PSA1979
Senior
- Jan 15, 2003
- 360
- 6
This just came as an e-line from local council 70, once again AFA has spent who knows how much for an arbitration that our company won.
"On October 16, 2003, you received a newsletter from your MEC President, Perry
Hayes, informing you of the implementation of the new time balanced reserve system
and outlining the issues that were presented at the System Board arbitration
on October 7, 2003.
The arbitration focused on two main issues that were left unresolved from previous
mediation. Those issues were: whether the company could use a percentage based
system to time balance the reserve system (ie. Credited hours divided by each
flight attendant’s option maximum) and whether they company could count projected
vacation hours at the end of the month instead of the beginning. The Union
believed and argued at the arbitration that both of these positions are contrary
to the language that was negotiated during the December, 2002 round of concessions.
AFA presented testimony and evidence from its chief negotiator, Clare Burt,
that the company fully intended to balance the reserve system by hours and count
projected hours at the beginning of each month.
Arbitrator James Conway rendered his decision on December 9, 2003. He held that
the company did not violate the December, 2002 Agreement by implementing a time
balancing system by percentages since it is a "straightforward relationship between
whole numbers, numerator to denominator, either raw numbers or percentages would
represent a system of time balancing expressed in terms of hours and minutes
and be faithful to the literal terms of the December accord...". In addition,
Arbitrator Conway opined that counting vacation and training hours at the beginning
of the month as credited hours was inconsistent with the December Agreement and
would hurt high time fliers. Specifically, he stated: "As with percentages,
the semantic fog on the point must yield to the clear-cut objectives of the parties
to avoid flight attendants finishing their flying obligation early and thus not
being available thereafter."
What is going to happen on Jan 14th? In my opinion, the company is going to win again. Why you ask? Well, because our contract states the company must offer a Voluntary Furlough when there is a reduction in force. There is no new reduction, the f/a's going out on Invol. Furlough are replacing ones that came back in December.
We'll see.............
"On October 16, 2003, you received a newsletter from your MEC President, Perry
Hayes, informing you of the implementation of the new time balanced reserve system
and outlining the issues that were presented at the System Board arbitration
on October 7, 2003.
The arbitration focused on two main issues that were left unresolved from previous
mediation. Those issues were: whether the company could use a percentage based
system to time balance the reserve system (ie. Credited hours divided by each
flight attendant’s option maximum) and whether they company could count projected
vacation hours at the end of the month instead of the beginning. The Union
believed and argued at the arbitration that both of these positions are contrary
to the language that was negotiated during the December, 2002 round of concessions.
AFA presented testimony and evidence from its chief negotiator, Clare Burt,
that the company fully intended to balance the reserve system by hours and count
projected hours at the beginning of each month.
Arbitrator James Conway rendered his decision on December 9, 2003. He held that
the company did not violate the December, 2002 Agreement by implementing a time
balancing system by percentages since it is a "straightforward relationship between
whole numbers, numerator to denominator, either raw numbers or percentages would
represent a system of time balancing expressed in terms of hours and minutes
and be faithful to the literal terms of the December accord...". In addition,
Arbitrator Conway opined that counting vacation and training hours at the beginning
of the month as credited hours was inconsistent with the December Agreement and
would hurt high time fliers. Specifically, he stated: "As with percentages,
the semantic fog on the point must yield to the clear-cut objectives of the parties
to avoid flight attendants finishing their flying obligation early and thus not
being available thereafter."
What is going to happen on Jan 14th? In my opinion, the company is going to win again. Why you ask? Well, because our contract states the company must offer a Voluntary Furlough when there is a reduction in force. There is no new reduction, the f/a's going out on Invol. Furlough are replacing ones that came back in December.
We'll see.............
