JFK Fleet Service
Veteran
Passenger Service Team,
We are off and running in 2016 – and running right into a lot of snow! Winter Storm Jonas continues to deliver more than its fair share of winter weather in the Northeast. Over the past several days I have seen team members helping customers dig their cars out of the snow and heard stories of employees staying on call, working overtime, staying close to the airport in hotels, and finding alternative ways to work – all in the name of taking care of our customers. I am in awe of your continued dedication, and want to thank everyone working in the airports and on the other end of the line in our Reservations offices for powering through with gusto.
We recently shared details on when the company will implement various parts of the new joint collective bargaining agreement for employees represented by the CWA-IBT. We have posted that timeline and additional information, including interim overtime procedures, for your reference. I encourage you to review the information, as it addresses many of the questions we’ve been hearing.
Today, I want to share some good news – we have reached an agreement with the CWA-IBT to offer a voluntary Early Out package to employees at our airports. While the agreement signed is for all Passenger Service employees, we have different needs in different groups. Because we are currently overstaffed in many stations throughout the system as a result of extra staff we added to prepare for our PSS transition, we will offer the Early Out to our airport teams, as listed below. Our Reservations centers, on the other hand, need as much support as we can get, answering 160,000 calls per day. We may consider something similar for Reservations further down the line, but for now, we need all of our team members in our Res centers.
We committed that no employees would lose their jobs as a result of changes in this contract, and we stand by our promise. But if eligible airport employees are interested in taking an Early Out package, we’re giving them the chance to do so. Here are some details.
Customer Service, Customer Assistance and Premium Customer Services employees at any domestic airport location are welcome to apply, however the company, in its discretion, will determine the number of Early Outs and where they’re granted by station. Some airport locations will have limited numbers to ensure we have enough staff to continue to serve our customers well.
We are off and running in 2016 – and running right into a lot of snow! Winter Storm Jonas continues to deliver more than its fair share of winter weather in the Northeast. Over the past several days I have seen team members helping customers dig their cars out of the snow and heard stories of employees staying on call, working overtime, staying close to the airport in hotels, and finding alternative ways to work – all in the name of taking care of our customers. I am in awe of your continued dedication, and want to thank everyone working in the airports and on the other end of the line in our Reservations offices for powering through with gusto.
We recently shared details on when the company will implement various parts of the new joint collective bargaining agreement for employees represented by the CWA-IBT. We have posted that timeline and additional information, including interim overtime procedures, for your reference. I encourage you to review the information, as it addresses many of the questions we’ve been hearing.
Today, I want to share some good news – we have reached an agreement with the CWA-IBT to offer a voluntary Early Out package to employees at our airports. While the agreement signed is for all Passenger Service employees, we have different needs in different groups. Because we are currently overstaffed in many stations throughout the system as a result of extra staff we added to prepare for our PSS transition, we will offer the Early Out to our airport teams, as listed below. Our Reservations centers, on the other hand, need as much support as we can get, answering 160,000 calls per day. We may consider something similar for Reservations further down the line, but for now, we need all of our team members in our Res centers.
We committed that no employees would lose their jobs as a result of changes in this contract, and we stand by our promise. But if eligible airport employees are interested in taking an Early Out package, we’re giving them the chance to do so. Here are some details.
- Airport Customer Service, Customer Assistance and Premium Customer Services employees who will have 15 or more years of company service in 2016 are eligible to apply.
- If granted, employees will receive a lump sum payout of $40,000 for full-time employees and $25,000 for part-time employees. Payments will be less applicable withholdings and standard deductions.
- Eligible employees will receive a taxable cash payout of $8.65 per sick hour up to a maximum of 1,400 sick hours.
- Eligible employees will receive a taxable payout of any unused vacation and holiday vacation in the current year, and for vacation and holiday vacation accrued year-to-date for the subsequent year.
- Eligible employees who meet the 65-point requirements (at least 10 years of active service and age + years of service equal at least 65) will qualify for retiree travel. These requirements must be met by your last day with the company. Employees who do not satisfy the 65-point requirements will not receive retiree travel privileges.
- The Early Out application window will open Feb. 1 and close Feb. 22, and we’ll have more detailed information in the upcoming days.
Customer Service, Customer Assistance and Premium Customer Services employees at any domestic airport location are welcome to apply, however the company, in its discretion, will determine the number of Early Outs and where they’re granted by station. Some airport locations will have limited numbers to ensure we have enough staff to continue to serve our customers well.
