8.28.12 – (LAA) – Pay Protection, Hurricane Isaac, VEOP, Lump Sum, Pension Freeze, Pre-funding Refunding

APFA Hotline Update – August 28, 2012

Pay Protection/Hurricane Isaac

For those of you whose flights have canceled during the last five days of the contractual month, please refer to the contract Article 9 and I.9. for details on protecting your pay. In short, pay-protection would apply if 1) it is your last trip of the month; 2) the trip originates in the last 5 days of the month; and 3) the entire sequence cancels.  This includes cancellations due to Hurricane Isaac. You must place your name on the MU list for the entire time indicated in your HI1 for the last 5-day pay protection.

In addition, APFA is working with the company on a letter that provides further protection for FAs who have experienced a hardship as a direct result of the Hurricane. Further details are forthcoming.
 
VEOP

The application period for the Voluntary Early Out Program began today, August 27, at 0100 Central and will close at 2300 Central on September 20, 2012. If you are interested in taking the VEOP, click here.
 
After the VEOP window closes, the Travel Separation options will open beginning at 0100 on September 22 and closing at 2300 Central on September 28, 2012.
 
Once the TSP is completed, bidding for separation dates will begin. Awards will be by seniority for the available slots between the 4th quarter of 2012 and the 3rd quarter of 2013. AA has stated there will be limited spots available for the 4th quarter of 2012.
 
As we announced last week, APFA will be conducting VEOP briefings beginning September 4th. Please note, the date and time of the LA VEOP Briefing has been changed to September 12th from 9am to noon at the Ayres Hotel in Manhattan Beach. Details are below.
 
VEOP Briefings

APFA’s retirement representative Patrick Hancock will be conducting VEOP and retirement briefings beginning September 4th with the intention of completing these visits prior to the deadline for VEOP applications. Dates, times and locations are as follows:
 
Chicago O’Hare Airport

September 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Chicago O’Hare Airport
West Conference Room ratified
Located at the Mezzanine Level above the International Ticket Counters

DFW Airport

September 7
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
DFW Airport
Yandry Center
 
JFK Airport

September 10
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
JFK International Airport, Terminal 8
Mark Dupont Room located across from AA Pilot Operations
 
Los Angeles

September 12
9 a.m. to noon
Ayres Hotel Manhattan Beach/Hawthorne/LAX
14400 Hindry Avenue, Hawthorne, CA 90250
Telephone #: 310-536-0400
 
MIA Airport

September 13
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Concourse D Auditorium located in North Terminal Level 4
1. Follow signs to Ticketing/Check In, departure level, Dolphin Parking Garage on the left hand side (North Terminal, in front of Concourse D)
2. Take a ticket and proceed to the Dolphin Parking Garage (North) entrance
3. Park on or above the third floor toward the east side of the lot
4. On the third floor of the parking garage walk to the easternmost end of the lot and take that walkway to the building/terminal 5. Go to the American Airlines Credit Union and turn right to the escalator – The elevators are to the right, behind the escalator
6. Exit the fourth floor and the Auditorium will be on the right as you get off the escalator
 

Date of Signing Lump Sum

We understand FAs are anxious for their lump sum payment. Once the court approves the LBFO, that becomes our date of signing. AA was incorrect in stating that it would issue the lump sum check on August 31st. If you do not want your Lump Sum to be subject to the current 401k deduction set for your AIP payments, please reset your deduction. We will announce the deadline for making a 401(k) election change as soon as that date as known.
 
Pension Freeze, Pre-Funding Refunding

Some of the other provisions of the LBFO must follow other legal processes for implementation. This includes freezing the pension plan and terminating thetrust for our retiree medical pre-funding account. Law requires the company to provide 45 days advance notice to members in order to freeze a pension plan. Therefore the plan will not freeze until sometime later this year at the soonest. The 401k match will go into effect the day after the pension plan freezes.
 
The legal process to terminate the pre-funding trust will take several months. We will continue to make contributions to the plan until it is actually terminated.However those premiums will be included in our refund and would be in addition to the amount reflected on Jetnet. It can take up to 120 days for the legalprocess to take place and pre-funding refund checks issued.
 
In addition, the company’s portion of pre-funding was contingent on both the ratification of the LBFO and the successful conclusion of the 1114 process. The 1114 process is in its beginning stages so the company’s portion will not be refunded to members until and unless it successfully is successfully concluded, and therefore will not be issued at the time of our pre-funding refunds.

 

AmericanAirlines + US Airways
“Our Future Depends On It”

Leslie Mayo
APFA National Communications Coordinator
817.540.0108 ext. 8308
[email protected]