Source: Elines 

Over the past several months, there have been a number of opportunities for us to take time away from the work place either through Special COLA’s or by trip trading away pairings from our awarded schedule.  While these opportunities provide us with the ability to take personal time off, taking this time away presents other challenges.  Among these, paying the cost of Health & Welfare benefits at active rates as these negotiated schedule flexibilities reduce our paychecks.

Overdue Health & Welfare Benefit Premiums

Health and welfare benefits, such as healthcare premiums, are deducted from an employee’s paycheck each pay. When these premiums cannot be deducted from an employee’s paycheck, they are considered to be overdue.

An employee will be required to pay their overdue Health & Welfare premiums after meeting a threshold of $750 and two months of uncollected premiums. Once these thresholds are hit, the employee will receive a direct bill notification. The notification will be sent to the employee’s address currently on file. The notice will contain instructions on how to resolve any unpaid benefit premiums, as well as contact information for employees to inquire about overdue balances or for any additional questions. Failure to pay overdue balances may result in suspension of the payroll deductions for benefits and, subsequently, termination of all Health & Welfare benefits.

If the employee’s overdue premiums do not exceed both thresholds, the $750 and two months of uncollected premiums, the overdue amount will be held until either the next paycheck, or until the amount exceeds the thresholds. If the employee begins receiving a paycheck before meeting the thresholds, any overdue amounts held will be deducted from their pay until the full overdue balances are collected.

All employees are responsible for keeping their contact information current. Please go to Flying Together > Employee Services > HR Tools and Resources > My Info > Personal Details to verify your address on file with the Company is current.

Flight Attendants who believe their current circumstance is not being handled consistent with the established policy should contact the Benefits Service Center at 1 800 651 1007 or file a HelpHub Inquiry from the Flying Together website.  Alternatively, you may contact your Local Council Office.