2.09.22 – APFA PHX Base Brief – February 2022

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Wednesday, February 9, 2022

APFA PHX Base Brief – February 2022

Secorra Flowers and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, our PHX Based Flight Attendants, for your continued professionalism and customer service during the last two weeks, especially this past weekend. We are very aware of the situations you all faced during these storms. Many of you waited several hours on hold for Scheduling/Tracking. Others reached out to the APFA National Contract Scheduling Desk, Live Messaging or your PHX Base Leadership. We all spent hours on the phone, sending emails, and locating hotels/transportation for Flight Attendants who called for assistance. This was an epic failure, not only for our Flight Attendants, Gate Agents, and all front-line employees but also for our passengers. For those of you who refused to leave them stranded and worked flights to get our passengers to their destination, we are not surprised as historically our PHX Flight Attendants have always stepped up to the plate. You are all Rockstars!

For those of you who waited hours on end for a hotel, many of you on duty for more than 16 hours, it is unacceptable that you were left with little or no Company support. And for those that had to use your own money to book hotels and transportation, please use Concur.

Jetnet > Team Member Services> Money & Attendance > Concur Expense Reporting:

A special thank you to Debbie Carvatta, Regional Director for PHX, for her continued support and help in expediting requests for flights home, hotels, and transportation over the weekend.

Going forward, we, as a Union, can no longer accept this lack of preparation from our Company. As they hold us to our commitment, we expect them to fulfill their commitment to the employees and customers. While an apology that is sincere can mend fences, after several apologies over the same failures it becomes nothing more than empty words.

The silence was deafening last week…

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March 2022 Allocations and Staffing

On Thursday, February 3rd at 0900, we had the monthly staffing call with the Company. On this call for PHX were Robin Agee, Secorra Flowers and Scott Barnes.

PHX, along with CLT, DFW, BOS and SFO, are the only bases with required reserves above 20%. The high number of sick calls were referenced as to the percentage of reserves needed in PHX. We reminded management that we saw more pandemic leaves in January than any other month since the pandemic began. We then advised the Company that we only had 183 reserve eligible FAs for March, and that we had warned them previously that we would be short of their projected numbers. This segued into the need for more of our displaced Flight Attendants to be brought back to PHX. We have asked for a meeting with Crew Planning, our Regional Director and the Managing Director of Flight Services to discuss PHX Staffing. With LHR returning to the schedule within the next 2 months, it is imperative that we be staffed sufficiently for the flying.

The allocations call to discuss the sequence construction, type of trips (i.e. number of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-day sequences, ODANs, red eyes, etc.), any contractual violations, the length of duty day and overnights, was also held on February 3rd. For March, PHX saw a modest increase in hours of flying, going from 49,042 in February to 49,078 in March. ODANs decreased from 2.3 to 1.9. This was attributed to adjustments made in preparation for the mandatory 10-hour rest period.

As for the quality of the sequences, there are no remarkable changes. We will continue to see widebody flying in PHX with the destination of OGG at least until April. Currently, we have no definitive date for London Heathrow, but we were informed it could be as soon as the end of March to mid-May. This is not definitive and rests on the delivery of some of our backordered Boeing 787s.

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Deadheading on Last Leg of a Trip Sequence

During these last irregular operations, several PHX Flight Attendants received a Missed Trip (TM), because they did not notify Scheduling/Tracking they were not taking their scheduled deadhead, or they were on hold indefinitely waiting to inform Scheduling of their decision. Per JCBA Section 16.H., a Lineholder only needs to notify Crew Scheduling they will not be taking their scheduled deadhead. This notification must occur before the scheduled deadhead. If you fail to do so, you risk receiving a Missed Trip. If you cannot complete the call to Scheduling, make sure you screenshot your call log, the active hold time, or a copy of your cell phone bill as proof of the attempted notification. This will help us resolve any Missed Trips.

Reserves are required to ask and receive consent from Scheduling to take a different flight back to base or your commuter city.

We will probably be seeing many deadheads at both the front and back of sequences as the Company recovers flying due to the disruption from these last storms. Because of this, it is imperative that you know your contractual rights, please review JCBA Section 16.H.. Also, you can refer to the following hotline from APFA:

Deadheading Flexibility Scenarios & Important Deadheading Reminders

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Rescheduling and Your Contract

During these last irregular operations, one of the many questions we received included what a Flight Attendants responsibility is to report when there is a cancelation of the first segment of a sequence, even though the rest of the sequence is still on their line.

