Union Affairs

Many members of our AFA family have been faced with difficult choices recently. Among those, may have been whether to take an unpaid or partially paid leave of absence or a voluntary furlough. With your help, we were able to pass the CARES Act which provides for a continuance of paychecks for those who remain at work, however, some of our flying partners were not given a choice but were instead notified that they’d been involuntarily furloughed.

This is an unprecedented time in our Union, and we’ve received many questions related to membership status and payment of dues. This Q&A is intended to help answer most of these queries. The answers are derived by using our AFA Constitution and Bylaws as the guiding resource document and reflect our current policies and procedures.

*** Throughout this document you will find reference to "Voluntary Furlough,” which is used in a generic sense to apply to all unpaid voluntary time-off plans at the various airlines. It is the same as a Leave of Absence (LOA), or any of the unpaid convenience leaves that are available.

QUESTION: If I owe dues, what are my options?

ANSWER: For whatever reason, if you owe dues it is very easy to make secure payments online or by check. Visit to the AFA website to review your options: https://www.afacwa.org/payment_options.

QUESTION: What are my dues obligations if I accept a Voluntary Furlough?

ANSWER: When members accept a Voluntary Furlough (i.e., a leave of absence or LOA) from their airline they are obligated to pay dues for the first 90-days of that unpaid leave of absence, in accordance with the AFA Constitution & Bylaws {Article II.C.2.b (1) & (2)}. If the leave is extended from the end date of the previous leave, then a new 3-month dues obligation is not owed. Only one 3-month obligation is required for any one continuous leave.

QUESTION: When does the 3-month LOA Dues Obligations start?

ANSWER: The 3-month obligation period while on Leave or Voluntary Furlough begins when the flight attendant is no longer receiving any compensation from the airline, and a “no-pay” status begins.

QUESTION: When must the 3 months of dues obligation be paid?

ANSWER: The dues obligation may be paid on a monthly basis. A Flight Attendant on a Voluntary Furlough (LOA) may seek to defer their dues balance in accordance with Article II. C.1.b.(4). Upon their return to active status, any outstanding dues obligations would be due and payable.

QUESTION: What are my dues obligations if I am placed on an Involuntary Furlough?

ANSWER: Any member will become inactive with AFA if involuntarily furloughed and not receiving furlough pay. Article II.C.6.a.(1). The member does not have a dues obligation unless they are receiving furlough pay (Section V.J.1.).

QUESTION: What if a member on Involuntary Furlough has an outstanding balance?

ANSWER: An involuntarily furloughed Flight Attendant who has a dues balance before the involuntary furlough can request a deferral from the MEC, Article II.C.1.b.(5). The balance will remain in their account until they return to a paid and active status.

QUESTION: I am on an unpaid Voluntary Furlough so I have no paycheck to deduct dues from. If I owe dues for 90 days how can I pay my dues?

ANSWER: It’s very easy to make secure payments online or by check. Visit to the AFA website to review your options: https://www.afacwa.org/payment_options.

QUESTION: If I’m receiving pay while on leave, do I owe dues ?

ANSWER: Yes. Dues are owed whenever a flight attendant is in any “paid” status or receiving payment from the airline.

QUESTION: I have taken a paid leave so my dues will just be deducted from that right?

ANSWER: If your dues are normally deducted because you’ve executed a dues check-off form then your airline should continue to deduct your dues and remit them to AFA. However, in the case of some reduced pay leaves, there may not be sufficient funds to cover all of your deductions (Social Security, health care, 401(k), etc.). Dues monies are deducted last and if there are insufficient funds to cover the cost, the monies will not be deducted. In this case, you may select one of the easy and secure forms of payment found on the AFA website in order to satisfy the monthly obligation. (https://www.afacwa.org/payment_options)

QUESTION: My airline is offering 30 days at a time leave, We have to bid for one each month. If I’m awarded a 30-day leave three months in a row (90 days), then go back online for one month and subsequently go back out on leave, what is my dues obligation?

ANSWER: Only one 3-month obligation is required for any one continuous leave. In the example cited above, there is a dues obligation for the first three 30-day leaves (90 days). Next, when you go back online for the next 30 days, you are in a paid active status and will also have a dues obligation. Following this period in an active status should you go back out on leave again, there is yet another 3-month or 90-day dues obligation.

