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Negotiations Update for
February 2010
Two weeks of negotiations this
month provided continued progress toward reaching a merged
flight attendant contract. While Zachary Jones, National
Mediation Board facilitator was expected to join the
negotiators at the table this month, he was unable to attend
due to the East Coast’s winter weather and other scheduled
obligations.
Jones will be sitting at the
table with the AFA Joint Negotiating Team (JNT) and US
Airways negotiators beginning March 16-18. Back-to-back
negotiating sessions have been schedule through the months
of April, May, June and July.
Why are the Reserve and
Scheduling sections taking so long?
As communicated in the past,
the JNC has been focused on taking the best of East and West
Scheduling language, seeking improvements and protections
and combining them into a Scheduling proposal that will be
different for both East and West lineholders. While the
overall system will be more seniority-driven then is
currently practiced on the West, there are also additional
flexibility options. This focus took time and was not an
easy task.
A key element of any Scheduling
section is the language that governs Rescheduling. AFA is
adamant about maintaining language that limits the amount of
random changes that Scheduling can make to the trips that
you choose to bid and work each month. The Company has made
it clear that they require a certain amount of flexibility
to keep the operation running as close to on-time as
possible in the event of irregular operations. These two
goals are in diametric opposition to each other and has
created the most frustration during negotiations. While both
sides have made some movement in this area, we are still far
apart.
Some of the Scheduling issues
that exist today were created by contract language that is
susceptible to interpretation. The JNC has made an effort
to ensure language that in some areas is tighter and true to
its intent.
In Reserve proposals, the JNC
is negotiating toward financial improvements, choices and
flexibility for all Reserves. The current Reserve section
in the West contract is all of 10 pages. The latest Reserve
proposals are in the range of 20 to 25 pages illuminating
the meticulous detail and increased focus on this section
from the original America West Reserve contract section.
While language and details
continued to be negotiated, following are highlights of some
of the broader concepts being discussed in the Reserve
proposals.
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Reserve Availability Periods (RAPs) of 12 hours as is
currently used on the West. East Reserves are currently on
call for 24-hour periods. Assigned pairings must report
within the RAP.
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On-Premise Reserve (OPR) shifts are similar to current Hot
shifts in which you must standby at the airport. OPR
shifts would pay 3:30 credits for a 4 hour shift and 5:15
credits for a 6 hour shift with additional pay of minute
per minute that the shift extends past the scheduled OPR
shift.
-
Future Scheduling would be based upon seniority and
Reserves would have the options of choosing between
passing for the day by Remaining on Call (ROC) which would
place the Reserve in a RAP for the next day; choosing from
trips available for the day; or OPR shifts. Reserves would
enter their choices daily or place a standing bid via an
electronic method.
-
Daily Scheduling is still being heavily negotiated but is
being discussed as a combination of seniority and previous
assignments yet providing some options to avoid abuse of
the most junior reserves.
-
Reserve optional election of working into your Movable
Days or Golden Days with pay above the guarantee.
Broad Reserve proposal
concepts:
Future process
Reserves would be
able to choose trip assignments or OPR shifts in seniority
order. Reserves would be grouped according to days of
availability and trips would be grouped according to number
of days. Depending upon whether Reserve staffing was
adequate or not would determine the options that Reserves
could choose for their future trips or shifts.
Daily process
Groupings of trips and
groupings of Reserves would be based upon number of
available (AVL) days. Reserves would be assigned in order
of least to most number of previous assignments (ASG) and
then in inverse seniority with additional options still
being discussed.
New Concepts
-
Electronic Reserve Status System: a Reserves
tracking system providing real-time information that
allows a Reserve to view Reserve information daily
including all reserves by seniority, each Reserve’s
current and last assignment, to-date earned pay and credit
and days of availability.
-
Working into your Days Off (DO) if you choose with
Pay, no Credit compensation.
-
Preferential Bidding System (PBS): Reserves would
use PBS to create their own line patterns for the month
and bid for days of availability (AVL), days off (DO),
Movable days (MD) and Golden days (GD), based upon
seniority.
-
Future Scheduling based upon seniority and allowing
for the choosing of trips and shifts.
-
Reserves utilizing the Electronic Trade Board (ETB)
to trade Reserve Availability days (AVL) between other
Reserves and the continued ability to pick up trips from
lineholders on DOs and GDs.
-
Remain on Call (ROCing) is a process allowing a
Reserve to “pass” on working a trip or shift during the
Future process as long as there are more Reserves than
trips on that specific day.
Points of disagreement between
the AFA and the Company:
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AFA continues to hold on the two-hour call out for
Reserves as is current language in both East and West
contracts. The Company wants to reduce it to 1 hour and
30 minutes.
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Minimal days per month: AFA continues to hold on a
minimum of 12/13 days off of in a 30/31 day month as is
currently the language on the West. The Company wants
11/12 days off in a 30/31-day month, as is currently the
language on the East.
As a reminder, these concepts
and proposals are still under negotiating and may change
until a final agreement is reached and ratified by the
flight attendant group.
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