2.07.22 – APFA ORD Base Brief – Monday, February 7, 2022

Monday, February 7, 2022

APFA ORD Base Brief

Hello Chicago! The full force of winter is upon us, and it is only the start of February. The last two weeks have been challenging, to say the least. As always, we thank you for everything that you do to keep Chicago running. With the few training classes that have already begun in 2022, we can expect a handful of new hires to come to Chicago. We hope that as the year progresses, more will head our way.

Reschedules
With the nonstop weather, cancelations and company failures, there has been an increase in reschedules. If you experienced a reschedule that you feel was not consistent with the language in section 10 of the JCBA, please fill out the Rescheduling Issue Report Form located on APFA.org. Documentation is critical as we research these cases and fight contractual violations.

Contract Negotiations
The updated Negotiations section on the APFA website launched last week. The new page offers far more transparency to the negotiations process then we have seen in the past. Knowledge is power! This is your source for factual information. Check the page often for updates.

The Contract ACTION Team will be traveling to all bases this month engaging in conversations with Flight Attendants and signing up new Activists. Having our entire membership educated and engaged thru the Negotiations process is crucial for success.

Sign up today to be part of the Contract ACTION Team.

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Deadhead Flex Reminders

The weather has caused a large number of disruptions, and there are more trips ending with deadheads than normal. It is a good idea to be familiar with the deadhead flexibilities covered in JCBA Section 16 – Deadheading. Here is an APFA hotline which covers a variety of scenarios regarding deadheading:

Deadheading Flexibility Scenarios & Important Deadheading Reminders

APFA Contract & Scheduling Department

The APFA Contract & Scheduling Desk is available at 817-540-0108, Monday through Friday from 0700 – 1900 (CDT) to answer questions. Our APFA Live Messaging online is available from 1500 – 2300 (CDT), Monday through Friday. You may also use APFA Live Messaging on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, from 0900 – 1700 (CDT). The Live Messaging link may be found on the home page of APFA.org.

Representation

JCBA Section 35.R. defines your contractual right to have Union Representation present for all meetings with the Company. This includes your FSM, Attendance Manager, HR and Corporate Security. We are here to support you! If needed, reach out to APFA local reps prior to these meetings.

Staffing

ORD job numbers: March 123,092 vs February 124,151. Systemwide reserve percentage is 19.1%, ORD is at 17.4%, with 372. The Reserve percentage of 17.4% is higher than necessary and we voiced our concerns on the staffing call. This number does include the 22 new hires that are expected to come to Chicago from the first classes. The expected open line average is 77.5, lower than the system average of 77.9. We are hopeful the lower line average will allow more flexibility bidding high/low and have a PBS run without the constraints we have seen in past months.

Allocations

March has no large adjustments to the schedule. The clocks will spring forward next month. Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 13th.

We are still waiting for final FAA language on the 10-hour minimum rest rule. In preparation of rule change, the Company is building March sequences with a minimum of 10:45 layover time (with a few exceptions). We did see an impact to trip construction as a result.

ODAN starts per day are much lower than we are accustomed to, at just over 1 per day, vs the 7 per day in February. The Company had a concern with PBS and ODANs, specifically how the 10-hour rest will impact someone’s ability to do ODANs back-to-back. This decision to dramatically reduce ODANs was made without any input from APFA. We strongly voiced our concern against this decision. The Company committed to include APFA in future discussion about the ODAN numbers.

Excessive sit times are still an issue for the entire system. We continue to ask for sit times to be reduced. The Company did commit to looking at them on a deeper level in the coming months.

IPD flying is coming back in the last half of March. One significant change to LHR pairings is the loss of the 2-day sequence. The LHR station is reporting block times have been reduced and turn times have been compressed. Flight 91 has a much earlier departure out of LHR than previous years. If 91 was paired with 90, out of ORD, the layover would be 14.05. JCBA Section 14.I.2. states “A Flight Attendant on an IPD duty period shall be provided no less than fourteen (14) hours layover rest (calculated from release from duty to report).” There is just no buffer if it’s 14.05. The Pilots contractual language is not like ours, and they only have a one-hour report time. They will be on a 2-day. We know this news is disappointing. The Company has committed to reevaluating the sequence construction if the departure times change.

As of this writing, we still do not have confirmation of the new LHR hotel(s).

PBS Preliminary Manning Plan

Please be kind to each other. Stay safe out there!

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]

Justin Patterson
APFA ORD Base Council Representative
(509) 720-0067
[email protected]