Collective Bargaining Agreement

2012-2016

Section 18 - Vacations

SECTION 18
VACATIONS

  1. Newly employed Flight Attendants shall accrue one (1) day of vacation for each full month of continuous employment with the Company during the remainder of the calendar year after date of their initial employment. If employed prior to the fifteenth (15th) of a month, vacation credit shall be given for the full month. The first vacation shall be given during the following calendar year.
B. 1. After the provisions of Paragraph A of this Section have been complied with, Flight Attendants shall receive twelve (12) days vacation each year provided employment has been continuous. Commencing in the calendar year following the completion of continuous service shown below, Flight Attendants shall receive vacation in the following schedule:
Years of Service Vacation Days Each Year
Five (5) Nineteen (19)
Ten (10) Twenty-Six (26)
Seventeen (17) Thirty-Three (33)
Twenty-Five (25) Forty (40)
  2. A Flight Attendant shall receive full vacation accrual if she/he has a minimum of ninety-seven hours and thirty minutes (97:30) of paid activity in each quarter of the twelve-month period ending in the August schedule month prior to the vacation year. A Flight Attendant shall accrue no vacation in a calendar quarter if she/he has less than sixteen hours and fifteen minutes (16:15) of paid activity for that time period. A Flight Attendant shall accrue one twenty-fourth (1/24) of the full vacation accrual for the calendar quarter for every sixteen hours and fifteen minutes (16:15) of paid activity in that quarter. For the purpose of this paragraph only, hours paid for publicity and training shall have the same value as credited flight time. If training is paid under Section 15.G., the greater of the training hours or the flight time credit for the scheduled flight hours missed shall be used. Designated quarters are the bid months of September through November, December through February, March through May, and June through August.
C. Flight Attendants on a leave or leaves of absence (except leaves for occupational sickness or injury on the job) and Flight Attendants on a disciplinary suspension, shall have their vacation reduced by one-twelfth (1/12th) for each thirty (30) days or major portion thereof on a prorated basis.
D. A Flight Attendant may split her/his vacation into periods of not less than six (6) days with a maximum of two (2) separate periods for Flight Attendants with less than twenty-six (26) calendar days vacation and a maximum of three (3) separate periods for Flight Attendants with twentysix (26) calendar days or more vacation.
E. The Company shall post on its bulletin boards at all domiciles and coterminals where Flight Attendants are based, the dates designated by the Company for annual vacation periods for each domicile. The Company shall not designate start or end dates in any scheduled month. The Flight Attendant shall state a preference as to the date her/his vacation is to begin, based upon Company seniority, and vacations shall be assigned and a schedule posted.

A Flight Attendant has the option to "slide" the vacation up to three (3) days in either direction of the start and/or end date to help ensure they are awarded the maximum number of days utilizing their initial bids. If any changes are made at any time in the dates designated for annual vacation periods after vacation assignments are set up, the new dates will be open for rebidding. Vacations will be bid in accordance with the following schedule:

Begin primary vacation bid period 0830 October 29
Close primary vacation bid period 0830 November 7
Post primary vacation awards 0830 November 12
Begin secondary vacation bid period 0830 November 16
Close secondary vacation bid period 0830 November 23
Post Secondary vacation awards 0830 November 28
Begin tertiary vacation bid period 0830 December 1
Close tertiary vacation bid period 0830 December 7
Post tertiary vacation awards 0830 December 11
F. A Flight Attendant who indicates a desire to split vacation on her/his bid screen shall bid for the primary period only. After the primary awards have been made and published, the Company shall post on its bulletin boards, the secondary periods available for bidding and awarding in the same manner as for primary vacations. After the secondary awards have been made and published, the Company shall post on its bulletin boards, the tertiary periods available for bidding and awarding in the same manner as for primary and secondary vacations.
G.

Interim Vacation Bidding

  1. When vacation schedules have been established, a senior Flight Attendant shall not be permitted to take a vacation period already assigned to a junior Flight Attendant.

