2.02.18 – (LAA/LUS) – 401K Class Action Reminder/NTSB Findings 383/Filler Days LUS/Yellow Fever Vaccine/MAR VLOAs LUS/JSIC DFW Base Visit/Uniform Count

• 401(k) Class Action Settlement Reminder – LAA

• NTSB Findings on AA Flight 383

• Vacation Bidding & Filler Days – LUS

• In-Network Yellow Fever Vaccine Providers

• Voluntary Leave of Absences (VLOAs) Offered for March – LUS

• JSIC DFW Base Visit

• Uniform Reaction Report Count

 

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401(k) Class Action Settlement Reminder – LAA

APFA continues to field calls from Flight Attendants confused about their status in the potential settlement of the 401(k) Class Action Lawsuit for Legacy AA Flight Attendants who participated in the $uper $aver 401(k) plan between April 2010 and October 2015.

Current Participants are active employees or former employees who still have an open 401(k) account.  Per the claims notice you received in the mail, no action is required on your part. Once the settlement has been approved and each participant’s amount has been calculated, your share of the settlement will be deposited into your 401(k) account.

Former Participants are employees who have left the company and no longer have an open 401(k) account.  A Former Participant claim form must be completed and postmarked by February 12, 2018 to be included in the settlement.  Former Participants can elect their settlement money be distributed by check or rolled over into an IRA.

If the proposed agreement is approved at the Fairness Hearing scheduled for February 21^st, the claims administrator will begin calculating each participant’s portion of the settlement with monies deposited later this year.

Visit the settlement websitehttp://aasupersaver401ksettlement.com/ for more information or to download a Former Participant Claim Form.

Ron Harris
APFA National Retirement Specialist
[email protected]

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NTSB Findings on AA Flight 383

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) met in Washington D.C. this week to present their findings regarding the uncontained engine failure on AA Flight 383, on October 28, 2016 at ORD.

The NTSB determined that a subsurface defect in a turbine disk, at the time of manufacture, led to this uncontained engine failure.

Due to the nature of the defect and the limits of inspection methods, the NTSB concluded the defect was likely undetectable when the disk was produced in 1997.

The purpose of an NTSB accident investigation is to identify probable cause and make recommendations to improve aviation safety. APFA looks forward to partnering with American Airlines as they implement the NTSB’s recommendations relating to this accident.

APFA is proud of the consummate professionalism displayed by the entire flight crew whose heroic actions resulted in the safe evacuation of 161 passengers from the aircraft.

Congratulations to the entire crew of AA 383 for a job well done!

Noelle Weiler
APFA National Safety & Security Chair
[email protected]

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Vacation Bidding & Filler Days – LUS

 

The first round of Vacation bidding for the 2018/2019 fiscal year opened on January 27^th at noon CT, and will close on February 27^th at noon CT. Awards will be published March 5^th at noon CT.

Second round bidding will open on March 5^th at noon CT and close on March 13^th at noon CT. Awards will be published March 20^th by noon CT.

If you have any questions about your vacation accrual you may call Vacations at 480-693-1936.

We have had some questions about how filler days are paid. If you attach a filler day to vacation to make seven or more days, you will be paid 4:00 per day. If you attach a filler day to a set of vacation days to make seven days, you will receive 4:00 per day.

If you bid filler days that are stand-alone, they are paid at 3:30 per day. If you bid filler days in a month in which you have seven vacation days, but they do not touch those days, they are paid at 3:30 per day. A good rule of thumb—if you want 4:00 per day for a filler day, it has to touch or make a group of seven vacation days or more.

Paul Hartshorn Jr.
APFA National Contract Chair
[email protected]

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In-Network Yellow Fever Vaccine Providers

As reported in a recent APFA National Health Department Hotline, the American Airlines Core, Standard and Value plans will cover the cost of yellow fever vaccinations (both the original and Stamaril) for employees and family members enrolled in the plan so long as the vaccine is administered by an In-Network provider.

To find an In-Network location with available vaccine, please consult the list below or contact UHC or BCBS for assistance. Calling in advance to make an appointment and verify vaccine availability is advised. Members who have HMO coverage should contact their HMO administrator for information about where to procure the vaccine.

• The locations provided below are in-network with the medical administrator for that state.
• Check with your Primary Care Physician regarding your personal health situation before receiving a new vaccination.
• The health and welfare of APFA members is always a primary concern, therefore we will continue to work with both HR and Flight Service to come up with as many options as possible for members who are trying to obtain the vaccine.
• There is a more extensive list of vaccine providers available on the CDC website, but it is advised to check with Blue Cross Blue Shield or United Healthcare to find out whether these providers would be considered in-network.

 

We have posted a link to this list of providers as well as the vaccine provider information from the CDC website on the Health Department page of the APFA website.

Remember that we rely on one another to stay safe and healthy. Stay connected to APFA and continue to monitor the CDC and World Health Organization websites for the latest updates.

CDC search for Stamaril yellow fever vaccination clinics >>

Kim Coats Tuck
APFA National Health Chair
[email protected]

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Voluntary Leave of Absences (VLOAs) Offered for March – LUS

The Company is projecting an opportunity to award Voluntary Leaves of Absence (VLOA) for the month of March 2018. These VLOAs may be available for the March bid month (effective March 2, 2018) in the following bases:

CLT    DCA-US    PHL    PHX

All VLOA requests for March 2018 must be submitted electronically via Wings on the Forms page (Wings>Flight Service>Forms>Leaves of Absence) prior to the deadline of 12 noon (EST), Thursday, February 8, 2018. Awards will be posted no later than Friday, February 9, 2018.

Please note the following items regarding the terms of the VLOA award:

• The VLOA will be without pay
• To be awarded the VLOA, you must be in an available status as of October 1 on the date of the award
• Any scheduled vacation will be paid
• Required training scheduled for the month must be attended and will be compensated accordingly
• Benefits will remain active for the duration of the leave
• Benefit premiums will continue at the active flight attendant rate. While on VLOA, Aon Hewitt will send a bill for your upcoming benefit premiums. If benefit premiums were deducted from your paycheck for any portion of the VLOA period, contact Aon Hewitt at 888-860-6178 to ask that these amounts be credited to your account. Any remaining balance due must be paid to Aon Hewitt to maintain coverage
• Failure to make payments past 60 days while on VLOA may result in the termination of coverage (please call the Benefits Center at 888-860-6178 with questions)
• HR Benefits will do an audit of your benefit premiums upon your return to work. If any premiums are outstanding or have been overpaid, they will be processed within two pay periods
• Accruals for both sick and vacation will continue during the period of the leave
• You must coordinate directly with the vendor or Credit Union if any loan payments are being deducted from your paycheck
• This is a voluntary leave and you will remain on active status. Therefore, the company will contest unemployment claims
• As a lineholder, if you have a lead-in trip into the VLOA month and are unable to adjust your schedule via ISAP or ETB, you are responsible for flying that entire trip
• Reserves awarded the VLOA will not receive a reserve line for the month
• Working special assignments (COM) while on VLOA is not permissible
• Picking up trips via ETB is not permissible while on the VLOA

 

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JSIC DFW Base Visit

Members of the APFA Joint Scheduling Implementation Committee (JSIC) will be present at the next DFW Base Meeting to give a presentation and answer questions about the new TTS, ETB, ROTA, and UBL systems scheduled to be implemented for LAA in August 2018.

Uniform Reaction Report Count

To date, there have been 4,440  Flight Attendants who have filed uniform reaction reports. Please continue to utilize the Uniform Reaction Report Form on the APFA website if you experience a suspected reaction to your uniform.