Search Results for: Quarterly Productivity Premium

Quarterly Productivity Premium

January 23, 2015 19:50

21.R. Quarterly Productivity Premium

A Flight Attendant will receive a Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP) if Worked TFP during a calendar quarter exceeds the TFP equivalent of the Flight Attendant’s combined monthly PBS bid award in that calendar quarter.

What is Worked TFP?

Worked TFP is all paid TFP excluding vacation/PTO and sick leave. Worked TFP includes (but is not limited to) regular TFP, Sit Pay, 4 trip minimum, ground delay, stranded pay, pre-boarding, pay protection, jury duty, deadhead, surface deadhead, Recurrent Training, Company business, Union business, et cetera.

Do I have to achieve my PBS bid award every month in order to be eligible for the QPP?

No. The QPP is based on exceeding the PBS monthly bid award combined over the three months in the calendar quarter.

Example:

January 2015 – 80 TFP

February 2015 – 80 TFP

March 2015 – 80 TFP

In order to achieve the QPP for Q1 2015, you must fly 240.1 TFP anytime during Q1. You could fly 100 TFP in January, 100 TFP in February and 40.1 TFP in March or any combination thereof. As just a few examples, Sit Pay, Recurrent Training, ground delay pay, boarding pay are all “bonuses” above one’s bid award that will help you achieve the QPP.

How does vacation/PTO affect the QPP?

Vacation/PTO is included in the PBS bid award, so it counts towards “setting the bar” for the QPP. However, Worked TFP does not include vacation/PTO, so vacation/PTO does not count towards “meeting the bar” for QPP.

Example:

January 2015 – 80 TFP (28 TFP vacation, 52 TFP flying)

February 2015 – 80 TFP

March 2015 – 80 TFP

If you just fly your line and have one sit over 2 hours sometime in Q1 (52 TFP + 80 TFP + 80 TFP + 1 TFP = 213 TFP), you will not achieve the QPP. The “bar” is set at 240 TFP but you have only flown 212 TFP plus the 1 TFP Sit Pay = 213 TFP. You must fly at least 240.1 TFP in Q1 to achieve QPP. Although you do not have to fly over your vacation, you do have to fly the equivalent of any vacation/PTO and sick time at some point in the quarter, plus exceed the quarterly bid award by 0.1 TFP.

Quarterly Productivity Premium video

Productivity Premium Program (PPP) [JCBA]

February 18, 2018 19:34

Q: Am I reading it correctly that under the new plan unpaid vacation and PTO would be included for the purpose of earning bonuses or am I missing something?

A: Yes! Paid vacation (included Longevity PTO) and unpaid vacation will count towards achieving the PPP at 4.0 TFP per day.

Q: As the quarterly productivity premium is now paid quarterly, how will the new program be paid?

A: It will be paid on the 20th paycheck following the appropriate PPP incentive period. This is an improvement from the QPP, which is paid on the 5th paycheck two months following the quarter.

QPP:

Q1 (Jan, Feb, Mar) – $500 paid 05/05,
Q2 (Apr, May, Jun) – $500 paid 08/05,
Q3 (Jul, Aug, Sep) – $1000 paid 11/05, and
Q4 (Oct, Nov, Dec) – $500 paid 02/05

PPP:

June – $350 paid 07/20,
July – $350 paid 08/20,
Aug – $350 paid 09/20,
“Block of 8” (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov) – $1100 paid 12/20, and
December – $350 paid 01/20.

Q: Will you do a comparison of the QPP and the PPP and the significant differences?

A: Sure!

QPP: Based on a calendar quarter application (Q1: Jan, Feb, Mar; Q2: Apr, May, Jun; Q3: Jul, Aug, Sep; Q4: Oct, Nov, Dec) and requires your Worked TFP to be at least 0.1 TFP more than your combined monthly PBS bid award equivalent across that calendar quarter. Sick leave and vacation are excluded from achieving the QPP. Payout is $500 for Q1, Q3 and Q4; $1000 for Q3.

PPP: Based on the defined period (Combined block of 8 months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov; 4 individual months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Dec) and requires your Worked TFP to be at least 40.0 TFP more than your combined monthly PBS bid award equivalent across that block of 8 months (average 5.0 TFP per month) or at least 5.0 TFP more than your monthly bid award equivalent in June, July, August and December. Vacation is now included in achieving the PPP (and sick leave is still excluded). Payout is $1100 for the block of 8 months is $350 for each month of June, July, August and December.

