AFA E-Lines: Nov 22, 2022

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AFA Debrief – November 22, 2022

·      Inflight Safety Action Program (ISAP) Reporting

·      Second Round Vacation Awards & Vacation Trades by Seniority

·      Requests for 2023 Advance Vacation Fly Through & Trades Between Flight Attendants

·      Reserve Christmas Wish List

·      End of Month Conflict (EOM)/ Month to Month Line Adjustment Process

·      Potential 401(k) Distribution Options for Those Impacted by Recent Hurricanes

·      Lehigh Valley (PA) Health Network to Remain in Aetna Network

·      Welcome Class 2238!

Inflight Safety Action Program (ISAP) Reporting

One of the key components of the ISAP (Inflight Safety Action Program) is its focus on improving safety by providing a non-punitive and confidential resource to report a safety hazard or inadvertent violation of company policies or FARs (Federal Aviation Regulations).

Any Member who utilizes a voluntary report through ISAP to self-disclose will be protected by the confidentiality tenants of the program. Likewise, in the event your report discloses information about a situation that directly or indirectly involves another Member, they too are protected by the same confidentiality tenants.

Critical to the success of the program is the understanding that submitting a voluntary report through ISAP is NOT placing yourself or your fellow flying partners in harm’s way. Should your report contain information about a fellow crew member, that person will be invited to participate in ISAP, provided an opportunity to submit a voluntary report and will be protected by the confidentiality tenants of the program.

When filing a report through ISAP, always include the full details of the event being reported.  Be as specific as possible when describing the event.  If a report is received without supporting details, and a safety concern is not identified, a member of the Event Review Committee (ERC) will reach out to the reporter seeking more information for the exclusive purpose of fully understanding what is being reported.  Not responding timely to all requests for additional information from a member of the ERC, may put the report in risk of being excluded.  In addition to use the information to address a safety concern or inadvertent violation of a policy of FAR when a report is excluded, the reported may also lose all protective provisions of the program. 

In order for ISAP to continue to be successful in supporting a just safety culture and United Flight Attendants as well as to avoid the exclusion of any ISAP report, always respond to a member of the ERC when they reach out to you.

Please continue to engage, ask questions, and learn about the programs that have been specifically designed to improve the safety culture at our airline. Together we will continue to improve the safety of our industry while protecting all our flying partners and profession.

Second Round Vacation Awards & Vacation Trades by Seniority

The Second Round Vacation Awards were published last week.  The next step in the process is Open Time Trades by Seniority: 

·      After the annual vacation award, all remaining available vacation days will be published in the allocation tables and the Open Time Trades by Seniority trade window will open on November 24th at 0800 (HDT) and will close on November 30th at 8:00 (HDT).

·      You can view Open Vacation Time Allocations from the myVacation page and selecting the “to view Vacation Open Time Click Here”

·      Create trade requests between November 24th and November 30th

There are multiple criteria that can be specified when submitting a request such as start date, number of days, and slide as well as the ability to modify and delete any requests that have been entered. 

The system will review all requests, one at a time, for a Flight Attendant until one is awarded or until their list of requests has been exhausted and no trades can be made. The order in which requests are processed is based on the “Request Priority” specified by the Flight Attendant when submitting each “OT” Trade by Seniority request. 

The system will evaluate the list of trade requests in seniority order, either awarding a trade or leaving the trade request as unawarded if no trades are possible for the specified dates.

When the system has reviewed all trade requests for all Flight Attendants at the base, it begins again with the most senior Flight Attendant and reviews again any trade requests that remain unawarded in the event that a trade can now be made. 

Once a trade request has been awarded, the system will no longer look back at that particular request to see if a higher preference trade request date has become available. 

The system continues this process until all possible trades have been granted.

For full details about this process, how to view allocations, and instructions on submitting/changing/removing requests is reviewed thoroughly on our Vacation Page: https://unitedafa.org/schedule/vacation/

Requests for 2023 Advance Vacation Fly Through & Trades Between Flight Attendants

Requests for Vacation Fly Through for 2023 vacations may be placed on file starting December 1, 2022.  However, if you are requesting a vacation fly through involving a vacation that starts in the January schedule month vacation (including vacations that overlap into February), you must have those requests on file no later than 10:00am HDT on December 5, 2022.  