  2. Interim vacations shall be posted for bid no later than the first weekday of each month and shall remain open for not less than seven (7) days. Open vacation periods shall be offered on the basis of Company seniority to Flight Attendants based at the domicile as well as those in the process of transferring into the domicile. A Flight Attendant shall not be awarded an interim bid, however, if the Company would have insufficient time to award or reassign the vacation period left open.

  3. A Flight Attendant who transfers shall not be assigned a vacation without first having the opportunity to submit an interim bid, unless an open vacation would thus be lost to the Company. Further, except for transfers effective in November and December, a Flight Attendant shall be allowed at least one (1) calendar month at the new domicile before being required to take any unused vacation.
  4. Vacation left open and vacated primary vacation days will be posted for bid in the next interim bid process. If there are fewer than five (5) workdays prior to the next interim bid process, the vacated and open days will be posted in the following month.
H. A Flight Attendant shall be notified of the date of her/his vacation as far in advance as is practicable and such notice shall be furnished not less than four (4) weeks before the beginning of each Flight Attendant's vacation period except for those Flight Attendants who have vacations scheduled for the first half of January, in which case such notice shall be furnished not less than three (3) weeks before the beginning of their vacation period. A Flight Attendant shall not be required to take a vacation unless such notice is given.
I. Vacation leave shall not be cumulative and must be taken within the calendar year after it is accrued or vacation leave or pay therefore will not be given; however, (1) when the Company’s operation in any year does not permit a Flight Attendant to go on a regular vacation during such year, the Company may request her/him in writing to postpone the vacation, in which event the Company shall compensate such Flight Attendant for the vacation earned but not received on or before December 31 of the calendar year during which entitled to receive the vacation, and the total amount of such vacation compensation shall be the same as received had she/he been granted a vacation, and such amount shall be in addition to regular pay for the period involved; or (2) the Company may request that a Flight Attendant defer a bid vacation period or that she/he receive pay in lieu of vacation. Vacation pay under this Paragraph shall be computed by taking the Flight Attendant’s total flight pay for the month (base and incentive pay) by dividing it by the total number of credited flight hours (including scheduled vacation hours) and multiplying that hourly rate by the number of scheduled vacation hours. Premium pay shall be added, if applicable. The provisions of this Paragraph may only be implemented with the consent of the Flight Attendant.
J. Flight Attendants who leave the Company, regardless of their length of service with the Company, shall be paid for all accrued but unused vacation credit for the preceding calendar year regardless of the reason for leaving the Company. In addition, Flight Attendants who have a full year or more of service with the Company at the time of leaving will receive all accrued vacation credit in the current year up to the end of the month preceding the separation, except when less than ten (10) calendar days notice is given of intent to resign or the Flight Attendant is dismissed by the Company. Flight Attendants who are furloughed in a reduction in forces will be granted vacation pay for all unused vacation time accrued to the end of the month preceding their furlough.
K. Vacation Pay Procedures
1. Vacation Pay will be as follows:
  a. Effective on February 28, 2012, vacation pay will be two hours and forty-five minutes (2:45) per vacation day, prorated for any partial day.
  b. Effective on February 28, 2013, vacation pay will be three (3:00) hours per vacation day, prorated for any partial day.
  c. Effective on February 28, 2014, vacation pay will be three (3:00) hours per vacation day, prorated for any partial day. If in the prior vacation accrual year, as defined in Section 18.B., a Flight Attendant has been paid at least nine hundred thirty-six (936) hours of flight time credit, her/his vacation pay shall be three hours and fifteen minutes (3:15) per vacation day prorated for any partial day.
  d. Premium pay is applicable to vacation pay per Sections 5.B.3.b. and c., and 12.D.4.e.
2. If a Flight Attendant's vacation period results in her/him being projected under her/his line/minimum guarantee for the month her/his guarantee shall be adjusted to the new projection.
L.

