2.15.14 – (LAA) – Guarantee Protection, Profit Sharing, Vacation Bidding, Int’l Override, VEOP-2, Cell Phones In Flight

If a HISEND message is received after 1159, it will not be considered for the HISEND Round and you may lose your protection. For Flight Attendants who would like to participate in subsequent rounds of MU after 1330, please state “call for subsequent rounds” in your initial HISEND message.

Page 24 of the updated On-Duty Contract Guide contains helpful information on the HISEND Round and how to use HISEND effectively. Try not to use subjective generic requests, like “long layover.” Crew Schedule may have a different opinion of a long layover than you do. Be specific: for example “layover beyond 20 hours,” if that’s what you mean.

For those Flight Attendants who have inquired about a potential Letter of Agreement relating to this or any other weather event, please note that only after the weather event has subsided will the parties asses the impact to the operation and discuss a possible Agreement.

PROFIT SHARING
The distribution date and final dollar amount have not yet been released by the company as it relates to AA’s profit sharing program. For current information on Profit Sharing, including the formula and a hypothetical example, click here.
 
VACATION BIDDING NOW OPEN
Primary (Selected) Vacation bidding is open. The deadline to submit a primary vacation ballot is Friday, March 7^th at 0800 Central. You must have accrued at least 7 days in order to be awarded a bid in the primary round. You are eligible to split your vacation if you accrued at least 19 days (prior to PVD deductions) in 2013. If you accrued less than 7 days in 2013 you can submit a bid, but only during the primary vacation bidding round. These bids will not be considered until after all vacations have been awarded in the both the primary and secondary vacation bidding rounds. 
 
INTERNATIONAL OVERRIDE APPLIES TO ALL INTERNATIONAL OPERATION HOURS
Based on additional discussions with management regarding the implementation of the CLA, the company has agreed to apply International Override pay to all paid hours for Flight Attendants in the International operation. This will be effective with the current contractual month of February (which began on January 31, 2014), and will continue until the Domestic and International operations are combined. Domestic Flight Attendants who are assigned an International trip will continue to be paid the override for each International leg flown including diversion time, duty-rigs and International deadhead legs.
 
VOLUNTARY EARLY OUT PROGRAM (VEOP) 2 INFO / TRAVEL / PRE-MERGER US AIRWAYS NUMBERS / ROADSHOW SCHEDULE
VEOP-2 TAKERS: As of this morning, 149 pre-merger AA Flight Attendants put in for VEOP-2. The deadline for participating in VEOP-2 is February 28, 2014.
 
TRAVEL: While there is no additional travel being offered to those who take VEOP-2, eligibility for retiree travel has changed significantly with the introduction of the 65-point plan. The 65-point plan bases eligibility for retiree travel on age plus Company Seniority. If your age plus your Company Seniority equals 65 or greater when you leave the company then you are eligible for retiree travel. This is true even if you are less than 55 years of age. For example, if you were 46 years old with 20 years of Company Seniority your age plus your COMP SEN would equal 66 and therefore you would be eligible for retiree travel on the day you left AA. 
 
PRE-MERGER US AIRWAYS FLIGHT ATTENDANT VEOPS: Pre-merger US Airways Flight Attendants completed their VEOP bidding. 301 Flight Attendants were awarded the VEOP. Click here for details by base and seniority.
 
VEOP-2 DOCUMENTS:
Click Here to read APFA’s VEOP Packet prepared by Patrick Hancock (IDF) and Ron Harris (IDF) called “Prepare For Departure”
Click Here to read AA Flight Service’s VEOP Information Packet
Click Here to read the VEOP-2 Q&A
Click Here for the VEOP online election form
Click Here for the departure date preferences ballot
 
VEOP-2 ROADSHOWS: APFA Retirement Specialist Patrick Hancock and his helpful sidekick Ron Harris (IDF) continue with their Retirement Roadshow schedule through February 25th. If you are thinking about taking the VEOP, this is the best place to have all of your questions answered. Bring your paperwork with you and plan to be thoroughly educated and entertained by Patrick and Ron!
 
BOS
February 18
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Embassy Suites Boston at Logan Airport
207 Porter Street
Boston, MA 02128
(617) 933-5103
Parking vouchers provided by APFA
 
LGA
February 19
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
LaGuardia Airport
LGA Flight Service Training Room
 
JFK
February 20
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
JFK International Airport
JFK Dupont Conference Room
 
DCA
February 21
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Radisson Hotel DCA
2000 Jefferson Davis HWY
Arlington, VA 22202
(703) 842-4033
Parking vouchers provided by APFA
 
LAX
February 24
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ayres Hotel Manhattan Beach
14400 Hindry Ave.
Hawthorne, CA 90250
(310) 536-0400
 
SFO
February 25
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport
250 Gateway Boulevard
South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 589-3400
 
Cell Phones In Flight
The official comment period regarding cell phone use in flight ended today. The majority of those who submitted comments expressed support for a continued ban on cellular calls in the air. Click here to read the USA Today article on this issue. 
 
Legislation is moving in Congress to ban the use of cell phones for voice calls in flight. APFA Government Affairs is monitoring and actively supporting those efforts.
 
REMINDERS
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BOS-D VICE CHAIRPERSON WILLINGNESS TO SERVE
The National Ballot Committee has posted the Willingness-to-Serve Notification for BOS-D Vice Chairperson on APFA’s website. All interested candidates should print a copy of the WTS and return it to the PO Box located at the bottom of the WTS form by 1000 Central on March 6, 2014.
 
PRE-MERGER US AIRWAYS FLIGHT ATTENDANTS VOTE ON BARGAINING AND REPRESENTATION AT THE NEW AMERICAN
Voting on the Negotiations Protocol Agreement (NPA) and Agreement on Bargaining and Representation continues for the pre-merger US Airways Flight Attendants. Balloting closes February 28th.
 
Once the Agreement is ratified, the parties will begin negotiating with the company no later than 60 days following ratification date. Negotiations will continue for no more than 150 days from the day negotiations commence unless all parties agree otherwise. For details on the process moving forward, click here.
 
STAFFING
As a reminder, if you have reports concerning staffing related issues, please email details to [email protected]. 
 
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WILLINGNESS TO SERVE
The National Ballot Committee has posted a Willingness-to-Serve (WTS) for Ad Hoc Positions 1 and 2 of the Executive Committee. If you are interested in serving on the Executive Committee, you are asked to return the WTS to Jeff Pharr, APFA Secretary, by March 10, 2014, at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.apfa.org. Please direct any questions to the National Ballot Committee at [email protected] or 817-540-0108, ext. 8311.
 
ADMINISTRATIVE AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS
APFA is accepting resumés for the positions of Division Representative (5), National Coordinator (6) – Communications, Contract, Health, Hotel, Safety/Security, Scheduling, the National Balloting Committee (5), and the National Budget Committee (4). Resumés must be submitted to APFA Secretary Jeff Pharr at [email protected] by March 12, 2014.