AFA-CWA Local 94 Detroit eNews

September 3, 2009

PLEASE NOTE: YOUR LOCAL 94 OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2009, IN OBSERVANCE OF LABOR DAY.

IMPORTANT MEETINGS ~ SAVE THE DATE(S)!!

Local 94 is pleased to welcome AFA-CWA International President Pat Friend for two informational meetings to be held Wednesday, October 7^th, at 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., at the DTW Westin.  Pat joins us with support, experience and perspective, as we prepare for the largest Flight Attendant union election at the largest airline in the world!  Where do we stand now and what’s coming next?  What can we expect during this election and how does it work?  Bring your questions and concerns for a unique member-driven agenda, focused on retaining our representation at the new Delta. Be sure to mark your calendar and bid accordingly so you don’t miss this special opportunity.  See you there!

Can’t make it to the DTW on the 7th?  LAX President Les Meeks and DTW President Diana Mitcham are hosting two additional informational meetings with Pat Friend to be held in Phoenix at the MEC offices of America West/US Air Council 66 on Monday, October 5 at 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday, October 6 at 9:00 a.m.  The offices are located at 505 South 48^th Street #101, Tempe, AZ 85281.  Click here for Mapquest.  The October 5 PHX meeting will be followed by happy hour at the Tempe Airport Sheraton.  All NWA and Delta Flight Attendants are welcome!

TRAVEL TO/FROM IQ/AQ/HOT

Flight Attendants travelling positive space to training should be aware of several things, including a few key differences between pass travel on “NW metal” and “DL metal.”  With schedule cuts, flights run very heavy.  Be sure to make Company Business flight reservations on DeltaNet as soon as you receive your training award, but no more than 45 days out.  Flights listed in the training pattern on ACCESS are for per diem purposes only, but you are not booked on a flight until you make your own reservations.

You can often receive your seat assignment based on request at the same time you book your flight on DeltaNet or you can request a seat at www.delta.com with your record locator.  If you are unable to receive a seat assignment at the time of reservation, print and carry a copy of your confirmed flight record, anyway, in case there is any confusion about your travel status at the gate.  As always, keep note of your record locator, too.  Having a seat assignment does not mean you are checked in. 

If you are travelling on a NWA flight, you can go to www.nwa.com to check in from home or to an airport kiosk, receive your seat assignment, and print your boarding pass up to 24 hours before your flight departs.  If you are travelling on a Delta flight, however, online check-in is not currently an option, even if you already have your seat assignment.  The check-in process on Delta metal must be completed at the airport (or the training center kiosk) more than 30 minutes prior to departure, or advance seat assignments are cancelled.  This discrepancy in the way check-in is handled between carriers has caused much confusion, resultant flight delays, and several instances of denied boarding to training.  While we hope Delta will discontinue cancelling positive space seats reserved for training, it is highly recommended those travelling to training arrive as early as possible in the meantime, to avoid playing the Cancelled Seat Shuffle.

Some Flight Attendants have unable to make reservations on the most convenient flights returning from ATL, due to heavy loads.  There is a kiosk in the lobby of the ATL Training Center on which you may check in and print your boarding pass up to 24 hours before travel.  There is also an on-screen option to check in for your confirmed flight and also place your name on the standby list for an earlier flight, if it becomes available, within the same PNR.  This way, everything is recorded in the same place, and your later reservation will be cancelled if you receive a confirmed seat on an earlier flight.

BID PACKET LOOKING MUCH LEANER THESE DAYS

No, you are not imagining things.  Even looking at the bid packet online, one can tell it is much “thinner” than in previous years.  As part of the larger, well publicized system wide down-sizing Delta announced for the fall, Detroit lost a total of 28,020 bid hours from August to September. To give you an idea for comparison, Detroit had 112,602 approximate credit hours available for bid in September 2009 (down from 140,630 in August).  Just one year ago, September 2008 gave us 155,410 hours, and SLIP leaves were in effect at that time, as well.  In September 2007, DTW had 178,525 hours available for bid.  October bid information should be released within a few days.

Other base tidbits for September 2009:

Total Active Lineholders – 1517  (62%)

Active Reserves – 404  (17%)

Full Month Absences – 526  (21%)

Total Crew – 2447

Affected by Feasibility – 131  (9%)

LOD PATTERNS IN OPEN TIME

Language of Destination patterns can be identified by their pattern class codes in Crew Access (DE, PH, JP, KR, etc.).  LOD patterns can be picked up during the month by those flight attendants holding the specific language qualification up to and during SLAP preceding the day of pattern operation.  If no LOD Flight Attendant picks up the pattern during SLAP, the trip returns to Open Time under a new pattern number available to non-LOD FAs during the same SLAP run.  In order to pick up the new pattern, it is necessary to enter a generic request, since the new pattern number will not be posted for specific entry.  For example, pattern 120 is a 3 day trip for a German LOD to FRA.   The syntax LFRA can be entered as a generic for this trip, in case pattern 120 is not first picked up by a LOD FA.

