Premium Pay Text Day Drop Availability

Memorandum

To:  All Horizon Air Flight Attendants

From: Horizon AFA Master Executive Council

Date: October 31, 2018

In July, management informed AFA that they were going to try out single day trip drop availability by the existing premium pay (PP) text method as an added feature to the eCrew/AIMS trip trading system.  At that time your MEC understood that it would be in addition to your ability to drop/pickup/swap trips within eCrew/AIMS..  This added enhancement would provide another communication tool to those Flight Attendants who wish to receive text messages to know that a day trip drop possibility exists.

In the past few weeks, we have received numerous reports from flight attendants that just prior and after these texts are sent out, they are not able to drop or adjust trips through the primary system of accomplishing this, which is through eCrew/AIMS.  The MEC met with Dee Dee Caldwell on October 9th and she informed us that it is not possible to adjust the Reserve Threshold number in the eCrew/AIMS system when it is close to the actual day of operation (12 hr/24 hrs) even when its known that the operation could function with a lower Reserve Threshold number than is contained within eCrew/AIMS.  Dee Dee informed us that only an administrator has authority to adjust the Reserve Threshold in eCrew/AIMS.

Therefore, even when Crew Scheduling Services has determined that the operation can operate with a lower Reserve Threshold the eCrew/AIMS system will deny a submission based on a higher preset Reserve Threshold.  In our opinion, Crew Scheduling Services could be given administrator access to adjust Reserve Threshold number lower within eCrew/AIMS when it is known that the operation can function with less reserve availability.  However, we have been informed that Crew Scheduling Services will not do both, i.e., send a PP text message the day single trip drops are possible and adjust the eCrew/AIMS Reserve Threshold lower thereby allowing electronic trip drop/adjustments to be approve via the system too.

The use of only PP text messages close to the day of operation informing of the existence of day drops without adjusting the Reserve Threshold number lower within eCrew/AIMS is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement.  While your MEC had agreed to supplementing eCrew/AIMS with PP text messaging for day trip drop availability we cannot agree to its use solely.

As of October 30, 2019, we informed Dee Dee Caldwell that unless Crew Scheduling is given and accepts administrator access to eCrew/AIMS so that an adjustment to the Reserve Threshold number can be made the use of just PP text messaging for single day drop availability must stop.   Dee Dee Caldwell has now informed us that they are stopping PP text messages and Crew Scheduling Services will not be provide eCrew/AIMS administrator access and therefore will not be adjusting the Reserve Threshold within eCrew/AIMS.

A contractual right exists for Flight Attendants to use an electronic, real-time method for trip drops / adjustments.  The existing eCrew/AIMS system can be controlled through the administrator function to allow for a lower Reserve Threshold when warranted.  Just because management would rather do it thought PP texting does not alleviate inflght management from the responsibility to allow it through eCrew/AIMS.  PP text messages informing of single day drop availability can only be used as an enhancement to the electronic trade system not a replacement.

Your Master Executive Council Officers;

Ed Hawes, MECP edhawes@afahorizon.org, Lisa Davis-Warren MECVP, lisadaviswarren@afahorizon.org, Deb Harding-Elliott MECS/T, debhardingelliott@afahorizon.org, Heather Coleman, LEC16P, heathercoleman@afahorizon.org, Kirk Hansen, kirkhansen@afahorizon.org