Conversions

Call-In reserves (CLLRs) being converted to ready status for the next day during the 1900 CLLR assignment process is probably the single largest complaint your AFA Reserve Committee hears from Flight Attendants. While it is frustrating to be converted, the contract does allow for conversions in some circumstances. In this article I will be looking at when conversions are appropriate; when they are not; how to determine the difference; and what to do when you feel you have been wrongly converted.

First, some contractual background. The only reference in the contract to CLLRs being converted to ready status is found in the second sentence of Section 10.C.6. (p. 78): "Call-in Reserves shall only be converted to Ready Reserve when the number of Ready Reserves available is equal to or less than the projected number of flight attendants needed for the following day." It seems like a simple enough sentence, but the crux of the problem is the meaning of the word "projected." Management will take the most extreme cases and contingencies into account when "projecting" how many reserves will be needed for the following day. They look at the number of open trips and stand-by positions through 0459 the third day out; forecast passenger loads and the potential for meters being built to cover them; potential sick leave; known or forecast weather or operational irregularities at your domicile and other locations; and reserve shortages at other locations.

Here is how the conversion process works. Shortly after 1500 local domicile time, reserve usage planning begins for the next day. The crew desk will first look at the open non-sick-leave IDs (and stand-by positions) for the next day and assign CLLRs to them as appropriate. Once that process is complete, the next step is to determine how many reserves will be needed the next day, based on the criteria in the previous paragraph. Then the number of ready reserves available for the next day is looked at. Then, and only then according to the contract, if there are not enough ready reserves available to cover the projected need, should CLLRs be converted.

Two items in our contract that generally work to flight attendants' benefit have the not-so-beneficial side effect of sometimes increasing the number of CLLR conversions. First, Section 9.N.3. (p. 70) allows lineholders up to eight hours before flight departure to call off sick leave status. Since CLLR assignments must be made available no later than 1900 (Section 10.C.7.a., p. 78), and the check-in from assignments made during the 1900 assignment process can be no earlier than 0500 (Section 10.C.5.), this precludes CLLRs from receiving trips that are in the computer but designated "ONSL" (unless the crew desk knows that the lineholder will not make her/his ONSL trip the next day). Therefore these trips must be assigned to ready reserves (meaning either bid readys or converted CLLRs) the next day. This drives up the projected number of reserves needed for the following day, which in turn may drive up the number of conversions.

The second item that could drive up the number of CLLR conversions is Section 10.C.1.a. (p. 77). This ensures that "a minimum of 65% of a domicile's reserves will be assigned to Call-In status." (Note that smaller domiciles fall under Section 10.C.1.b., requiring a 50% ratio.) In general, this is a good thing, since most flight attendants (but certainly not all) prefer call-in to ready reserve. This language was negotiated with the 1996 Agreement to prevent what used to happen whenever AFA would complain about too many CLLR conversions: management would respond by threatening to simply decrease the number of CLLR positions available for award in the bid process, and increase the number of ready reserves. In the management brain, since only CLLRs can be converted, less CLLRs equals less conversions, which equals less complaining from AFA.

The catch to this Section is that now, since there are fewer ready reserves in relation to CLLRs, there are sometimes not enough bid ready reserves available to cover the projected need for the next day. The result: more conversions.

So conversions will happen. The problem is with EXCESSIVE conversions. If the majority of ready reserves (both bid readys and converted CLLRs) end up flying, as long as all open non-ONSL trips were assigned properly the evening before, then there is no problem. That is the way the system was designed to work; that is not excessive.

Additionally, if people are only occasionally converted and do not fly, then there is still (probably) no problem. AFA recognizes that there must be some slack in the system, and that it is impossible to know exactly what will happen in the next day's operation. For example, think about the unpleasantness that happens when lineholders are drafted to fill open positions; when international reserves are assigned domestic trips and vice versa; and consider management's liability for understaffing pay if too many CLLRs are released. You can see it would be unreasonable to demand that everyone who is converted each day must fly.

However, if a lot of CLLRs are being converted often and do not fly, then there may be a problem with excessive conversions. Contrary to popular belief, this is a problem that must be looked at daily and not monthly. What I mean by that is it is not accurate to look at your LOF at the end of the month, or even for one week, and say, "I was converted three days in a row here and not used. That is definitely excessive." (Unpleasant, yes; but not necessarily excessive for our purposes here according to the contract.) The only way to determine if it was excessive would be to look at the situation on each individual day using OPNTRP and RSVFLY, and apply the criteria discussed earlier: Were the non-ONSL trips assigned correctly the evening before? How many trips were left? Were there enough ready reserves available to provide adequate coverage for the next day? (And were they good for enough days, and legal and available in time for the check-ins?) Is there enough "slack" in the system to provide for late sick leave calls and a cancellation or recrewing or two?