RESERVE TIPS: MONTH END RELEASE

Most DTW Reserves have flown more hours in recent months than they have previously experienced in their career.  For a number of years in the not-too-distant past, it was rare to fly hours exceeding Reserve guarantee.  Now, as the company tightens up staffing and PBS more accurately matches Lineholders and Reserves to projected flying by adjusting the EBLA, it is likely this trend toward more hours could continue.  Reserves not wishing to “max out” their hours should familiarize themselves with the various contractual release options, including provisions for the Month End Release found on page 7.18 of the CBE. 

The Month End Release (NOT to be confused with Early Release, which is very different and carries potential loss of guarantee) allows Reserves the opportunity to be released for the remainder of the month once their monthly projection is greater than the EBLA (Established Base Line Average).  Check the analysis cover sheet in Atlas for the current month EBLA, which varies from month to month.  The September EBLA is set at 82.  The October EBLA will be released when the bid packets are posted in a few days.

All Reserves properly requesting the Month End Release will receive it. There is a narrow window to request a Month End Release, however, and once that window closes, the opportunity is gone. The request must be made during the rest period following the pattern the projected the FA over the EBLA.  Go to Centry > Schedule Adjustments > (enter bid month) > Reserve Schedule Adjustments > Release Request > Monthly Release - Projection above Established Base Line Average.  Remember, this is NOT the same as Early Release (Monthly), which is also listed as a release option.

CBE 7.G.6.7. Month End Release

"A Reserve Flight Attendant whose monthly projection is greater than the Established Base Line Average (EBLA), as established by the monthly PBS bid shall be released from all future reserve duty for the month upon request of the Flight Attendant. Such request shall be made following the completion of the pattern that projects the Flight Attendant over the monthly EBLA, but no later than the completion of rest following such pattern. Any future pattern that has been assigned to a Reserve Flight Attendant prior to the end of this deadline shall be removed at the request of the Flight Attendant. A Flight Attendant who does not request a Month End Release within this time frame shall be required to serve the remainder of his/her on-duty period(s) for the month, unless he/she is later granted a release under paragraph G. of this Section, or is projected to be within four hours and fifteen minutes (4:15) of the monthly maximum."

Just in from DeltaNet – another reason to vote AFA:

NO ANNUAL FLYING REQUIREMENT

What do you want to bet there are a few pre-merger Delta FA's scrambling to pick-up trips in the next 30 days after receiving the following reminder on DeltaNet:

"September 1, 2009

As a reminder, the end of the look-back period for the 540-hour annual flying requirement for both medical benefits and PPT is approaching.  The 2009 look-back period began on October 1, 2008 and runs though September 30, 2009.  If you wish to receive Delta-subsidized healthcare benefits and PPT for the 2010 benefit year, please review your current hours to ensure you are on track..."

FIGHT FOR FMLA FAIRNESS CONTINUES

Once again, thank you for your continuing efforts to correct FMLA law to include Flight Attendants and Pilots, as originally intended. Pat yourselves on the back for your tremendous response to the current postcard drive in support of FMLA fairness and the ban on cell phone usage in flight!  Even if you’ve sent letters, e-mails and postcards before, recent events in Congress necessitate an urgent and immediate extra push from EVERYONE to keep FMLA Fairness, the culmination of years of AFA-CWA coordinated lobbying efforts by concerned Flight Attendants everywhere, from disappearing altogether.  Please take the time to make another quick phone call to your Senators to share how important this legislation is for flight crews. Find your Elected Officials here.   Feel free to read from the following sample script or craft your own message in support of S. 1422: 

Hello.  My name is __________________ and I am a registered voter in the state.  I live in (CITY).  I am calling to ask the Senator to cosponsor S. 1422. This is bipartisan, common sense legislation which has already passed the House of Representatives on a unanimous voice vote.  It would fix a long standing problem and finally provide FMLA fairness for flight attendants.  Please make sure that the Senator stands with the nations flight attendants by cosponsoring S. 1422.

DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR UNION PIN - AT WORK AND TO TRAINING! 

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.afa94.org
 
President
Diana Mitcham
 dmitcham@nwaafa.org
734.532.8404 ext. 6