Click the link below to read minutes from the Council #19 base meeting held on 3/27/18.
[This reference guide will be updated at 5 PM PT 4/23/2018 and can be accessed here. /jtp ]
The separate, pre-merger seniority lists for AS and VX have been merged and we now have a single Integrated Seniority List.
The Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) completed this monumental task over the course of the previous 10 months. The SMIC consists of representatives from each of our pre-merger airlines: AS members Sandra Morrow and Marie Maxwell; and, the VX members Lynne Voigtsberger and Rolando Teran.
The SMIC merged the lists in compliance with the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws. Everyone on each seniority list remains in the same relative order. Everyone on the VX list retains the same seniority date, and those on the AS list have an adjusted seniority date that provides credit for the initial training period.
This merged list establishes the seniority dates and relative order for all 5,000-plus Alaska Flight Attendants. For easy distinction of the merged list, VX members are shaded in a light red. You can either scroll through the list or search on your name to find your seniority number and seniority date.
You can view the merged seniority list in the email version of this article. Please check your personal email for a message from the AFA Alaska Seniority Merger Integration Committee containing the link to the list.
This list is being provided to management. Going forward, this copy of the list will be “static,” but the seniority list that is published monthly on the F/A website will be updated and “live” in approximately 60 days. It will change as new members are added or current members leave, but the seniority dates and relative order will not change.
The SMIC will be sending out an additional communication later this week with answers to the most frequently asked question. It will include background on the methods used to determine initial training adjustments, the methodology used when FAs from both airlines had the same seniority date, and many other general questions.
If you have any questions or would like to contact the SMIC, please do so by email at the following address: seniority@afacwa.org.
In Solidarity,
Your SMIC – Sandra Morrow, Rolando Teran, Lynne Voigtsberger and Marie Maxwell
Polls closed today at 9 AM Pacific Time for voting on the Merger Tentative Agreement reached by the Joint Negotiating Committee in February 2018. The results of the vote are as follows:
| Voting FOR the agreement | 3094 | 75% |
| Voting AGAINST the agreement | 1011 | 25% |
| Total Votes | 4105 | |
| Participation Rate of Eligible Voters | 76.34% |
As indicated above, the TA has passed.
Click here for a copy of the certified results.
What’s Next?
Several provisions of the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), including new pay rates for both L-AS and L-VX Flight Attendants, take effect immediately. Additional communications regarding JCBA implementation will be coming out over the next several days.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee; and
Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
Q. Looking for a clarification on the voting eligibility for this Merger Agreement.
For L-VX Flight Attendants, anyone can vote, no matter their seniority, as long as they have completed a membership application?
For L-AS Flight Attendants, they must have completed four months of seniority before being eligible to vote?
In two different road shows, it was said that all Flight Attendants, L-VX and L-AS, must complete four months of seniority, yet the information on the voting information page of the AFA Alaska website indicates otherwise.
Can you please clarify this discrepancy?
A. The MEC received clarification after the road shows you mentioned (from AFA International Membership Services) that L-VX F/As are eligible to vote as of date of hire. This is due to the fact that there is no first contract in place and there is no apprentice membership at carriers without a first contract. It is the same reason that they are not required to pay dues yet.
So L-VX Flight Attendants are eligible to vote as of date of hire as long as they have a membership application on file and are therefore in good standing.
Merger Tentative Agreement voting ends Tuesday, April 3 at 9 AM Pacific Time
Need Help With Voting?
Flight Attendants who have misplaced or not received their voting instructions with the 16-digit activation code must call the AFA Ballot Helpline. Call (800) 424-2401 and choose option 1, then enter extension 706.
Flight Attendants who have dues or membership issues should call AFA Membership Services at (800) 424-2401 and choose option 7.
AFA Membership Services is staffed Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 5 PM EST.
TA Information and Resources
For information on the TA, webinar videos and the JNC Blog click here -> http://afaalaska.org/merger/jnc/ta
For information on voting and to see the AFA Voting Tracker click here -> http://afaalaska.org/merger/jnc/ta/voting
Please exercise your right to vote, every vote counts.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee; and
Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants
Background
The MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative is responsible for working with management to resolve Flight Attendant payroll discrepancies. The Representative works closely with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson, Scheduling Committee, and Reserve Committee to gather Flight Attendant payroll concerns and represents the position of the MEC in interactions with management.
