Reduction in Force Part 6 – WARN Notices

This is the sixth in a series of “Reduction in Force” (RIF) communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See RIF Part 1, RIF Part 2, RIF Part 3, RIF Part 4 and RIF Part 5 for the previous editions.

In This Edition

• WARN Notices

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WARN Notices

WARN Act Requirements

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act compels 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 1^st for involuntary furloughs effective on October 1^st. 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.

WARN Notices Served to 2089 FAs

AFA has now received WARN notices on behalf of the approximately* 2089 most junior Flight Attendants, affecting all domiciles: Anchorage (ANC), Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Diego (SAN). (* Master Executive Council representatives have not yet physically counted the names to validate the expected number, but we wanted to get the list out to the Membership as soon as possible.) The 2089 is inclusive of a significant buffer above the number of potential involuntary furloughs (IVFs), which is to assure the Company is in compliance with the WARN Act.

Affected California-based Flight Attendants received personalized WARN notices via Company email earlier today (Friday, July 31, 2020); such Flight Attendants will also receive a personalized hard copy of the WARN notice at their respective mailing addresses on file with the Company. Although the WARN notices sent to affected California-based Flight Attendants say (in part), “[W]e deeply regret to inform you that you are being furloughed,” the actual number of involuntary furloughs is still being determined.

WARN Notice List

The WARN notice list is password protected and is restricted from being printed or edited. Please respect the security of the document and do not share the password.

Click here for the AFA Alaska WARN Notice List for October 2020 Furloughs >

Password: [Check the personal email address that you have on file with AFA Alaska for the email version of this newsletter, which contains the confidential password. Otherwise, please contact your LEC president for assistance.]

AFA Alaska Statement to the Media Regarding WARN Notices

“COVID-19 is an unprecedented threat to aviation workers and the entire U.S. aviation industry. This crisis dwarfs all others in aviation history and there’s no end in sight. Demand was just barely climbing back to 20 percent of last year and even those minimal gains evaporated over the last month due to surging COVID-19 cases across the country.

The projected furlough numbers at Alaska are difficult and we are working with management on possible furlough mitigations. Right now, our focus is fighting to extend the Payroll Support Program to keep Alaska Flight Attendants on the job and connected to our healthcare during COVID-19.”

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Coming Soon

• Early Out and Other Furlough Mitigation Awards

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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.