On Wednesday, November 17, 2021, the Contract and Scheduling Departments sent out the following communication to the membership that addressed this and other rescheduling issues: Rescheduling Update

Q: Why must I go to the airport for my originally scheduled report time when my first flight is showing canceled?
A: Per JCBA Section 10.J.2.c., you may only ask to be removed from the rescheduled trip with Crew Scheduling’s consent. If you do not wish to contact Scheduling and wait on hold you need to be at the airport at the original report time. If you are not rescheduled within 4 hours of your report time you are released from your duty day. To receive call out pay of three hours you will need to contact Scheduling to have that added to your HI1.

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Mask Mandate

We also would like to remind all FAs that the mask mandate is in effect until March 18, 2022. Per policy, we are to inform the passengers that it is required for them to wear a mask. If you have asked them once, and they continue to be non-compliant, have another member of your crew approach them with a second request. Should they not comply, and you are on the ground, request a CRO. If you are in the air, fill out a CERS. Remember, we only ask/remind them twice. And when addressing the compliance of 2- and 3-year-olds, if you see the parents making a concerted effort, but the child just can’t keep that mask over their nose, or if the child is asleep, remind the parents nicely and you will have fulfilled Company policy.

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Vaccination/Exemption Status

As a reminder to all PHX Flight Attendants, your vaccination status is your business. The same with those who have received a vaccine exemption, that is between you and the Company. Please do not discuss your status or any exemption on the flights. If a fellow crewmember asks you if you are vaccinated, change the subject, or remind them, politely as possible, that your health and anything to do with it is personal and you’d rather not discuss it. As with politics and religion, this is a subject that should not be discussed on your flights.

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Pay Issues
By Secorra Flowers, APFA PHX Base VP

Robin and I often are asked about pay issues when an irregularity happens on a trip. Most of the questions can be answered by looking at your FOS Screens. Some of the credit details are not captured in the Crew Portal display. To verify the credit for your trip, utilize your FOS screens. The HI1 and HI2 screens show most of the pay-related details. Volunteering to exceed your duty day can be verified by viewing the trip in mobileCCI. The code VE will be added by Scheduling and is visible after the first flight number of the duty day. The Flight Service website has a helpful Pay Resource Guide to decipher the FOS screens and your Activity Sheets on the Payroll website.

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Senior Bump Reminder

Before using the LRD to “toggle” to Reserve, please remember that having too much vacation may keep the month from counting towards your Reserve rotation. If you have more than three (3) days of vacation and you toggle to Reserve, you will be awarded Reserve status for the PBS bid, but it will not count towards sitting reserve. JCBA Section 12.A.3.b.

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Trading Positions

Did you trade positions after signing in for a trip? Please make sure you are still showing signed-in on MobileCCI. If the App is not showing you as signed in, please contact Scheduling. It is strongly recommended you review your HI10M in mobileCCI at the end of each month to verify your Chargeable Occurrences.

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Contract Negotiations and the Contract ACTION Team

The updated Negotiations section on the APFA website launched last week. The new Negotiations page offers more transparency to the negotiations process then we have seen in the past. Remember, knowledge is power! This is your source for factual information, and exactly where we are in the negotiation process. Check the page often for updates.

As Activists for the Contract ACTION Team, you will be a direct link between the general membership and our Negotiations Committee. You will be tasked with talking to your flying partners about communication sent out by the Union’s Negotiations Committee, directing Flight Attendants how to sign up for the hotlines, how to access information as well as how to participate in ACTION events such as: email campaigns, base, regional and systemwide events.

As we continue to build our movement, we encourage all PHX Flight Attendants to sign up as Activists.

https://www.apfa.org/contract-action-team-sign-up/

You can get the latest updates on negotiations by visiting ContractAction.org.

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Primary Round of Annual Vacation Bidding
The Primary Round of Vacation Bidding will close on Wednesday, March 2nd at 1200 (CT).

To bid for vacation, you must go through the Crew Portal. Once logged in, click on:

• Monthly Bids
• Vacation
• Annual
• Bidding Ballots

Click Here for the Annual Vacation Bid and Award Instructions

If you have any questions regarding your vacation days accrued, please email [email protected] or call the Vacation Support Desk at 1-800-VIP-CREW option #, 8.