Additional Information from the MEC Policy Manual
The following language is contained in Article VII.F.3 (Grievance Committee, Payroll Subcommittee) of the AFA Policy & Procedure Manual
A. Scope
(i) The Payroll Subcommittee will work with the company and the Inflight Payroll Department to resolve Flight Attendant pay concerns with management.
(ii) The Subcommittee will represent and advocate for the MEC position in matters pertaining to Flight Attendant pay
B. Policy/Responsibilities
(i) The Payroll Subcommittee shall consist of the MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative
(ii) The Subcommittee shall:
(A) Review activity claim forms and other Flight Attendant pay claims as needed.
(B) When pay is correct, provide Flight Attendants with an explanation and applicable contractual citations explaining how the pay is correct.
(C) Meet with management on a regular basis to discuss, review, and resolve Flight Attendant pay discrepancies.
(D) Attend and participate in the Scheduling Review Board.
(E) Meet regularly, but no less than weekly, with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson to discuss the needs, interests, and challenges of the subcommittee.
(F) Meet regularly, but no less than bi-weekly, with the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson and MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson to review and provide updates on work of interest to the committee(s) and subcommittee.
Qualifications
- Robust working knowledge of scheduling, reserve, hours of service, and compensation provisions of the Flight Attendant collective bargaining agreement.
- Ability to maintain office hours in Seattle during the business week and attend meetings as required.
- Strong computer skills. Excellent working knowledge of Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA), Google email, osTicket, and Microsoft Office.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, track issues, prepare reports, and plan meeting agendas and take minutes.
- Ability to meet deadlines and follow up on assigned tasks.
Duties
- Provide assistance and guidance to Local Benefits, Grievance, Scheduling, and Reserve Committees in handling Flight Attendant pay concerns and issues. Assist in resolution of issues as needed.
- Attend meetings with management and represent the AFA position on Flight Attendant pay-related matters.
- Participate in the Scheduling Review Board process. Participate in Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) meetings when requested.
- Schedule, plan, and conduct monthly meetings of the committee and other meetings and conference calls as needed.
- Coordinate with the MEC Scheduling and Reserve Committee Chairpersons to address and resolve open issues.
- Correspond with the Local Benefits, Grievance, Scheduling, and Reserve Committee Chairpersons and MEC regularly to provide status updates. Prepare and send a monthly activity report to the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson for inclusion in the monthly committee report to the MEC.
Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement
- This position will receive 75 TFP of Flight Pay Loss (FPL) per month in accordance with a letter of agreement with the company, paid with a 5% override at “A” pay.
- Time commitment is approximately three days per week in Seattle with additional work completed remotely or in the office as necessary. No relocation or accommodation expense is provided for this position.
- The MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative does not bid a line.
Working Relationships
With The MEC Grievance Committee
This position works directly on a day-to-day basis with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson and Representative. Frequent interaction with Local Grievance Committee Members.
With Other MEC Committee
Constant interaction with the MEC Committee Chairperson and Local Committee Chairpersons of the Benefits, Scheduling, and Reserve Committees. Frequent interaction with Local Committee Members of each committee.
With The Master Executive Council
This position reports to the Master Executive Council through the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC President.
With Alaska Airlines Management
Constant interaction with inflight management, particularly the Manager of Crew Pay (Debbie Bakke), Supervisor of Crew Pay (Michele Carcalean), Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling (Denia Pisia), Crew Pay Analysts, and Inflight Crew Scheduling Duty Managers.
Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling
- The MEC will hold interviews during the May MEC meeting on Wednesday, May 16. No trip drops or scheduling adjustments are available to attend the interviews.
- Interviews will be at the AFA Alaska MEC office in Seattle.
- Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Friday, May 4, 2018. Linda will be able to provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams
Q. How is it that a JCBA is being put forward for consideration when L-VX was previously represented by TWU and they did not have a contract in place? Doesn’t this mean that they weren’t a “represented carrier” and Section X of the AFA Constitution & Bylaws wouldn’t apply?
