Reserve F/a's Beware

[PITbull]

JETSTEW,

AFA grieved this to mediation first. They rendered an opinion and gave AFA 4 tweeks to the system. One major give by the mediator was the ability to "split trips" to protect days off. The rest of the system sucks, but AFA was afraid to reject the entire Mediator's opinion, because there is another portion of the Reserve system "challenge" and that piece went to arbitration. Unfortunately, the same mediator is also the arbitrator. So the MEC didn't want to piss him off completely. In arbitration, it is an "internal" remedy process, but still has its major flaws. So, now AFA waits the arbitrator's decision on that Piece regarding "Time Balance" in percentages (co) vs. "hours and minutes" which AFA deems necessary.

The only other remedy to help with the lack of hours for the reserves is Unemployment Compensation.

Now, mangement is going after that as well.

All U employees do is defend themselves as best they can against this management with whatever remedies there are within the CBA, short of a job action which is illegal.

 

[Whatnow?]

Here's a question.....Why aren't the supplemental ITD bids only lasting for the duration of the seasonal flying (ie.,. SNN, DUB, 2nd LGW, 2nd CDG) ? I have not even reached guarantee on Int'l since those flights left in late October....not too mention the fact that the new RSV system started November 1. They let a miniscule amount of ITD F/A's off for the rest of the year....but in my opinion ITD is ridiculously STILL overstaffed....with the exception of CLW, for some insane reason they have been letting people off that division all year and now they are incredibly short compared to PHW & PIW. I have 15 years of flying and I'm making the same I made when I first started flying. When I called Administration, they said that they would not let anybody off for financial reasons and that basically it was my fault for bidding ITD, not theirs. I was also reminded, by administration, that I was going to be back on Domestic in January and to just hold on a little longer. I told them that I flew 2 trips in November and would more than likely fly 2-3 trips in December equating to about 45-50 hours....still no guarantee of 71.5. I then told them that I would have to fly a full 95 hour Domestic schedule in January 2004 to FINALLY recieve a Normal paycheck February 15, 2004......almost 3 months later and several mortgage and car payments later. I am not asking for sympathy here, but why aren't more people let off the division to alleviate this problem. I realize they haven't been able to determine staffing levels on ITD for next year, but this year c'mon, one word...OVERSTAFFED!

PITBULL, I guess I want to know if I am entitled to partial unemployment through no fault of my own? I hear soo many different things out there from yes you are entitled.......... to you are definitely not entitled? Clarification would be great! Thanks

 

[PITbull]

WhatNow?

I can't make a determination whether you are eligbible to actually recieve compensation. I know nothing about figuring out the equation and the "threshold" you have to reach in order to qualify.

I can only make a gander with a few assumptions. If you are a 15 year reserve, you are toped out on the pay scale. That is looked on differently than a 6 or 7 year reserve wage scale. If you flew all last year 6 trip ITD, and now you can't break guarantee, you MAY be eligible. However, a 6 to 7 year reserve, IMO, has a better shot and receiving benefits with the 6-trip scenerio. Your wage per hour makes a difference because it effects your gross guarantee according to the pay scale bracket you're in vs. a 6 or 7 year flyer who is in a lower pay scale bracket being still on 6-trip. Remember, UE compensation, will not replace your income losses dollar for dollar. Its an equation that figures in according to what you flew last year highest quarter. If you rarely broke guarantee last year, you will surely not be eligible. I can only say to try. Talk to the UE Rep. explain the situation with the reduced hours along with a new reserve system that caps your flying for the week. Read what's on PIT website and see if you can use any of that info in your presentation. If you are eligible, management will contest your claim. YOu will then have to appeal. Keep in mind, this is only eligibility for "partial" unemployment benefits.