In addition, trades between Flight Attendants opens on December 1, 2022, at 8:00AM HDT. 

Reserve Christmas Wish List

Reserve Christmas Wish List (RCWL) is an exception to the Reserve assignment procedure that is provided for by the language in Section 8.H.8.c. of the Contract. At Christmas, for the three (3) days preceding and two (2) days following the holiday, Reserve Flight Attendants may preference up to four (4) layover stations where they wish to be on the holiday. If legal and available, requests will be awarded in Inflight seniority order.  

Once Reserve Christmas Wishlist is open you will be able to access the 2022 Reserve Christmas Wishlist from the Reserve tab in CCS or via www.unitedafa.org/wishlist.

Additional information on Reserve Christmas Wishlist can be found on www.unitedafa.org.

End of Month Conflict (EOM)/ Month to Month Line Adjustment Process

End of month adjustments are necessary when a Flight Attendant’s awarded new month schedule conflicts with the old month schedule. This happens either because trips physically overlap or the new month’s schedule creates a legality problem such that the two trips, one from the old month and one from the new month, cannot be legally flown in combination.

Although Section 7.E. of our Contract provides the mechanism by which month to month line adjustments are handled, the process can still be confusing. We encourage Flight Attendants to review the information and illustrations provided in the Adjustment Overview Guide. If you have additional questions, please contact your Local Council for assistance.

Potential 401(k) Distribution Options for Those Impacted by Recent Hurricanes

For those of us impacted by the recent hurricanes (Fiona, Ian & Nicole), it is undeniable that the damage has been devastating and may present financial challenges.  In an effort to assist in this recovery, you may have 401(k) distribution options available to you.

It is strongly recommended that anyone considering such a request take the time to review eligibility requirements, process and the paperwork required when requesting a distribution before taking any money from your retirement account.

Please note:  if you are requesting a withdrawal due to Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, any distribution must be completed by December 31, 2022.  In order to accomplish this, Fidelity must receive your Disaster Distribution Form & Certification Statement in good order by December 16, 2022, to allow sufficient time for processing.

For more information on a hardship withdrawal, contact Fidelity at 800 245 9034 or visit www.netbenefits.com.

Lehigh Valley Health Network to Remain in Aetna Network

In recent weeks, the Lehigh Valley (PA) Health Network announced they would no longer accept Aetna insurance.  Understanding this impacted a significant number of our Members living in this area in Pennsylvania, our MEC Benefits Committee began a dialogue with United to explore alternatives for those impacted by this unexpected announcement. 

Effective November 22, 2022, the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) announced an agreement with Aetna that allows Aetna patients to remain in network at LVHN, effective immediately. 

This agreement recognizes that Aetna is a critical partner and allows LVHN to continue providing the highest quality care to Aetna members, many of whom are United employees.  If you have any questions, please contact the UABC at 800 651 1007 for assistance.

Welcome Class 2238!

We are excited to welcome our newest flying partners from class 2238 as part of our Flight Attendant community. Our newest flying partners will begin their careers at bases in DEN, EWR, GUM, and IAD.

We encourage you to welcome each of them amiably, help them learn from your experience, and get them started on a path to success and adventure in their new career.

Please remember that our newest Members are on probation. To ensure that they receive the most accurate information to support them, direct them to their Local Council for assistance on Contractual issues.

And if you would like to become an AFA Buddy, reach out to your Local Council to learn how you can become part of this vital link to their success.

Reminders:

NOV 24 – U.S. & Guam Holiday – Thanksgiving Day
NOV 25 – Native American Heritage Day
DEC 16 – Make your 2023 Pass Travel Elections by 2359 CT
DEC 16 – Disaster Distribution Form & Certification Statement to Fidelity for 401(k) Hardship
DEC 30 – Last Day for Telephone Orders for Uniform Items with Cintas®
DEC 31 – 401(k) Distributions Due to Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico Must be Complete

<<READ THE FULL DEBRIEF>>

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