Source: unitedafa.org

In order to address these questions and others, we’ve put together the following comprehensive article to assist everyone in understanding the dynamic nature of our Contractual Reserve system.  Using an example is the best way to illustrate the dynamic principles.  While the principles we plan to review have the same application at each domicile location, we will use the SFO domicile as a specific example.

Our Contract provides for a rotating Reserve system where Reserve coverage is provided from a single Reserve pool first by those individuals in their first five years of flying who serve continuous Reserve.  On their five (5) year anniversary, a Reserve letter is assigned.  Flight Attendants who are designated with the letter “A” have a potential Reserve obligation (serve Reserve) during the odd numbered schedule months while those with a “B” designation have a potential Reserve obligation (serve Reserve) during the even numbered schedule months.

Every year in September (prior to the start of our Contractual Vacation Bidding) as provided for in Section 10.A.1.a. of the Contract,  Reserve Letters are assigned to every Flight Attendant with more than five (5) years.

“With the exception of the top Twenty-Five per cent (25%) of each domicile, who are exempt from reserve rotation, every (emphasis added) Flight Attendant will be designated either "A" or "B" for identification. Such letter designation does not necessarily place a Flight Attendant within the reserve rotation. All reserve quotas will be assigned from the junior most Flight Attendant upward.”

Based on these Contractual requirements, Reserve Letters have been assigned each year.  The following is the breakdown, by seniority group, of the Reserve letters that were assigned in September 2013 for use during the 2014 Flight Attendant scheduling year at SFO.

Reserve Letter Breakdown by seniority year at Assignment – September 2013 – Total Population

	L's	A's	B's	Total
>1980	558	0	0	558
1981	24	0	0	24
1982	4	17	16	37
1983	0	9	9	18
1984	0	36	37	73
1985	0	36	35	71
1986	0	60	60	120
1987	0	0	1	1
1988	0	16	15	31
1989	0	63	63	126
1990	0	51	51	102
1991	0	79	80	159
1992	0	27	27	54
1993	0	5	4	9
1994	0	19	20	39
1995	0	73	73	146
1996	0	40	39	79
1997	0	60	61	121
1998	0	77	76	153
1999	0	46	46	92
2000	0	35	35	70
2001	0	15	16	31
2002	0	3	3	6
2003	0	0	0	0
2004	0	0	0	0
2005	0	0	0	0
2006	0	33	32	65
2007	0	63	63	126
2008	0	18	18	36
Totals	586	881	880	2347

As you can see from this actual example, the process by which Reserve letters are assigned yields an equal numbers of A’s & B’s, and provides for a ‘balanced’ distribution of Reserves within each seniority group. Over the course of the year, however, there are a number of ways in which this distribution of Reserve Letters changes.  In addition, the total number of Flight Attendants at the domicile can affect this distribution.  Some examples of factor affecting this follow:

Transfers
Transfers into and out of the domicile location can, to some extent, impact Reserve Letters.  Keep in mind that Status & Reserve letters are assigned to Flight Attendants on an annual basis.  Flight Attendants who transfer retain their assigned Status & Reserve letter until the following schedule year in February when new status & Reserve letters become effective at the new domicile.

Separations
When Flight Attendants leave the employ of the company, their Status and Reserve letter are not replaced and these individuals are no longer a part of the Reserve pool at the domicile.

Reserve Letter Trades
Our Contract provides for the trading of Reserve Letters once each year.  Flight Attendant trade Reserve Letters for a variety of reasons.  Some make the decision to trade based on the vacation period their seniority allows them to hold while others may trade Reserve letters to avoid being on Reserve during certain months of the year that may be significant for them.  Yet others may trade to avoid being on Reserve during the summer months or Christmas.

Involuntary Furlough, Crossover & Other Manpower Reductions
Those Flight Attendants who are part of our 111 who were placed on involuntary furlough status as well as those who were faced with the decision to crossover are not part of the domicile composition as would be others who might be affected by any manpower adjustment put into place by management and as provided for in the Contract.