Q: Why is the PPP based on the base line average instead of the individual line average?

A: The PPP is based on an individual Flight Attendant’s bid award–the same criteria as the current QPP program. One can make arguments either way for the benefits of an individual line average versus the domicile line average. AFA and management did not change that aspect of the incentive criteria.

Q: I am seeking understanding why the QPP was changed from quarterly to create the PPP with 4 single high impact months and an 8-month block. Vacation counting towards PPP is better than how it is currently with QPP. However, one now has to fly 5.0 TFP more (60 TFP total for the year) for the PPP instead of 0.1 TFP more in each quarter for the QPP. Why have we lost the flexibility of being able to do our extra flying over a quarter and have now in essence made it harder in single months?

A: AFA sought to change the QPP so that vacation counted towards achieving the payout. Management agreed but sought to increase the threshold from 0.1 TFP to 5.0 TFP for each month, inclusive of vacation.

Considering even the most junior FA has at least 14 days of vacation at 4.0 TFP per day, that equals 56.0 TFP of vacation credit for the year that now counts towards achieving the PPP. That leaves a difference of only 4.0 TFP to make up for the entire year–and that is before you count in any other pick-up, Sit Pay, ADPG, ground delay, block delay, Stranded Pay, etc. This doesn’t seem like an unreasonable trade-off when one considers that all FAs with 5 years or more of Occupational Seniority have at least 21 days of vacation that equals at least 84.0 TFP more of vacation credit that will now count towards achieving the PPP.

It may be more challenging for some to achieve PPP in the single months, but it will be much easier for others. It really depends on where your vacation days are located within the year.

Q&A: Does the Productivity Premium replace our PBP or OPR bonus?

November 17, 2014 21:59

A: NO

The Productivity Premium is a premium paid to those Flight Attendants who qualify based on their quarterly flying. It is paid in ADDITION to the current PBP and OPR company bonus programs and DOES NOT replace either program.

Please see this additional post below on the Productivity Premium to learn more on how to qualify.

Get the Facts – Productivity Premium

November 10, 2014 10:34

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.

Council 35 News – May 18, 2017

May 18, 2017 12:00

Become A Member, Have Your Voice Heard!

If you haven’t already had the chance to complete an AFA membership application, you can download and print one by clicking here. The AFA membership application is not a form that can be completed online; it must be filled out, signed in ink, and returned to an AFA representative or mailed to AFA. Signing up to receive AFA email communications is not the same as completing a membership application. Completing an application ensures that you have the right to vote in officer elections and on tentative agreements.

Equal Rest for Flight Attendants

AFA International has actively been lobbying lawmakers to change FAR rest minimums for Flight Attendants. In 2014, FAR 117 was enacted to protect pilots from extensive duty days and provided minimum rest requirements. AFA believes Flight Attendants should enjoy the same protections. For more information on how you can get involved and help make this change for all of us, please visit AFA Interactive. There you will find instructions on how to petition our political leaders for change.

Village Visits

For several days each week, Local Council President Melissa Osborne, Local Council Secretary James Ikehara, and several other AFA Alaska leaders have visited the Villages in JFK, LAX and SFO to share information about AFA, answer questions, and provide AFA membership applications. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Additional Village Visits will be held over the next few weeks. You can also find the most up-to-date information on Village Visits on the Council 35 Facebook page.

Don’t Forget to Wear Your AFA Pin

The AFA pin is an approved uniform piece and should be worn on the left collar. If wearing both your AFA pin and anniversary pin, the anniversary pin should be placed closest to the tip of the collar.

Your AFA pin represents our combined strength and unity as we work toward achieving improvements for all of us and should always be worn with your uniform. If you don’t already have an AFA pin, you can pick one up from an AFA representative during an upcoming Village Visit. Visit the Council 35 Facebook page for recent “pin pics.”

Have your own pin pics to share? Send them to us (along with the name of everyone in the picture) at vx@afaalaska.org.

Seniority Integration

Seniority will be integrated based on competitive (bidding) seniority date in accordance with the AFA Constitution & Bylaws. Competitive seniority date is often referred to as “date of hire” although the actual application is more complicated than that. A previous communication on the AFA seniority integration policy can be found here.

