Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian
Thank you to all who came out to the base meeting! We had an amazing turn out and we were able to tackle a lot of information. We realize that many of you could not attend and will try to schedule a couple more meetings the first part of December.
I will have the dates for you prior to bidding.
Click on the following for the minutes of the meeting:
Seattle LEC Base Meeting Notes for 10_17_13
Click on the follow for the LEC- Chair Committee Reports:
Dear Flight Attendants,
Under the direction of federal mediator Victoria Gray, your AFA Negotiating Committee and Transportation Economist Dan Akins return to the National Mediation Board (NMB) in Washington, DC, October 28-30 for another round of talks with Alaska Airlines management. It is extremely fortunate that the government shutdown was resolved just in time to bring back Mediator Gray from mandatory furlough!
The remaining seven sections of our Contract to be negotiated are Scope, Definitions, Compensation, Expenses, Insurance, Profit Sharing/Retirement and Duration. Before the end of our last mediation session in September, the Negotiating Committee decided that passing multiple economic proposals back and forth with management would simply be a waste of time. That is because we are already aware of the Membership’s expectations in terms of the overall economics.
Therefore we thoughtfully prepared a comprehensive compensation and benefits proposal that cut to the chase. After explaining to management our motive for doing so—Flight Attendants want a deal yesterday and they’re tired of waiting—we presented the package so that they would have something significant to work on during the six week break between sessions. The idea behind this was to give the management negotiating team, the Alaska Air Group (AAG) executive leadership and the AAG Board of Directors plenty of time to consider our respective positions.
It seems in every Company communication and meeting recently we hear from management that the major challenge coming our way is competition from other airlines moving into our territory. In this morning’s communication from CEO Brad Tilden “Alaska’s Q3 Financial Results” Brad was quoted as resonating with a colleague who said, “The best defense (to competition) is … performance.” We couldn’t agree more! What better way to defend against the competition than to deploy an army of proud Flight Attendants who will strengthen the relationship with our loyal customers and win over new ones into our fold?
After all, the Flight Attendants are the front line ambassadors of the “Alaska Airlines product” who by far have the most time spent with our customers compared to any other workgroup in the Company. As such we are the “tip of the spear” in any war with our competitors. Management can ensure this army feels valued and proud by recognizing Flight Attendants with a contract which reflects our contributions to the current and future success of Alaska Airlines!
During this past month the flood of emails to management and your passionate attendance at recent Company meetings have proved that Flight Attendants are now more than ever united and serious about achieving a contract we deserve. We expect management to show up in DC next week having carefully considered our most recent comprehensive proposal, to acknowledge our resolve, and to be prepared and focused to “get ‘er done.” This mediation session should significantly reveal the direction negotiations are heading. (No pressure, management!)
Keep united and stay tuned for more developments next week!
In solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
“Five Bases, One Voice”
REMINDER- POLLS CLOSE TOMORROW AT NOON!
Council 30 LEC Officer Election Schedule
In accordance with the Article VIII of the Constitution & Bylaws, all Councils in Category III must nominate and elect officers for the term beginning January 1, 2014 and ending December 31, 2016 (three year term). Local Council Officers to be elected will be LEC President, LEC Vice President, and LEC Secretary.
Election Schedule:
Mail date: 9-20-2013 (Voting Instructions and Activation Code mailed)
Polls open: 9-24-2013 (Voting begins online and by telephone)
Polls close: 12:00 PST (Noon) 10-25-2013 (Election ballots are tallied)
Step-by-step instructions for both the nomination and election process can be found on the AFA-CWA Election website: www.afacwa-elections.org along with the Category III Election schedule, AFA-CWA Election Handbook, Commitment to Serve form and frequently asked questions.
There were not enough nominations for a candidate to be placed on the ballot for the LEC Secretary position, you must write in your candidate of choice. When voting online, click on the magnifying glass and type in your candidate’s last name.
Several Anchorage Flight Attendants had reported not receiving their nomination ballots sent
from AFA-CWA in August. If you have not received your election ballot, which was mailed September 20, 2013, please contact Bon Kenia, AFA International Office Member Services at: BKenia@cwa-union.org immediately.
VOICE Comment Card Report September 2013
Your Negotiating Committee reviews all comment cards submitted by members and posts those each month for transparency. Please know that we appreciate all comments, concerns and feedback. Some of the comments submitted maybe in Sections that have not yet been discussed, they may be included in our opening proposal (posted on AFA website http://www.alaskamec.org), our previous survey or may have already been addressed. Your opinions do count and we will continue to respond to concerns and comments not previously addressed or as sections become available.
Please note we will continue to post comments and questions with contact information, however, questions/comments without contact information will no longer be posted due to ensuring member involvement. Your information is always kept confidential and we appreciate open communication.