With the ITD situation, I can only tell you what was told to me. The vol. returnees created an ITD shortage that was not known when the global bid occured in August. There was not enough ITD f/as who were returning which was not anticipated. Therefore a shortage was created of approx. 91 system wide for January. This created the need for a supple bid according to management. In spite of management's reasoning, AFA has filed an MEC grievance. Once again, here we go in that Arbitration/grieving arena because of the major hardship suppl bids create in the ITD division to those folks who take the time to globally bid for it. So, even though it appears there is an overage, there will soon have been a shortage without a suppl. bid. Again, no insight or foresight on this issue from management from using any hindsight. Grievance it shall be.

 

[Whatnow?]

Pitbull, Thanks for the insight to this problem.....it is very unfortunate that many F/A's are stuck in a grey area like this. I've talked to friends of mine with 14-15 years seniority on Domestic in PIT....on RSV too....and they too are in my same situation. I guess this new RSV system is taking a toll on F/A's for now. I will look at PIT's website for more info. Sadly, paycuts on top of min guarantee is a situation I would never wish on anybody!

 

[Hula Girl]

I fear the way management will combat this is to look at the overall number of flight attendants who are not meeting their guarantee as a result of the new reserve system and use this as an excuse to, again, cull the herd. Unfortunately and sadly, this new system is showing a need for possibly less flight attendants. I hope for the sake of the flight attendants who are filing for partial compensation, that they are not found to be mistaken and have to reimburse the state or company back. It is a lose- lose situation all around.

 

[PITbull]

Hula,

Management does not get "paid back" if there is an overage payment of unemployment to a f/a. UE benefits is a State issue.

As far as the new reserve system, the premise of its implementation, was less reserve flight attendants needed. Two AFA LEC Presidents wrote out to the membership back in Jan. during the balloting of the winter restructuring agreement regarding this new reserve system, and the impact it would have on the reserves using simple logic. The majority of the f/as ratified the proposal in spite of the warnings.

Some things in your life are worth fighting for and taking the risks. I learned that early in my life.

 

[ClueByFour]

Read the above posts again. The reserves are NOT breaking guarantee at all. Because of this new reserve system driven by f/a time (which must be balanced in the base) they are not able to reach their flying option and BREAK the guarantee (which means to surpass it). They use to be able to receive trips in order of seniority. That system is gone. Only approx. 20 reserves in the entire system acutally got to their option not including ITD. In PIT, NO ITD f/a reached their option. NONE. We have approx 70 reserves in International. We have about 1800 reserves sytem wide.

I guess I came off the wrong way because I'm not sure of the terminology.

I had always assumed that every F/A had some number of hours they were paid for, regardless of whether they flew that much or not. My postulation is that if an FA is not reaching that level and not being paid for whatever this "minimum" number is that they (FA) should claim UE and US (thet company) should lose any appeal.

Without speaking to the current ability of US to cover trips (because I believe that process has been bungled since the bankruptcy filing), it makes some degree of sense to figure out your actual headcount need and adjust to that level.

 

[Whatnow?]

As far as the new reserve system, the premise of its implementation, was less reserve flight attendants needed. Two AFA LEC Presidents wrote out to the membership back in Jan. during the balloting of the winter restructuring agreement regarding this new reserve system, and the impact it would have on the reserves using simple logic. The majority of the f/as ratified the proposal in spite of the warnings.

Some things in your life are worth fighting for and taking the risks. I learned that early in my life.

Pitbull,

Yes, we all ratified the new bidding system....but preferrential bidding was to be implemented before the new RSV system was. Preferrential bidding was sold to us under the premise that much more blocks would be created so fewer would be on RSV.....I guess they put the cart before the horse.....intentionally! WE lose again! I guess with any contract WE should read the fine print. Has anybody ever found out why the new RSV system was implemented before preferrential bidding was? Just wondering :unsure:

 

[PITbull]

WhatNow,

It was not contract language to have Pref bid first. The proposal the co. gave us spoke to a Pref bid system and a new Reserve system. We asked the company to not implement Reserve system before Pref system. They would not commit but said they would consider; however, not in writing, as they were in a hurry to realize the cost savings.

