7.01.16 – Miami Base Brief

July 2016

Hello Miami! It’s that time again for a brief. Please send us any topic ideas that you would like to see addressed in future Base Briefs. We would like to remind you that your base reps are available 7 days a week. DO NOT hesitate to call on weekends or after hours! We are here for you.
 
We have done a couple of Base Briefs specially focused on new(er) hires issues related to reserve, work rules, contract items that take experience to understand, etc. In this issue, we will put those items in the second part of the Brief. So, if you are new(er), please read all the way to the bottom!

United Tentative Agreement

The United/Continental Flight Attendants recently announced that they have reached a Tentative Agreement. The AFA leadership has also authorized it be sent out for ratification.  
 
As many of you are aware, our JCBA has a provision to look at a UAL Tentative Agreement to determine if we are due any adjustment. This provision, simply put, looks at the total value of the contracts. Work rules, 401K, lead/purser pay are costly items and all add in to the total value, not just the wage scale. They could have efficiencies that we do not. We are still waiting on more details and it is too early to speculate.

Rest assured, we have attorneys and an airline economist that will look very carefully at this deal to make sure we receive what we are due. APFA is keeping a very close eye on these developments.

Registered Travelers

The Company has recently been doing audits on travel usage and registered travelers. We want to make sure everyone understands who is eligible and allowed to travel. We have found there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding. We don’t believe anyone is trying to defraud the Company, rather, the Company doesn’t completely explain the rules and Jetnet is hard to navigate for information.
 
You may not have a Spouse and Registered Companion (RC) or Domestic Partner (DP)* at the same time. Even if you are divorced, you must have your divorce documents filed, and acknowledged by Human Resources before you can register a RC or DP. There can be a lag of several weeks before this can be done. This applies even if your spouse is not using any travel benefits. If you have a Domestic Partner, s/he must meet the specific requirements and you must have the proper forms on file. Common Law spouses also have registration forms in Jetnet. You must keep all Life Events paperwork in order. When your status changes, such as divorced to single, you must fill out the proper forms to change your status with the Company.

*Due to the Supreme Court ruling deeming same sex marriage legal in all 50 states, there will be changes to domestic partnerships for 2017. Be sure to read the benefits changes carefully during benefits enrollment this fall.
 
D2 and D2P travelers, except for RCs, must meet strict definitions listed in the Trip Book or they are required to be D3s.
 
A “spouse” is a person currently and legally married to you. For Common Law registration, go to Jetnet, Pay & Benefits, Forms, Common Law Marriage Recognition Request.
 
A “child” is your natural-born or adopted child, stepchild, foster child or court-appointed ward. Some exchange students have travel benefits, see Jetnet. The same benefits apply to your Domestic Partner’s children. These children mentioned receive benefits until their 24^th birthday, then they become D3 status.
 
A “parent” is currently defined for travel purposes as your mother, father, stepparent or parent-in-law (parents of your spouse or DP.)
 
Please keep in mind that people who have raised you, but not married to your parent, or children you are rearing, but are not your legal wards, must be D3. The Company can ask for documentation at any time to prove relations. Violations can lead to loss of passes or termination.   

Report to the Airport/Call Out Pay
 
We are still having issues with crews not calling Crew Schedule when they have a cancelation at the airport. We understand no one wants to risk getting another assignment; your other risk is losing your call out pay.
 
With Interim Pay Protection, if you have a cancelation, you must call Crew Schedule to find out what option they want to exercise with you. Not only will you lose the call out pay if you don’t call, you risk your pay protection.
 
If you report to the airport for a specific flight assignment and you end up not flying, you must make contact with Crew Schedule to receive call out pay. If you just leave the airport without speaking to someone, they will deny the pay. If the Purser or #1 speaks to them for the crew, make sure that each crew member is accounted for on the call before you leave.
 
If you are at the airport for any length of time, you may be entitled to more than 3 hours, so it is important to get a release time from scheduling. Don’t leave any pay behind!

Mid-Sequence Call Out

You are entitled to 3 hours of mid-sequence call out pay, or e-time if you are on duty for more than 6 hours. If you don’t see it reflected on your sequence, ask Crew Tracking to put the RPT on the day and send a claim to Pay Comp via Direct Connect.

Mid-Sequence Cancelation

If you have a mid-sequence cancelation and you still have active legs, you must contact Crew Tracking. You might be transitioning through Miami, but you are not considered “at home base.” No different than you wouldn’t abandon your sequence in DSM, you aren’t free to go home just because you happen to be in your base city and you haven’t completed your scheduled sequence.

LE and VE PAY Processing

• VE Pay:  VE pay shows on the HI3 on the day it occurs, on your HI1 underneath the sequence as VE PAY, does not go into the PPROJ, is processed at closeout (about the 9^th of the next month), and goes above guarantee. If you don’t see it by the 9^th of the next month then send HISEND 14 to Pay Comp*.
• LE Pay:  LE pay shows on your HI1 underneath the sequence as LE PAY, does go into PPROJ, is processed every 4 days, and does not go above guarantee. If you don’t see it by 6 days after your trip completes, use HISEND 14 to Pay Comp*.
• LE on an OE: LE pay shows on your HI1 underneath the sequence as OE STRAT, does not go into PPROJ, is processed every 4 days, and does not go above guarantee. If you don’t see it by 6 days after your trip completes, use HISEND 14 to Pay Comp*.

