2.24.15b – (LAA) JCBA Training Pay Q&A

February 24, 2015

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LAA
JCBA Training Pay (Section 29)
Q: Why isn’t the $75 Training Pay being implemented until May 2nd?
A: The new training pay provisions of the JCBA are vastly different from LAA’s current training pay. Section 29 of the JCBA changes the way Flight Attendants are compensated for both classroom and home based computer training. Previously, if training could not fit on a Flight Attendant’s schedule during days off, the Flight Attendant would be trip removed with pay. If training was plotted on days off, the Flight Attendant received $9.50 an hour. Furthermore, Flight Attendants were not compensated for Recurrent Training. While the JCBA provides for $75 for each day of classroom training and pay for online training, it eliminates any paid trip removals for training. In order to maximize the number of Flight Attendants who would benefit from the new contractual language, the APFA Board of Directors opted to defer the change to training pay for LAA Flight Attendants. Bottom line, APFA’s goal was to allow the greatest number of Flight Attendants to benefit from, not be harmed by the new training provision.
 
Currently there is an unprecedented amount of training taking place in addition to Recurrent Training. Three aircraft types are being proffered across the system (Airbus, 777-300 and 787). More than 8,700 FAs will attend aircraft training in 2015. In addition, nearly 3,000 FAs will attend International/overwater and IFS, if elected, in 2015 as preparation continues for combining the operations on May 2, 2015. International proffer training is also taking place for March and April due to proffers to LAXI, IDF, IMA and JFK prior to the combined operation. Domestic FAs awarded International proffers could have up to 10 or more days of training in the month prior to their proffer. There are also Purser training and Purser Conferences taking place in 2015.
 
Last year, there was a significant amount of paid trip removal associated with proffered training, primarily because the classroom portion of training was, in some cases, double the amount of time that it is today. APFA has continually pushed the company to move more classroom content online and reduce the footprint of classroom training. Because of APFA’s efforts, actual class times have been shortened, which means proffered training will conflict with fewer trips. At one point, some aircraft types had up to 4 days of classroom training. Today, there exists no aircraft requiring classroom training of more than 2 days. The other portion of this training has now been moved online, which means classroom training could easily fall on days off, between trips.
 
Also, many of the proffers, particularly the overwater proffers, close as early as the month prior to ensure training dates are available to Flight Attendants before bidding. Advance notice of the training pay change had to be provided to those who were attending both proffered and Recurrent Training.

APFA fought hard for Flight Attendants to receive $75 if training fell on a day off and trip removal pay where trip removals were required. However, the company would not consider a hybrid and insisted that training pay be either be a flat rate or trip removal, not both.

Given the totality of training taking place in 2015, in addition to Recurrent Training and the lead time for IT to program the necessary changes, the best option was to implement the training pay changes for May 2, 2015. We realize this is not necessarily good news for those with Recurrent Training prior to May nor for those that may be awarded proffered training after May. However, after researching how this provision would affect the membership as a whole, the BOD believed this was the best solution that would benefit the greatest number of Flight Attendants.

Leslie Mayo
APFA National Communications Chair