How do the Minimum Pay Rules in TA2 impact my pay and 480 credit?

Duty Period Minimum (DPM):

This is the same provision we have in place today that guarantees you will receive a minimum of 4.0 TFP per for each duty period in a pairing.  Today, if the raw or hard value of a sequence is less than 4.0 TFP, it gets paid a minimum of 4.o TFP.

Example:  A SEA- GEG turn has a raw/hard TFP value of 2.0 (1.0 TFP per leg), but with the DPM applied, you are paid 4.0 TFP and 4.0 TFP is credited towards your 480 threshold calculation.

Average Duty Period Guarantee (ADPG):

This provision ensures a Flight Attendant will receive a minimum of 5.0 TFP times the number of duty periods.  Turns flown today that are worth anywhere from 4.o-4.9 are paid and credited towards 480 as such.  However, under the TA, all of these will be paid a minimum of 5.0 TFP  if flown. That has a great positive impact on your pay and 480 application.

Example:  You are awarded a line of 18 – 4.0tfp turns (18 x 4.0 TFP) = 72 TFP line award, if you fly your turns, 18 turns (duty periods) x 5.0 TFP (ADPG) = 90 TFP.  In this example, you will be paid 90 TFP instead of the 72.0 TFP awarded and you will get 90 TFP that month towards your 480 requirement.

Multi-Day Sequence Minimum (MSM):

This provision applies to sequences that are 3 or more calendar days but have fewer duty periods than the number of calendar days.  These types of sequences will be paid a minimum of 4.0 TFP per calendar day.  These are typically the pairings that span midnight on the last day of the trip.  These values are included in the pairings when constructed and are paid if flown, calling in sick, etc…

Example:  You are awarded a 3 day trip containing only 2 duty periods (Day 1: PDX- ANC, Day 2: ANC-PDX, releasing in  PDX early AM on Day 3)  this trip has a raw/hard TFP value of (4.2 + 4.2 = 8.4 TFP), but with the MSM applied, you are paid (4.0 TFP x 3 days = 12.0 TFP.  In this example, today, you would be paid and credited for 8.4 TFP but in TA2, you will be paid 12.0 TFP and credited 12.0 TFP towards your 480 requirement.

Extended Overnight Rule:

This provisions applies to sequences that have no duty from 0100 to 2300 which triggers an additional 4.0 TFP to be calculated into the sequence total value.

Example:  You are awarded a 3 day sequence (Day 1: PDX-OGG arrives at 22:55, Day 2: departs at 23:55 OGG-PDX  releasing in PDX at 07:27 on Day 3.  This trip has a raw/hard TFP value of (6.8 + 6.8 = 13.6 TFP), but there is no duty from 22:55 to 23:55 so the EOR would apply.  With the EOR applied, you will paid (6.8 + 4.0 (EOR) + 6.8 = 17.6 TFP).  In this example, today you would be paid and credited 13.6 TFP, but in TA2, you will be paid 17.6 TFP and 17.6 TFP will be credited towards your 480 requirement.

Sit Pay:  This provision applies to any scheduled or actual ground time that exceeds 2 hours between flights.  You will be paid 1.0 TFP unless stranded pay applies.

Example: A LAX-SEA turn worth 5.6 TFP is constructed with a 2:35 minute sit time or the same LAX-SEA turn was constructed with a 1:45 minute sit, but you block in 20 minutes early creating an actual sit of 2:05, then Sit Pay would apply and you would receive (5.6 + 1.0 Sit Pay = 6.6 TFP).  In this example, today, you will be paid and credited 5.6 TFP, but in TA2, you will be paid 6.6 TFP if flown and 6.6 TFP will be credited towards your 480 requirement.

Minimum Pay Rules help us achieve our 480 worked TFP for the year. Keep in mind the only place the 480 needs to be worked TFP is for vacation accrual. For benefits, 480 includes worked, vacation (even if not earned)/PTO and sick, all other applications it is worked TFP plus vacation/PTO.

Q: How do the TA2 wage rates compare with the proposed AA/US Airways TA rates and the new increased rates Delta FAs will get in 2015?

A: The Alaska TA2 pay rates are higher in every pay step and will continue to be throughout the life of the proposed 5-year deal.

Q: I know the current Alaska rates are pretty low in comparison to the rest of the industry. Where do we rank with TA2?

1. Please see the chart posted in the summary – it indicates our current pay rates and also the new TA2 rates vis-à-vis the rest of the industry.

Q: How come the more junior and middle of the scale rates received greater increases than the top of the scale (TOS) rates?

A: Two things complicate bigger raises at the TOS:

1) As you can see from the Industry Comparison Rates Chart, the TOS rates were already high for the industry. Does that mean you don’t deserve a significant raise: Absolutely Not! However, management’s overriding goals was to have rates to be no higher than #2 or #3 in the industry.

