FurloughedByAPFA
Member
- Dec 5, 2006
- 92
- 0
Special APFA Update...This is APFA President Laura Glading with a Special Negotiations update for Monday, December 15.
Your Negotiating Team is facing a monumental task of restoring and improving all aspects of our contract. To achieve this goal, we take our direction from you –what you say is vital to this process. Reserve and Scheduling issues continue to rank as an area of extremely high importance to all Flight Attendants. Through negotiations surveys, your e-mails and your phone calls, you repeatedly tell us:
-- that you want fewer Flight Attendants on Reserve; and
-- that all Flight Attendants want an opportunity to earn extra money during both Reserve and Regular Line months.
As just one part of a comprehensive plan to overhaul the current Reserve and Scheduling system, your Team has crafted a proposal which would address both of these concerns. The Team recently briefed the APFA Board of Directors on this one piece, which we presented to the Company.
Called “Volunteer to Fly†-- or “VTFâ€â€“ this program will allow you, whether a Line Holder or Reserve, to volunteer to fly open time as it becomes available during a block of days off -- a minimum two-day block for Domestic, three-day block for International. In exchange, you will be paid a guaranteed four-hour minimum, or the hours of the sequence flown, whichever is greater.
VTF assignments will be given, for same day coverage, after Make Up and before Reserve – in seniority order and without regard to maximums. Though there are many details to the VTF proposal, its key features are:
-- First, if no assignment is given for the first day of the block of VTF days, you will receive four hours pay and have no further obligation to fly on the remaining days.
-- Second, for Reserve Flight Attendants, you will be paid above the guarantee for any assignment on VTF days, or the four-hour minimum if not used.
-- Third, if qualified, you will have the ability to pick up VTF flying in the opposite division, International or Domestic, to increase your flying opportunities.
We firmly believe that consistent and regular awarding of VTF flying will eventually reduce the reserve lists.
Additionally, by voluntarily accepting to be available on short notice, you will earn extra pay, whether you receive an assignment or not.
Persuading the Company that there is an interest among off-duty Flight Attendants to be available for a two or three day period of their own choosing, in return for guaranteed pay was not easy.
Your Team needs to gather real data to back up our claims that the Flight Attendants are interested. We have convinced the Company to run a sixty-day trial of this program at four bases: DFW / IDF and DCA / DCA-I, commencing on January 15th.
Briefings will be sent to Flight Attendants at these bases. More details on this proposed program will be available on the Negotiations page of the APFA website soon. Members of the Negotiating Team are also available to answer your questions emailed to: [email protected].
Your Negotiating Team has worked hard on this proposal which aims to address some of the most pressing issues surrounding Reserve and the limited availability of additional flying for all Flight Attendants. Rest assured we continue to address all areas where improvement is needed. We remain committed to presenting you with a contract we will all be proud of.
Thank you for your continued support and for your Unity in our fight to achieve an improved working agreement.
Your Negotiating Team is facing a monumental task of restoring and improving all aspects of our contract. To achieve this goal, we take our direction from you –what you say is vital to this process. Reserve and Scheduling issues continue to rank as an area of extremely high importance to all Flight Attendants. Through negotiations surveys, your e-mails and your phone calls, you repeatedly tell us:
-- that you want fewer Flight Attendants on Reserve; and
-- that all Flight Attendants want an opportunity to earn extra money during both Reserve and Regular Line months.
As just one part of a comprehensive plan to overhaul the current Reserve and Scheduling system, your Team has crafted a proposal which would address both of these concerns. The Team recently briefed the APFA Board of Directors on this one piece, which we presented to the Company.
Called “Volunteer to Fly†-- or “VTFâ€â€“ this program will allow you, whether a Line Holder or Reserve, to volunteer to fly open time as it becomes available during a block of days off -- a minimum two-day block for Domestic, three-day block for International. In exchange, you will be paid a guaranteed four-hour minimum, or the hours of the sequence flown, whichever is greater.
VTF assignments will be given, for same day coverage, after Make Up and before Reserve – in seniority order and without regard to maximums. Though there are many details to the VTF proposal, its key features are:
-- First, if no assignment is given for the first day of the block of VTF days, you will receive four hours pay and have no further obligation to fly on the remaining days.
-- Second, for Reserve Flight Attendants, you will be paid above the guarantee for any assignment on VTF days, or the four-hour minimum if not used.
-- Third, if qualified, you will have the ability to pick up VTF flying in the opposite division, International or Domestic, to increase your flying opportunities.
We firmly believe that consistent and regular awarding of VTF flying will eventually reduce the reserve lists.
Additionally, by voluntarily accepting to be available on short notice, you will earn extra pay, whether you receive an assignment or not.
Persuading the Company that there is an interest among off-duty Flight Attendants to be available for a two or three day period of their own choosing, in return for guaranteed pay was not easy.
Your Team needs to gather real data to back up our claims that the Flight Attendants are interested. We have convinced the Company to run a sixty-day trial of this program at four bases: DFW / IDF and DCA / DCA-I, commencing on January 15th.
Briefings will be sent to Flight Attendants at these bases. More details on this proposed program will be available on the Negotiations page of the APFA website soon. Members of the Negotiating Team are also available to answer your questions emailed to: [email protected].
Your Negotiating Team has worked hard on this proposal which aims to address some of the most pressing issues surrounding Reserve and the limited availability of additional flying for all Flight Attendants. Rest assured we continue to address all areas where improvement is needed. We remain committed to presenting you with a contract we will all be proud of.
Thank you for your continued support and for your Unity in our fight to achieve an improved working agreement.