When considering all of the factors that impact the movement into and out of the Reserve and Lineholder status assignments that were “perfectly” equal in seniority as of September 2013, the net impact on the numbers of Reserves within each seniority group remain remarkably equal eleven (11) months later.  The following chart depicts the net changes in each seniority group as of August 2014 from those contractually established parameters of September 2013:

Difference as of August 2014 (from Sept 2013)
	L's	A's	B's	Total adding into SFO
>1980	16	0	0	16
1981	1	0	1	2
1982	2	-11	11	2
1983	1	-4	4	1
1984	1	-12	12	1
1985	2	-5	5	2
1986	0	-2	4	2
1987	0	1	-1	0
1988	0	-3	4	1
1989	1	11	-5	7
1990	1	16	-12	5
1991	2	14	-9	7
1992	0	5	-3	2
1993	0	-1	2	1
1994	1	2	-2	1
1995	0	7	1	8
1996	0	7	-9	-2
1997	0	5	-4	1
1998	0	4	-1	3
1999	0	-7	7	0
2000	0	-1	3	2
2001	0	-3	6	3
2002	0	0	0	0
2003	0	0	0	0
2004	0	0	0	0
2005	0	0	0	0
2006	0	-3	1	-2
2007	0	-41	-38	-79
2008	0	-11	8	-19
Total Into SFO	28	-32	-31	NET -35

Simply stated, as a result of all of the factors affecting the population at SFO, (i.e. transfers, involuntary furlough, crossover, separations, retirements, etc.) there is a net increase of 28 Lineholders, and decreases in both A & B status Reserves of 32 and 31, respectively, for a net reduction of 35 Flight Attendants during this eleven month period.  This is a very visual representation of a stagnant population, and is not unexpected during periods when the company is not hiring.

The following is the breakdown, by seniority group, of Reserve Letters for allFlight Attendants domiciled at SFO as of the August 2014 schedule month:

Reserve Letter Breakdown by seniority year
as of August 2014 - Total Population

	L's	A's	B's	Total
>1980	574	0	0	574
1981	25	0	1	26
1982	6	6	27	39
1983	1	5	13	19
1984	1	24	49	74
1985	2	31	40	73
1986	0	58	64	122
1987	0	1	0	1
1988	0	13	19	32
1989	1	74	58	133
1990	1	67	39	107
1991	2	93	71	166
1992	0	32	24	56
1993	0	4	6	10
1994	1	21	18	40
1995	0	80	74	154
1996	0	47	30	77
1997	0	65	57	122
1998	0	81	75	156
1999	0	39	53	92
2000	0	34	38	72
2001	0	12	22	34
2002	0	3	3	6
2003	0	0	0	0
2004	0	0	0	0
2005	0	0	0	0
2006	0	30	33	63
2007	0	22	25	47
2008	0	7	10	17
Total	614	849	849	2312

While this actual breakdown of the population at SFO reflects a slight increase in the number of Flight Attendants with a Lineholder status (L) resulting from transfers into the domicile, there are equal numbers of ‘A’s” and ‘B’s” at the location for this active population.

However, what must be recognized are the changes that have taken place in the 2006- 2008 Seniority years.  In September 2013 when Reserve letters were first assigned, there was a total of 227 Flight Attendants in the 2006 - 2008 seniority range.   As of August 2014 that number has been reduced by 100 to a total of 127 Flight Attendants in that same seniority group. This change is directly attributable to the manpower reduction factors mentioned above.

As a result of this reduction and recognizing that we are doing almost the same amount of flying at each location that we were doing before the furloughs, the company continues to identify the Reserve needs each month.   If, for example, the company determines a need for 400 Reserves (or, alternatively, a finite number of lineholders) in a given schedule month, the only place the company can get these Reserves (in order to replace those more junior furloughed Flight Attendants who were designated as  ‘A’ or ‘ B’, is higher (more senior) in the workforce at the location.  As a result, more senior Flight Attendants are serving Reserve in order to provide the Reserve coverage determined by the company.

Now that we’ve reviewed how our Contractual Reserve System works in terms of defining which Flight Attendants have a potential Reserve obligation in a given schedule month, the broader question of “Why am I on Reserve?” still needs to be explored and must be looked at within the context of “Who is working?” during the month in question.
The total population at every domicile consists of active and inactive Flight Attendants and within each group there are a number of subcategories.  While not intended to be an all-inclusive list, Active Flight Attendants include:

• Flight Attendants at work.
• Flight Attendants on sick leave – on a trip by trip or day by day basis
• Flight Attendants on vacation
• Flight Attendants on partial month Special Assignment
• Flight Attendants removed from schedule for Jury Duty, PTO, DIF, or other reasons.

