6.24.15 – PHX Base Meeting Recap

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

PHX Base Meeting Recap – Friday, June 19, 2015

This past Friday, PHX Base APFA hosted a membership meeting giving members a chance to ask questions and talk about concerns happening in our Base, our Union, our Company, and our Industry.  We had a very robust conversation that mostly centered on the transition to the new scheduling system. The Base also invited APFA National Department Chairs Kelly Skyles, Safety and Security, Cathy Sharp, Health, and Bellia Peckson, Injury On Duty (IOD)/OJI for a crew room visit. These three APFA leaders also spoke at the meeting and answered questions that centered on the respective committees and how these committees function to assist our Flight Attendants.

Here are a few highlights from the meeting:

Kelly Skyles, APFA Safety and Security Chair, answered questions centered on crew safety and reminded Members about the importance of filing Cabin ASAP (Aviation Safety Action Program) Reports.  The Cabin ASAP program at American Airlines was developed in conjunction with APFA and the FAA.  The program was created as a mechanism to monitor safety violations while allowing Flight Attendants an opportunity to self-report inadvertent safety violations of Company policy or FAA regulations. Participation in the program is voluntary and non-punitive as well as confidential.  The program is important because it allows the Company, the Union, and the FAA to determine commonalities surrounding violations, which can help to identify changes to procedures and training. To submit an ASAP report and learn more about the program, please visit Safety/Security page on the APFA website at www.apfa.org or visit the Safety Reporting System on Wings at https://usair-safety.wbat.org/. Kelly also addressed concerns on fatigue. If you feel you are unsafe to fly, you must call out sick and document this with your Supervisor. Unlike the Pilots, Flight Attendants cannot call out fatigued. Her email address is [email protected].
    
Cathy Sharp, APFA Health/Benefits Chair answered questions on the topics of FMLA, Disability, Maternity, Air Quality, Sick Call, Medical Leave. She also discussed the types of FMLA and the qualifying factors in regards to FMLA. Her email address is [email protected]. 

Bellia Peckson, APFA Injury on Duty (IOD) Chair spoke on her role and responsibility to our members and her newly formed committee.  A new IOD Packet is available online at https://www.www.apfa.org/images/iod/2015-LUS-IOD-Packet.pdf. They are also available locally. Bellia’s email address is [email protected].

Joseph Seelye, PHX Base President, and Beth Flannery, APFA Regional Representative gave a report on Notice of Disputes (NOD’s) and Grievances. Beth spoke on her role within the structure at both the Base level and the National APFA level. Beth assists Local leadership in the grievance process and oversees base level terminations.

Most of the time was dedicated to answering questions and addressing the concerns of the Members in attendance.  Some of those concerns follow.

PBS/ISAP/ETB functions and training were discussed.  Everyone is reminded that training classes are held weekdays at the PHX Flight Training Center.  Classes include:

• CATCREW- Approx. 45 min (Intermediate), Overview of: Navigation, CATCREW Codes, etc.
• ISAP – Approx. 1.5 hours (Most Advanced) Covers: all things ISAP.
• Crew portal/Trade board – Approx. 45 min, (Intermediate) Covers: Viewing Schedules, Posting, Trading, Dropping trips.
• Reserve -Approx. 2 Hours. All things Reserve, Including, CATCREW, Crew Portal

For more information on the classes and sign up please call the Flight Attendant Resource Center (FARC) at (480) 693-8232 or (800) 327-0117, option 2 then 8.

There was also concern that the Trainers would not be available past the end of August.  The JIRC was able to confirm that the Company has agreed to extend the program through the December bid period. Details from both the JIRC and the Company are forthcoming.
 
Payroll Issues have been ongoing since the cutover to CATCREW in March.  It has been identified that the pilots have not been inputting some data in the ACARS system correctly, especially in the event of position trades. Please let your Pilots know if you have traded positions with another crewmember prior to boarding.  This is a good topic to discuss during the Crewmember Briefing.  A Base Notice of Dispute was filed in early June regarding this issue.  All four LUS Bases filed simultaneously.  The NOD requires the company to develop better procedures on training and accountability.  There is still a lot of confusion on what exactly a “Code 59” delay is.  A Code 59 (Ready for Departure delay) is triggered by an ATC delay that prohibits pushback from a gate due to ramp, radio, or airport congestion or deicing delays. The Captain reports the Delay Code via the ACARS system. More information on the Code 59 rules can be found by visiting this link.

Another issue that has affected payroll is the use of the “Claims Form.”  Long standing practice at the East Coast Bases has been the filing of a “Claims Form” (PE-80) when a discrepancy is noted with pay.  This is a new procedure for the PHX Base. Previously Maestro and Inflight Timekeeping would adjust an FA schedule in the event of an irregular operation, etc.  The “Payroll Claim Form” can be found by visiting wings at this link.
 
The future of Phoenix Base has also been a topic of discussion and has been since the merger was announced with American Airlines. There has been no discussion between APFA and the Company regarding any LUS or LAA Base downsizing or closing to date.   However, the LUS Pilots do move to new rules within their Contract in January 2016 and the LUS pilots will then be allowed to move around the LUS system more freely just as the Flight Attendants have since May of 2013.  The Company has stated continually that they do “force flying” into the PHX hub which helps to explain why our pairing allocation and distribution has been skewed toward less one and two day pairings. Your PHX Base leadership is working to address pairing construction with the Company but so far, the discussion and the Union’s solutions have yet to be fully considered.

Discussion also ensued on the side letter allowing the longer processing window on the ISAP process. The side letter is set to expire soon. Discussion with the Company and the JIRC continues and Base Leadership expects a decision on the issue very soon. There was also some good suggestions on how to better assist Flight Attendants during peak time with the PBS Helpline. This information will be passed to the JIRC for their consideration.
 
The meeting closed with discussion on how pairing information sometimes varies between CATCREW and Crew Portal.  Please verify hotel information as reported on the pairing in CATCREW, it is generally more accurate.  Please continue to report hotel accommodation and transportation issues with APFA National Hotel Chair Kelly Gambello.  Her email address is [email protected].  Please visit the APFA Hotel webpage by clicking this link.  Please use this form when reporting hotel irregularities by clicking this link.
 
I would like to thank the Members of the PHX Base for your continued dedication to excellent customer service and your professionalism during this very difficult period of transition. Meetings such as this are a valuable source of information for both you and your leaders. Look for more Base Meetings in the future. Together with the dedication from PHX Flight Services, our Base continues to be a valuable part of the New American Airlines.

In Solidarity,

Joseph Seelye
APFA PHX Base President
[email protected]