2) Additionally, and more significantly, management insisted that the total increase to our TOS rate not exceed the percentage increase to the pilot’s TOS increase. That was an absolute that management put down from the beginning and stood firm on that requirement. We focused on securing Longevity Premium to the more senior FAs.

Q: The $2.50 per diem rate – How does that compare with the rest of the industry?

A: It is the highest domestic rate in the industry. AA/US Airways new TA puts Domestic Per Diem at $2.10 and International Per Diem at $2.40 if ratified. Southwest has a Domestic Per Diem of $2.15 and International Per Diem at $2.65 (but AirTran flies all of their international routes).

A: No. That’s what happens today: the reality is that normally only those on duty get JA’d. With today’s technology (cell phones, caller ID, etc) FAs rarely answer the phone at home/off duty if they suspect that Crew Scheduling is calling to JA.

Remember:   Under the TA provisions, after the 15 minute debrief in Domicile, you cannot be JA’d, even if you are still in the terminal. You are off duty.

The NC accepted that reality and instead focused on improving the provisions governing a FA JA’d.

How So?

• JA Premium increased to 2.5x from today’s 1.5x.
• If JA’d, a FA can immediately post the trip for pick-up and the premium follows the trade.
• A FA can Jet Bridge Trade a JA trip.
• If a FA is assigned a JA trip out of order s/he is paid 3.0x trip value. The FA who was “skipped” is paid 2.5x the trip value.
• FAs are not contactable for JA while on vacation, including the last day.
• If you trade flying off your line and do not replace it, you are immune from JA for those days.
• A FA cannot be JA’s while on a JA assignment.
• A FA cannot be JA’d while non-revving.

A: This provision is an improvement and will help more FAs attain the 480 TFP threshold. Today’s 480 TFP calculation is based on a calendar year. Under TA2,If a FA was on a leave of absence and coordinated sick leave in any month, s/he can “reach back” beyond the calendar year if s/he did not meet the 480 TFP threshold in order to capture months in which s/he was flying full time.

Example:       For the calendar year 2013, FA Susan was credited a total of 420 TFP. Susan was on a medical leave of absence, coordinating with sick leave for July and August and only was credited with a total of 19.6 TFP for both months (9.3 TFP x 2 months). Under TA2, Susan will now “look-back” and capture all the TFP she was credited with in November and December of 2012 in which she was credited with a combined 85 TFP. That brings her total credit toward the 480 TFP Threshold to 505 TFP and Susan qualifies for all her benefits tied to the 480 Threshold. See below:

 

 

Nov 2013	Dec 2013	All of 2013 (Jan – Dec)
40 TFP	45 TFP	420 TFP

 

Total 2013 TFP:                 420 TFP

Nov + Dec (2013) TFP:     85 TFP

 

Total TFP toward the 480 Threshold: 505 TFP

A: Alaska already has the highest vacation pay in the industry for carriers with PBS. Our vacation pay is 4 TFP per day – which translates to 4.52 block hours per day. As a comparison the AA/USA TA put the value of a vacation day at 3.5 block hours for “filler days” and 4.o block hours for days in a full block.

A productivity premium is not a requirement, but in essence a bonus for the quarters Flight Attendants are able to achieve it.  Not every Flight Attendant will achieve a Productivity Premium every quarter.  Some Flight Attendants may earn the bonus every quarter, while some Flight Attendants may never earn it; and some Flight Attendants will achieve it some quarters but not in other quarters.  It is just extra money in the quarter(s) a Flight Attendant flies a minimum of 0.1 TFP more than their awarded line totals added together for the quarter .

What impact does vacation have on the Quarterly Productivity Premium?

Vacation is credited in your monthly awarded line value in PBS, so in the quarter you have vacation awarded, you would have to fly the equivalent of your vacation TFP extra plus 0.1 TFP more.

Example:

JAN – line award = 70 TFP (28 TFP vacation + 42 TFP sequence value), FEB – line award = 70 TFP (all 70 TFP sequence value), MAR- line award = 70 TFP (all 70 TFP sequence value). Take Jan (70) + Feb (70) + Mar (70) = 210 TFP for the quarter. A Flight Attendant will need to fly 210.1 total TFP in the quarter, not including vacation or sick leave.  Flight Attendants have two choices in this quarter:  First, don’t fly through (make up the 28 TFP of vacation) and forego the productivity premium that quarter or second, have worked TFP (which means you will be flying the extra 28 TFP as vacation isn’t credited towards total) and receive the quarterly productivity premium.