Comment Card Topics:
Reserve: 0
Pay: 12
Scheduling/hours of service: 6
Sick Leave/attendance: 2
Commuter: 1
Benefits/Vacation/Insurance: 8
Hotel/Crew Meals: 1
Contract Language: 4
Clarifications/Rumors: 0
Questions:
None For this Month
Comments
A ANCFA
I spoke with a flight attendant who has been 45 years with United, she knew we were going through negotiations. She couldn’t stress enough that we needed language in our contract that stated if we died on international soil that Alaska Airlines will ship our body home. She must know something we don’t. And with the potential to start expanding our international flying, I agree it would be good to have in our contract.
M, ANCFA
Please Consider:
1. During bidding process, FA may waive 11 1/2 rest between pairings
2. Having a contractual min/max TFP amount for a line, example: company cannot make us start with 120 tcp some day
3. Make charters tradable like all other pairings
L, SEAFA
-Working 7 years on same contract is very sad. I feel we should have reto pay back to end of contract extension.
-JA @ jetway – with just tagging first in “out of seniority order” is a very bad idea. Also, if you trade out of a trip, getting tagged, your original day is setting up for failure. FAs will start to look at own trips leading up to trip we traded out of just so we won’t get JAd.
R, LAX
I request retro pay, please
S, LAX,
I request retro pay.
J, PDXFA
It seems about time to start education the new people (less than 5 years) about what a union is. They don’t seem to get it. Some are afraid to vote no on any new contract and are confused about what chaos is. Education should begin long before it is time to vote.
R, SEAFA
1.SW pay-nothing less will be acceptable.
2.Keep option to use sick time to purchase medical at 62.
Your AFA Negotiating Committee recently tentatively agreed (TA’d) Section 32 Attendance Policy. We will take this opportunity to share with you the newly agreed provisions and concepts:
Management may reach out regarding points accrual with the intent to ensure the welfare of a Flight Attendant, though s/he is not obligated to respond except under specific circumstances. Management presented a compelling argument that many disciplinary and termination actions could be avoided if an Inflight manager/supervisor had an opportunity to make contact with a Flight Attendant before s/he was in attendance points jeopardy. For example, the Flight Attendant could be eligible for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits, etc.
The Negotiating Committee agreed that a Flight Attendant could possibly benefit from outreach by Inflight management provided there was no requirement by the Flight Attendant to have a discussion. In almost all circumstances the contact will be similar to the “get well messages” currently being sent by management when a Flight Attendant goes out on Sick Leave. Just like today, it will be the Flight Attendant’s option to respond except in the case of rapid points accrual as indicated by six (6) points in two (2) consecutive calendar quarters and No Shows.
The Negotiating Committee reviewed the definition of No Show and agreed to move “being unavailable for contact while on reserve, during scheduled or unscheduled ground time” to its own provision labeled “Unavailable for Contact” which was reduced from two and a half (2.5) points as a No Show to one (1) point per “Unavailable for Contact” occurrence. The number of attendance points for a “true” No Show was increased from two and a half (2.5) to four (4).
“Failure to Report” was renamed “Late Report” since most FAs did report to work, but after his/her scheduled time.
A reported illness using quarterly point reduction will be subject “blackout dates”: the Flight Attendant paid holidays under Section 21.G. When an absence—including a single continuous occurrence of illness—touches a Flight Attendant paid holiday (meaning on the holiday and not simply next to the holiday), the FA may not utilize a point reduction form. Also please note when utilizing a quarterly point reduction form you must have available sick leave to cover the sequence(s) in order to be eligible for points reduction.
Examples:
FA has a 2 day trip on 12/24-25. The FA will not be able to submit a quarterly point reduction form for this occurrence because the trip falls on a paid holiday (currently Christmas Day 12/25).
FA has a 2 day trip worth 12.0 TFP, but only has 6.0 TFP of available sick leave. The FA will not be able to submit a quarterly point reduction form and will accrue one (1) point (2 days @ 0.5 point per day) for the occurrence.
Ability for commuters to call in a Might Be Late (MBL). When a Flight Attendant calls in a MBL but scans in on time after calling in, no points will apply. If the Flight Attendant chooses to proceed directly to the gate or does not scan in on time, points will apply.
Established new language regarding Management Drops which replaces Emergency Drops at a half (0.5) point per day, and Operational Incident Drops will be without points. The new language provides more flexibility for supervisors/managers to assist in giving you the time off you require in unforeseen circumstances.
In the current agreement there is a reference under “Final Warning” of point accumulation that states an employee may be terminated for overall job performance. This sentence—“possible termination for overall job performance”—has been deleted. The Attendance Policy is now a pure point system that does not encompass other work-related performance issues.