After much negotiations with the Reserve system and Pref Bid (both were being negotiated at the same time; only separate days), management accused the AFA neg. committee of "dragging our feet" on purpose. Pref bid is being negotiated still. From my understanding, mangement was looking again for another vendor, which is some of the delay. AFA wrote management a formal letter and asked for the New Reserve System to be delayed until AFTER the arbitratrators decision was rendered on percentages and after the holidays. That request was sometime in October, Mangement said NO through a formal letter by the VP of Labor Relations.

 

[Hula Girl]

Pitbull, do not talk to me about warnings. I, and many of my coworkers, were ready to walk in March 2000 over social security offset and our union ignored our wishes and while 'getting rid of the sso', gave us a formula which actually pays less. So do not 'nya nya told ya so' over any communications between our elected union officials and the flight attendants who put them there.

 

[PITbull]

Excuse me HULA!

Did you vote on the winter concession proposal? Or were you off the property then? The SS offset for the year 2000 is NOT WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.

Do you know who is in office now? If I remember correctly, just a few posts ago, you were posting that f/as reserves have been terribly spoiled. Did you not?

 

[Hula Girl]

Pitbull, when you toss things out that need addressing, your fury is almost comical when someone steps up to the plate. Yes, we were sold up the river with the social security offset. Yes, our work rules for the reserve system were better than other airlines. But I stepped into this job with the reserve rules already in place while being here to vote on the sso. Stop being so angry all of the time. The appreciation I feel for the information you give is almost cancelled out by the need you feel to take everything so personally.

 

[PITbull]

Step up to the plate? Didn't know you were stepping up to any plate....

I don't appreciate f/as who dismiss each other. If you didn't appreciate the work rules and feel that you were spoiled, this is WHY management went after those rules with such fury. If reserves think it is too "cushy" of a job, then management will be happy to change things for ya. That Reserve system allowed for you to be hired and have a job with this airline. If you truly believe the profession is worthy of a respectable standard of living, then you should be fighting for improvements always. Nothing that we give up should be permanent. I am all for temporary give backs, but not permanent. If you are not on the property now, you have no idea how the reserves are suffering; more than any other seniority group of f/as on the property. And the worst is yet to come. This new reserve system will cost heads. Keep in mind, too, that there are ITD reserves that have 25 years in the company, sepcifically in Pittsburgh.

We as f/a are NOT spoiled. We fought very hard through the years for improvements in our contracts. And NOTHING was given without a price. The more felxibility given the reserves in the past, was with a price given to mangement from all the f/as on the property. You get nothing in life for free or token. Union negotiations don't work like that.

8,000 f/as last year gave approx. $106 million dollars of annual cost savings to the company, and that is not counting the 5,000 f/a job losses so far off the property and the stolen sick pay penalty this mangement took from us. If you count the average job for f/a at $35,000 x 5,000, what's the total? F/as are doing much more for less pay and less bodies on the plane. If you calculate the cost savings would be over $200 million, just from one small group of workers PER YEAR.

Apathy disqusts me. AFA sent out a ballot for a permanent defense strike fund for a $10 ANNUAL assessment, and 4,000 didn't even bother to vote. Do I take it personally? Your damn straight I do.

 

[Hula Girl]

There is no apathy on my part and for you to even insinuate that is pathetic. No one on this board can voice an opinion without you spending precious life pounding and screaming your beliefs on this board until you silence anyone who disagrees with you. This forum belongs to everyone, it is not pitbullaviation.com. This is tiresome and draining and a waste of my life to answer your multitudes of posts. I will leave you to pit-bully someone else.

 

[PITbull]

Sorry, if I offended you personally. My issues are more global.

I apologize if I come across harshly. I am very sensitive to the reserves on the property. They are suffering and occupy most of my thoughts.