A. L-VX Flight Attendants are absolutely AFA-CWA members and Virgin America is an AFA represented carrier. It is correct that L-VX Flight Attendants originally organized under TWU but they became an AFA represented carrier when the National Mediation Board certified AFA as their legal collective bargaining representative in April of 2017 (click here to see the NMB certification determination).
Once the merger was announced, it was obvious that given the disparity in numbers of Flight Attendants, that AFA would be the successor union. Discussions between AFA and TWU confirmed this and TWU agreed that they would not contest the National Mediation Board’s (NMB) certification of AFA as the successor union. Thus it was always clear that both carriers would be AFA carriers.
The reason that AFA did not petition the NMB sooner for a decision on representation is because TWU was just finalizing negotiations on a first Tentative Agreement for the L-VX Flight Attendants and AFA did not want to interfere. After the TA failed, AFA quickly secured representation rights for the L-VX Flight Attendants.
It is important to note that Virgin America became an AFA carrier well before the merger transaction or Single Operating Certificate (SOC) was completed as well as the fact that JCBA negotiations did not commence until both carriers were represented by AFA. Equally important to note is the fact that AAG’s acquisition of VX is not what constitutes the merger; the merger transaction was the legal combination of AS and VX into one company and occurred after AAG’s acquisition.
Per the AFA Constitution and Bylaws, Section X, Merger Policy and Related Employee Protective Provisions the MEC is required to follow the merger policy which stipulates numerous steps including the negotiation of a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement.
You can view the full Section X, Merger Provisions here -> http://cdn.afacwa.org/docs/afa/afa-cb-2016.pdf
(Section X starts on page 125 of the PDF)
To review the AFA communication on achieving representation of Virgin America see here -> http://afaalaska.org/latest-%20news/afa-now-represents-virgin-america-flight-attendants
As part of the merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America, Flight Attendants from both pre-merger airlines will need to be trained to work on the aircraft of the other pre-merger airline in order for crews to be able to fully integrate.
Transition training will take place regardless of whether or not the pending joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) is ratified. All Flight Attendants, both pre-merger Alaska and pre-merger Virgin America, will be qualified to work both Boeing and Airbus aircraft by the end of 2018. If the JCBA is ratified, all Flight Attendants will be able to fly on both aircraft types once full integration takes place (currently scheduled for the March 2019 bid period). If the JCBA is not ratified, pre-merger AS and VX Flight Attendants will continue to re-certify on both aircraft types during recurrent training each year starting in 2019, but will not be able to serve as a working crew member on the other pre-merger fleet of aircraft until a JCBA is ratified.
Airbus Transition Training
For Pre-Merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants
Airbus transition training will take place between July and November 2018. Pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants will attend two, 8-hour days of transition training in either ANC, SEA, PDX, or LAX. SAN F/As may bid into any location that has scheduled training sessions. Similar to recurrent training, there will also be a 4-hour computer based training (CBT) that needs to be completed before attending class.
AFA and management have signed a letter of agreement pertaining to Airbus transition training, which you can view by clicking here.
Bidding
Pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants will bid for transition training between April 21 and May 4; awards will be posted by May 10. All available training dates will be available for bid during this process. Bids will be awarded in seniority order. If you do not submit a transition training bid, you will be assigned a training date by management.
Boeing Transition Training
For Pre-Merger Virgin America Flight Attendants
Boeing transition training will take place between July and October 2018. Pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants will attend two, 8-hour days of transition training in either SFO or LAX. Similar to recurrent training, there will also be a 4-hour computer based training (CBT) that needs to be completed before attending class.
Bidding
Pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants will bid for transition training one month at a time. Bids will be awarded in seniority order; if not enough Flight Attendants bid for the available training dates in a given month, FLICA will assign the dates in inverse seniority order until all classes for the month are full.
Management will be communicating specifics on when bidding will occur and when awards will be posted for each month.
Questions?
Management will be putting out more information about transition training within the next several weeks. If you have additional questions, please contact your Local Council Officers.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee
Your Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has put together the following compilation of the more frequently asked questions that have been submitted to the JNC blog in order to help ensure that the most accurate information is available.
