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    You are here: Home / Archives for JNC

    Corrected Tentative Merger Agreement Documents

    March 4, 2018 19:00

    The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has revised and reposted the following documents to the Merger Tentative Agreements and Information page. In most cases, revisions were required in order to correct minor errors within the documents. In a few instances, the changes were made in order to clarify or highlight an item. After the link to each revised document, you will find additional information detailing the changes and the reasons for such changes.

    Corrected TAs

    JCBA 2018-2021 TA >

    • Addendum to §15 [Leaves of Absence] #5 (“Do I accrue seniority while on a leave of absence?”)

    The citation incorrectly indicated that a Flight Attendant accrues seniority only while on an approved medical leave when in fact seniority accrual occurs while on any approved leave of absence. The citation was updated to match the correct language in the JCBA LOA Changes to the 2014-2019 CBA TA.

    • Section 35 [Duration]

    The section was incorrectly reflecting the 2014-2019 CBA duration and amendable date and was updated with the 2018-2021 JCBA duration and amendable date.

    JCBA LOA Changes to the 2014-2019 CBA TA >

    • Section 6.B.2 [Seniority: Calculation for Determining Seniority] “Hired as a Flight Attendant on or after Date of Ratification”

    [Note: This provision affects only Flight Attendant trainees hired after ratification and has no effect on current Flight Attendants or trainees already in Initial Training.]

    Flight Attendants hired on or after Date of Ratification will no longer have seniority assigned according to birth order. This is due to recommendations from the AFA Legal Department in response to recent changes in various state and local laws with respect to age discrimination. After reaching the TA, AFA and management discovered that assignment of the Peoplesoft number is not entirely random. Because the parties intend for seniority to be determined as randomly as possible, we have agreed to an alternative method using a combination of the last four digits of the (mostly random) Peoplesoft number and the last four digits of the Social Security number (which are in fact random). The resulting number is sufficiently random for the purpose of establishing seniority and maintains the security of personal information.

    L-VX FA Transition Agreement TA >

    • Section 21: Compensation –> 21.T Sit Pay

    Sit Pay was incorrectly referenced as one block hour. The negotiated Sit Pay was based on the block-hour equivalent of 1.0 TFP, which is actually fifty-three block minutes (0:53).

    • Ability to Trade Trips Below Seventy (70) Block Hours

    The reference to Virgin America InFlight Teammate Work Rules v5 Chapter 7.B.2.d.iii was updated to correctly indicate that the monthly cap on trading above 135 hours was previously eliminated; AFA and management agree the ability to trade above 135 hours will continue.

    • Show/No Go

    The Show/No Go credit was incorrectly referenced as 3.39 block hours. The negotiated Show/No Go credit was based on the block-hour equivalent of 3.0 TFP, which is actually two hours and thirty-nine minutes (2:39).

    Corrected TA Summaries

    Summary of AS Transition Agreement >

    • Compensation

    “Downline” increases of 1.5% on 12/17/2018, 1.5% on 12/17/2019 and 2.5% on 12/17/2020 added to the compensation summary for clarity.

    Summary of VX Transition Agreement >

    • Compensation: Pay Scale in Block Hours

    The pay scale in block-hours is based on the TFP equivalent of the L-AS pay scale, which is converted at 1.13 TFP per block-hour. Some pay rates were off by a penny ($0.01) due to rounding errors in the worksheet used to produce the table. The rates have been corrected with the appropriate rounding convention.

    • Compensation: Show No Go

    The Show/No Go credit was incorrectly referenced as 3.39 block hours. The negotiated Show/No Go credit was based on the block-hour equivalent of 3.0 TFP, which is actually two hours and thirty-nine minutes (2:39).

    • Compensation: Sit Pay

    Sit Pay was incorrectly referenced as one block hour. The negotiated Sit Pay was based on the block-hour equivalent of 1.0 TFP, which is actually fifty-three block minutes (0:53).

    The JNC thanks our eagle-eyed members for bringing the errors to our attention, and we apologize for any resulting confusion. You may contact the JNC at jnc@afaalaska.org if you have any concerns or questions. We hope to see you at the roadshows starting this coming week!

    In Solidarity,

    Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

     

    The roadshow schedule may be found on the Merger TAs & Info page along with other TA-related resources. Any pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) or pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) FAs are welcome to attend any and all sessions. Please be aware that only AFA members in good standing may vote on the TA, so it is extremely important that pmAS FAs are current on their dues and pmVX FAs have completed an AFA membership application prior to the vote.

    Filed Under: AS/VX Merger, Latest News, Negotiations Tagged With: 2018, JNC, merger agreement, TA

    “Vacation Coordination Bank” [JCBA]

    February 17, 2018 13:09

    Q: Can you please explain the Vacation Coordination Bank in greater detail?

