deciding on a Medical Plan.” This will take you to a very detailed comparison of the medical plans.
When should I contact the Benefits Call Center?
The Benefits Call Center is currently available to help you with all of your 2015 Annual Enrollment questions. You should call a representative if you have questions about enrolling, health plans, life insurance, spending accounts, or simply navigating the myalaskabenefits.com site and using the available tools. The call center can also enroll you in benefits over the phone. Beginning January 1st, the Benefits Call Center will provide additional services such as answering general eligibility questions and assisting with mid-year status change events (i.e. adding coverage for a new spouse, child, etc.).
What are Advocacy Services?
Employees who need assistance with more complex issues such as claims payments, questions with an EOB, appeals or balance-billing (in the event you seek care from a non-network doctor) are transferred from the Benefits Call Center to an advocate who will provide you with expert assistance. Advocacy Services aren’t meant to take the place of your health plan’s Customer Service line, but they are an additional resource for you when you need it.
Can I make a change to my benefit elections while I am on leave of absence?
If you are on a leave of absence, as indicated in PeopleSoft, your next opportunity to make health plan changes will occur when you return to actively working. Upon your return, you will be automatically enrolled in the coverage that you had prior to your leave of absence. You will also receive an email asking if you’d like to make any changes to your benefit elections, with instructions on how to do that.
Please note, if you are continuing active healthcare coverage by utilizing your sick leave, you likely aren’t considered to be on a leave of absence in PeopleSoft. For those in this situation, you should make your health care changes during the Annual Enrollment period, which ends November 18th. If you aren’t sure what your leave status is, you should contact your Supervisor or Leave Analyst
Wondering about the need to designate a beneficiary through the Web Portal?
In the past, beneficiary designations were done via a paper copy. This is the first year that there has been an electronic version. All flight attendants should update, and review their beneficiary designations.
Does this change my 401(k) plan beneficiary?
No. This might be a good time to review your designations, to make certain that they are up to date. However, if you wish to make changes, that would need to be done through Vanguard, either online, or via the website. Just login in, click on ‘Manage my Account’, and follow the instructions.
When I submitted my changes and went back to look at them, I saw that I still needed to add beneficiaries. Is something wrong?
We have discovered that until you completely log out of the portal and log back in, the ‘red line’ indicating that you need to add beneficiaries will still be there. If you want to double check, log out, log in and you should see that your changes have taken place.
Probationary flight attendants are unable to vote for a contract and are not yet dues paying members. Generally this will exclude them from a signing bonus. However, we didn’t want to leave anyone out and believed that $500, paid at the point of successful completion of probation, was a great way to include our newest FA family.
Those that have topped out on the pay scale were unable to be moved beyond the 2nd place in the industry position that they had already achieved with TA1 rates. Management refused to move the top beyond the 10.8% they gave to the pilots top of scale. As a result, we felt it was important to include more in their signing bonus.
The signing bonus has a value of at least double or more for many FAs than that of the retro pay of TA1. The retro pay of TA1 was limited to only worked TFP.
This means that anyone on a leave of absence including workers comp, those who had vacation and those who earned less on the pay scale received significantly less or nothing in retro pay. A signing bonus is given to ALL FA’s in good standing – weather on a leave of absence, medical leave, maternity leave, etc. – making it a more equitable and fair provision for everyone.
Retro Pay and a Signing Bonus are withheld at the same tax rate by our employer.
Current Book Cost = 145 million (wages and fringe)
TA1 (wages and fringe)
– Annual average 5 year cost* $17.3 m over current book
– 2.5 months retro approx $1.6 m (one time realization)
Co Savings of TA1 failure approx. $18m
TA2 (wages and fringe)
– Annual average 5 year cost* $12.7m in addition to cost of TA1
– $2,000 signing bonus $ 8m (one time realization)
*total cost of 5 year deal divided by 5
The above amounts are confirmed by Dan Akins our airline economist
- TA2 was a 73% increased cost over TA1 costs (not counting signing bonus – another $8m)
- TA2 represents a $30 million (annual average 5 year cost) over current book costs.
- The rates in TA2 are higher than the 2015 rates for the AA/US Airways TA and Delta increased rates at every pay-step. They continue to be higher in every pay step in the out years for the 5 year deal.
- Per diem increases to $2.50, the highest domestic per diem in the industry and beats most international per diem rates.
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