These numbers are tracked by looking at the left hand column in PBS where it shows your line value for the month, and to reiterate, vacation is reflected in that number so you will need to fly your vacation TFP plus one tenth (0.1) TFP more than the total PBS line value of the three months added together.

See below for an interactive chart (you will need to scroll at the bottom to view the entire chart) that allows you to plug in your own PBS line award values and your own TFP flown each month to see the impact they have on the Quarterly Productivity Premium.

A: NO. Management expressed a strong interest in having FA managers experience our jobs first hand so they could understand the difficulties of our work environment and hopefully drive improvements.

While management wanted them on as minimum crew, we pushed to have them be an extra. Having them on as a minimum crew would potentially put more stress and work on the other two or three FA crewmembers. If the manager is an extra, you will get the additional help. The manager will have the lowest “seniority” on the crew and if mutually agreeable, you may trade positions.

Remember, the manager flier will be on the aircraft as working crew to fully experience our job and assist – NOT to observe and discipline us. It will be important to point out difficulties, suggest improvements and have them really get to know our job duties and the “extra position.” The following provisions will govern Management Flying:

• The manager must work a scheduled sequence, out of a FA domicile, as the D on a 3-person crew and an E on a 4-person crew.
• The scheduled sequence may only be broken at a SIP.
• Will be considered a working crewmember and must follow all requirements in the FAM and all limitations in the applicable sections of our CBA (e.g. duty and rest provisions).
• No single-source discipline may result from the manager’s presence on the sequence

As promised here is the full TA language for 4K pairings. It is contained in Section 10 [Scheduling] 

Section 10.DD. LONG STAGE LENGTH (“4K”) DUTY PERIOD

1. At the Flight Attendant’s option, s/he may preference and may be awarded a sequence with one (1) or more Long Stage Length Duty Period(s), as defined in Section 5 [Definitions]. 

2. Crew Planning may construct Long Stage Length Duty Periods under the following parameters:

a. Two leg maximum in the duty period.

b. The scheduled sit time will not exceed seventy (:70) minutes.

c. Must depart from and return to the same domicile.

d. The Long Stage Length Duty Period will exceed ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) but cannot exceed four-thousand (4,000) statute miles (i.e. two-thousand (2,000) statute miles per leg or four-thousand (4,000) statute miles roundtrip).

e. Crew Planning must consult with the Association Scheduling Chair on a monthly basis and during pairing construction for specific sequence selection.

f. The Long Stage Length Duty Period provided for in this Section may be built into a multi-day sequence; however, the exceptions to Section 8.E. [Duty Period] will only apply to the duty period that contains the Long Stage Length Duty Period.

g. Sequences containing Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be identified and placed into PBS for bid.  In no circumstances will a Flight Attendant be awarded a sequence containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) via PBS unless s/he has indicated a preference for or has specifically bid for those sequences.

3. A maximum of ninety percent (90%) of the total domicile departures of Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be built out of any single domicile for each bid month.

4. A minimum of ten percent (10%) of the total domicile departures of Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be built and rotated on a month-by-month basis throughout the remaining domiciles for each bid month.

5. Sequences containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) may be offered as Premium OT with a minimum one and one-half times (1.5x) premium.

6. Automated trading of a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) will be processed through E-maestro or a successor system.

7. Reserve Flight Attendants who self assign into a Long Stage Length Duty Period will be considered to have opted into the sequence.

8. A Flight Attendant who is awarded or accepts a sequence containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period(s) of twelve hours and thirty minutes (12:30) or less will not be deemed to have waived the crew rest provision in Section 8.M. [Domicile Rest]

9. Crew Scheduling may create or adjust sequence(s) that contain a “4k” duty period only if the “4k” duty period was in published pairing originally built by Crew Planning and due to irregular operations (including crew shortage) needs to be staffed.

10. If there is an open position(s) on “4k” sequence(s) and it is more than three (3) hours prior to departure the following will apply:

a. The “4k” sequence must be placed into OT per Section 12.E.1. [Open Time…].

b. Crew Scheduling may reconfigure a “4k” sequence consistent with Section 8.E. [Duty Period] to make all duty periods equal to or less than ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) prior to assignment.  If such reconfiguration occurs, the surviving legal sequence is no longer considered a “4k” sequence.

c. Crew Scheduling may offer a “4k” sequence to a Reserve and must inform the Reserve that the sequence contains a “4k” duty period(s). S/he is not required to accept the sequence. If the Reserve declines the offer, the next Reserve in LTFA order may be offered the “4k” sequence under the same conditions of this provision. The process may be repeated until all available Reserves are exhausted. 

