1.26.18 – (LAA/LUS) – Last 5 Days Pay Protection-LAA/System Charters-LUS/LGA Elections/401k & Profit Sharing/Retirement Seminars/Uniform Reports

 

• Pay Protection for Last 5 Days of the Month (excludes Reserves) – LAA

• System Charters- LUS

• Ballots Mailed for LGA Base President & Base Vice President Elections  

• 401(k) Special Election for Profit Sharing

• Retirement Seminars 

• Uniform Reaction Report Count 

---

Pay Protection for Last 5 Days of the Month (excludes Reserves) – LAA

 

As a reminder, Flight Attendants should be familiar with the following parameters when looking to pay protect their last trip during the last 5 days of the month:

• Pay protection: After sign in, Crew Schedule has the same options as MIC – deadhead, reschedule, hold at the airport for 4 hours, or release
  • Carry-over time is not protected
• To qualify for pay protection, FA must:
  • Add name to MU list for each DOSTF (day originally scheduled to fly). This includes the original footprint of trip plus 8 hours.
  • Submit a HISEND MU message for each DOSTF. Must include “plot to protect”.
  • Participate in each HISEND MU round until obligation is fulfilled – one trip flown will fulfill obligation.
  • FA is only obligated for trips plotted during the HISEND MU Round, 1200-1330.  FA is not required to accept an assignment proffered after 1330.
  • Obligation extends until the earlier of 8 hours after originally scheduled trip sequence termination or midnight last day of the contractual month (if DOSTF + 8 hours extends past midnight last day of scheduled trip, FA must be on MU list the additional day).
  • FA may opt to participate in subsequent MU/II/CC proffer rounds and will not forfeit protection if FA passes or is unable to be reached at time of proffer.
  • See Make-Up HISEND requests in the ODCG for more detailed information.
• If FA elects to opt out of pay protection: If LO assigned trip for Last 5 Day Pay Protection cancels, FA has no further obligation and pay will be protected.
  • Pay for last trip is forfeited
  • Pay Projection (PPROJ) may be incrementally reduced by the value of the lost trip
• If LO assigned trip for Last 5 Day Pay Protection cancels, FA has no further obligation and pay will be protected.

---

System Charters- LUS

 

As a reminder, bidding procedures for System Charters are outlined in the LUS ‘Red Book’ Section 18.C. which states, “All System Charters shall be posted for bid at every Flight Attendant domicile. All Flight Attendants shall be given the opportunity to bid such trips and all bids shall be awarded in accordance with system seniority and qualifications on the equipment to be utilized”.

Once awarded a System Charter, LUS ‘Red Book’ Section 18.E.4. outlines how the trip will be awarded if a Flight Attendant awarded the sequence becomes unable to fly the System Charter:

“If a Flight Attendant is unable to fly the System Charter and it is more than two hours (2:00) prior to scheduled departure, the Company shall attempt to contact the next Flight Attendant(s) who has bid the System Charter in order of seniority, providing there is adequate time for the Flight Attendant to report for duty one hour (1:00) domestic/one hour and thirty minutes (1:30) international prior to scheduled departure. If any Flight Attendant who has bid the System Charter cannot report one hour (1:00) domestic/ one hour and thirty minutes (1:30) international prior to scheduled departure, a Reserve shall be offered or assigned the System Charter. If the System Charter remains uncovered two (2:00) hours prior to scheduled departure, or becomes available within two (2:00) hours of scheduled departure, the charter will be assigned in accordance with Section 12.K.3.” 
Ballots Mailed for LGA Base President & Base Vice President Elections  

Ballots for the LGA Base President and Base Vice President elections have been mailed to all LGA–based Flight Attendants. If you have not received your ballot, please contact the National Ballot Committee (NBC).

All ballots must be received by 10:00am CT on February 16, 2018. Please remember that this is a mail ballot, so please mail your ballot sufficiently in advance of February 16 to arrive by that date. For your ease, return postage has already been paid.

To be eligible for this election, you must be a member in good standing, dues current, by 5pm CT February 12, 2018. You may contact the APFA Dues department to make sure your dues are current at [email protected] or 817-540-0108 ext. 8151

Per the APFA Policy Manual Section 14.K.7, the last day that you can request a duplicate ballot for this election is Sunday, February 9. However, we highly encourage you to request a duplicate ballot, if necessary, well in advance of that date since you likely will not have sufficient time to receive and return your completed ballot by February 16 if we do not receive your request until February 9.

