02 August 2009

LETTER OF AGREEMENT 17 REMAINS IN EFFECT TODAY

The company has advised AFA that, due to a continued shortage of flight attendants to cover immediate trips, they must extend the activation of Letter of Agreement 17 through at least today, August 2, 2009. This LOA outlines when and how an NWA AFA flight attendant may be required to accept Time Available in limited situations, following the declaration of a "Critical Period" by the Company.  A Flight Attendant may only be required to accept Time Available in an effort to reduce or eliminate projected Category 18 and/or 19 assignments (CBA Section 6.K).  In short, your rights under LOA 17 are as follows: 

—  You must be compensated at one and one-half times your hourly incentive rate for all additional hours flown as a result of assignment by crew scheduling.

—  If you request it, the company must provide you Y1/F6 travel to and from your base for the assignment.

—  You must have the option of selecting any open pattern that departs during the Critical Period.

—  If you do not select a specific pattern from open flying, you must be assigned the lowest value open pattern.

—  You may only be assigned a pattern that operates outside your Time Available obligation with your consent.

—  With approval from crew scheduling, you must be released from the remainder of the assigned pattern if you transit a base station and the Critical Period has ended. 

—  You must be permitted to accept or decline any Time Availability remaining following the assignment of a pattern under this agreement.  

PREMIUM PAY PATTERNS – SECTION 6 – SCHEDULING

The Company is offering Premium Pay Patterns (AFA CBA 6.I.) in most bases. A Flight Attendant awarded such designated pattern(s) shall be paid the value of the Premium Pay Pattern, plus an additional (25%) at the Flight Attendant's applicable incentive rate of pay.  PPPs must be picked up as an upward adjustment from open time.  Reserves picking these PPPs up as a Reserve Increase Adjustment in SLAP will receive the RIA pay (which is paid above the Reserve guarantee), as well as the 25% premium pay.  Premium pay patterns are numbered in the 35000 series and are on the open board. 

DOWNLINE RESCHEDULING

Downline rescheduling appears to be on the increase due to these same staffing shortages.  Remember to adjust your Rescheduling Preferences in CENTRY.  While this does not eliminate the possibility of being rescheduled, it can affect the order in which Flight Attendants are chosen for rescheduling, particularly if others have not recorded their own preference to not be rescheduled.  You may enter or change your request at any time, but you don't need to put in a new request for each month of flying. 

On the CENTRY homepage, click "Schedule Adjustments" and then "Rescheduled Preferences".  The options are: "Yes I prefer to be rescheduled", or "No I prefer not to be rescheduled" or "I have no preference".  For those who would prefer to be rescheduled, there is a blank area in which to include optional scheduling request syntax.

The remainder of this section of your contract describes the order in which FAs may be subject to rescheduling.  Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the complete language, which can be found of pages 6.60-6.61 of your Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

Remember to ALWAYS ask for a "Review of Crew Orders" when you question the legality of an assignment or rescheduling from Crew Scheduling.  Contact a Local AFA officer to discuss possible contractual violations and to file a grievance, if necessary.