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Scheduling & Contract Reminders

What is considered positive contact? If you look at Section 10.V.5. the list includes Crew Scheduling(Tracking), a Company designee (member of Management), an FSM or the Captain. It is not a voicemail on your cell phone, a Crew Coordinator or Gate Agent. A Gate Agent can tell you that Crew Scheduling wants you to call; but again it is not positive contact.

When returning to base at the end of your sequence, Lineholders cannot be rescheduled. The Lineholder is finished and cannot be “tagged” or given an illegal double up. As a reminder, if you are a Reserve once you are past your release time (block in plus 15 minute domestic debrief, or 30 minute NIPD/IPD debrief) you cannot be rescheduled. Rescheduling Issues Part VII: Forced Double-Ups

Per JCBA Section 8.G.1., “A Flight Attendant will not be required to work during a vacation.”
Per JCBA Section 8.J.4., “Once awarded, vacation shall not be cancelled by the Company”.
These two sections of the Contract are important to know, especially as a Reserve, as it contractually keeps the Company from scheduling a Flight Attendant into their vacation by adding additional flying to the end of their sequence.

If you are on Reserve and get back from an assigned/awarded sequence later than originally scheduled, check your assignment for the next day. If it provides less than your contractual 12 hours rest, it is your responsibility to call Crew Scheduling.

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Frequently Asked Contract Questions

Reserve Assignment

We are still receiving quite a few questions regarding when you can be contacted/assigned a sequence. Per JCBA Section 12.G.3. – “Flight Attendants may be assigned sequences or Standby shifts that report within a RAP prior to the start of the RAP. At the commencement of a RAP, Flight Attendants are responsible for reviewing and acknowledging all assignments through the automated system.“

What this means is you can receive a One Alert prior to the start of your RAP, but you are not required to acknowledge the assignment till your RAP begins.

Which brings us to JCBA Section 12.H.1. – “A Reserve shall be required to report within two(2) hours from the time she/he is notified of a sequence by Crew Schedule.”

What this means is if you are sent a One Alert at 9:25 for a sequence that checks in at 12:05, and you are on RAP C (11:00 till 23:00), you do not have to acknowledge the assignment until the beginning of your RAP, or 11:00. That makes the latest you can check in at the airport 13:00.

If you have any questions, please call APFA PHX at 800-595-1471. You can also call the Contract/Scheduling desk at APFA National 817-540-0108, or utilize the Live Messaging feature on APFA.org.

Airport Standby Assignment

JCBA Section 11.E. is the table used to determine the length of day. The report time of the sequence determines your duty day max, not the report time of the standby shift.

Minimum Reserve Call Out Time

If you are given less than a two-hour call out to sequence report, it is legal. You have two (2) hours to “report” to the airport from positive contact with Crew Scheduling. (JCBA Section 12.H.1) The Scheduler does not give you a point should you arrive after the scheduled sequence report time. The system automatically will assign the point. However, time permitting, the Scheduler will send a message to your Attendance Flight Service Manager (AFSM) to remove the point.

Schedulers do not assess points. They are required to use codes to remove flying from your line. Depending on the code used, the computer system will then either assign a point(s) or not, depending on the code used. It is very important, as stated just above, that every Flight Attendant check their HI10M every month. It is difficult to get points that were incorrectly assessed removed after 30 days or longer.

Airport Standby

As a reminder, per JCBA Section 12.F.17.:

“A Standby must be available for immediate contact and assignment while on Standby duty but is not required to be in the Standby room.”

Flight Attendants sitting Airport Standby do not have 15 minutes to call Crew Scheduling back as we do on a RAP.  Not answering your phone, or immediately calling back, could lead to a missed trip.

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APFA PHX Phone Number
800-595-1471

• Ext. 1 – National Office and Contract & Scheduling Desk
• Ext. 2 – PHX Base President Robin Agee
• Ext. 3 – PHX Base Vice President Secorra Flowers
• Ext. 4 – Mandatory Meeting Representation
• Ext. 5 – Medical and Injury on Duty
• Ext. 6 – Reserves
• Ext. 0 – General Questions

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Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

In Solidarity,

Robin Agee
APFA PHX Base President
480-238-2303
[email protected]

Secorra Flowers
APFA PHX Base Vice President
602-551-8116
[email protected]