In Record Improvement a Flight Attendant who is credited a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) Worked TFP including vacation/PTO pay and has no chargeable occurrences during the calendar quarter will have two (2) points deleted from accumulated points until the total reaches zero (0). The number of bank points will increase from four (4) to six (6). At the end of each calendar year any Flight Attendant who has achieved a combined credit of eighty (80) Worked TFP including vacation/PTO pay in November/December will have her/his record reduced to zero (0) points; s/he must have four (4) or fewer points and cannot have accumulated any points since November 1st of that year.
New language provides sequence recovery provisions for a Lineholder who “No Shows.” A Flight Attendant and Crew Scheduling can work together to recapture the “No Showed” sequence or look at alternatives.
Your Negotiating Committee spent countless hours reviewing, discussing and enhancing the provisions of Section 32. True, some movement was made towards management’s position in this section but we also secured many positive benefits. The result is balanced. Some of the changes:
The Negotiating Committee is optimistic that once we present a TA to the membership for ratification, Flight Attendants will read over Section 32 Attendance Policy and understand the complete depth of the changes and improvements.
In solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
“Five Bases, One Voice”
Tuesday, November 5th from 11am to 2pm at Oggi’s Pizza, Point Loma/Liberty Station, 2562 Laning Road, San Diego, California 92106. Tel: 619-876-5000.
Join us for lunch, meet with your LEC, and receive valuable information. We encourage your attendance, so come and bring your questions and concerns.
Our guest speaker for Negotiations will be MEC President Jeff Peterson. Agenda items will be discussed, along with reports from respective LEC committees.
See you on November the 5th!
In Solidarity,
Sandra, Kelly, Kelese, and David
Council 30 LEC Officer Election Schedule
In accordance with the Article VIII of the Constitution & Bylaws, all Councils in Category III must nominate and elect officers for the term beginning January 1, 2014 and ending December 31, 2016 (three year term). Local Council Officers to be elected will be LEC President, LEC Vice President, and LEC Secretary.
Election Schedule:
Mail date: 9-20-2013 (Voting Instructions and Activation Code mailed)
Polls open: 9-24-2013 (Voting begins online and by telephone)
Polls close: 10-25-2013 (Election ballots are tallied)
Step-by-step instructions for both the nomination and election process can be found on the AFA-CWA Election website: www.afacwa-elections.org along with the Category III Election schedule, AFA-CWA Election Handbook, Commitment to Serve form and frequently asked questions.
There were not enough nominations for a candidate to be placed on the ballot for the LEC Secretary position, you must write in your candidate of choice. When voting online, click on the magnifying glass and type in your candidate’s last name.
Several Anchorage Flight Attendants had reported not receiving their nomination ballots sent
from AFA-CWA in August. If you have not received your election ballot, which was mailed September 20, 2013, please contact Bon Kenia, AFA International Office Member Services at: BKenia@cwa-union.org immediately.
Dear Flight Attendants,
Your AFA Negotiating Committee recently tentatively agreed (TA’d) Section 16 Sick Leave/On the Job Injury. Because the information contained in management’s latest “Grab & Go” has caused so much confusion and discussion, we will share with you a detailed explanation of the newly agreed graduated accruals and sick leave banks concepts.
Going forward there will be two sick leave banks: a Primary Sick Leave Bank (PSLB) for “everyday” use and a Secondary Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) for illness or injury greater than fourteen (14) days. The SSLB may also be utilized for for an intermittent Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) absence of shorter duration if the PSLB is exhausted. Flight Attendants will continue to accrual sick leave at a base rate of 1 TFP for every 10 TFP flown or credited between the the two banks. Flight Attendant will accrue sick leave each bid month based on a rolling twelve (12) bid month look-back as follows:
|
Accrual Rate Threshold (based on rolling 12 bid month ‘look-back’) |
Primary Sick Leave Bank (PSLB) |
Secondary Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) |
|
Worked TFP during rolling 12 month bid look-back ≥ 480 TFP [greater than or equal to 480] |
1.0 TFP accrued for every 15.0 TFP of Worked TFP and paid Vacation/PTO in current bid month |
0.5 TFP accrued for every 15.0 TFP of Worked TFP and paid Vacation/PTO in current bid month |
|
Worked TFP during rolling 12 month bid look-back between 240 TFP and 480 TFP |
0.5 TFP accrued for every 15.0 TFP of Worked TFP and (credited) Vacation/PTO in current bid month |
.25 TFP accrued for every 15.0 TFP of Worked TFP and (credited)Vacation/PTO in current bid month |
|
Worked TFP during rolling 12 month bid look-back ≤ 240 TFP [less than or equal to 240] |
No accrual in current bid month |
No accrual in current bid month |
Important Concepts to Understand:
Worked TFP = ALL credited TFP (including premiums, training etc), but excluding Sick Leave and Vacation.
