FAQs Tentative Agreement
- So the 77-hour look back will be looked at each month? Will AFA be very active in this look back to ensure that this provision is administered properly? Yes, once the look back goes into effect in March 2023, the Scheduling Committee and MEC officers will ensure that it is being followed correctly.
- Why is PSA flying more hours than we are? American Airlines Group decides who gets the flying.
- What constitutes Perfect Attendance? It is defined in Section 2 of the contract (that will remain the same as our current book). Generally speaking, absence for illness goes against Perfect Attendance but approved Leave like military, bereavement, jury duty, personal days, etc. do not go against it.
- Will you get your Perfect Attendance if you get COVID? No, but you would not get the occurrences under the current Covid policy.
- How does the two-step wage rate work, can you please explain this? Each year on the anniversary date of the contract, a new hourly rate scale goes into effect. Each column in the hourly rate chart contains the hourly rates for that year. The last column represents the last year of the contract and those rates will remain in effect until the next agreement. You also get an increase in the hourly rate on your anniversary date, until you reach the top of the scale (16-17 yr). So if this contract goes into effect on March 2, every year on March 2 you get a raise and if you were hired in June, you’d get another raise then as well.
- Is the date of hire the date we started training or the date we passed IOE? It starts with your Training Date.
- So the signing bonus is the only extra correct? No retroactive pay or am I jumping ahead? That is correct. Their signing bonus is extra. There is no retroactive pay.
- Regarding parking out of base reimbursement, I can use 3 airports, I'm listed for Richmond as where I commute from, however, I commute out of ORF, can I pick either airport to get reimbursed from? It goes by your registered commuter airport but the contract says you can use an alternate airport within 100 miles of that. So if the 3 airports are all within 100 miles of RIC, yes (with receipts). Any airport used as an alternate beyond 100 miles of RIC would not qualify for the reimbursement.
- If you commute and do not make it on a flight, missing a leg or two, do you then lose your guarantee? You aren’t paid for the segments missed (subtracted from the monthly guarantee, or line credit if it’s higher) but the event doesn’t count as an occurrence unless you’ve already gone beyond the 6 times in a 12-month period.
- Who will keep track of the 77 variable guarantee lookback? Is this another thing we have to put in an adjustment for? See question 1
- Please explain the "may commute using MYID travel and ID90's" statement. Currently, you may only commute using flights on the AA network. This TA allows us to commute on any airline in the MyID Travel and ID90s, expanding the flight options for commuters.
- If I have recurrent training and drive 73 miles to get to base; then I would qualify for a hotel room. Yes, if you are a registered commuter.
- Does that include picking up an RSV day? (Referencing Commuter Hotels for Open Time pickup) Yes, if that RSV day is in OT.
- So if there is a backup on 95, would that count for the Ground Commuter Clause? If your address on file with the company is more than 50 miles from your base and you are a registered commuter, yes. Otherwise, no.
15. Does the commuter clause for driving to base also protect RSV FAs for a short call of 2 hours if there is a traffic/wreck etc? Yes, assuming you left home with enough time to get to the airport in time.
16. Can you get a hotel room for training if you drive in from 73 miles if you are CLT base?Yes, if you are registered as a commuter.
17. You do have to go on the day of training, not the day before, correct? If you go the day before, you would have to be responsible for a place to stay that night, but hotels will be provided during the training.
18. What’s the likelihood of the company getting any kind of scheduling automation? They’ve expressed the desire to add more automation so it may take time but they are exploring different systems. Like maybe adding modules to the FLICA system the pilots use when bidding their monthly schedules.
19. To the Negotiations Committee, how do you all feel about this tentative contract? We are endorsing it.
20. Will they grandfather us in, if we started on the ramp? Only for the number of vacation days you accrue.
21. If they increase the number of domiciles, how much time will they give for the option to switch?
They must post the opening for 7 days. Awards will be made in writing up to 90 days out but it could be less, depending on the planned opening date of the new domicile.
22. If they open a domicile and 6 months later they close the domicile, would your seniority decrease or stay the same? Your place on the system seniority list does not change. However, seniority in domicile is fluid and depends on people transferring in/out, or if you are transferring bases.
23. When we take a vacation, are you still paid by block rather than from a guarantee? There is no change to this part of the contract. The guarantee is reduced by the amount of time dropped voluntarily. For example- Your line is blocked at 68 hours but you are pay protected by the guarantee of 75. You have a 3-day vacation slot and a 4-day trip drops from your line. The day that drops unpaid is worth 4:30. That gets subtracted from your 75hr guarantee, not the 68 hr block of the line. So your new ADJUSTED guarantee for that month is 70:30. Anything picked up after the Finals goes above that.
24. Is that why they stacked so many 2 and 3 days together? The way the lines are stacked has more to do with the way the Company’s computer system builds to efficiency based on the parameters they program for flying we are given.
25. Will the company be offering a buyout? No. Unfortunately, the attrition rate and need for FAs have prevented the Company from buying out FAs. This is not to say that in the future if there is a surplus of FAs, the Company may propose this in a Side Letter.
