10.10.15 – October 2015 PHX Base Brief – Holiday Bidding/Vacation Bidding/Meetings with FSM’s/APFA BOD Meeting

Saturday, October 10, 2015 – October 2015 PHX Base Brief

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• Holiday Bidding
• Vacation Bidding
• Meetings with Flight Service Managers
• 2015 Fall APFA Board of Directors Meeting
• PHX Base Contact Information

Holiday Bidding

The PBS bidding window is open for the November bid month. Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 26th. The JIRC recently sent a hotline dated October 8 giving details and bidding tips to avoid being assigned an undesirable trip over the holiday. Lineholders should keep in mind that if they could not hold the holiday off under “hard-line bidding”; they will probably not hold the holiday off under PBS bidding. Reserve Flight Attendants should pay special attention the “Must Off” and Prefer Off” parameter while bidding over the holiday, being mindful that if their seniority cannot hold a “Prefer Off” especially over the holiday, the PBS system may not be able to build you a legal Reserve Line and  you may be awarded something completely different than expected.

It will be important for bidding during the November and December bid months to open up your parameters in the lower layers to avoid being awarded something that you did not bid for and did not want. Please take the time to have your PBS Bid reviewed by a trainer at the airport or give the Flight Attendant Resource Center (FARC) a call. The FARC is available Monday through Friday 05:00 to 19:00 PHX time and can be reached at (480) 693-8232. The FARC is open on the weekends during an active Bid Period during the same hours. Bidding opens at 09:00 PHX time Saturday, October 10th and closes at 09:00 PHX time on Wednesday, October 16th.  

Vacation Bidding

Round One Vacation Bids close on October 15th at 21:00 PHX time. The award will be posted no later than October 30th at 21:00 PHX time. Details can be found on Wings by selecting “Vacation” in the drop down menu box on the Flight Services.  Trainers are available in the Crew Room at T-4 and are ready to answer your questions and assist.

Meetings with Flight Service Managers

While no one wants to be scheduled for a mandatory meeting with his or her Flight Service Manager (FSM), occasionally a situation arises where one is necessary.  Please remember that you can count on your PHX Base Representatives to sit in with you during meetings with your FSM. Please remember that a minimum of 48 hours of notice is requested before the meeting. This helps to ensure that your Representative has time to prepare for your meeting. When a meeting is necessary, please call (480) 966-1231, Ext. 4, leave your Name, CATCREW number, a brief reason for the meeting, and a good contact phone number. A Grievance Representative will contact you within 48 hours of your meeting to confirm. If it is necessary to cancel or reschedule a meeting, please call the number or your Rep. to let them know as soon as possible.  

2015 Fall APFA Board of Directors Meeting

This past week the APFA Board of Directors (BOD) met to conduct the business that was brought before the board. The BOD received and accepted the resignation of APFA National President Laura Glading. Her resignation was effective October 9, 2015. APFA National Vice President Marcus Gluth has stepped into the role of National President and will serve the balance of the term, which expires March 31, 2016. In accordance with the APFA Constitution, the BOD unanimously passed Resolution #3, National VP Appointment” which appointed Richard Knuth as National Vice President, Rick will serve the balance of the term, which expires on March 31, 2016.

You may remember Rick. He was part of the US Airways Joint Negotiating Committee during the negotiations of US Airways T/A’s two and three.  He also was part of the seven members of the LUS APFA Joint Negotiating Committee that worked to bring us the 2014 JCBA. Rick is a well-respected 30-year veteran of US Airways and is based in CLT. Rick is also a labor attorney. He is a welcome addition to the ranks of the National APFA leadership and to the APFA Systems Board of Adjustment Department that he will oversee during his term.

I would like to thank the PHX Based Flight Attendants as well as the LUS and LAA Flight Attendants that traveled to Dallas to attend the Fall Board of Directors Meeting. It is great to see the engagement of the membership. The next scheduled BOD Meeting will be the Annual Convention which is scheduled to take place at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel the week of March 7, 2016.

PHX Base Contact Information

APFA PHX Base Representatives can be reached by calling (480) 966-1231, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This number is a voicemail system that allows the caller to leave a message for a specific Representative. The system will also connect the caller to the APFA National Contract Desk if Ext. 1 is selected during regular business hours. The other voicemail boxes are: 0, to leave a general message; ext. 2 for Joseph Seelye, PHX Base President; ext. 3 for a PHX Base Council Rep. on Duty; ext. 4 for a Mandatory Meeting Notice; ext. 5 for Benefits and Insurance; ext. 6 for a Reserve Representative. Please keep in mind that most APFA Representatives fly the line, so please allow 24 hours for a Rep. to return your call. If your issue is an emergency or requires immediate attention, someone will return your call as soon as possible.

Joseph Seelye
APFA PHX Base President
[email protected]