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AFA Update – December 6, 2019

In This Edition

  • PBS Software Update

PBS Software Update

Scheduling Committee—PBS Subcommittee

A PBS update occurred on Nov 25th that likely makes it necessary to clear your browser’s cache. This is especially important if using the ‘new’ version of Navblue (the one they refer to as ‘WebApp’). If you get an error message when trying to log in or certain tabs aren’t working as they should then this is a sign that you must clear your cache.  You should be seeing version 19.4 on both the old and the new PBS website.

On the Inflight website, there is an ‘Alert’ posted at ‘Schedule and Bidding’ with a link to instructions for clearing your cache.  Instructions are provided for Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox.  These are the only supported browsers when accessing NavbluePBS. On the PBS Info Page you’ll see a list of supported devices and browsers.

This latest update brings a huge improvement in log in time.  In addition, with some bid preferences there is less ‘clicking’ needed and the ‘Start Bid Group’ button (used to begin a new bid group) has now moved to the right side of the page.  The order of some bid preference sub-menus is more logical and there were some minor bug fixes in this latest update.

No changes occurred on the ‘old’ version of Navblue.. Both the old and new websites are ‘live’ and whatever is ‘submitted’ on one will then reflect on the other. The old PBS website still works perfectly fine for bidding but is lacking all of the advanced features of the new website. No further changes are planned for the ‘old’ PBS website unless absolutely necessary.  Navblue is urging all airline customers transition to the ‘new’ website. When a decision is made on a firm cutover date we’ll communicate that to everyone. 

https://asapbs.navblue.aero/webapp/#/

Questions?

If you have questions, contact the PBS Subcommittee at pbs@afaalaska.org

[L-AS] November 2018 PBS Bid Awards

This message is for Legacy Alaska Airlines (L-AS) Flight Attendants

Trouble with the November 2018 PBS bid award

The Master Executive Council (MEC) was informed on Friday, October 12, 2018, that the wrong one-position (“D”) pairing file was loaded into NAVBLUE PBS.  That file did not contain all the one-position flights—in excess of 1000—requiring staffing coverage. Management and AFA were initially going to pursue a re-award under the usual contractual procedure.

However, management advised AFA that a longer than normal lead time would be required to re-open bidding because the correct D position pairing file had to be sent to API for hotel assignments prior to loading into NAVBLUE. Neither party was confident that API would be able to turn the file around over the weekend, so the conservative estimate was for API to finish processing the file on Monday 10/15, bidding to open Tuesday 10/16, bidding to close Sunday 10/21, bid awards to post Tuesday 10/23 and trading to finally open on Thursday 10/25.

Such an extensive delay to first round awards in order to accommodate the re-award would have been unprecedented. The MEC was even more apprehensive because November is a holiday month. However, the MEC was also extremely concerned that Flight Attendants would not be able to exercise their seniority to bid on all known flying if a re-award were to not occur; this would be in violation of Section (§) 10.E.5, which reads, “All known flying, including scheduled and confirmed 14 CFR part 121 charters, will be placed in the PBS program for bid.”

The MEC voted against a re-award via roll call

After vigorous discussion about all the implications, the MEC voted three to two for a re-award (For: C15 SAN/McGee, C18 LAX/Green and C30 ANC/Pinkston; Against: C19 SEA/Taylor and C39 PDX/de’Medici; Abstaining: C35 SFO/Osborne). As is her right under the AFA Constitution & Bylaws (C&B), Council 19 Seattle President Terry Taylor requested a roll call vote, in which an issue may be voted on using the number of members in good standing in each council. The MEC ultimately voted 2934 to 1899 against a re-award (For: C15 SAN/McGee @ 377 + C18 LAX/Green @ 1141 + C30 ANC/Pinkston @ 381 = 1899; Against: C19 SEA/Taylor @ 2317 + C39 PDX/de’Medici @ 617 = 2934; Abstaining: C35 SFO/Osborne @ 821). Council 35 SFO President Melissa Osborne abstained from both votes because the issue did not impact her members; all C35 member are currently Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants and bidding under the L-VX work rules and related systems.

Implications

Consequently, November 2018 bid awards are now final and trading will commence on schedule. The tradeoff is that the MEC has waived the provisions of §10.E.5 specific to the ‘missing’ D position pairings for the month of November 2018; therefore any potential grievances pursued under that provision would have no standing in these narrow circumstances. Here is the breakdown by domicile of the missing one-position (D) pairings that will go into Open Time prior to the commencement of Open Time trading: 56 in ANC, 148 in SEA, 21 in PDX, 35 in LAX and 5 in SAN.

The MEC knows many Flight Attendants will be glad that November 2018 trading was not delayed until late October, but it is also possible that just as many will be upset by the award and the waiver to §10.E.5. This was truly a no-win situation for AFA and for all L-AS Flight Attendants. However, be assured that your elected leaders will continue to advocate for you under the democratic processes of the AFA C&B to the best of our ability.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

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