12.21.12 – (LAA) – WTS Notifications, Uniform Deadlin, Thresholds, Staffing Changes

 

APFA Hotline Update

December 21, 2012

Willingness to Serve Notifications
Willingness to Serve Notifications for Base Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and Operational Council Representatives (OCR) for all bases will be mailed to APFA members on December 5, 2012. If you are interested in further serving your union, these forms are due back in the designated PO Box no later than Friday, January 4, 2013. Ballots will be mailed on January 23rd and counted on Friday February 22nd.

Uniform Deadline
The deadline to use your 2012 uniform points is approaching. Keep in mind uniform points do not roll over to the next year. Any points you have not used by the end of the year will expire. The deadline to place a phone order with VF Solutions is 1500 Central Time on Monday, December 31. The deadline to place an order on the website is 2300 Central Time on Monday, December 31. However we encourage you not to wait until the last minute and place your order as soon as possible.
Thresholds

On January 1, 2013, changes to our current thresholds for vacation and sick accrual and company-subsidized medical benefits will go into effect as well as a new employment threshold.

The thresholds for vacation/sick accrual and medical benefit subsidies will increase to 600 paid hours per year, or an average of 50 hours per active month. Hours will continue to be measured on a calendar year basis (January 1- December 31). Thresholds for company-subsidized medical benefits will now be measured annually, August 1 to July 31, with the initial threshold for 2014 benefits being January 1, 2012, to July 31, 2013.

Thresholds
A significant change for 2013 will be a transition from our monthly rolling look-back to a once a year look-back.  For this year, we will need to simultaneously meet our monthly look-back for benefit subsidy through the end of 2013 while also meeting our annual look-back to ensure benefit subsidy for all of 2014. So, in order to receive company subsidized benefits through the end of 2013, we must continue to meet both the 420 hour threshold, or 35 paid hours per active month, on a rolling 12 month look-back basis while also needing 350 paid hours, or an average of 50 hours per active month, between January 1 and July 31, 2013 for 2014 benefits.  The first look back for the new annual benefits threshold is only 350 hours as it encompasses the seven (7) month period from January thru July.

In addition, the employment threshold will begin on January 1, 2013 with the first look-back to take place in January 2014. In order to maintain employment, you must be paid 420 hours, or an average of 35 paid hours per active month, on a calendar year basis (January 1 – December 31).

For each month that you are not active your threshold will be reduced. In addition, any paid hours in a month that is not active will not count towards your threshold in your other active months. You must be on payroll at least 15 days in order to be considered active for threshold purposes.
 
While the thresholds are measured as an average per active month allowing FAs to fly low hours one month and high hours in another month, APFA highly encourages our members to always get their high-hour months completed before dropping to low-time months. In other words, ensure you maintain an average of 50 hours per active month rather than waiting until later in the year. It is impossible to anticipate what the future may hold that may cause a member who had planned to fly high time later in the year to fall short of a threshold due to unforeseen circumstances. APFA suggests all members meet the medical benefit subsidy threshold if possible even if they do not currently take benefits from AA. There have been situations where a FA was not concerned with meeting threshold minimums to maintain these benefits (since they do not use AA medical benefits). Later, an unexpected life event such as a spousal job loss, etc., occurs, and the FA must suddenly rely on health benefits from AA. If the minimum threshold is not met and this were to occur, the FA would be required to pay unsubsidized rates for upwards of a year or more before they could meet the threshold for the following calendar year’s coverage.

Staffing Changes
APFA has set up an email contact in an effort to address staffing issues relating to recent staffing reductions and the increase in food for sale on our flights. While we cannot file a presidential grievance as a result of the change, APFA retains the right to monitor unreasonable workloads and marginal service conditions as a result of the changes assigned by management. As with past staffing changes, APFA continues to rely on feedback from the our members to monitor any unreasonable workloads on board the aircraft.

If you are unable to complete work assignments per standard practices within the allotted times due to staffing or service changes, email [email protected] with as much detail as possible. These details regarding unreasonable workload will be important for APFA to be able to affect changes to staffing and service levels implemented by management.

Reserve Supplemental Flying
FAs who pick-up supplemental flying (OR, L2, or CR) will notice that the trip value is not reflected in their Pay Projection (PPROJ). PayComp will capture all Supplemental Flying at the conclusion of each month. This is necessary to ensure that the associated supplemental flying hours are paid above guarantee or the actual hours flown, whichever is greater.

Merged MU Round at 1200 Local Base Time
FAs who desire to participate in the Merged-MU Round at 1200 LBT are reminded of the following to ensure that your requests will be honored correctly and to increase the ability of receiving the trip(s) desired.

• Only HISEND requests will be honored
• HISENDs must be received between 0001 and 1159 on the day prior to the desired trip.
• If you wish to be contacted by crew scheduling in the event your request(s) is/are not available, You must indicate in the “remarks” section of the HISEND if you wish to be. contacted by crew scheduling in the event your request(s) is/are not available.
• FAs not awarded an assignment during the merged-MU round will be contacted during the 1330 MU round.
• If awarded a trip, it will be considered confirmed and the trip will appear on your HI1 and in Open Time with the designator “HS.”
• HISENDs are considered confirmed if awarded prior to 1700 local base time
• AVBL/MU/MIC(LO)/HVBL FAs may participate
• FA may be awarded flying up to 100 hours SPROJ

 

Availability Day-Before Coverage
FAs who have a next-day AVBL obligation may:

• Self-Plot between 0500-1200
• Participate in the Merged-MU round at 1200
• Request to be released on the HISEND during Merged-MU round
• Plot to 100:00 Hours (SPROJ)
• Request trip sequences that fly out/beyond the “block” of AVBL day(s) obligation
• Flight Attendant may request to be released from remaining AVBL day(s) once PROJ has reached 80:01 with no AVBL day on the last day of the month, or 82:01 if there is an AVBL day on the last day of the month

 

If FA does not self-plot or participate in the Merged-MU round, FA is subject to assignment by crew scheduling.

• Crew scheduling may assign a sequence after the Merged-MU round is complete until 1330 local base time
• Crew scheduling can only assign a sequence that is equal to or less than the number of AVBL day(s) in your “block” of days.
• Crew scheduling may assign up to 85:00 hours (PROJ)
• FAs that are assigned a sequence (“AV”) should call crew scheduling to confirm assignment
• FAs that are flying and were unable to self plot and/or participate in the Merged-MU round may contact crew scheduling to request another sequence that is unassigned in Open Time until 1500 Domestic; 1630 International

 

APFA Headquarters will be closed for the holiday weekend and reopen on December 26, 2012. We wish all of our members a safe and happy holiday weekend.