Similarly, examples of Inactive Flight Attendants include:

• Flight Attendants on Leaves of Absence including Military, Medical, Occupational, Personal, Parental, Family & Special Leaves
• Flight Attendants on Extended Illness status who have been prevented from being awarded a schedule because it is anticipated they will be out of schedule for the month
• Flight Attendants on 30-day ANP (while considered active for benefit purposes, these individuals are not available to be assigned a schedule for the month)
• Flight Attendants on Voluntary Furlough

Using the August 2014 schedule month and analyzing the Active Flight Attendant population at SFO as it pertains to A/B Rotation we see the following:

Reserve Letter Breakdown by seniority year
as of August 2014 – ACTIVE Population

	L's	A's	B's	Total
>1980	544	0	0	544
1981	23	0	1	24
1982	6	6	26	38
1983	1	5	13	19
1984	2	21	47	70
1985	1	27	37	65
1986	0	53	52	105
1987	0	1	0	1
1988	0	11	19	30
1989	1	69	53	123
1990	1	61	36	98
1991	2	89	62	153
1992	0	31	22	53
1993	0	4	5	9
1994	1	19	15	35
1995	0	71	59	130
1996	0	41	28	69
1997	0	58	45	103
1998	0	67	59	126
1999	0	25	41	66
2000	0	25	31	56
2001	0	8	17	25
2002	0	2	5	7
2003	0	0	0	0
2004	0	0	0	0
2005	0	0	0	0
2006	0	24	23	47
2007	0	3	10	13
2008	0	0	2	2
Total	582	721	708	2011

This analysis reflects a relatively equal number of active A’s & B’ in most seniority groups with a difference of 13 Flight Attendants between the A’s & B’s overall. 

For some, the question still persists, “Why am I on Reserve?”

Each month the company determines the number of Reserves necessary to cover the operation based on the following parameters:

• Vacation (which varies month to month as determined by the allocations set by the company in October of each preceding calendar year)
• A consideration of those with vacation expected to be Reserves or lineholders
• Anticipated Irregular operations & sick leave (historical and projected trends are considered)
• The amount of flying assigned at the location
• The company’s Lineholder obligation as set forth in the Contract.  This is based on the number of Flight Attendants who are guaranteed to hold a line in the given month which would include the top 25% who are exempt from Reserve rotation and 50% of the remaining population (75%) for a total of 62.5% of the domicile in a location where there are no Flight Attendants serving continuous Reserve (R’s).  This amount can (and does) fluctuate.

The following is an actual example, which depicts the number of Primary Lineholders (no relief) and actual Reserves awarded.  As you can see, there is a directly inverse relationship to Lineholders and Reserves.  As the number of pre-planned primary Lineholders increases, the number of Flight Attendants serving as Reserves decreases.

RSV LTR	B	A	B	A	B	B	A	B	A	B
Month	Aug14	Jul14	Jun14	May14	Apr14	Feb14	Jan14	Dec13	Nov13	Oct13
Reserves	420	386	416	387	390	360	421	445	345	388
Relief awards	118	92	89	145	216	141	199	198	190	172
LH DOM	189	269	233	198	164	391	276	254	251	279
LH INTL	1194	1177	1148	1150	1107	1052	991	1035	1143	1083
TOTAL PRIMARY LH	1383	1446	1381	1348	1271	1443	1267	1289	1394	1362

Reviewing the information for the time period from October 2013 through August 2014, as a general pattern in months designated “A”, primary lineholder numbers are higher than adjacent months designated as “B” months.  As a result, in the even numbered (B) schedule months, the number of Flight Attendants serving Reserve is greater because the company has determined there is a need for more Reserves a fewer lineholders.

However, the question persists, “Why am I on Reserve when people junior to me are holding lines?”

Our Contractual method of providing Reserve coverage contemplates that Flight Attendants of disparate seniorities will serve Reserve during the same schedule month.  For this reason, and as stipulated in Section 10.A.1.f..

A designated reserve shall not, by virtue of her/his seniority, force a designated Lineholder into reserve status.

Considering all of this information, those of us serving Reserve are doing so because our Contract stipulates that Reserve coverage will be provided from this combined Reserve pool based on the assigned Reserve letter and corresponding Reserve obligation.  It is not a violation of our Contract for someone junior to hold a line while a more senior Flight Attendant serves Reserve. 

Our analysis of the SFO population, in fact the system, indicates there is not a significant imbalance in the relative seniority of the Reserves in each group.  Of note, this language does not speak to nor is it intended to address who is actually serving Reserve.  Rather, it refers to the relative seniority of the Reserves within each group.

Overall this information demonstrates Reserve is not a junior issue.   Reserve is a reality of the industry and profession we call our own.  Reserve is a Flight Attendant issue.  Reserve issues reinforce our connection to one another within our Flight Attendant community and, while this example is applied to a rotational Reserve system, there are corollaries to a ‘straight’ Reserve system or any other Reserve system you might consider. 

It is for this reason we must stand together in unity to address Flight Attendant issues in our collective best interests.  Our best opportunity to do so at this point in our collective history is through a combined Contract.  In solidarity, these issues for our collective Membership will ultimately be addressed.