26. Do these increases affect the types of plans, the coverage, or prescription costs? Or just the overall cost of the plan? No, the plans stay the same. The only change is the percentage of the overall cost that we pay.
27. Any change to retirement? Yes, we improved the company match to the 401(k). If you are not participating in the 401(k), you are GIVING your money away to the company. Please don’t do that. Sign up for the 401(k) plan ASAP.
28. Does the home study compensation remain the same? Yes, the Homestudy will be paid $50 for the complete study.
29. Will our signing bonus be separate from our regular pay? Yes. You will receive a separate check for this no later than 30 days after the Date of Signing (DOS).
30. Will the sick time buyout at retirement be the same? Yes, the sick time buyout will remain the same as stated in 27.C.1.
31. Where would the new wages put us amongst other regional airlines? It ranks us 3rd out of the ten regionals. PSA is #1, Endeavor is #2 and we are #3 followed by Envoy, Skywest, Go Jet, CommutAir, Republic, Mesa, and Air Wisconsin respectively. However, it is important to note that overall compensation is more than just the wage chart, and factoring in other provisions makes our agreement richer than the 2 with wages slightly higher than ours.
32. So if my hire date was February 8th and I’ve been here now 4 years, how does the raise chart work for me? Do I have to wait till next Feb? You’ve already had your longevity increase for the year since your hire date is in February and your next longevity step increase will be in February of next year. But you will get a raise on 3/2/22, with the new pay chart. You will continue to get a raise each year of the agreement at the DOS (March 2) and your DOH (Feb 8).
33. I have recurrent this month. Will we be responsible for our own hotel rooms if based in Charlotte even though I'm a commuter? Currently, management is working with those specific individuals who have recurrent and are listed as commuters in CLT DOM, to receive hotels for Recurrent Training.
34. Could you please touch on international per diem again? Yes, international per diem will now increase to $10.00 extra per night when you overnight internationally. This will be in addition to the standard $1.95 per diem you receive each hour that you are away from base.
35. Lastly the new domestic per diem as of March will be $1.95 or $2.00? If this TA ratifies then March 2, 2022 will begin at $1.95 per diem, and March 2, 2023 it will increase to $2.00.
36. If everyone does not vote on this and it doesn’t ratify, what happens? This is a 2 part question. It’s a simple majority vote so it only takes one vote to fail or pass. If it does not pass, we continue to work under the current agreement and go back to the negotiations table to try and work on it again and the company gets to keep all the money we negotiated in the TA. Because we are in mediation, future meetings are at the discretion of the National Mediation Board. We would re-survey the members to find out why the TA failed and try to fix those parts. However, the company is free to propose whatever it wants, too. There is no way to predict how long it would take to reach another TA.
37. Do we still receive the $22 dollars for dry cleaning expenses? Yes
38. I don’t understand what it means by March 2022 of each bid month? (In reference to the pay charts) March 2, 2022 is the ratification date and that will be the anniversary date of the contract. Because February is a short month, March 1st is part of the February bid month. For ease of implementation, we wanted the contract to begin on the first day of a bid period.
39. So we all get a signing bonus? Yes, anyone on the seniority list even if you are on leave, Except Management
40. The 4o1k is an additional 1% match or a 1% non-discretionary contribution? It’s an increase to the company match.
41. For parking, do you get this in your domicile and your commuter airport? You can have parking paid for in your domicile, or up to $25 in reimbursement from an alternate airport but not both. This provision is designed to make it easier financially for those FAs who commute by air and do not need to park a vehicle at their Domicile.
42. When does DOS start? March 2, 2022. DOS is Date of Signing (ratification).
43. When does a 401K match start? March 2, 2022
44. Items that are in the adjustments column, are these items we do have to submit on the Piedmont website for reimbursement (for example: Meal and parking)? Meal vouchers (receipts) and other reimbursements (basically anything which requires a receipt) are submitted through Workday and the company plans to continue using that method. If the procedure for submitting changes it will be put out to the employees.
45. So I have a yearly pass in ALB, will this still qualify for the $ 25-month reimbursement? Yes, you will send in your statement/ proof of your yearly pass and will receive reimbursement monthly.
46. Are there currently build-up line holders with reserve days in their line? What effect will the 77-line average have on them? Yes, some line-holders may have had an RSV day placed on the Interface if there was a conflict from month to month, and Build-Up lines often have some RSV days on them, but those days are valued at a hard 4.0 and included in the line value, whereas a straight reserve line is a 75hr monthly guarantee regardless (they only go over guarantee if assigned enough flying). That is why the 77 hr average only applies to BU and hard lines. The flying is already scheduled and each daily value is already known ahead of time.
47. So what about the RRF attendants? Do they get this as well? (This pertains to the 77 Month Guarantee) No. Only BUP and Line holders were because they were the ones affected when the line values dropped.
48. If a flight attendant wants to pick up from open time or premium pay, will that pick-up count towards the 77-line average? No. Only what is on your final after 48 hours will count toward the 77 variable guarantees (look back). Any trips picked up after the finals will not be considered for the look back.
