Council Newsletter, July 2024

AFA Horizon – Council 16 Newsletter (BOI, PAE, SEA, GEG)

In case you missed it, check out the last newsletter.

Independence Day
Aviation is one of our greatest symbols and expressions of freedom. As aviation’s first responders, we safely usher passengers to the big business deal, the family vacation, the times of celebration, times of grief and times of battle. We are the first impression and the smile of aviation connecting the people of our nations.

In the air or on the ground, we are in this together. Have a safe and happy July 4th!

Pay disparity
The disparity in pay between mainline and regional Flight Attendants is stark and palpable, casting a shadow over the glamorous façade of the aviation industry. While mainline Flight Attendants often enjoy robust and continuously improving base salaries, comprehensive benefits, and predictable schedules, their regional counterparts face a harsh reality of low wages, minimal benefits, and unpredictable work schedules. Despite carrying out the same crucial responsibilities of ensuring passenger safety and comfort, regional Flight Attendants find themselves grappling with economic disparities that reflect a systemic imbalance within the industry. This divide not only underscores the unequal distribution of wealth and resources but also highlights the challenges faced by those who tirelessly serve in the skies, navigating turbulent economic currents far removed from the serene atmosphere of cabin service.

If we continue to accept what the airlines have normalized, being paid less because we are “regional Flight Attendants”, we will never improve our pay. #EqualPayforEqualWork

Strike Authorization
There is much confusion around OUR ability to strike. Article 24 has been in each Flight Attendant contract since 1992, and remained effectively unchanged until this current CBA where we adopted AFA Alaska CBA language. Despite similarities, there is one significant distinction in the new language, and that is that we can now picket as long as it isn’t Company property. One of the most crucial initial actions before a strike is picketing, which our Flight Attendants must join in to let management know we are unhappy and that things must change.

We will eventually have the option of conducting a strike vote even with the existence of Article 24. Unfortunately, before we can be released from negotiations and publicly go on strike, we must first go through a lengthy Railway Labor Act (RLA) process. The RLA permits strikes over major disputes only after the union has exhausted the RLA’s negotiation and mediation procedures.

Before we get to a strike vote, and potentially a strike, it is important for all Members to get involved and get involved NOW.

Read more in depth information about the negotiations process, the RLA, the NMB, and more by visiting AFA Alaska’s negotiation website.

Mobilization volunteers

Mobilization Volunteers work to involve Flight Attendants in the negotiating process by actively sharing news and updates, educating them about official resources, and asking them to show support through collective actions. Local Officers are still looking for mobilization volunteers. Sign Up to get involved.

Mobilization training is scheduled for August 23 in Portland. Council Officers are thankful for the assistance from AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson in securing this mobilization training.

To make sure you have a strong mobilization team made up of Flight Attendants from both Councils, your council officers shared the application form they produced with Council 17 Officers.

Read more about mobilization volunteers >

Full-time vs. Part-time Yearly Status
We have reached the midway point of the year. Flight Attendants should be cognizant of the hours they’ve worked this year to understand the remaining hours needed. The hours worked in 2024 will determine your status for 2025. A Flight Attendant’s status impacts certain benefits such as sick time & vacation accrual rates, uniform maintenance allowance, health care coverage, and short- and long-term disability insurance. For more information check out CBA Article 19.

• Full-time benefits applies to a Flight Attendant currently in active working status who has been credited with 550 hours for pay during the previous calendar year.
• Part-time benefits applies to a Flight Attendant currently in active working status who has been credited with 350-549 hours for pay during the previous calendar year.
• Ineligible Flight Attendant currently in active working status who has been credited with fewer than 350 hours for pay during the previous calendar year shall be classified as ineligible for benefits until they have received sufficient credits for eligibility.

A Flight Attendant who was not in Active Working Status every day during the preceding calendar year (e.g., because of leave of absence, furlough, newly hired during the year), will be assigned constructive credits at the rate of 1.571 per day in which day they were not in Active Working Status. These constructive credits will be used only for determining eligibility for the benefits in Article 19, and for accruals of vacation, sick leave, uniform maintenance allowance and uniform-replacement bank.

To check your 2024 hours: TEAM AAG > Rainmaker > Crew Pay Manager> Search Reports, or message Crew Pay in Rainmaker.

Contactable times

There has been an increase in Flight Attendants being contacted by Crew Scheduling when off-duty including during rest times and on days off. Based on the CBA, Flight Attendants are not contactable when off-duty and are under zero obligation to answer a call and this includes while on an overnight. Line holders are contactable during a pairing’s duty periods. Reserve Flight Attendants are contactable during Reserve Availability Periods (RAP), and when on a pairing during the pairing’s duty periods. Additionally, Flight Attendant are under no obligation to monitor eCrew, or acknowledge schedule changes, while off-duty.

Answer Crew Scheduling calls and monitor your schedule while on-duty!

Council Chat, July 16
Council Officers want to hear from YOU! This month’s chat will be held July 16 at 16:00. This council chat is held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, time is subject to change.

Please join us on Google Meet.
Join by phone – 1 (401) 375-9299‬ PIN: ‪380 261 809‬#.

