AFA Debrief – March 14, 2023

• CQ Rebalancing – Bidding Information
• Our Contractual Rest has Value
• Central Schedule Committee (CSC) Reporting
• April 2023 Special COLAs Awarded
• Welcome Class 2303!

CQ Rebalancing – Bidding Information

As we reported last week, CQ rebalancing continues with Flight Attendant hiring. The CQ due month bidding opens today, March 14, 2023 and affects Flight Attendants based at EWR, IAD, ORD, LAX & SFO who are at or junior to a designated seniority level and who have CQ due months in October 2023 & November 2023. In addition to bidding to retain their current CQ due month, affected Flight Attendants will be able to select months earlier in year, specifically May 2023, June 2023, July 2023, August 2023 or September 2023.

In addition, Flight Attendants based at EWR, IAD, ORD, LAX & SFO who are at or junior to a designated seniority level and who have CQ due months in February 2024, March 2024, April 2024, May 2024 and June 2024 are also affected. In addition to bidding to retain their current CQ due month, these affected Flight Attendants will be able to select months earlier in 2023, specifically May 2023, June 2023, July 2023, August 2023, September 2023, December 2023 and January 2024.

It is important to understand, not everyone having these CQ months is required to bid.  There are two groups of Flight Attendants:

• Those who must bid for a new due month, and
• Those who may elect to move from their current due month to another month of their choice.

Those who must bid include those with an Inflight (bid) seniority date or junior to the Rebalance Bid Month Seniority date during the month identified. If this describes you, you are a participant in the Due Month Preference bid and are strongly encouraged to bid to cover yourself. All bids submitted will be awarded in seniority order. Insufficient or no bids will be assigned a new due month in inverse order of seniority after all bidders have been accommodated.

At the same time, we wanted to create an opportunity for those having an Inflight (Bid) seniority date senior to the Rebalance Bid Month Seniority date to elect to move from their current due month to another month of their choice, at their sole discretion. This option was created so that if senior Flight Attendants wished to volunteer to move to other months, other more junior Flight Attendants would have the opportunity to remain in their current month without impact.

Of significance, Flight Attendants identified as required to participate will have the option to Keep My Due Month. To the extent this preference is honored, that is bid and awarded, there will be no change to your individual training due month.

Important dates: 

Bids Open: March 14, 2023

Bid Close: March 23, 2023 at 1200 CST

Bids Posted: April 6, 2023

To submit bids,access the Training Preference Bid under the Bidding tab in CCS.

• Rank your CQ due month preferences in the order from the most preferred to the least preferred month.
• If you do not bid enough to cover yourself (e.g., you only place four choices on file and you are too junior to hold any of your choices), you will be considered an insufficient bidder.
• If you do not submit any bids, you will be considered a non-bidder.
• Bids will be awarded in base seniority order, as available slots per month are allocated by base.
• The latest base assignment on record in IR, that is as of 3/9/2023, will be used in order to account for transfers already awarded for a future month.
• All bids on file for an individual Flight Attendant will be considered before moving on to the next Flight Attendant in seniority order.
• Non-bidders and insufficient bidders will be ASSIGNED a new CQ due month after all valid bids have been considered. The CQ due month will be assigned in inverse seniority, order, by base, beginning with the earliest month available
• You may revise your bid throughout the bid window. However, only the last dated/time stamped bid will be considered
• Once awarded or assigned a new CQ due month, you will not be able to trade your new due month with another Flight Attendant.
• Note: *If you are on a Leave of Absence during the bidding period you must submit a bid for a new due month during this bid period or you will be assigned a new due month.

For training program questions please contact InflightServiceTraining@United.com. 

For training scheduling questions contact FAST Non-Operational Scheduling at Flt-Line (1-800-358-5463) Option 1, Option 2 or submit a CHAT for additional information and assistance. 

Our Contractual Rest has Value

Our workdays which are often long, may at times be extended due to irregular operations. The demands of our profession and the need to be alert and responsive at a moment’s notice to unexpected situations can take a toll on our body and minds.

Taking a warm shower, decompressing and settling into a snug, feathery bed isn’t just a nicety, it’s a necessity. In order to perform our responsibilities as safety professionals and to meet the demands of our job, we must take care of ourselves first and ensure we take advantage of every opportunity to get the rest our bodies need. Our Contractual rest is vital and has been negotiated so we can recharge and be ready to meet the challenges in our careers as well as our personal lives.

Section 6.V.3. in our Contract provides guidance as it pertains to our negotiated Contractual Domestic Legal Rest requirement.