    A: The Vacation Coordination Bank would allow Flight Attendants the ability to coordinate with unpaid vacation (i.e., even if a Flight Attendant had -0- TFP in a year) in order to maintain health insurance benefits at the active employee rate while on an eligible leave of absence pursuant to §15.M. This is especially important because the JCBA provides for a medical leave of 4 years duration instead of today’s 1 year maximum (unless  management approves additional time, which has not been the case recently).  

    Our current Agreement allows Flight Attendants to use paid vacation to coordinate with an unpaid leave of absence in order to maintain health insurance at the active employee rate.

    Section 15.M.2.a. (Leaves of Absence, Minimum Coordination with Vacation):

    Minimum Coordination: A Flight Attendant may choose to coordinate the use of vacation/Longevity PTO in conjunction with medical, maternity or parental leave, FMLA, Workers’ Compensation, STD or LTD in order to maintain insurance benefits for her-/himself and her/his eligible dependents, if applicable, at the active employee contribution rate. … If coordinating with vacation/Longevity PTO, s/he must utilize a minimum of two (2) vacation/Longevity PTO days in each partial or full bid month until depleted.

    Under the JCBA, instead of the requirement to coordinate with paid vacation, a Flight Attendant who had not earned any paid vacation would be credited with her full possible vacation entitlement (as though s/he had been credited the ‘hard’ 480) for the purposes of minimum coordination.  Those “vacation coordination bank” days would be applied at two days/month in order for the Flight Attendant to maintain health insurance at the active rate.  In the current CBA, one can only coordinate with paid vacation days.

    Example:  A 26-year FA was on a medical leave for most of 2017 and was only credited with 190 TFP in 2017.  Because of the 190 TFP credit for 2017, the Flight Attendant did not earn any paid/unpaid vacation for 2018.  However, her/his possible Vacation/Longevity PTO accrual would be 42 days. Therefore, s/he may use those 42 “vacation coordination bank” days to coordinate 2 days/month in order to maintain health insurance at the active employee rate. In 2019, s/he may do the same thing.  Under today’s CBA, s/he would need paid vacation days to coordinate per §15.M.2.a.

    Filed Under: JNC Blog Tagged With: blog, JNC, Vacation Coordination Bank

    Merger Tentative Agreements & Resources

    February 16, 2018 21:30

    The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has prepared the comprehensive full text tentative agreements (TAs) that make up the overall Merger Agreement.

    The Merger Agreement is the global ‘umbrella’ document and incorporates all agreements related to the merger by reference. Keep in mind that in order to transition pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) Flight Attendants onto the pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) pay, work rules and other contract provisions, some letters of agreement (LOAs) apply only to the pmVX FAs, some apply to only pmAS FAs, and some apply to both. However, all eligible pmAS and pm VX FAs will be voting on the collection of TAs, so you should familiarize yourself with every LOA.

    AFA AS-VX Merger TAs & Resources >

    Now that the comprehensive full text documents have been posted, the JNC blog will go live shortly.

    JNC blog >

    Email us at jnc@afaalaska.org for topic suggestions, questions or general feedback.

    In Solidarity,

    Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

     

    The roadshow schedule may be found in the February 3, 2018 ”Save the Date: Tentative Merger Agreement Roadshows” membership release. AFA anticipates voting will open shortly after the completion of roadshows in mid-March and will end in early April. Any pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) or pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) FAs are welcome to attend any and all sessions. Please be aware that only AFA members in good standing may vote on the TA, so it is extremely important that pmAS FAs are current on their dues and pmVX FAs have completed an AFA membership application prior to the vote.

    Filed Under: AS/VX Merger, JNC Blog, Latest News, Negotiations Tagged With: 2018, blog, JCBA, JNC, merger, TA

    JCBA Payscale Comparisons

    February 15, 2018 21:00

    AFA has prepared Flight Attendant industry payscale comparisons for the step rates of pay contained in the tentative Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA).

    Keep in mind that pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) Flight Attendants are currently paid in dollars per block-hour ($/block-hour), and pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) Flight Attendants are paid in dollars per Trips for Pay ($/TFP). Until pmVX FA are completely transitioned to the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) and payroll system (estimated March 2019), pmVX FAs will continue to be paid in block-hours in the existing VX system. In order to match the Alaska pay rates (in TFP) in block-hours, one must convert from $/TFP to $/block-hour.

    TFP -> block-hour = 1.13 TFP/block-hour

    [Note: Industry comparison documents have been updated to reflect the latest JetBlue (B6) pay rates effective January 1, 2018./ jtp 02.16.2018] 

    afa

    [pmAS] FA Industry Comps in TFP for AS-VX JCBA 2018-2021 >

    afa

    [pmVX] FA Industry Comps in BLOCK HOURS for AS-VX JCBA 2018-2021 >

     

    Questions about individual Merger Agreement provisions will be answered once the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) publishes the full text language of the tentative Merger Agreement on Friday (tomorrow). We thank you in advance for your patience.

