Dues for Legacy Virgin America Will Start July 15
The first dues payment for Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants is scheduled for July 15. The easiest and preferred way to pay your dues is through payroll deduction. You can sign up for automatic payroll deduction of dues by completing a Dues Check Off form. This form can be downloaded from the AFA Alaska website or you can pick up a copy near the AFA lock boxes in the SFO and LAX villages. Once you’ve completed the form, mail it to AFA International Membership Services (the address is on the bottom of the form) or place it in the AFA lock box (located in both SFO and LAX bag rooms) and we’ll mail it in on your behalf. For more information about dues please see our April 30 communication AFA Dues for Legacy Virgin America.
AFA Alaska EAP and Professional Standards Now Available for L-VX
AFA Alaska EAP will be hosting base sits for SFO and LAX this week to introduce L-VX Flight Attendants to available services. EAP offers support for a variety of issues that involve Flight Attendants and their family members. EAP committee members are also the first responders whenever a serious aircraft incident occurs. For more EAP information, visit the AFA Alaska EAP committee website, where you will find a description of services available and detailed contact information. Base sit schedules can be found on our Council 35 Facebook page.
New Bereavement Policy
With the new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), L-VX Flight Attendants now have additional days for bereavement. The days have increased from 3 paid days to 4, with the option to extend an additional 4 days. Please see Section (§)15.G of the JCBA for more information about bereavement benefits.
Time Off for Serious Aircraft Incidents
In the event any F/A experiences an aircraft incident, please be aware of the new provisions available to L-VX F/As in the JCBA. Examples of a serious incident include onboard fire, decompression, emergency landing, evacuation and death on board. If you experience any of these types of incidents and others, you are entitled to time off after the event to recover. Please see §15.H of the JCBA for more information on leaves for serious aircraft incidents.
Commuter Policy and Boarding Priority
All L-VX Flight Attendants are covered under the L-VX Commuter policy until full integration, which is expected for early next year. With PSS, an additional benefit for L-VX F/As became available—higher boarding priority for registered commuters. As a reminder, although the priority is a benefit, it doesn’t necessarily prevent commuting challenges. In the event you are unable to arrive on time due to commuting issues, please follow the L-VX Commuter Policy when providing documentation.
Crew Scheduling
A great amount of email traffic to Council 35 relates to CSS and scheduling issues. To assist with organizing this information your Council 35 officers highly recommend that members file a report (open a “ticket”) through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. Select “Lineholder Scheduling Concern” or “Reserve Concern” to report issues. Not only does it help AFA get the information faster, but it tracks trends for further evaluation by the System Board Review (SRB). SRB is the scheduling dispute resolution process between AFA and Crew Scheduling leadership. We have already resolved and received remedies for L-VX cases with the SRB process. Please allow a response time of 24 business hours when reporting a crew scheduling issue. If the assignment in question is imminent and you have not received a response, AFA recommends that F/As fly the trip “in protest” and dispute the Work Rule/contract violation through AFA after the fact for a resolution/remedy. CSS issues cannot always be addressed by AFA immediately, therefore it is recommended that you document all your correspondence and provide the evidence for your dispute as soon as you are able.
New Faces and Help for Council 35
As a transitional council, Council 35 has not had the luxury of a full complement of officers and committee members that a normal council enjoys. Recognizing the demand, several Flight Attendants and AFA Alaska leaders have stepped forward and have offered to assist where the need has been the greatest. The volunteers have been trained to help in specific departments:
Grievance
· Zarah Shaw, Grievance Representative (L-VX-SFO) zarah.shaw@afaalaska.org
· Tim Green, Local Executive Council (LEC) President Council 18, (AS-LAX) timothy.green@afalaska.org
Reserve/Probationary/New-Hire
· Jarod McNeil, MEC Reserve Chair (AS-SEA) jarod.mcneil@afaalaska.org
Safety
· Brad Young , Air Safety, Health & Security Committee (ASHSC) Interim Chair-Airbus (L-VX-SFO) bradley.young@afaalaska.org
Scheduling
· Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Chair (AS-SEA) jake.jones@afaalaska.org
More Opportunities to Serve Coming Soon!
A new contract triggers an election for a full complement of officers. Once the election is complete, the officers will select committee chairs and members. If you are interested in participating in a committee or getting involved, please visit the AFA committee website for more information about each committee and their responsibilities.
ASAP it!
Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is an FAA program that allows Flight Attendants to self-disclose unintentional violations of CFRs or company safety policy without fear of disciplinary action from management or enforcement action from the FAA. Examples include improper door procedures, minimum crew violations and unintentional company policy/Work Rule violations. The intent of the program is to improve procedure, processes, and training through increased reporting of safety-related incidents that might otherwise go unreported. ASAP can be reported online and through your company-issued IMD through the Report It app. Please visit our website to view the ASAP Letter of Agreement and ASAP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). For questions, please contact Bradley Young, the ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) Observer, and ASHSC Interim Chair for Airbus at bradley.young@afaalaska.org.
Are You an AFA Member?
The recent voting opportunity brought an increase of Council 35 membership applications. As of today, only a small percentage of L-VX F/As have not signed up to become members. It’s important to note that at Alaska Airlines, being a member of the Union is a condition of employment (§ 26). As a reminder, this form cannot be completed online. The hard copy paper form must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in Washington D.C. You can download and print an application, or pick one up from the bag/file rooms the next time you pass through either SFO or LAX Villages. Please note, that only AFA members may attend Membership Meetings, vote for officers, hold a position as an AFA officer or committee member or vote on Tentative Agreements (TAs).
FAQs
Why does my Peoplesoft number have me below my classmates that are junior to me?
Although there is some chronological association to Peoplesoft numbers, they are not used to determine class placement or seniority. The number assigned is dependent upon when the data was inputted in the system, but the numbers aren’t necessarily sequential. Unlike your old L-VX ID number, your Peoplesoft/Arctic numbers are in no way indicative of your seniority.
I noticed another FA that is junior to me is getting a higher pay for the retro pay period. How can that be correct?
When comparing pay rates, please note whether or not the two F/As comparing are in the same base rates. All ITL pay rates include the 15% ITL override. The email sent to all F/As indicating their new pay rate was either straight base rate or, if the F/A was an ITL, the rate would show the base rate plus the 15 % override.
How often can I use the Might Be Late (MBL) provision?
This provision is unlimited and can be used by L-VX F/As at any time. Keep in mind, you must call crew scheduling prior to your check-in time to initiate this program. Calls received after show-time will not be considered for MBL and will be marked as late according to the L-VX Reliability policy.
How do I contact Council 35 officers?
The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email. Emails are easier to forward for follow up and to have a record of information. All emails and concerns received by Council 35 are held in confidence, and will not be shared for follow up without the permission of the original sender. To get the fastest and most thorough response, please email your concerns to vx@afaalaska.org. All officers can respond to emails sent to that address which facilitates a more efficient use of resources.
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 & Jamie