Scheduling Report, July 2024
Your Council 16 Scheduling Committee meets monthly with the MEC Scheduling Chair & Crew Planning Liaison to discuss the ongoing work representing your interests in line holder schedules and raise your concerns about how the pairings were built that month. The Committee also meets with management quarterly to receive updates and discuss issues and problems Flight Attendants face with scheduling, pairings, and bidding. Representing you at these meetings are Miria Davis (BOI), Heather Coleman (PAE), Vacant (SEA), Aaron Lucich & Shannon Powell (GEG), and Joshua Haimes (Chair).

The committee has long heard from you that pairings are not being built to your satisfaction. In general, you want high credit pairings (5+ credits a day avg.), limited/no sits over 2 hours, overnights of 12 hours or greater, limited overnights in another base, and better distribution of pairing lengths (base specific). Continue to let your bases scheduling rep(s) know how satisfied you are with the pairings, and any issues faced with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.

August 2024 Pairing Build

Council StatusReport

If you have an unresolved outstanding balance pay online.  Flight Attendants who have taken any unpaid leaves, including CLOA, union dues must be paid manually. If you happen to find yourself in an arrears situation and do not know the amount owing or have any questions regarding what months you owe, please contact Council leadership.  We are here to help!

Negotiations Session 8
Your AFA Negotiations Committee met with management for Negotiation Session 8 on June 13-15. Representing you at the table were Committee Members- Heather Coleman & Lexie Massey, MEC President- Lisa Davis-Warren, AFA Staff Attorney & Negotiator- Kimberley Chaput.

The Committee met with Vice President Station Ops & Inflight- Shelly Parker, Manager Inflight Labor & Performance- William Casalins Altamar, Managing Director, People and Labor Relations- Chéri Ruger, Director Finance- Amber Hopkins, Senior Corporate Counsel, Alaska Legal- Latrice Lee, and Seyfarth Shaw LLP Partner, Labor & Employment- Molly Gabel.

We discussed one, and only one, article—Vacation (Article 11). At the end of the previous session, management gave the committee a single sheet with a few concepts for bidding vacation. The general idea was that they would put out for bid enough slots to cover all vacation accrued in the previous year, but none for any carried-over vacation. While the committee liked that idea, we were not enamored with the rest of their proposal, which, following a transition period, would eliminate the ability to carry over vacation. 

The committee wanted to see what it would look like fleshed out to see if any compromise could be reached. We said that we needed to maintain carryover. On Wednesday, management gave us their proposal. It had no increase in vacation accruals, but it did, in fact, have 100% of accrued slots available for bid, but it also gave management the ability to assign slots to Flight Attendants if they had 34 or more hours (2 weeks) of un-bid vacation. If a Flight Attendant had up to 33.99 hours, they could hold onto it for day-at-a-time vacation, but at the end of the year, they could only carry over or cash out 17 hours—anything more would be forfeited. Under their proposal, they would also have the ability to remove weeks from open vacation.

The committee wanted to try to maintain the 100% piece while improving the rest of the proposal. We proposed that 100% of accrued weeks be put out to bid, that weeks be more equally distributed over the year, that some vacation could be assigned, and that slots could be removed only three months out. But we insisted on higher accruals and vacation pay, the current 150% carryover and that carried-over slots could not be assigned. We were not thrilled with this proposal but thought it might have some value if we could increase accruals and vacation pay.

This was not to be. Management stated that they had no interest in increasing Flight Attendant vacation accruals. They said they might be willing to increase pay; however, that would simply mean that a week would be worth more hours. Unless accrual also increased, you would end up with fewer vacation days because your bank would run out faster. They maintained the ability to assign and remove slots but reduced the lead time to 180 days. They also would not change their ability to distribute weeks at their discretion.

The committee was understandably disappointed, and after much discussion, we returned to a proposal much closer to our opener—basically, the current contract (with the vacation side letter on bidding and vacation adds and drops, increased accruals, 150% carryover, and pilot language on vacation slides and extensions. We also proposed that Flight Attendants could use day-at-a-time vacation if Crew scheduling removed a pink or purple trip. 

It honestly felt like we were going a little backward after contemplating a whole new system, but we knew Flight Attendants would not want to lose their carryover and that many of us do not bid all of our vacation. Management said they will review our proposal and respond at the July 1-3 session. They also owe us proposals on Sick Leave (Article 9), Leaves of Absence (Article 14), Benefits (Article 19), and General (Article 25). We will be busy!

We are working on setting up a Mobilization Training for later in the summer. Contract mobilizers help the MEC and the Negotiating Committee spread information about negotiations and assist in designing and running events, such as picketing. If you would like to be in the mix and help us all obtain the contract we deserve, please let your LEC President know you are interested. This is shaping up into a battle for a living wage—and we need all the support we can get. In the meantime, wear your AFA pin so the Company knows we are united. 

Session 9, July 1-3
We picked up where we left off. At this point, the only Article we have not discussed at the table is Compensation (Article 3). We will update you soon on this session. We are in the slog part of negotiations, but we hope things will pick up as we dive into comprehensive proposals in the coming months. When that happens, you’ll know—and more importantly, management will know.

As always, wear your AFA pins as a symbol of solidarity. Remember that we are “Stronger Together, Better Together”!

Until the next check-in, fly safe!

“Stronger Together, Better Together”