11. If there is an open position(s) on “4k” sequence(s) and it is three (3) hours or less prior to departure the following apply:

a. Crew Scheduling may offer the “4k” sequence to a Lineholder as a reassignment at check-in consistent with 10.R. [Reassignment(s)]. Crew Scheduling must inform the Lineholder that the sequence contains a “4k” duty period.  S/he is not required to accept the assignment.  If a Flight Attendant accepts the “4k” sequence as a reassignment all provisions of 10.R. [Reassignments] will apply. If the Lineholder declines the offer, the next eligible Lineholder in seniority order may be offered the “4k” sequence under the same conditions of this provision. The process may be repeated until all available Lineholders are exhausted consistent with 10.R. [Reassignments].

b. A Reserve may opt into a “4k” sequence by preferencing it on the LTFA.  Crew Scheduling may bypass the order of assignment to assign a “4k” sequence to a Reserve who has preferenced “4k”.  A Reserve who preferences “4k”, then subsequently receives a “4k” assignment, must accept the sequence. If a Reserve preferences a “4k’ sequence the premium in 11.c., below, will not apply for involuntary “4k” assignment will apply.

c. Crew Scheduling may involuntarily assign a “4k” sequence to a Reserve.  The Reserve will be paid one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for the entire sequence of which one times (1.0x) the trip rate will be credited toward the Reserve’s guarantee and one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above the guarantee.

12. Lineholders will not be required to accept or be reassigned to a “4k” sequence.

13. A sequence containing a Long Stage Length Duty Period may not be assigned as a JA.

Section 5 Definition:

Long Stage Length (“4k”) Duty Period:  A duty period containing a two (2) leg maximum; a scheduled sit time not exceeding seventy (:70) minutes; departs from and returns to the same domicile; and the duty day exceeding ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) cannot exceed four-thousand (4,000) statute miles.

A 4K pairing operates similar to a charter with the exception that it includes cities that are regularly scheduled routes. NO LINE HOLDER IS EVER FORCED TO FLY ONE THROUGH BIDDING, SECONDARY LINE GENERATION (UNSTACKING), REASSIGNMENT OR JA!

The sequence can contain ONLY 2 legs that combined CAN NOT exceed 4,000 statute miles (2,000 out and 2,000 back – max – and not ground miles). Additionally there is a maximum ground time of seventy minutes (:70). The East Coast, Florida, New Orleans, Atlanta, Hawaii, Puerto Vallarta and many other destinations are not included using SEA as the start point.

How can you figure out the 2,000 mile range from your home domicile? You can go to www.gpsvisualizer.com/calcuators to input your home domicile. Go to Draw Range Rings around a point (It’s about 5 spots down). Input your 3 letter domicile code (e.g. SEA), enter 3218.7km, choose google maps. Once the map comes, use the drop down to choose the top google map option, not the hybrid. This will show you city names on the map. You can then zoom in.

If the vacancy exists before 3 hours from departure, Crew Scheduling must place the sequence in OT for pickup. Reserves will be able to preference 4k’s on the LTFA list. If they have made a preference to fly them they will not be able to pass on the assignment and if the assignment is within 3 hours they will not get the premium. In the event a vacancy exists within 3 hours of departure a reserve who has chosen not to preference 4k pairings may be forced to fly one BUT will be paid 1.5times TFP for the entire trip and will be given the same duty rest as a line holder upon return to base (11:30 compared to 9 today).

In runs done by Crew Planning today, these sequences only represent roughly 5% of all of our total pairings system wide for an example month of January. 10% of those 5% will be spread to other bases within multi-day trips. The same no forcing rules apply. The 10% is a minimum and Crew Planning anticipates more based on aircraft movement through the system. Based on the 4,ooo statute mile limit, a duty day can not be scheduled for more then 11:40 min but most averaged between 10:40-11:00. These pairings will be very high time.

Crew Scheduling will have a huge liability if they put more out for bids then what bidding can sustain because they will be dropped into OT and DO NOT count towards the closing day threshold. They can offer them in Premium OT for line holders or they will be forced to burn their reserve coverage with a premium. AGAIN no line holder will ever be forced to fly one if they don’t choose to. Crew planning is not required to build these pairings and will only build what can be sustained in the bidding process based on how our work group chooses to or not to bid for them.

Section 8 contains our work rules including the 10:30 duty day. Nothing was changed in our work rules. This is a scheduling option just as charters are today. It is in the scheduling section for that very reason. You waive no work rules by flying a 4k pairing. You are accepting a duty day over 10:30 but if it exceeds 12:30 due to delay or some other issue you will be due all of the work rule provisions in regards to pay and rest. If during the bidding process, you preference or bid for a 4k pairing, you WILL NOT be waiving your 10:30 duty day for anything else.

We will be posting all Contract Language for 4k pairings by the end of today! This way you can read the language in its entirety.