In This Update
- Negotiating Committee Listening Sessions Recap:
(1) List of known priorities/top issues, and
(2) A clarification about posting contract ideas on social media - Productivity Premium Program (PPP) vs. L-VX Incentive pay comparison
- “A” Pay vs. L-VX Inflight Team Leader (ITL) pay comparison
- Our negotiations survey will launch shortly!
- Negotiating for Our Future
Key acronyms
- ITL: Legacy Virgin America Inflight Team Leader
- ITM: Legacy Virgin America Inflight Team Member
- L-VX: Legacy Virgin America
- MPRs: Minimum Pay Rules
- PBS: Preferential Bidding System
- PPP: Productivity Premium Program
- PTO: Paid Time Off
- RIGs: Ratio in Guarantees
- TFP: Trips for Pay
Negotiating Committee Listening Sessions Recap
Known Priorities/Top Issues
(Non-comprehensive list in alphabetical order by category – i.e., not priority order)
- “The 480”: minimum flying requirements for various benefits/pay/vacation (e.g., 240/480/960 TFP
- Commuter policy improvements
- Irregular operations
- Pre-cancellations
- Reassignments
- Job protections (mergers & acquisitions, scope, etc.)
- Management accountability for contractual violations
- Pay
- “A” position pay
- Block or better vs. block greater than scheduled in TFP
- Boarding pay
- Increase hourly/daily minimums [e.g., MPRs/RIGs, Sit Pay, Stranded Pay, etc.]
- Pay rates in block hours vs. TFP vs. duty hours
- PPP vs. L-VX Incentive Pay vs. other incentive programs
- Scheduling
- Open Time trading
- Pairing construction
- PBS
- Protecting the 10½ hour duty day
- Reserve
- Vacation (accrual, bidding credit, pay)
Clarification re: posting contract ideas on social media
AFA leadership received quite a bit of feedback in response to “Three Things That You Can Do to Keep Management From Getting the Upper Hand in Contract Negotiations” (April 21, 2022) – specifically #2 – “Keep Your Contract Ideas Off Social Media.” Upon further reflection, we recognize that social media is one of the preferred methods of communication for many of our members and that you find value in sharing your thoughts there. Consequently, we incorporated a more realistic viewpoint and clarified our intent during the Listening Sessions.
Your MEC President and Negotiating Committee Chairperson respectfully asks the group: Please keep fully developed negotiations wish lists (i.e., ranked in priority order) and/or negotiations surveys off social media.The rest is fair game, but exercise discretion – because management has their sources. Thank you in advance!
Productivity Premium Program (PPP) vs. L-VX Incentive Pay
PPP
PPP is outlined in Section 21.R. There are five qualifying periods: four single months (June, July, August, December) paying out a flat $350 and the “block of eight” (the remaining months in the year: January-May, September-November) paying out a flat $1100. The FA’s Worked TFP plus any paid vacation/Longevity PTO and/or unpaid vacation credit must be at least +5.0 TFP over their PBS award value (or equivalent) in the single months or +40 TFP over in the block of eight to qualify.
L-VX Incentive Pay
L-VX Incentive Pay was monthly. L-VX FAs were paid a 25% premium on their respective pay rates for all credit over 80 block hours (equivalent to ~90.4 TFP at 1.13 TFP/block-hour); qualifying credit was inclusive of PTO very similar to credit inclusive of vacation/Longevity PTO under the PPP.
Comparison
Keep in mind that the Virgin America Work Rules had a monthly minimum of 70 block hours (~79.1 TFP) whereas there is no monthly minimum in our contract. A larger number of FAs benefit from the PPP payout in most single months compared to L-VX Incentive Pay because the PPP threshold is generally lower (80-90 TFP depending on the FA’s line value for that month) and the payout is a flat amount: $350. However, higher time flyers (those who fly ~104+ TFP at Year 1 pay of $24.95/TFP or ~98.5+ TFP at Year 8 pay of $42.99/TFP or ~96.2+ TFP at Year 16+ pay of $60.31/TFP) are disadvantaged under PPP because the L-VX incentive was not a flat amount and had no cap (i.e., no maximum). Because the PPP block of eight months is a combined qualification period, on the balance the L-VX Incentive Pay would be more advantageous for a larger number of FAs across the entire year compared to the current PPP – and much more lucrative for very high time flyers.
“A” Pay vs. L-VX Inflight Team Leader (ITL) Pay
“A” Position Pay
“A” Pay is outlined in Section 21.G: +$2/TFP flown or credited, including MPRs but excluding Sit Pay.
L-VX ITL Pay
+15% premium on the ITM’s (i.e., the FA’s) block hour pay rate. The ITL pay equivalent under the current contract would be +$3.74/TFP at Year 1 or +$6.45/TFP at Year 8 or +$9.05/TFP at Year 16+. ITL was also a monthly bid position and required periodic Company-mandated trainings and meetings to maintain ITL qualifications.
Comparison
L-VX ITL pay is far superior to “A” pay from a pay perspective. The tradeoffs: (1) Requirement to apply for and interview to bid as an ITL, (2) Additional training requirements for ITL, and (3) Having to bid for ITL (i.e., “A”) in advance of the bid month and being locked into bidding only on those positions for that month. That pay, though! *
* +15% is near-industry leading at the lower pay steps or far beyond industry-leading at the higher pay steps for narrow body domestic flying in the “A” position – or in a purser-qualified position (like ITL quals).
Our Negotiations Survey will launch shortly!
The survey will open later this evening and close on Friday, August 19th at 12 PM Pacific time. It’s critically important that all Flight Attendants participate in the survey to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. Click here for more info from last week’s update >
The survey will have a “save & return later” feature. However, be aware that the survey cannot be taken again once you select the “Submit” button following the final question (#51). If you think there is any chance you might want to revise your feedback, then please wait to fully complete the survey until you are certain of your responses.
Negotiating for Our Future
Unquestionably, it’s in our collective best interest to secure across-the-board industry-forward improvements today that will lift us all up together in solidarity. As we prepare for negotiations, keep in mind that most Flight Attendants will spend a majority of their career at the top of the pay scale (currently Year 16 and beyond). Consequently, it’s also in our collective best interest to pursue a balanced approach between negotiating for “the now” and negotiating for our future.