Joint Negotiating Committee and Merger Representative Positions

Thanks to everyone who applied for the JNC and Merger Representative positions. Interviews for both positions were conducted at the MEC Meeting in Seattle earlier this week. An announcement of the appointees will be sent out within the next several days by AFA email and will also be posted on the Council 35 page of the AFA Alaska website.

FAQs

Are new-hire ITMs able to apply for AFA membership?

Yes! New hires achieve active member status with AFA after four full calendar months of employment but are considered “apprentice” members from their first day. For example, if you were hired on January 3, you would attain active member status on June 1 (first of the month after completing four full calendar months of employment). “Membership” is a relationship between the F/A and the Union; this is separate from the “probationary period”, which is a relationship between the F/A and the company. As an apprentice member, you enjoy the benefits of the Union however you will not be able to participate in any voting activities nor hold an officer and/or committee position.

Is it true that that Skywest has the same boarding priority as VX on Alaska metal?

Skywest, though not owned by AAG, operates flights on behalf of Alaska Airlines through a capacity purchase agreement (CPA). For nonrev purposes on AS metal, Skywest is grouped into the E7 boarding priority code, which is then further subdivided (E7A, E7B, etc.). In addition to Skywest employees, pass riders of several other airlines are also slotted into the E7 boarding priority code. All Virgin America teammates should be boarded after Alaska and Horizon employees and dependents but before other airlines when they use ZED 0 on Alaska flights, including those operated by Horizon or Skywest. Management is working to integrate the two travel programs and expects this to occur sometime in early 2018. In the meantime, two different systems prevent them from generating an integrated priority list.

Can we implement a commuter code like AS F/As have in order to get priority boarding status?

Boarding priority for commuters is part of the current AS contract and will not likely become a benefit for VX until we’re on a merged agreement.

Can we adopt the AS summer attendance program?

AS Flight Attendants do not have a perfect summer attendance program per se, but rather a quarterly productivity premium (QPP). The premium provides an incentive for AS F/As to pick up flying over their awarded schedules. The incentive is $500 per quarter except for the third quarter (July, August, and September) when it is $1000. This provision is not a company-wide policy, however, it is outlined in section 21.R of the AS contract. Therefore, VX F/As would not be eligible to participate in the program until we are on a merged agreement.

Will the pay increase be applied to initial training pay?

Training pay is a flat rate for the entire training period and therefore would not be eligible for a rate increase. Immediately following training, the pay rate is brought up to the pay scale for the 1st year, so on that date the pay increase will be applicable. Anyone who worked at least 1 day after graduation (between Jan 1 and Apr 30, 2017) would be eligible for the retro pay increases.

Alaska’s maternity policy is much more parent friendly. Can we adopt the same policy at VX?

Some of the maternity leave provisions are contractual, and other parts of it are AS company policy. As for the contractual side of it, we won’t see any changes for VX until we have a merged agreement.

I commute from SAN, when will I be given the opportunity to change bases?

Base transfers between pre-merger VX and AS bases will not occur until after we are on a merged agreement and have an integrated seniority list. The earliest this could possibly happen would be approximately Q2 2019, but could take longer.

I would like to leave Virgin America to apply for a position at Alaska. Can I retain my VX seniority?

Any VX teammate interested in applying to be a Flight Attendant at AS will need to resign from VX and begin as a new-hire employee. To be eligible for hire at AS, VX teammates would be required to remove their name from the integration list and give up all their seniority rights. If this is something you have been considering, AFA would like to caution you to consider how this course of action will impact your position and seniority. If you have any further questions, please reach out to the Council 35 leadership team at vx@afaalaska.org.

I have questions for Melissa and James, how can I reach them?

Please refrain from sending messages to VX email accounts and/or via Facebook messenger. Your questions will be answered faster if you send them to the Council 35 email vx@afaalaska.org. Being available to you is important to your AFA leadership team and by following the prescribed methods of communication, your leaders can better assist with your questions, suggestions and concerns. Thank you for understanding!

I am not getting any emails from AFA Alaska Council 35. What can I do?

Please be sure to subscribe to Council 35 emails using a non-Virgin America email account. You can subscribe online at http://afanewsletters.org/subscribe/. If you encounter any problems with the online subscription page, please email us at vx@afaalaska.org.

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts! You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & James