MidAtlantic F/As got it in thier mailboxes, you can also go on theHub. Furloughed F/As should be able to get on theHub, if not they should be going to home addresses.
Inflight Services News
America West Flight Attendant Training Class Bid Form
New Hire Opportunities Available To Involuntary Furloughed Flight Attendants
Attn: US Airways Involuntary Furloughed Flight Attendants
We are pleased to announce that we have reached a transition agreement with the Association of Flight Attendants whereby America West will offer positions that would otherwise have been filled off the street to involuntarily furloughed flight attendants on the US Airways seniority list. The offering of positions will start with the most senior involuntarily furloughed flight attendant and the process will continue until the most junior involuntarily furloughed flight attendant has twice been offered a position. MidAtlantic flight attendants with recall rights to US Airways will not be subject to the freeze/hold provisions of the MidAtlantic Airways Transitional Flow Procedures letter and are therefore eligible to participate in this offering.
A bid form is enclosed in this packet for your use to indicate your intent. Positions will be offered in seniority order. The deadline to submit a bid is Noon, EST, January 30, 2006. The bid form gives you the following two choices:
bid on the opportunities that are currently available; or
bypass on this round of opportunities and be considered for potential future opportunities at America West. If you bypass this round of training classes, you will be contacted once more for future America West opportunities. If at that time you then pass, you will not be considered for any additional America West training classes, but it will not affect your recall rights to US Airways.
If you do not return your bid in a timely fashion, you will be deemed to have passed this round of opportunities. Once you bid for a class, if you later cancel, no-show or fail to complete the class, you will lose your right to a position at America West, unless extenuating circumstances are reviewed and approved by America West.
Classes are scheduled for March, April, and June 2006. A furloughed flight attendant will be afforded the opportunity to list a preference for a particular training class, but keep in mind that training classes are subject to rescheduling or cancellation. This means that if you had enough seniority to hold the March class but elected the June class instead, you assume the risk that the June class will be cancelled. If a class is cancelled, flight attendants awarded that class shall remain on the list for future America West classes and shall not be deemed to have used up one of the two offers. Additional classes for the remainder of 2006 will be based on future anticipated staffing levels. Future training dates have yet to be determined.
As you make your decision about whether and when to bid one of these America West training classes, it is important for you to be aware that there may be recalls during this year to US Airways (East). The final decision regarding recalls will be based on projected flying, attrition, and the level of participation in the "Voluntary Furlough Limited Recall" program. Under the terms of the newly signed Transition Agreement, a US Airways flight attendant who accepts a position at America West may be required to forego recall to US Airways for up to three hundred and sixty-five (365) days from the date of his/her commencement of training as a flight attendant for America West. Recall following Operational Flight Attendant Integration will be governed by the terms of the Single Agreement.
Those accepting employment at America West:
will be treated as junior to all flight attendants who are currently on the America West seniority list, but flight attendants on the US Airways seniority list employed by America West under these terms will be ranked among themselves in their order on the US Airways seniority list;
Example: A US Airways flight attendant with a seniority date of June 1, 2001 begins America West training on March 1, 2006. A US Airways flight attendant with a seniority date of June 1, 1999 begins America West training on July 1, 2006. The flight attendant with the 1999 US Airways seniority date will appear higher on the America West seniority list than the flight attendant with the 2001 seniority date.
will be considered a new hire employee of America West during Separate Operations and subject to the America West collective bargaining agreement;
Example: America West new hire flight attendants pay and arrange for their own hotels during initial training and do not receive moving expenses to their initial domicile. America West flight attendants must also pay the full cost of their uniforms, which currently run at about $330.00 to $360.00 for the basic uniform pieces and $200.00 to $250.00 for luggage. Costs can be deducted over time through payroll deduction. More details about these differences appear below.