Most Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
Q. Is it true there is a pay “difference” or two different pay rates?
A. There is no difference in pay, but there are two different pay scales because there are two different systems: One in TFP and one in BLOCK HOURS.
TFP is a pay rate based on distance while BLOCK HOURS pay rates are based on flight time. The conversion rate is 1.13 TFP = 1 BLOCK HOUR
The JNC has developed additional resources that help provide greater explanation into the difference between TFP and Block Hours. You can find these resources here:
Q. Does the Red Circle LOA carry over into Bidding Seniority?
A. The additional service credit does not count toward bidding for monthly schedules, Flight Attendant domiciles or vacation. It determines the initial rate of pay (if the TA is ratified) that a Flight Attendant will be held at until their occupational seniority catches up with them.
All Bidding is based on occupational (Flight Attendant service) seniority.
Q. Why can L-VX Flight Attendants vote without paying dues and L-AS Flight Attendants have to be current?
A. AFA International policy is that members at carriers without a first contract do not pay dues. L-VX Flight Attendants do not have a first contract – their Work Rules are not contractual, were not bargained over, are not enforceable, and can be changed by management.
Article XI.A.10 [Dues & Assessments: Dues-Active Members] of the AFA Constitution & Bylaws state that Flight Attendants at carriers without a first contract (e.g. Virgin America) do not pay dues until there is a ratified first agreement.
Q. If we vote this down will it keep Alaska from redeploying the Fleet?
A. It is important to remember that no base “owns” particular flying or routes. Crew Planning can move network flying around the system and has consistently done so over the years. The same is true of the aircraft. Airbus and Boeing aircraft can be shifted around the network. Can it be done as efficiently with two separate groups of Flight Attendants as opposed to one combined group? No. However, the pilot group will be combined. Other carriers have combined despite pre-merger Flight Attendant groups remaining separate (United and American Flight Attendant groups are slated to combine this October).
Q. In the Summary of the Tentative Agreement (TA) that was sent with the voting information, why are the percentage increases over the life of the TA different for each pay step and the smallest for those at the top of the scale?
A. The pay step percentage increases over the life of the TA include increases due to Flight Attendants “moving through the scale” (i.e. advancing from one pay step to the next – Year 10 → Year 11 → Year 12, etc.). This adds several dollars to a Flight Attendant’s pay rate in addition to the annual percentage increases to the entire pay scale (4.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%).
Flight Attendants who are at the highest pay rate, or “topped out”, receive the percentage increases to the entire pay scale (4.5%, 1.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%), but do not have additional steps. The compounded rate of all the percentage increases equals 10.35%.
Flight Attendants who are at the top pay step do receive the Longevity Premium at the appropriate years of service and that has not been included in the percentage increase calculation.
Q. What was the change with PPP and vacation?
A. If ratified the current QPP program will change to the PPP program. The new program would be based on five total blocks:
A single combined block of 8 months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov, payout is $1100- worked TFP must be 40.0 TFP more than your combined PBS bid awards (Plus 40.0 TFP can be achieved in any combination of months).
Four individual blocks: Jun, Jul, Aug, Dec, payout is $350 for each month- worked TFP must be 5.0 TFP more than your PBS bid for each month.
Unlike the current QPP program, vacation is included towards achieving your totals.
More information can be found in the JNC Blog post regarding the Productivity Premium Program (PPP).
Voting Reminders
As a reminder, voting ends on Tuesday, April 3 at 9 AM Pacific time.
If you have not received your voting instructions and activation code or are having difficulty voting, please contact the AFA Ballot Helpline. The reach the Helpline, call (800) 424-2401 and choose option 1, then enter extension 706.
Flight Attendants who have dues or membership issues should call AFA Membership Services at (800) 424-2401 and choose option 7.
AFA Membership Services Closed on Friday, March 30
Please note that AFA International Membership Services will be closed on Friday, March 30 for the Good Friday holiday. Messages left on the Ballot Helpline or Membership Services voicemails will be returned the next business day.
AFA Membership Services will resume normal operating hours on Monday, April 2. Normal operating hours are 9:30 AM to 5 PM Eastern time.
In Solidarity,
Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo
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