1.03.23 – APFA ORD Base Brief – February 2023 Staffing and Allocations

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

February 2023 Staffing and Allocations

We hope everyone had a Happy New Year and holiday season, wherever you may have been. 2022 was filled with many surprises and changes, and 2023 will be no different. Please continue to welcome anyone who has joined the Chicago family from San Francisco. While we are happy you are in Chicago, we wish it was under better circumstances.

2022 ended with a ROTA run that glitched systemwide for January 1st. This caused mass confusion, frustration, and skepticism regarding the systems that dictate our lives. While the Company has committed to doing what is right by pay protecting anyone who should have received a trip and will do a thorough investigation to find the cause of the issue. Let us say this bluntly; it was an unacceptable way to start the new year. The Contract and Scheduling department quickly engaged with the Company and demanded answers. Please review their recent hotline about The ROTA Glitch that stole New Year’s Eve.

2023 is starting with a 12% increase in block hours systemwide. Even though the total available headcount for the entire system is up, it is not at a rate consistent with the block hours. We have been told that the hiring for 2023 will be consistent with the numbers we saw in 2022, we hope this trend continues, and we can welcome many more new hires in 2023!

The February staffing and allocations call was held today. Here are some highlights:

• Chicago maintains the SEA-LHR trip for February.
• There are fewer widebody domestic trips than we would hope, considering the reduction of international for February. While some domestic widebody flights traverse through Chicago, they are allocated to different bases for February.
• The sit times exceeding 3+ hours continue to drop. Every base continues to appreciate the reduction of extended sit times.
• ODAN starts per day are down slightly from January – we continue to look for a sweet spot with ODANs

Important dates for February:

• February 3rd is when the schedule will increase from the January pulldown.
• The Super Bowl will be held in Phoenix the second weekend of February, Sunday, February 12th.
• The second schedule adjustment for the February bid month for the Spring schedule increase happens on March 1st.

The systemwide Reserve percentage for February is 18.6%. Chicago is lower at 16.8%. The Company continues to cite various factors that are considered when creating the total reserve number, such as absenteeism, job hours, vacation, historical utilization, and omicron uncertainty. The data used remains a moving target that always matches the company narrative.

The expected line average for Chicago at PBS open is 80.4. The systemwide average is 81.2. This number is higher than we are used to for a winter month, which historically allows people to have some breathing room and a lower TCR. February has a lot of vacation time, which means the line average is higher due to vacation hours. Vacation buyback had a negligible effect on lowering the line average.

Trip Construction

1-day: 30% in February vs. 30% in January
2-day: 26% in February vs. 29% in January
3-day: 37% in February vs. 34% in January
4-day: 7% in February vs. 7% in January

ODAN Starts per day: 12.7 in February vs. 14.0 in January

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Systemwide Picketing

Our current contract was amendable in 2019. It is 2023, and we still await a contract to improve our wages and work rules! If you haven’t been frustrated with the delays over the last several years, the recent updates from the Negotiating Committee should highlight some of the extreme concessions the Company is seeking: read the update here.

January 24th will be the second systemwide picket event! Join your coworkers and us – even if it is a chilly January day – save the date and bring friends and family! January 24th – upper level between Terminal 3 and Terminal 2, 1100-1300.

Please be sure to be uniform-compliant for the picket. If you are not in uniform, wear your red We Are Ready T-shirt over warm clothes with a red hat or beanie. These bright colors will help to draw attention to our crowd! If you don’t have a shirt from the November picket, we will have more at this event!

We look forward to seeing ALL of you there, and remember, friends and family, are welcome to add their support!

APFA Contract ACTION Team Sign Up

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Attendance Flight Service Manager (AFSM) Contact information

The Attendance Flight Service Manager (AFSM) program continues to evolve. To try and respond in a more timely manner, a new singular email address has been created. In addition to your AFSM, this email will be monitored by Flight Service administrators in Dallas. The new email address for Chicago is [email protected].

Please be kind to one another! Stay safe.

In Solidarity,

Susan Wroble
APFA ORD Base President
(630) 802-2268
[email protected]

Dray Howard
APFA ORD Base Vice President
(630) 215-8410
[email protected]

Justin Patterson
APFA ORD Base Council Representative
(509) 720-0067
[email protected]