12-Month Look-Back = The last 12 months of full employment. Any month in which a Flight Attendant coordinates sick leave with short/long term disability or worker’s compensation pay will not count toward the threshold calculation. A full twelve (12) bid month look back will extend into additional months until twelve (12) full bid months are included in the determination of the threshold. This way, FAs are not penalized for months in which they are on a leave and coordinating with sick leave. This “rolling calendar” will move with each bid month and sick leave for each bid month will accrue based on the calculation within that rolling calendar.
1.333 Daily Credit for Leaves Not Using Sick Leave = FAs will receive an unpaid credit of 1.333 TFP for each day on which they are on an unpaid personal, military, extended, medical, maternity, FMLA, worker’s compensation or parental leaves of absence or on a furlough (including voluntary furlough) when they are not coordinating w/ sick leave. This credit will count towards the “240/480” thresholds.
Increased total bank(s) accrual: From 1443 to 1700 TFP.
Accrual rate: Still 1:10 in total between the two banks.
Two Sick Leave Banks: Sick leave bank maximum accrual was increased from 1443 to a total of 1700 between the two banks. In the Primary Sick Leave Bank (PSLB) you may accrue up to 1000 TFP. In the Secondary Sick Leave Bank (SSLB) you may accrue up to 700 TFP. The rate of accrual is still 1 TFP for 10 TFP flown or credited broken into two separate banks for which the PSLB will receive 1 TFP for 15 flown or credited and the SSLB 1 for 30 (0.5 for 15).
Usage of the SSLB will be for approved leaves of absence (LOAs) of fourteen (14) days or greater including Medical LOA, Maternity LOA, Worker’s Comp and FMLA. A Flight Attendant who is on an approved intermittent FMLA may access the Secondary bank after their Primary bank is exhausted. Both the Primary and Secondary banks may be coordinated with Short Term Disability and Workers’ Compensation.
We negotiated the ability to supplement pay during illness/injury by using sick leave from between 70 – 90 TFP per month to 70 – 120 TFP per month at the Flight Attendant’s discretion.
Using Sick Leave to Bridge to Long Term Disability: An important concern for Flight Attendants is the ability to “bridge” to Long Term Disability (LTD) while supplementing with sick leave. Flight Attendants do this in order to maintain health insurance for two years at the active rate while on LTD. Currently Flight Attendants must draw 11.3 TFP sick leave per month in order to remain active for benefits purposes during the 180 day waiting period for LTD. That means a Flight Attendant must have 67.8 TFP in her/his bank today in order to qualify for this benefit.
Under the TA a Flight Attendant will be required to draw less: 0.3 TFP per day (9 TFP in a 30-day bid month or 9.3 TFP in a 31-day bid month). We also secured a commitment from management that Flight Attendants will be able to “stretch” sick leave through the 180 day period in order to secure medical insurance coverage while on LTD—even if the Flight Attendant has less than 54 TFP (180 days x 0.3 TFP per day = 54 TFP) in her bank(s).
“Grandfather Clause” for Purchase of Retiree Healthcare Using Sick Leave Ages 62-65: Many Flight Attendants expressed their concern over deleting a provision that allowed the continuation of medical health insurance upon separation for Flight Attendants aged 62-65 using sick leave at 20 TFP per month. The Negotiating Committee secured a letter of agreement extending the provision (a temporary “grandfather clause”). This provision will expire either on the effective date of any new agreement or the end of the current agreement’s amendable period, whichever is earlier.
Sick Leave Cash-Out upon Retirement: The Negotiating Committee addressed the issue of large sick leave balances upon retirement.
Qualifications: 1) Flight Attendant must retire directly from Alaska Airlines; 2) Minimum age of 55 years; 3) Total of 10 years vesting in 401(k) or at least 20 years total Company seniority.
Cash-Out: Lump sum payout of 25% of total TFP in both sick leave accounts, paid at wage rate effective at retirement. For example if you accrued 1700 hundred hours of sick leave, 25% of that total amount is equal to 425 TFP, paid at $46.48 (top rate today) would be equal to a cash amount of $19,754.00.
Your Negotiating Committee spent countless hours reviewing, discussing and enhancing the provisions of Section 16. We were successful in achieving:
Once we present a TA to the membership for ratification, Flight Attendants should read over Section 16 Sick Leave/On the Job Injury and understand the complete depth of the accruals, changes, and improvements in the context of the overall agreement.
In solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
“Five Bases, One Voice”
Click on the link (above) to open the Word document of the Meeting Minutes.
Thanks to all the flight attendants who attended the base meetings in both Burbank and Ontario. San Diego’s base meeting will be November 5th, location and time TBA soon.
In Solidarity,
Your LEC
Sandra, Kelly, Kelese, and David
