Surplus Procedure and Surplus and Relocation Bidding (Section 22.J. & 22.K.)

(Updated July 1, 2014)

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When the company believes they have a surplus of Flight Attendants at any specific domicile, they can invoke the Surplus provisions as contained in Section 22.J. and K. of our Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The company must notify and confer with the Union at least fifteen (15) days prior to issuing a notice of surplus for posting in the domiciles.

The company should first move any Flight Attendants at the domicile, who desire to move, in order of seniority from the domicile at which the surplus exists. If they do not achieve the numbers that they have declared surplus the company may move Flight Attendants out of such domicile to other domiciles in inverse order of seniority consistent with the following procedures:

A surplus at one or more domiciles is considered to exist when the company has posted a notice of surplus on bulletin boards at all domiciles. This notice must be posted no fewer than forty-five (45) days before the effective date of report to the new domicile(s) and will include the vacancies determined by the company across the system. The notice should state the number of vacancies, if more than one, location(s), bidding instructions and the last date on which bids will be accepted. The last day of bidding will be, at minimum, fifteen (15) days after the notice is posted.

Subsequent to the close of the bid period, the company will begin to process system transfers on a seniority basis. Transfers will be processed to the vacancies identified in the surplus notice up to the posted surplus number. The company has fifteen (15) days to process the system transfers, after which time the company will begin to process any transfers filed by Flight Attendants deemed to be surplus which were not previously awarded in the system transfer to those domiciles posted in the surplus notice or to vacancies that have resulted from transfer activity.

Flight Attendants transferring to fill these vacancies must be available on the date set by the company which can be no less than fifteen (15) days from the date notified of the assignment.

Do I have recall rights if subject to surplus?
Any Flight Attendant who is declared surplus and is transferred to another domicile has a preferential right to return to her/his former domicile when a vacancy occurs. This preferential right of return shall not exceed 540 days and shall be exercised only for the first opportunity.

Note: The Company and AFA have agreed that Flight Attendants deemed surplus for the October 2014 schedule month will retain preferential recall rights to their former domicile. This applies whether the move from the surplus domicile was voluntary or involuntary. Flight Attendants shall retain a preferential right of return indefinitely. If voluntarily transfer to some other domicile, recall rights to the original domicile are cancelled. (Updated July 1, 2014)

Are there travel passes provided to those subject to surplus?
In addition, any Flight Attendant subject to surplus shall during the initial one hundred eighty (180) days, be given unlimited non-revenue space available (NRSA) business passes and two (2) round trip NRPS business passes per month for travel between their domicile to which transferred and their former domicile.

Does the company pay for Moving Expenses?
Flight Attendants subject to surplus shall be considered “transferred at company request” and all moving expenses to their new domicile shall be paid by the company in accordance with Section 24 of our Contract.

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