49. Just wanted to clarify that premium pay is not included in this average?You are correct. It is based on the Finals.
50. What happens if your trip is broken in your domicile because of a snowstorm and they tell you to come back tomorrow and pick up the rest of your trip? (prior arbitration) You get the hotel room per the in-domicile hotel Side Letter that is now incorporated in this TA.
51. For hotels, do you get this for regular open time and for premium pickups for flying? Yes picking up open time in domicile.
52. For the commuter clause, is this 6 times a year rolling or from Jan-Dec? It is a rolling calendar year.
53. For ground commuters, is the 50 miles based on your home address? 50 miles home to CLT or PHL? Yes, From your home address.
54. So if I’m coming from LAX to visit my sister and I'm commuting to training, if my flight gets delayed will I be penalized for arriving at training late? Not if the space-positive request was made within 7 days of the Finals and the Company approved the request. Keep in mind, to get authorization for an alternate DH/Space Positive flight it needs to get you to training with enough time to make it to class the first day. Coming from the west coast would require the flight to leave the day prior as class times normally begin in the morning.
55. If you want a paper packet, do you request it from Crew Planning? How far in advance do you have to request? Side letter States: For the first nine (9) months after the date of signing of the CBA, the Company will print bid packages for each Flight Attendant who requests one. The request must be submitted electronically to the Company no later than the Monday before the second Thursday of each month. The bid packages will be delivered by 1700 hours on the second Thursday of each month. Although it says “the Company” it will most likely be Crew Planning, as they handle monthly bidding and awarding.
56. Is there an option to print your own packets such as in the crew room, and will the company be paying for the cost of such printing? Yes
57. In 9 months can we request just the lines and not the crew card? It’s a bid packet request so you’d get it the way we receive it today as an entire package. However, if all you want is the bid lines you can still just print those separately from the website. We recommend doing that from one of the crew room printers or hotel business centers.
58.If you want paper bid packets during the 9 months when, how, and to whom do you submit them? You would submit the request the Monday before the bid packet is put out each month. The Company is working on providing the details but it was mentioned they think it may be a box to check on the website (like what we do for moving a vacation day that falls on a day off back to the last day of the previous trip).
59.Once this goes into effect, does this provision of reduced probation count for New Hires in training and/or those who are currently on probation? It applies to everyone. New and currently on probation. So if you’ve been here 6 months at Date of Signing (DOS) your probation would end.
60. If the flight attendant had probation extended, would they get it reduced to 9 months?No. If your probation was extended it would play out to the end date.
61. So do we get back pay from the beginning of the year for the signing bonus?The bonus is just that, a one-time payout. Back pay isn’t the same thing, but the Date of Signing (DOS) is when the new rates go into effect. In this case that would be March 2. The signing bonus will be paid in a lump sum separate check (direct deposit) minus Federal Withholding. No other deductions (401(k), dues, medical etc.)
62.What is the percentage of yes votes we need to ratify this contract? A simple majority of those who vote.
63. Has sick accrual changed? No
64. Does this mean commuters will have positive space when commuting to work?Not for a trip. You will be eligible for Positive space travel to and from training from any location, served by AA. You must make the request within 7 days of the finals being published. This is for everyone, not just commuters.
65. For the uniform, is the updated information going to be in the new agreement? Yes
66. Why would I be happy about giving Union reps 50 hours pay up from 30 hours? It’s not extra pay for the Union reps. The Company pay protects the trip if it drops for a conflict while Union reps are pulled off the line for things like discipline meetings, grievances, arbitrations, negotiations, EAP cases, Safety meetings, assisting Crew Planning with awards and corrections, etc. When that happens, AFA reimburses Piedmont that money for pay protection more than 30 hrs each month plus an added 25%. By increasing the hours to 50, that is 20 hours LESS the Union has to reimburse Piedmont for the Flight Pay Loss. It actually saves money for the Union members as AFA dues account for some of that money.
67.Why does the signing bonus not cover all the money we lost in the last several years since the company cut our hours and all this time passed while in negotiations?The signing bonus isn’t meant as a replacement for lost or back pay. It is a one-time lump-sum bonus paid to each Union FA (even those on Leave, EXCEPT management) as a “thanks for your patience” peace offering from PDT for taking so long. If the contract doesn’t ratify, the bonus goes away as it sends the message we are willing to wait longer for a different result.
68. Why are the loyal senior flight attendants getting the least increase over the life of the agreement? The rates were taken from Envoy then improved upon to bring the new hires to a more livable wage. The more senior you are, the greater the increase at DOS. Our longevity bonus is added on top of our top-out rate instead of incorporating it into the rate. The most senior people lost the most in 2017 when the line values dropped, but we’re trying to regain that and this agreement gets us much closer to that. If the TA fails, we’d continue to work at a deficit.
69. What happens if this TA doesn’t ratify?We start the process of surveying the FA group to determine exactly why it failed. Then we go back to the negotiations table to try and address those issues and figure out how to balance fixing it while trying to fend off the Company’s second chance at taking things THEY want away again. Who knows how long that would take as the mediator determines the pace at which we will meet. The signing bonus will go away. That is meant as a gesture by the company to say “sorry it took so long” but if the TA fails it sends the message that we don’t care how long it takes.
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