    In Solidarity,

    Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

     

    The roadshow schedule may be found in the February 3, 2018 ”Save the Date: Tentative Merger Agreement Roadshows” membership release. AFA anticipates voting will open shortly after the completion of roadshows in mid-March and will end in early April. Any pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) or pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) FAs are welcome to attend any and all sessions. Please be aware that only AFA members in good standing may vote on the TA, so it is extremely important that pmAS FAs are current on their dues and pmVX FAs have completed an AFA membership application prior to the vote.

    Filed Under: AS/VX Merger, Latest News, Negotiations Tagged With: 2018, JCBA, JNC, merger, merger agreement

    Merger Negotiations Background

    February 14, 2018 19:00

    The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) posted the Summary of Merger Agreements yesterday, and we realize there are many questions about the negotiations process. This communication addresses those inquiries. Questions about individual Merger Agreement provisions will be answered once we publish the full text language on Friday. We thank you in advance for your patience.

    AS-VX Merger Agreement bargaining background

    From the very beginning of the merger, Alaska Airlines (AS) management took the position there would be no improvements for the pre-merger AS (pmAS) Flight Attendants because they already had a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in place. Management claimed they would only negotiate a strictly transitional agreement. Such agreement would simply incorporate the pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) Flight Attendants into the existing CBA, and therefore would contain no improvements for the combined work group. Management insisted that because AFA did not have the same language in our CBA as the pilots’, management did not have to negotiate a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) with us.

    The JNC solidly rejected that approach. It was adamant that there was no deal unless all Flight Attendants benefited from this merger. After months of hard bargaining, AFA prevailed.

    Merger Agreement highlights

    This tentative Merger Agreement includes:

    • AS pay rates for VX (converted at 1.13 TFP per block-hour);
    • 4.5% increase to the entire AS pay scale and retro to 1.1.2018;
    • Over 10.35% in compounded wage increases;
    • Additional holiday: Christmas Eve, including actual or scheduled provisions;
    • Two (2) additional Attendance Points reduction/credit;
    • Increase in 401(k) Company match to 7.5% (@100%);
    • Improved medical leave period of four (4) years;
    • Five (5) minute grace period for MBL;
    • Ground commuting protections that apply to all FAs (not just registered “air” commuters);
    • Elimination of the 1/12 vacation reduction if there is no paid time in the month; and
    • Immediate and ‘down-line’ enhancements for pmVX FAs.

    Other airline mergers

    Consistent with other mergers in the industry, pmVX FAs will transition onto the Alaska system over a period of time. Because of systems and technology constraints, Alaska Airlines cannot simply just combine the groups immediately. Pre-merger American Airlines (AA) Flight Attendants and pre-merger US Airways (US) Flight Attendants are still working under separate work rules even though their JCBA was reached in late 2014. The execution of the United agreement is proceeding faster, but full implementation is still many months away. Because of their complex negotiations situations, many Flight Attendants in the aforementioned mergers went several years without pay increases. One could argue that the relatively significant increases on the effective date of their JCBAs did not make up for the years of stagnant wages.

    The merger most analogous to ours—in which a comparatively larger group merged with a relatively smaller carrier—was the AirTran (ATR)-Southwest (SWA) merger in 2011. Those merger negotiations resulted in no pay raises or other contractual changes for the SWA FAs.   The ATR operation was kept separate and individual groups of approximately 40 ATR FAs at a time crossed over the partition to SWA pay and work rules over a multi-year period. It took years to complete, kept the groups divided and denied pay and work rule improvements to the ATR FAs.

    Bargaining rationale

    An important consideration that made a “mid-term” JCBA an option is that AFA does not want to go into our next round of regular negotiations with a divided work group. Despite AFA’s best efforts to secure as many interim improvements for pmVX FAs as possible up to this point, the reality is they are currently working for sub-par wages and they are not protected by a full union contract.

    This Merger Agreement clears a path for all Flight Attendants to:

    • Be covered by the Alaska JCBA (effective date of ratification in early April 2018);
    • Fly together under a fully integrated operation (currently estimated in March 2019);
    • Experience the Alaska contractual work rules first hand for a sufficient period of time that everyone understands the value of those work rules; and
    • Learn more about the Alaska bargaining history, bargaining objectives and related challenges.

    This will provide a powerful platform for AFA to go into the next round of full negotiations (early opener in late 2020) as unified as possible in order to achieve the pay, benefits and work rule improvements that we all deserve.

    In Solidarity,

    Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

     

    The roadshow schedule may be found in the February 3, 2018 ”Save the Date: Tentative Merger Agreement Roadshows” membership release. AFA anticipates voting will open shortly after the completion of roadshows in mid-March and will end in early April. Any pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) or pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) FAs are welcome to attend any and all sessions. Please be aware that only AFA members in good standing may vote on the TA, so it is extremely important that pmAS FAs are current on their dues and pmVX FAs have completed an AFA membership application prior to the vote.

    Filed Under: AS/VX Merger, Latest News, Negotiations Tagged With: 2018, JCBA, JNC, merger negotiations, Merger Negotiations Background The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) posted the Summary of Merger Agreements yesterday

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