This information is no longer current - it is for reference only. It is an archive review of events that took place during United Airline's Chapter 11 Bankruptcy from December 9, 2002 - February 1, 2006.
Agreement Q&As: August 21, 2003
1. If I am not age 50 with 10 years of service by May 1, after July 1, will I have to wait until age 55 to qualify to receive my pension?
Every Flight Attendant who is vested by June 30, 2003 (5 years of service or more) may collect her/his accrued pension (the pension that will be "frozen" on June 30, 2003) at age 50.
2. If I am not yet retirement age, do I have the option of leaving the company now with some pass travel benefits?
If you have 20 or more years of service, you are eligible to receive 7 North America (including Hawaii) SA passes with a service charge, and 1 SA pass with a service charge outside North America each year. The benefit would be available to the employee, spouse or domestic partner, and dependant children. This is a function of the Letter of Agreement between the Company and AFA, on page 287 of our Contract. The Letter also states that a Flight Attendant may be required to give the Company six months notice before leaving in order to be eligible for the passes. The six month notification requirement may be waived by the company. Request of such waiver should be made in writing to your supervisor.
3. Is it true that the furlough will be rebid?
Section 21.A.4.a. is the contractual requirement that would ensure the company would have to allow a rebid if another furlough is announced. AFA has said that we would advocate a rebid should our benefits change. The structuring of this rebid is being discussed by AFA and the Company and could be done several different ways. As with the other furloughs, we will proceed in a way that will least disrupt Flight Attendants’ lives, while ensuring that seniority is not violated.
4. I heard a rumor that 5.L. and involuntary furloughs will not affect International bases. Is this true?
No. Both 5.L. and involuntary furloughs are imposed in system-seniority order.
5. How will the LCO be operated and what will happen if United decides to operate this as a subsidiary?
The LCO will be run as part of the mainline operation, much like the west coast Shuttle was operated. It has the same wages, work rules, and benefits as the mainline operation. This Tentative Agreement allows United to compete with "low-cost" carriers across the board, not just in the low-cost operation.
In the event United wants to run this operation as a separate subsidiary, our scope clause and this Tentative Agreement require that the Company meet with AFA to negotiate working conditions and wages.
6. How will Flight Attendants who retire before July 1, 2003 be paid for unused vacation?
Flight Attendants retiring on or before June 30th, 2003 will be paid the rate of 2.6 hours per day of unused vacation time.
7. I noticed on the website that you can view the results of our voting, isn’t this prohibited?
The View Results feature has never allowed a person to view results of a ballot currently in progress. The electronic balloting process is run by an outside vendor with strict security, and they must adhere to any national laws on union balloting as well as AFA constitutional constraints on AFA balloting. No results are known until the polls officially close and the ballot has been officiated and the results are released. The View Results feature is only for ballots that have been closed, officiated and results certified. During the voting process, we are updated on the voter participation, but not the contents of those ballots.
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