1.05.21 – APFA ORD Base Brief – February 2021 Allocations

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Hello ORD Flight Attendants,

Happy New Year! We are confident you found a way to celebrate the holidays, pandemic style. These last few months have not been pretty. Our working Flight Attendants have felt the strain of impossible schedules. Not surprisingly, the reduced systemwide headcount numbers cannot keep up with the uncertainties the pandemic drives. Thank you to all the great Flight Attendants working through these crazy times! We have heard loud and clear from Reserve Flight Attendants the frustration over continually covering out of base trips. Julie Hedrick, APFA National President, addressed our Reserve issues with the Company again during the monthly staffing call. The conversation will continue. We will not stop fighting for our working ORD Flight Attendants.

Recall of Furloughed Flight Attendants

Welcome back! We missed you. Unfortunately, the return-to-work process is not as simple as we would like. Please be patient. We will see many of you in back in March. APFA has compiled frequently asked questions in a great resource document.

• Furloughed Flight Attendant Recall Information: APFA Q&A – Part I
• Furloughed Flight Attendant Recall Information: APFA Q&A – Part II

 

The Company is asking Flight Attendants to submit questions to the following emails:

• For questions about CQ or any other training or training related question (WBTs etc.), email [email protected] or the live chat feature on the training page.
• For questions about fingerprinting or booking travel to get fingerprinted, email [email protected]
• If you are having email access or any other IT issues, call 1-866-523-5333.

 

Allocations

Systemwide job hours increased slightly month over month. ORD has 50,362 hours for February versus 46,910 hours in January. With the continued reduced schedule and tight manning, the sequence construction looks similar to previous months. The struggle to find a balance in trip length distribution continues. ODANs remain the same month over month at 2.6 starts per day.

---

---

• Job Hours ORD: 50,362 (Feb. 2021) vs. 46,910 (Jan. 2021)
• Job Hours MSP: 979 (Feb. 2021) vs. 951 (Jan. 2021)

 

---

Remaining February 2021 Bidding Timelines

Pandemic Leave

There is still a lot of confusion over pandemic leave. On December 21, 2020, the APFA Health Department sent out a hotline with a COVID-19 Process Checklist. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19, please follow the steps from the COVID-19 Process Checklist.

Unemployment

Our Unemployment Team has been working closely with the Company to resolve and prevent future fact-finding interviews and appeal filings if necessary. It appears the number of fact-finding interviews is on the increase. The APFA UI Specialist is working with the Company to identify the root cause. If you receive a Notice of Interview, please send this along with your information to [email protected].

Unfortunately, APFA cannot provide direct representation of members in unemployment appeal hearings. The APFA UI Resources page will be updated to include a general explanation of “good cause” and the appeals process, legal resources, and exhibits you may choose to use for your hearing. Should you require any exhibits before the website update, please reach out to [email protected]. APFA represents the Membership directly with the Company to resolve outstanding issues before an appeal.

LHR Pickup Times

The Company changed the pickup times in LHR last month. We have battled these changes before. We requested, and have yet to be provided, any documentation from the Company supporting an earlier pickup. APFA has continued to pressure the Company to reduce the LHR pickup time back 15 minutes to 2.30 hours before departure. As of 12/16, the Company has stated they will not make any changes on the pickup time until after the holiday season. This change is unacceptable, and we will continue to address the issue/concern. Now that ORD is back to LHR in January, the APFA Hotel Department needs your feedback regarding this change. Please complete an APFA Hotel and Transportation Incident Form.

Thank you for your hard work and commitment to safety. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Here’s to a better new year. We remain available for questions and feedback. Be kind to one another. Take care and stay safe in these uncertain times.

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]