9.08.20 – APFA ORD Base Brief – October Allocations

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Hello ORD Flight Attendants,

APFA is continuing the fight for the extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP). If the PSP does not get extended, the loss of jobs due to furlough will change the face of this Company and the makeup of every base. The Company has not made it a secret that changes to the bid packet were coming in October. APFA base leadership was notified last week about the new parameters that will be used for sequence construction.

The changes are dramatic! An increase in 4-day sequences, longer duty days, shorter layovers, longer sit times, and staffing changes, to name a few. To say the APFA leadership was outraged after hearing this announcement is an understatement. Your Union leaders made it clear that our members’ health and safety remains a priority, especially in the middle of a pandemic. While we can appreciate the need to achieve all cost savings possible in these challenging times, it does not make sense to squeeze the trips now when job hours remain down system-wide. We are moving into a historically low flying period.

The Base leaders made numerous suggestions to keep a balanced quality of work life. Our concerns fell on deaf ears. Your ORD Representatives also reminded the Company that this was their bad news to explain and communicate to the Flight Attendants. There may have been hints of changes moving forward, but the Company should have allowed you to digest the changes before the bid packet dropping. As we write this brief, we are still waiting for that communication.

The Company has made it clear we are too far down the road for October to make any changes to the sequences even if the PSP passes before the month starting.  So, buckle up; it is going to be a bumpy ride!

With the number of Flight Attendants out on various length leaves, the active Flight Attendant number will continue to fluctuate each month. That will make it difficult to predict the types of trips your seniority can hold and who will be subject to Reserve each month. It is going to be a rough transition with or without PSP. As always, we are open to your comments and concerns. Do not be afraid to share the same with the ORD Base Manager.

The monthly Staffing/Allocation call was today. After early out, leaves and furlough the base headcount will be dropping dramatically. Total headcount in September of 2019 was 2423. Total headcount in September of 2020 was 1670. For October 2020, we have a total headcount of 907.

Job hours are down month over month. 45,721 for October versus 61,442 for September. MSP is 776 hours for October versus 900 for September. ODAN starts per day is 3.0 for October versus 4.8 for September. The last few months ORD has seen a fluctuation in trip distribution, but seemed to land around 1-day/2-day at 35-40%, 3-days at 15-20%, and 4-days at 0-5%.

October Bidding Timelines

Thank you for your hard work, patience and flexibility during this turbulent time.  Things are changing daily. Please stay up-to-date by reading the APFA Hotlines and mobileCCI.
Be kind to one another, and stay safe.

In Solidarity, 

Susan Wroble
APFA ORD Base President
(630) 802-2268
[email protected]

Dray Howard
APFA ORD Base Vice President
(630) 215-8410
[email protected]