AFA Detroit Local Executive Council 94        

Quick Shots ~ July 6, 2009

LOCAL 94 OFFICE CLOSURE

The DTW Local 94 office will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, July 8^th and 9^th while your council officers attend meetings and specialized training in MSP.   If you have a pending appointment notice or scheduled manager meeting during that time, your manager is contractually obligated to reschedule for a time when union representation is available, if you so choose. 

Contract Section 21.F.1:

If Union representation is requested by the Flight Attendant, the manager shall take reasonable steps to delay the meeting until a Union Representative of the Flight Attendant’s choice from his/her Local Executive Council can attend.

Local 94 phone calls and e-mails will be returned beginning Friday, July 10^th, when normal office hours resume.  For critical, time sensitive matters Wednesday and Thursday only, contact the MEC offices at 952-241-4111 from 9:00-5:00 CDT, and urgent messages will be provided to your representatives.  For assistance with an EAP or professional standards issue, peer support and referral contact information is available here or you can call 800-424-2406.     

TRADER ALERT!!

Have you ever requested a specific OWT, but the trip went to someone more senior?  Did you think that was the end of it?  Think again!  If you don’t cancel your specific Open Trade request, even if you didn’t receive the trip you requested, AutoAward could surprise you later, should the trip become available again.

If you make use of the Mutual Trip Trade Bulletin Board and request patterns to be processed as Open Trades (that is, OWTs from other Flight Attendants as opposed to Upward Adjustments from company Open Board in ACCESS), please be aware of one distinct—but major—difference in the way AutoAward processes these requests. 

As most of us know, a specific schedule adjustment request from the Company Open Board is processed only once in PLAP—and once in the SLAP, if requested and applicable—regardless of the requested departure date.  In contrast, generic schedule adjustment requests continue to be processed each morning during the PLAP period, up to and including the day before the last requested adjustment date, until an award is received from the request, or until the request is cancelled by the FA.  (On the day before the requested departure date, it is also processed during the SLAP, if requested.)

However, both specific and generic requests for OWTs (which are processed as Open Trades) continue to be processed everyday during each PLAP and SLAP (if selected and applicable) until SLAP on the day prior to the last date in the request, or the PLAP on the day prior to the last date in the request if SLAP is not requested, or an award(s) is received from the request, or until cancelled by the Flight Attendant.  Unlike other specific adjustment requests, a specific request for an Open Trade is processed more than once.

Clear as mud?  Bottom line, if you do not receive a specific OWT request at first and do not want to be surprised with an award later, cancel your request to prevent further processing.  This information is explained in greater detail in the Company’s [outdated] Centry manual, which can still be found on ATLAS under the Bid Resources tab.

SLIP LEAVES AND UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT INFORMATION 

The following unemployment information is being provided to assist members considering an upcoming SLIP leave.  The company has advised they will not contest unemployment for the 3, 6 or 9-month leaves, which will begin September 1.  Bids close July 16 at 1700 EDT. 

For purposes of unemployment compensation, a participant will be reported to the applicable state unemployment office as being on "voluntary leave of absence in lieu of layoff of junior employee" and the Company will not contest any award of unemployment compensation made to the participant by the State.  Generally, DTW-based Flight Attendants will apply for MI unemployment benefits, regardless of which state in which they live.  For more Michigan unemployment information, see http://www.mi.gov/uia

Unemployment benefits and qualifications vary from state to state.  Historically, the State of Michigan has paid unemployment benefits to DTW-based Flight Attendants on SLIP leaves and other furlough-avoidance type leaves, although it has sometimes required an appeal process following initial denial.  This is not intended to imply or affirm known benefit approval, as Local 94 is not authorized to make determinations of eligibility on behalf of the State of Michigan. 

Comprehensive information, as well as fact sheets, calculations charts, tutorials and forms can be found on the State of Michigan Unemployment website at http://www.mi.gov/uia.   Please refer to your local unemployment office for specific questions regarding benefit coverage.

REMEMBER, ALL FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ON THE NWA SYSTEM SENIORITY LIST WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE UPCOMING REPRESENTATIONAL ELECTION, WHETHER THEY ARE ON SLIP LEAVE, MEDICAL LEAVE, FURLOUGH OR ANY OTHER APPROVED ABSENCE.  BE SURE TO UPDATE ANY CHANGES TO YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION WITH THE COMPANY AND WITH THE UNION!

 

Local 94 DTW Office Walk-in hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 734.532-8404   FAX 734.941.5447 Hotline ~ 888.3NWAAFA   www.nwaafa.org   www.lec94.org
President Diana Mitcham	dmitcham@nwaafa.org 734.532-8404 ext. 6
Vice President John O’Donnell	jodonnell@nwaafa.org 734.532-8404 ext. 7
Secretary Anthony Hytche	ahytche@nwaafa.org 734.532-8404 ext. 8
Local Council Representative Kevin Boston	kboston@nwaafa.org 734.532-8404 ext. 9
Local Council Representative Belea Bower	bbower@nwaafa.org 734.532-8404 ext. 3
Local Council Representative Jeff Martoia	jmartoia@nwaafa.org 734.532-8404 ext. 4
NOTE: Occasionally, the office may be temporarily closed during walk-in hours to meet inbound flights or to represent Flight Attendants during manager meetings.  Please call 734.532.8404 or e-mail us at lec94@nwaafa.org and leave your name, employee number, contact information and the nature of your inquiry.  An automated attendant answers all calls 24/7 and routes callers to the proper party or directs them to a general office extension, when necessary.  We will return your call or e-mail as soon as possible.