 Direct Connect- Crew Pay Connection

We now have a single point of contact to report issues and submit pay correction requests. Once you submit a report, the online tool assigns a case number that you can use to track its progress. An email is also sent to your aa.com mailbox confirming your request was received.

Steps to submit a report:

If your request is related to an improperly credited trip, you will need:

• Sequence / Pairing number, and origination date
• Flight number, and originating date

Open the online form from the Flight Service site.

• Your name, employee number, and email address should already appear on the form
• Enter required fields, including a report category selection from the drop down menu
• Use the message box to outline the details of your request
• Submit your request 
• Select “Ticket Log” tab to review status of your request

You should receive a confirmation number and a ticket number almost immediately. Retain the ticket number to track the progress of the request. You can expect a response in 5 to 7 days. 

Professional Standards/Facebook

Please utilize Professional Standards when you have disagreements with your coworkers, pilots included. Professional Standards works together with APA to handle issues you may have with a pilot.
 
Keep in mind that posting shaming posts on Facebook is not a good route to go. Not only is it not in good taste to air dirty laundry, the post can end up harming you if you violate social media policy.

Reserve ORs

If you get rescheduled or reassigned while flying an OR trip, it will knock the pay out of FLYDFP. The primary route for correction is via the new Direct Connect pay claim option on Flight Service.

Reserve Guarantees

There are a number of ways your guarantee can get inadvertently reduced on reserve. Dropping a carryover trip into the month, after a TM in which you later remain on ready reserve or dropping an OR you picked up. Make sure you send a message to Pay Comp to have your guarantee restored via Direct Connect.
 
Keep an eye on your guarantee throughout the month to make sure you don’t have an incorrect guarantee reduction.

Ready Reserve Assignments

When you are on ready reserve outside of the call-in window and you receive a call for an assignment, you must return the call directly to Crew Schedule and speak to a scheduler to confirm your assignment. Calling AVRS “reserve assignments” does not confirm and you could end up with a TM.

Reserve Report

We receive many questions about the 3 hour report time for a reserve assignment. Because Miami is a co-terminal base, you have 3 hours to report. The 3 hours is report to the airport, not sign in or departure. When you receive a call for assignment, you have 3 hours to report to the airport. The trip assignment is not relevant to the call time.
 
When serving ready reserve, the contractual requirement to return Crew Schedule’s phone call is 15 minutes.

Section 12.H. MINIMUM RESERVE CALL OUT TIME
1. A Reserve shall be required to report within two (2) hours from the time s/he is notified of a sequence by Crew Schedule. If a Reserve reports to the airport after check-in time for the sequence, s/he shall receive pay and credit for the sequence as if s/he had checked in for the sequence at the same time as the rest of the crew. As an exception, Reserve Flight Attendants at co-terminals shall be provided three (3) hours call out.

Reserve ORs and OEs

There are two types of Optional Exchange trips, OE and OR. OEs are trips picked up between line holders on line months. ORs are trips picked up by, and or, from reserves.
 
If you pick up an OE that carries over from your line month into your reserve month, those hours will not go on top of your guarantee. The hours will be absorbed into the guarantee and you could end up flying the trip for free, unless you are flown 75 reserve hours. ORs, which originate in your reserve month, are the only trips that will be paid on top of your guarantee.

35-in-7

The JCBA language for 35-in-7 for reserve excludes HIBOARD transactions. There’s one conflict in the current TT system: a TT could potentially be a Flight Attendant’s original trip that’s been used in a trade. Because it’s an original trip, it will be included in the calculation. You will need to alert Crew Schedule at the point of assignment to include the trip in the calculation. The scheduler will confirm by pulling your bid award. If the illegality exists, you will be removed from the trip.

To calculate, 35-in-7 is based on actual flown or scheduled block hours. You can be paid more than 35 hours in 7 days without having a 35-in-7 legality. You need to use your HI3s, not your HI1 to see your actual times. Minimum Day Credit, Trip and Duty Rigs (E,F,G,P), Deadheading, ATC, Deicing (DEI), Ready for Departure (RFD), Ramp Congestion Delay (RCD), and Diversion (DIV) do not count towards 35/7, nor do trips picked up from other Flight Attendants (OR,OE,TT). It’s not difficult to calculate with a little practice and there are also apps that do time calculations.

Attendance Record, Hi10M

Be sure to check your HI10 once a month for discrepancies such as late sign-ins (LR). Remember that a seat swap after sign-in requires a new sign-in. If you receive a short call out for a trip and the scheduler says she/he will waive sign-in, make sure the LR does not show on your HI10M. Sometimes the scheduler forgets to send the message.
If you get a TM and there are extenuating circumstances such as traffic jams, train delays, etc, speak to your manager right away. She/he can investigate and usually there are several people who also had a problem that day. You may be able to have the TM excused.
 
If you find any issues with your record, address them with your manager while they are fresh in your mind. Be proactive with your attendance to prevent problems later. Let us know if you need our assistance. 
 
 As always, please report problems or concerns you are having in the field so we can address them right away with the appropriate people or department.
 
Until next time, fly safely!
 
Randy                                      Todd
[email protected]                      [email protected]