Vacation Buy Back

  1. Prior to the bidding of vacation each year, the Company may offer a vacation "buy back" option for a determined amount of vacation time. Such an offer, to the extent made available, would enable Flight Attendants to take pay in lieu of vacation time. Flight Attendants must take a minimum of sixteen (16) days vacation. Any amount over and above sixteen (16) days could be "sold" to the Company to the extent the Company was able to offer such an option.
  2. After the amount of vacation "buy back" time is announced by the Company, Flight Attendants shall be allowed to bid on such time. Bids will state the amount of time desired in increments of seven (7) days. Bids will be awarded by Company seniority.
  3. Vacation pay for the "buy back" option shall be calculated by multiplying the number of days (7, 14, 21, etc.) times the applicable pay credit pursuant to Section 18.K.
  4. Flight Attendants who have "sold" vacation time to the Company in accordance with this Paragraph shall receive pay therefore in December of the year preceding the year in which the vacation time "sold" was to have been taken.
  5. In addition to the above procedure, the Company may offer vacation buy back on a month-to-month and domicile-by-domicile basis. Such vacation buy back shall be awarded in each domicile offered in seniority order among the Flight Attendants at the domicile.
  6. During a furlough situation, this Section 18.L. will not be utilized.
M. Days off preceding and following a scheduled vacation period as shown in a Flight Attendant's schedule shall be considered as part of that vacation period, if she/he so desires. Upon completion of the scheduled vacation, a Flight Attendant will be required to report for duty in time to cover her/his next scheduled ID or reserve assignment following the vacation. It is further agreed that where a Flight Attendant's vacation starts or ends between a scheduled outbound and return flight, said Flight Attendant may, at her/his option, move the period of vacation either forward or backward in order to fly said scheduled ID.
N. A Reserve Flight Attendant who is awarded a vacation which does not include any days of availability shall be permitted to move her/his vacation a sufficient number of days forward or backward in order to encompass the nearest two available reserve days.
  1. A lineholder whose vacation is scheduled through the end of the month will be responsible to fly the first ID appearing in her/his awarded line for the new month.
  2. The Company shall provide, upon written request, a partial advance up to sixty per cent (60%) of pay to a Flight Attendant for the purpose of vacation. This advance must be requested at least seven (7) days prior to the beginning of the vacation period.
  3. The Company shall furnish standardized vacation bid forms to be used at all domiciles.
  4. Vacation Deferral

    A Flight Attendant hospitalized due to illness or injury or on occupational sick leave, covering the major portion of her/his vacation period, or who is required to serve on jury duty during the major portion of her/his vacation period, may attempt to bid a later vacation during the remainder of the year by use of the interim vacation bidding procedures of Paragraph G. In the event she/he is unsuccessful, she/he will receive vacation pay based on the original vacation period.

  5. Flight Attendants may trade vacation periods twice per year within the constraints of Paragraph D. Trades involving a primary vacation award must be for the total number of primary vacation days awarded. If two Flight Attendants wish to trade vacations of unequal length and the one with the greater wishes to voluntarily reduce her/his vacation time to equal the other it can be approved.
  6. Vacations encompassed by a leave of absence shall be treated in the following manner:
    1. Leave the vacation period intact, pay the Flight Attendant for it.
    2. Permit a trade of vacations with another Flight Attendant, thereby removing the original vacation from the period of leave.
    3. Give the Flight Attendant the chance to interim bid away from the original vacation period under Section 18-G.
  7. Day At A Time Vacation
    1. Each Flight Attendant may take up to ten (10) vacation days a year separate from their awarded vacation period(s).
    2. Day at a time vacation days used will be deducted from the Flight Attendant's allotment for the following year's vacation.
    3. After the award of relief lines and before the beginning of the month, day at a time vacation days will be awarded in seniority order. Throughout the month, day at a time vacation days will be available only to the extent that regular ANP is available and day at a time vacation days have equal priority.
    4. Day at a time vacation will be paid at the applicable rate pursuant to 18.K.
    5. If a Flight Attendant terminates after using day at a time days, but before such days were earned, any days owed will be deducted from the Flight Attendant's final paycheck.
    6. Day at a time may not be made-up. Further, a Flight Attendant awarded day at a time vacation shall have her/his minimum monthly guarantee and/or line guarantee reduced accordingly.

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