Negotiations
Your negotiations committee will be meeting July 20-23, 2015 in Atlanta, GA. We look forward to sending a Negotiations Update once the session has concluded.
Seniority List
The updated Seniority List has been posted. Please check the list and make sure your seniority is listed correctly.
CRJ Section 11.C.2
Each Flight Attendant shall be permitted a period of thirty (30) days after the posting of the System Seniority List in which to protest in writing to the Company any alleged omission or incorrect posting affecting her/his seniority.
ERJ Section 15.C.2.
A flight attendant will have 30 days after the distribution of the system seniority list in which to protest in writing any errors. The protest will be limited to errors or changes occurring after the distribution of the prior system seniority list.
FMLA Education
This week we kicked off an ongoing training program to educate the grievance representatives on the FMLA process in order to prepare them to guide our members through this process. We started to disseminate tools designed to guide our reps and members through the FMLA process. These tools include a step-by-step manual on the FMLA timeline and specifics regarding the entire process. Also included were examples of what a correctly filled out FMLA certification form looks like and another example that included commonly seen mistakes on the certification form. You should begin to see copies of these tools available in the crew room soon. Please contact your local representative for more information or if you would like electronic copies of these tools emailed to you.
Pass Travel Violation
Please be advised that if you are on inactive status or not actively working status (including sick calls, misc calls, OJI, leave of absence, etc…) you may not use your own or another’s travel privileges without the express written consent from a supervisor. This includes all pass travelers on your travel profile (spouse, travel companion, buddy passes, parents, children, etc…)
CRJ
DFW Base Visit
Special Representative, Marche Johnson Cooper conducted a DFW base visit on July 13 and July 14, 2015. While there, it was a pleasure to help in the bidding process work with Flight Attendants to have the best quality of life that their seniority can hold. We also discussed the negotiations process and how it works. All ideas will shared with the negotiating committee.
Vacation Low Grievance
A grievance has been filed regarding the Company not pay protecting flight attendants for their MMG when they bid vacation low and do not alter their schedule or make any trip trades. We received a denial on that grievance and are appealing this decision to Grievance Mediation. If you have bid vacation low and did not modify your original award (i.e. trade, drop or swap your award), we need your documentation immediately. Please email
Grievance Update
On July 16, 2015, Sara Gonzales, our General Chair conducted an FMLA training for our CRJ Grievance Representatives. We are now better prepared to assist our members with FMLA questions. She also met with Special Representative, Marche Johnson Cooper to review grievances that have been appealed for mediation scheduled August 5-6 in Atlanta. In addition, we held a grievance meeting the same day and discussed issues with the outstanding grievances appealed to mediation. This week, two more grievances were appealed to Grievance Mediation.
ERJ
Grievance Update
On Monday July 13th, General Chairperson Sara Gonzales and Special Representative Melissa Brennan met with the ERJ Director of Inflight and the Manager-Contract Administration & Compliance to discuss outstanding ERJ grievances. There was progress made on several issues, such as what constitutes a reassignment which affects our pay protection along with Min and Max fly options for reserves. There were several other issues identified that the Company was not willing to settle and those have already been appealed to arbitration and we will move forward with the arbitrator selection process on those grievances. There were also many issues that were identified for more follow up which we will be pursuing expeditiously so we may either achieve a settlement or move to arbitration. As we receive more of our follow up requests, we will be communicating more specifics.
There are six grievances appealed to Step 2, which will be heard in Houston, Texas on July 29th. Scheduled to be in attendance at these hearings are General Chairperson, Sara Gonzales assisted by Special representative Melissa Brennan for the Union and the ERJ Director of Inflight along with the Manager-Contract Administration & Compliance for the Company.
New Reserve Min/Max Fly MOU
There have been longstanding problems with the implementation of the following language from our CBA:
Section 5.T.7. Reserves selecting the option to fly more hours are indicating a willingness to be turned first upon completion of trips or have days off rolled first to increase flying time. Other reserves may also have their days off rolled or be turned if insufficient reserve coverage exists. Reserve flight attendants desiring maximum flying will be given flying assignments prior to other similarly situated flight attendants who have expressed a preference for minimum flying.
Previously we implemented an MOU as a result of a grievance that included scheduling keeping track of flight attendants indicating a Max fly preference manually on a spreadsheet. Unfortunately, while there was some improvement using that process there were still many issues.
We are very pleased to announce that we have been able to successfully address those issues through an MOU signed on July 13th, which includes an electronic process that will now accurately reflect min/max fly preferences in the bucket list and allow reserves to make their max fly preference electronically as well. In addition, there is specific language included that 50 hours is when leveling will begin to allow those on the Min Fly or “Call me Last” list to catch up to 50 hours and then once they have hit the 50 hour mark, those on Max Fly or “Call Me First” will begin receiving assignments first again.
The Company will implement this process no later than 30 days from the date of signing which was July 13th. The MOU in its entirety will be available soon on XJT.com>Navigation>Labor Relations>ERJ Flight Attendant CBA
If you have any questions please contact Sara Gonzales at
Pairing Modifications MOU
We had several outstanding grievances that had been filed regarding diversions and gate returns being considered modifications due to reassignment. The reason this is an issue is due to the CBA language below:
Section 5.N.6. If a flight attendant’s duty period is modified as a result of a reassignment caused by an operational problem or cancellation, that affected duty period shall be credited the greater of:
- The sum of the originally scheduled block times (including any deadhead time) for the segments in that affected duty period, or;
- The sum of the actual block times (including any deadhead time) of the segments fl own during that affected duty period.
In short, the Company was only pay protecting for block or better for the entire day instead of leg by leg if you had a diversion or gate return because they were considering it a reassignment. This lead to less pay in examples such as the following:
| Scheduled | Actual | Pay Protection Before MOU | Pay Protection After MOU | |
| CLE-DAY | 1:00 | 0:30 | 1:00 | |
| DAY-CLE | 1:00 | 0:30 | 1:00 | |
| CLE-ORD | 1:00 | 0:45 | 1:00 | |
| ORD-CLE | 1:00 | 2:00
(due to diversion) |
2:00 | |
| Total | 4:00 | 3:45 | 4:00
(no block or better pay protection per leg, only per duty day) |
5:00
(with leg by leg block or better pay protection) |
Not only were we able to ensure that gate returns and diversions were no longer considered modifications due to reassignment but we also ensured that DNB deadheads, changes in tail numbers and several other situations were now barred from being considered a modification due to reassignment. The MOU in its entirety will be available soon on XJT.com>Navigation>Labor Relations>ERJ Flight Attendant CBA
