This is the third in a series of “Reduction in Force” communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See “Reduction in Force Part 1” and “Reduction in Force Part 2” for the previous editions.
In This Edition
- Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
- Staffing Projections From the All-Employee Webcast Explained
Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
The single most impactful thing that you can do to completely avoid involuntary furloughs (IVFs) in October would be for you, your family members and your friends to contact Congress and demand our legislators extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program.
We need urgent action on this now and every day in July:
- Call your Representative and Senators. Flight Attendants, family and friends should make three calls every day: two to the Senate line and one to the House line.
- Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >
- Tell five flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!
House: 888-907-9365 | Senate: 888-848-4824
Sample Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative] /[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.
Staffing Projections From the All-Employee Webcast Explained
WARN Act Notices
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act helps ensure advance notice in cases of qualified mass layoffs. Management is required by law to provide “WARN notices” to employees who may be laid off (i.e. involuntarily furloughed). In all the states in which there are Flight Attendant domiciles (AK, WA, OR and CA), those notices must be sent no less than 60 days prior to the date of the involuntary furlough, or no later than August 1st for involuntary furloughs effective on October 1st.
WARN notices provided to the union on behalf of affected employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement satisfies the WARN Act requirements except for in California, which also requires notices to be sent directly to the employee. As of today, AFA has not been provided with WARN notices, but we will advise membership as soon as the notice has been served.
Management’s Projections and “Excess Employees” Explained
On today’s all-employee webcast, management shared there would be 2500 “excess employees” in Inflight in October and that there are 1200 “volunteers to date” in Inflight. The Master Executive Council (MEC) understands that 2500 is the number of Flight Attendants who will receive WARN notices. That number of 2500 is inclusive of a buffer above the actual number of potential involuntary furloughs (IVFs) in order to assure the Company is in compliance with the WARN Act; it is not the actual number.
AFA’s Interpretation of Management’s Projections
The MEC is currently estimating approximately 1900 to 2200 Flight Attendants are in the potential involuntary furlough range without any furlough mitigations. At the time of the webcast, 1200 Flight Attendants had bid for some form of furlough mitigation (e.g. Early Out, Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough); that number has climbed to approximately 1300 since then. It would seem logical to estimate that we are somewhere between 600 and 900 Flight Attendants short of avoiding IVFs as of this writing, but that is not entirely accurate.
Keep in mind that many relatively junior Flight Attendants have applied for various furlough mitigations. They would be converted to IVF if they are in the seniority range impacted by involuntary furlough. Therefore, one cannot assume that every application for furlough mitigation will actually reduce the number of involuntary furloughs in a one to one (1:1) ratio.
Coming Soon
- Order of Recall for IVF, EVF and ELOA
- Dues Obligation During a Reduction in Force
These are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. As your direct representative on the MEC, your LEC president is available to answer questions or concerns that you may have about all the information presented here. Contact information for your respective LEC president can be found by clicking here.
