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AFA US Airways MEC E-Line
for January 12, 2004
| In this
E-Line |
- Reserve Arbitration Results
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Reserve Arbitration Results
Stephani Lewis - AFA Staff Attorney
To All US Airways Flight Attendants:
On October 16, 2003, you received a newsletter from your MEC President, Perry Hayes, informing you of the implementation of the new time balanced reserve system and outlining the issues that were presented at the System Board arbitration on October 7, 2003.
The arbitration focused on two main issues that were left unresolved from previous mediation. Those issues were: whether the company could use a percentage-based system to time balance the reserve system (i.e. Credited hours divided by each flight attendant's option maximum) and whether they company could count projected vacation hours at the end of the month instead of the beginning. The Union believed and argued at the arbitration that both of these positions are contrary to the language that was negotiated during the December 2002 round of concessions. AFA presented testimony and evidence from its chief negotiator, Clare Burt, that the company fully intended to balance the reserve system by
hours and count projected hours at the beginning of each month.
Arbitrator James Conway rendered his decision on December 9, 2003. He held that the company did not violate the December, 2002 Agreement by implementing a time balancing system by percentages since it is a
"straightforward relationship between whole numbers, numerator to denominator... either raw numbers or percentages would represent a system of time balancing expressed in terms of hours and minutes and be faithful to the literal terms of the December accord..." In addition, Arbitrator Conway opined that counting vacation and training hours at the beginning of the month as credited hours was inconsistent with the December Agreement and would "hurt" high time fliers. Specifically, he stated:
"As with percentages, the semantic fog on the point must yield to the clear-cut objectives of the parties to avoid flight attendants finishing their flying obligation early and thus not being available thereafter."
Stephani Lewis
AFA Staff Attorney
REMINDERS:
Accessing The Hub:
http://thehub.usairways.com
Logging in the first time your user name is u0(zero) and your five digit employee number. Your initial password is the first five digits of your social security number. Questions about the Hub? Call 800-327-0117 and listen for the catcrew help desk prompts.
AFA Local Numbers
Council 40 PIT 724-695-3329
Council 41 DCA 703-690-6859
Council 69 BOS 978-352-7401
Council 70 PHL 215-492-0840
Council 82 LGA 201-803-6141
Council 89 CLT 704-527-0325
New Hotline Number Toll Free: 866-USA-AFA2
US AIRWAYS Benefits Information 800-872-4780
Reply to Inflight: askinflight@usairways.com
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