Please feel free to contact the NBC with any questions at [email protected] or 817-540-0108 ext. 8311.

Cindy Horan
APFA National Ballot Committee Chairperson
[email protected]

---

401(k) Special Election for Profit Sharing

 

With a profit sharing pay-out coming on or around March 9th, it’s important to understand the Special Election process. It’s also a good time to explain what you are eligible for in terms of Company match and contributions to your 401(k).

Just like last year’s pay-out, to make a contribution (and get the company match, if eligible) you must make a selection in the SPECIAL ELECTION section under Contributions on the Fidelity website. Your Regular Elections on file will not apply to your profit sharing award.

The company will be putting money in your 401(k) based on your profit sharing award. All Flight Attendants with at least one year of company seniority will be eligible for one of the following:

• LEGACY US AND POST-2012 LEGACY AA FLIGHT ATTENDANTS receive a 3% Company contribution and 2.5% Company match. The 3% Company contribution will be made regardless of how much is designated as a Special Election. In order to make sure they are matched by the Company for the full 2.5%, Flight Attendants should make a Pre-tax or Roth Special Election contribution of at least 2.5%.

• PRE-2012 LEGACY AA FLIGHT ATTENDANTS receive an Age Based Contribution and will have their Company contribution placed in their 401(k) account based on the age group they are in (39 and under: 5.5%, 40-49: 6.75%, 50 and over: 9.9%), regardless of how much they defer via a Special Election.

Special Elections can be designated as either Pre-Tax or Roth, but Company match and contributions are always treated as Pre-Tax Company contributions. Even if you elect 100% of your contribution as a Pre-Tax Special election, Social Security and Medicare taxes will still be deducted from this pay-out and those taxes will be subject to withholding.

Any Flight Attendants in an overpayment situation will have that amount deducted from their profit sharing award.

Special Elections need to be completed by 4:00pm ET on February 23^rd in order to be processed in time for the profit sharing pay-out and can be made by logging into http://www.netbenefits.com/aa or by calling the American Airlines 401(k) Center at Fidelity at (800) 354-3412. Administrative questions and concerns can be directed to your American Airlines 401(k) team at [email protected] .

Please remember that Special Elections do not reset each year, so now would be a good time to make sure the percentages in your Special Election contributions are up to date and an accurate reflection of what you want deferred from your profit sharing award in March.

Profit Sharing Pay-out Formula Posted on Jetnet >>

Ron Harris
APFA National Retirement Specialist
[email protected]

---

Retirement Seminars in March & April 

 

The APFA Retirement Department has added PHL and PHX to the whirlwind tour in February & March. Also, due to an expected higher turnout at STL, the venue has been changed to accommodate more participants. The STL Seminar will now be held at the Airport Conference Room located in the basement under the airport chapel, outside security near door number 11 in the main terminal.

These popular and informative briefings cover a wide range of topics, including:

• 401(k)
• Pensions
• Retiree Travel
• Medicare

The APFA Retirement Handout, “Good Slide!”, is distributed to each participant. The handout follows the slide show presentation, and also contains checklists and contact information to make sure you get everything you have coming to you.

You should attend your first Retirement Seminar no later than 10 years before you think you will retire, but it’s never too early to attend one of these meetings! If you’d like a copy of the Good Slide! handout, it’s also available for download from the APFA Retirement Page. The handout is updated throughout the year, and the most current version is always on the website.

LAA Flight Attendants can pull a pension estimate by visiting the Pension Service Center on Jetnet.

LUS Flight Attendants can request a pension estimate in the mail by calling the PBGC at (800)400-7242.

Guests (such as spouses) are also welcome to attend. Be advised that for seminars located within the secure side of the terminals, you will need to go thru TSA screening.

For any seminar located within the secure side of the terminal, you can also request a gate pass for your guest from the ticket counter. Feel free to contact our department for further instructions or assistance.

All members, regardless of their base or seniority, are welcome to attend any seminar. Start the New Year off right and come learn about retirement!

Ron Harris
APFA National Retirement Specialist
[email protected]

---

Uniform Reaction Report Count