will be paid for initial qualification training at the rate of 3 hours pay and credit per day or 1 hour of pay and credit for every 2 hours on duty, whichever is greater;
will retain, accrue and be entitled to use their combined longevity at US Airways and America West for purposes of pay, benefits and vacation accrual. The current America West pay scale is as follows:
Longevity
Pay Rate
0-1 yr
16.18
1-2 yrs
17.40
2-3 yrs
18.08
3-4 yrs
19.18
4-5 yrs
20.27
5-6 yrs
21.38
6-7 yrs
22.96
7-8 yrs
24.47
8-9 yrs
26.31
9-10 yrs
28.23
10-11 yrs
30.24
11-12 yrs
34.74
12-13 yrs
35.72
13-14 yrs
36.67
14 yrs & up
37.59
will be eligible to participate in America West’s health and welfare plans immediately upon commencing initial qualification training; except, if such flight attendant is receiving health and welfare coverage at US Airways at active employee rates, the US Airways coverage, if applicable, would cease. A flight attendant receiving spousal coverage at US Airways may elect to receive either employee coverage at America West or continued spousal coverage at US Airways, but not both. If any other employee group is allowed to be covered under the health insurance plans of both airlines, flight attendants shall be treated no less favorably;
will be able to participate in America West’s 401(k) Plan without a waiting period;
will retain their position on the US Airways seniority list and will be integrated in the combined seniority list based on their position on the US Airways seniority list. However, after Operational Flight Attendant Integration the flight attendant will not utilize his/her seniority on the integrated list until she/he was or has been offered a recall off the US Airways furlough list based on seniority under the provisions of the Single Agreement. A flight attendant who would have been recalled by virtue of his/her seniority from the US Airways furlough list prior to Operational Flight Attendant Integration will receive his/her seniority on the date of Operational Flight Attendant Integration, and not before:
will not be required to serve a probation period as a flight attendant for America West;
will not receive furlough pay from US Airways with respect to the period of their service as a flight attendant for America West; and
will be subject to any applicable background checks and employment requirements for America West new hire flight attendants, with the exception of the essential functions testing.
In addition to their US Airways furlough travel benefits, once flight attendants complete training and are hired by America West, they will be entitled to all pass travel and jumpseat privileges afforded to other America West flight attendants.
America West Training:
America West does not provide transportation to Phoenix. Each InFlight Trainee is responsible for transportation to and from the Flight Center while in Phoenix.
Trainees are responsible for the cost of their housing while in training. Staffing will be able to provide you with hotel brochures and discounts that are available to US Airways employees.
We recommend that you have a minimum of $1,500 - $2,000 set aside before you arrive at training. This amount is an average number so that you can anticipate your expenses during training.
The schedule for training is generally Monday through Friday between the hours of 6 AM and 6 PM. However, hours will vary, and there will be a minimum of three "late nights" that can run past midnight. Some weeks may include Saturdays. In addition you will be given homework.
Corporate casual is the dress code during training.
Training consists of 6 weeks classroom training and 1 week IOE/OJT for a total of 7 weeks of training.
Cost for the basic uniform is $330.00 - $360.00. This includes 2 bottom pieces, 4 shirts/blouses, 1 blazer, apron, and 2 ties. Cost for luggage is $200.00 - $250.00.
As part of your mandatory items you will be required to have a current passport, prior to the start of training.
Currently America West Flight Attendant bases are located in Phoenix and Las Vegas. The majority of the Flight Attendants are based in Phoenix but there may be staffing needs also in Las Vegas. These openings would be filled first through volunteers but could be assigned by seniority, if the necessary numbers needed to fill these opening were not available through the volunteer process.
Furloughed Flight Attendants currently employed as an America West Flight Attendant:
There are a number of US Airways furloughed flight attendants already employed at America West. These flight attendants will be entitled to use their combined longevity at US Airways and America West for purposes of pay, benefits and vacation once they would have been offered a position at America West in seniority order. They will be entitled to use their seniority on the combined seniority list at the time of Operational Flight Attendant Integration or when they would have been offered recall to US Airways based on seniority, whichever occurs later.
We urge you to carefully consider this information and quickly return the bid form indicating your America West preference(s). We look forward to awarding the March class shortly after the bid closes. The flight attendants awarded this class will be notified in writing. Those awarded a class in April or June will be notified at least two weeks prior to the commencement of the class.
America West Flight Attendant Training Class Bid Form
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