Continued . . . . . .

Membership Status

QUESTION: For AFA purposes, is a Voluntary Furlough the same as a Leave?

ANSWER: Yes. A Voluntary Furlough includes any of the various unpaid Leaves of Absence (LOA) or unpaid convenience leaves, which have many different names, as outlined in the various contracts at our airlines

QUESTION: How does a Voluntary Furlough affect my Membership Status?

ANSWER: Per our AFA Constitution and Bylaws, a Voluntary Furlough would be considered as one of these LOAs. A member accepting a Voluntary Furlough would be considered as starting an LOA when that Voluntary Furlough begins, and one’s membership remains on Active Status for the first 90 days of the LOA.

QUESTION: On Voluntary Furlough, do I retain all the rights and privileges of membership in this 90-day period?

ANSWER: Yes. During the 90-day period when you are “commencing” your LOA, you remain active with AFA, you retain the right to vote, run for office, and serve in office

QUESTION: Is there a way for a member to remain in Active Status when on Voluntary Furlough?

ANSWER: Yes. Any member on a Voluntary Furlough (i.e., LOA) can "leave and remain active." This means the member on LOA may choose to continue to pay dues beyond the first 90-day period and remain on active status with all the rights and privileges, e.g., vote, run for and hold office, etc.

QUESTION: How can I pay my dues for the first 90 days and beyond should I choose to “leave and remain active”?

ANSWER: It’s very easy to make secure payments online or by check. Visit the AFA website to review your options: https://www.afacwa.org/payment_options.

QUESTION: Is an Involuntary Furlough treated differently?

ANSWER: Yes. An Involuntary Furlough equates to a “layoff.” In this situation, one’s membership is converted to Inactive Status at the beginning of the Involuntary Furlough. When in an Inactive Status, one has no right to vote, run or hold office.

QUESTION: Do I retain all the rights and privileges of membership when in an Inactive Status?

ANSWER: No. During Inactive Status you do not have the right to vote, run for office, and serve in office.

QUESTION: Is there a way to remain in Active Status when on Involuntary Furlough?

ANSWER: No.

QUESTION: When does one on Involuntary Furlough get back their rights & privileges of membership?

ANSWER: When a member is called back by the airline to resume flying (i.e., back on “paid” or Active Status with the airline), all rights and privileges of AFA membership resume.

Resign/Retire Checklist

*Please note this is a generic checklist for those who are planning to Resign OR Retire*

There is a difference between resigning and retiring for some sections. Please read the sections associated with whichever one applies to you.* Make sure that you request what applies to you in written form to Inflight in your resignation letter. If you don’t request your due benefits in writing they may be overlooked as it isn’t an automatic system for separation from the company. You need to ensure you are doing your part so they are accountable. Remember to BCC yourself, to your personal email, and feel free to include the Union also.

ANY ACCRUED VACATION

You can cash out all the vacation days you’ve accrued at 4.0 per day. You will have to pay back any days you have not yet accrued. As long as you are active for 15 or more days in a month, you are considered active for the whole month and accrue 1 month’s worth of vacation. Remember different seniority levels accrued different amounts each month. For example, a Jr. FA will earn 10 days in their first full year. So 10 days divided up into 12 months means the FA is earning .8333 per month. As per Section 5.A.2. any fractions of a day will be rounded down if it is at .5 or below.

SICK

If you have perfect attendance for the 3 months prior to your resignation date, you can cash out up to 600 hours of your sick bank (pages 27-2 and 4-3 of the contract). It is paid at whatever hourly rate you are at when you resign.

401K

If you have a loan on the 401K, you will have to pay it back. If not, then you can just leave the account as is. If your new job has a 401K, you may want to consider combining it/rolling it over into your new workplace or leaving it as is. Or rolling it over into an IRA. Consult with your financial advisor.

LIFE INSURANCE

If you have this you may want to check with HR on what happens with it when you leave PDT.

FLEX BENEFIT PLAN (Benny card)

If you have this it will change when you stop getting a paycheck at resignation. You will need to check into this if you are signed up for it.

TRAVEL

If you qualify for lifetime travel. You just have to let the company know you want this benefit at retirement. You just use your driver’s license/passport for travel.

Union Affairs

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