1.12.16 – (LAA/LUS) – VEBA Prefunding Update/Position Selection Clarification/Premium Pay Position Swaps

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

VEBA Prefunding Update – LAA
Position Selection Clarification – LUS
Premium Pay Position Swaps – LUS

VEBA Prefunding Update – LAA

The Prefunding Arbitration was held April 28-29, 2015, and continued June 17-18, 2015. APFA Attorney Carmen Parcelli presented a very strong case. Transcripts were submitted within 30 days, followed by legal briefs which were submitted to Arbitrator Bloch within 45 days. We have been awaiting Arbitrator Bloch’s decision since October of 2015. In November, he called for an Executive Session of the Arbitration Board scheduled for Tuesday, December 15, 2015. However, the Arbitrator cancelled the meeting due to his illness. The Prefunding Executive Session has been rescheduled with Arbitrator Bloch on Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 10:30am. Following the Executive session, he will provide his decision to the Arbitration Board, and shortly thereafter, the decision will be announced to the membership. To learn more about the VEBA Prefunding Presidential Grievance, click here.

Position Selection Clarification – LUS

Position Selection continues to be governed by the language in the “Red Book” in Section 10, pages 10-51 through 10-53. A Flight Attendant who has been awarded her/his position through her/his PBS award is entitled to keep that position and cannot be displaced by a more senior Flight Attendant.

Flight Attendants on CLT, DCA, or PHL base pairings who are awarded a position outside of PBS in ISAP, ISAP/AIL, ETB, Reserve Assignment or swaps are considered “placeholders” on the Pairing. Actual Position Selection will be determined by seniority (or mutual consent) during the briefing prior to the origination of the Pairing per the contract.

As an exception to the above, Flight Attendants on PHX base pairings may not be displaced from her/his awarded or assigned position on her/his pairing regardless of how she/he acquired the position (e.g. PBS, ISAP, ISAP/AIL Reserve Assignment or swaps). This language can be found in the “Red Book in Section 10, page 10-53.

The “Red Book” language will continue until Flight Attendant Operational Integration (FOI) with LAA Flight Attendants and implementation of the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA).

Premium Pay Position Swaps – LUS

It is extremely important to have premium pay correctly coded when Flight Attendants swap positions. In response to the settlement of the Notice of Dispute (NOD) filed by the LUS Base Presidents, APFA and the Company have worked together to ensure that these procedures are published in the Pilot manual. In order for a Flight Attendant to be paid correctly, Pilots need to make the necessary ACARS entries when a premium position swap occurs. The following procedures are now published in the Pilot Manual in section 2b.1.9 Flight Attendant Premium Pay Credit:

No ACARS entry is required if Flight Attendants remain in their scheduled positions. If a Flight Attendant in a premium pay position (A, B, and E) informs you of a position swap:

Select the AOC MISC screen
In 1L under MISC CODE, enter 86
In 2L under DATA, enter the premium position designator followed by the flight attendant’s 6-digit payroll number. Leading zeros need to be included. For example, if a flight attendant with a payroll number on the release of 023456 swaps into the “A” position, then enter code “A023456”
Select SEND
Repeat steps if there are additional premium pay swaps
Only one position change can be entered at a time and the position change entry will only cover one flight. If you fly additional legs with the same flight attendants the same entry must be accomplished for each affected Flight Attendant prior to each flight.

Please wait 24-48 hours after the completion of your trip sequence/pairing to ensure the change of position is appropriately reflected in your CATCREW display. If, after 24-48 hours, you do not see it reflected, you may: