From: www.unitedafa.org

The recent uproar around the assignment of Purser Recurrent Training provides an opportunity to review some of the Contractual provisions for bidding for training. If you have not yet attended Purser Recurrent Training this year, keep in mind November will be the last month United is offering training in 2009.

If there are circumstances that preclude you from attending the 2009 Annual Purser Recurrent Qualification Training, Section 9.P.6. and 12.D.7, as well as the 2009 Annual Purser Recurrent Qualification Training company publication from Alex Marren dictate that a missed recurrent training will result in an informal performance review, not an automatic disqualification from filling a qualified purser position. Keep in mind that utilization of Contractual provisions (such as GWOP/PTO, etc.) to remove yourself from an awarded or assigned training should not be considered a missed training.

The training currently outlined in the Bid Package Cover Letter – Purser Recurrent Training – is not a seminar or a meeting.  Attendance at Purser Recurrent Training is a requirement and scheduling is accomplished based on the language in Sections 15.G. & H. – the same language that’s used for Recurrent Emergency Training (RET).

Preference months for training were bid and awarded in late 2008.  Check your FAINFO screen, field 7, to determine your bid preference month.  This bid preference month is the equivalent of the RET “must go” month and bidding is conducted in the same manner.  Lineholder Flight Attendants are expected to attend training on days off but are not required to waive any legality to attend training nor are Flight Attendants expected to RDO, trade or PTO IDs to attend this training.  If scheduling of this training cannot be accomplished without violating minimum days off or other legal rest provisions, IDs will be dropped to attend training and Flight Attendants will be paid consistent with the provisions of Section 15.G. & H. of our Contract.

Keep in mind, the company will schedule you to attend training on any date during the month where scheduling can be accomplished on a day off without the need to pay protect an ID.  If you bid for a date that requires waiver of any Contractual legality it is considered waived.  The FAR 24-in-7 or legal rest cannot be waived. Remember the legal rest FAR prohibits training immediately prior to your work assignment without an intervening legal rest. Pay protection for any ID(s) is based on the original line of flying and does not include ID(s) traded or picked up from open flying or by RDO.

Reserves do not bid.  Purser recurrent training is scheduled on days of availability based on the Reserve line awarded. There is no requirement to trade days of availability in order for training and its associated travel to be scheduled on the ‘first or last’ days of a reserve block of availability.  If it is your preference month, you should be scheduled to attend recurrent based on the dates on which the company has made training available. If you were not assigned LDR during your preference month, please provide a detailed report to your Local Council of any discussions you may have had with management regarding the issue.