At home, our minimum legal rest must consist of at least twelve (12) hours free from duty. And, while there are also negotiated provisions that provide Flight Attendants with the ability to waive the minimum home legal rest in order to trip trade/pick up pairings, Flight Attendants cannot be required to reduce their rest period. 

Flight Attendants who elect to waive their minimum home legal rest may, at their sole discretion, reduce their rest at home with the understanding that the legal rest between pairings is then reduced to ten (10) hours minimum rest for all purposes.

It is also understood, in the event the Flight Attendant trades or drops one of the pairings resulting from the waiver and the minimum home legal rest between her/his pairings is reestablished, the ten (10) hour minimum rest shall no longer apply.

At a domestic layover point, our minimum Legal Rest is based on the proximity of the layover hotel to the airport location as well as the availability of transportation.

1. If the hotel is within approximately fifteen (15) minutes time from the airport and provided that prompt transportation is available, our legal rest is ten (10) hours free from duty.
2. If the hotel is more than approximately fifteen (15) minutes time from the airport, our minimum legal rest is expanded to eleven (11) hours free from duty.

In both cases above, once we have checked-in and during the debrief periods we are on duty. For this reason, neither of the periods can be considered as part of our free from a duty rest period.

Central Schedule Committee (CSC) Reporting

Did you know that our MEC Central Schedule Committee (CSC) and our Local Schedule Committees are required under our Contract? Each month, CSC and representatives from Crew Schedule Planning meet to review the flying assigned to each base and the lines constructed, by Local Schedule Committees, for both Domestic and International flying. Prior to meeting with the company, elected Members of CSC meet to review all of the pairings that have been created by the company to ensure their compliance with the provisions of our Contract as it pertains to check-in times, length of duty days, legal rest and staffing levels to ensure compliance with the minimum Flight Attendant bid positions of Section 7.A.10.

As a significant part of the schedule development process of which CSC is involved, is the advocacy of the Members of CSC for changes to the pairings built by the company to address quality of life issues affecting Flight Attendants. Following these meetings, CSC provides a comprehensive report intended to provide an overview of the flying assigned at each of the bases, including the satellites, which is intended to demonstrate how the base structure fits together once all of the flying is assigned for the system.

The DSL Review Reports provide specific detail about the discussions held during the meeting to review the pairings that have been built for each of the bases. During these meetings, CSC and management discuss the impact of pairing construction on Flight Attendants and our representatives work to provide management with insight on how pairing characteristics (sit time, duty days, pairing values) all directly impact Flight Attendants. These reports provide information on how pairings are constructed as the company responds to changes in base population which is often driven by the addition of seasonal service (flights) at certain base locations.

Other topics discussed during these meetings include:

• Reserve coverage parameters to be used in LSC recommendations for Reserve schedules
• Out of base flying reports
• Market changes
• Unique language qualified flying issues & assignment of LQ flying
• Co-terminal flying
• Transfers
• System Line averages by operation; domestic, international and satellite bases
• Sit time
• All-night flying
• Open time required under Section 7.G.
• New Hire assignments

We encourage you to take a few minutes to review the reporting from our Central Schedule Committee to increase your understanding of how the system is connected and how flying changes ultimately impact our monthly schedules.

April Special COLAs Awarded

Flight Attendants who expressed interest were awarded Special COLAs for the April bid month. Those awarded the April Special COLA will be required to complete any overlapping assignments into the April bid month. Flight Attendants can see their award status on the Special COLA CCS Request Screen. 

This MAY NOT be the final Special COLA award list for April as additional Special COLAs may be awarded based on the needs of service. The final list will be posted to Flying Together before the April flying month begins.

Special COLAs were not awarded at AUS, GUM, LHR or TPA

Welcome Class 2303!

We are excited to welcome our newest flying partners from class 2302 as part of our Flight Attendant community. Our newest flying partners will begin their careers at bases in BOS, DEN, EWR, and SFO.

We were encouraged by the professionalism, the depth of understanding about all that we have experienced and their desire to be a part of our community. We are confident that these new Members will bring their individuals talents and abilities to our profession as they contribute to our collective strength. Please help us welcome them to our ranks as they join us on the line next week.

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 AFA Local Council for assistance on Contractual issues.

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

Reminders:

MAR – Women’s History Month
MAR 14 – CQ Rebalancing Bids Open (in certain locations)
MAR 23 (noon CST) – CQ Rebalancing Bids Close
MAR 26 – Europe Change to Daylight Saving Time
APR 6 – CQ Rebalancing Awards Posted
APR 30 – The Joe Beirne Foundation CWA Scholarship Deadline

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