If it looks to you like there should have been enough bid ready reserves available to cover the next days' trips based on these questions, then go one step further. Look at the Weather Channel-- is there a blizzard forecast in ORD? Fog in SFO? Thunderstorms in IAD? If it STILL looks like there was no reason for you to have been converted, then a call to your crew desk may be warranted. It is best to do this as soon after 1900 as possible. That way you have a good chance of talking to the person who actually decided how many people to convert (and you can ask to speak to her or him directly). Simply say you are just wondering why you have been converted. Do your homework beforehand and be ready for the list of reasons discussed at the end of the second paragraph. It is a standard list used by management whenever AFA takes issue with the number of conversions. Some of the items on it you should be able to refute, if necessary: the number of open trips (you have access to OPNTRP); weather irregularities (remember, you watched the Weather Channel before you called); and reserve shortages at other locations (you can easily pull up OPNTRP and RSVFLY for any other domiciles that normally impact yours and go through the same criteria for that location). Keep in mind, however, that we as Flight Attendants do not have all the information the crew desk does, and there may be a perfectly legitimate reason they need extra reserves on hand for the next day. But they should still be able to justify with specifics why they converted as many people as they did.

However, if there is some sort of hidden reason why they converted you that you are not aware of, make them be specific about it. Don't accept, "Well, we have to be ready for anything;" "You never know what might happen;" "What's the problem, you get your 75-hour guarantee anyway;" or the worst of all, "We didn't really have the time or staffing to look at it tonight so we just converted everyone." If you hear anything like this, be ready to quote the second sentence of Section 10.C.6. and try to pin them down on how many reserves they are "projecting" to need the next day and why, if it is not readily apparent. As always when talking to the crew desk, remember to take notes make sure you get the scheduler's name. If the reason for the conversions does not sound reasonable to you, contact your local Reserve Committee or LEC office as soon as possible.

Another common problem I see is with CLLRs completing an evening stand-by assignment, after the next day's CLLR assignments have already been made. In many of these cases, CLLRs are automatically converted for the next day. The same conversion criteria in 10.C.6. should still apply. If you have the energy after sitting around the airport for four hours, take a second to pull up OPNTRP and RSVFLY before you call to block out from a stand-by assignment. If it looks like there are enough ready reserves (either bid readys or CLLRs already converted at 1900 earlier in the evening) to cover the next day's open trips, ask for an explanation if they convert you.

Yes, it is true we get our 75-hour guarantee whether we are released or converted. However, the call-in reserve concept was negotiated as a quality-of-life improvement for reserves, and excessive conversions effectively negate these sections of the contract by making everyone a ready reserve. In addition, the contract language still allows considerable flexibility for management to maintain schedule integrity should they run out of reserves in unusual or unforeseen circumstances.

And finally, while we are on the topic of call-in reserves, this would be a good time to review some other pertinent contract sections. These are all on pp. 78-79:

First, if you ever call in at 1900 for your assignment and can not get it for some reason (i.e. because of a scheduling error or automation problem), Section 10.C.7.b. then obligates you to call the crew desk for your assignment to correct the assignment. Do NOT assume you must have been "forgotten" somehow and treat it like you were released for the following day. You are most likely still showing as an available call-in reserve on the RSVFLY availability list and sooner or later someone may figure out a mistake was made. (However, if all of the CLLR assignments are simply not ready by 1900, this is definitely a violation of Section 10.C.7.a. Contact the crew desk for an explanation and notify your LEC office or Local Reserve Committee as soon as possible.)

Note that the ONLY way to officially receive your CLLR assignment is through CATS at 1900, option 2-2-1. Some people try to "cheat" by looking at their LOF or the CATS "What's in my line" option before 1900. Your assignment can change up to 1900. Even after 1900, what is in you LOF may not be what was on the CLLR assignment part of CATS, which can (and has) lead to DNFs. What is on CATS rules.

Second, if you are out on an ID and your ETA is between the time the CLLR assignment process starts (usually around 1500) and midnight, Section 10.C.7.c. requires that the crew desk make your assignment for the next day based on your projected arrival time and the projected time you will have accrued after that assignment. This is how you can have a trip in your line for the next day even though you may not yet have finished an ID.

Third, the last sentence of Section 10.C.6. states that "if only a portion of the Call-In Reserves can be released, they shall be those at the bottom of the respective time accrued list." This means, for example, that if the crew desk identifies a need to convert some, but not all, of the three-day reserves, those with the least time accrued will be converted and those with more time will be released. There can be some exceptions to this; for example, someone who is not legal for check-in until 2200 should be released, even if they are at the top of the time-accrued list.

The primary responsibility of the AFA Reserve Committee is to monitor reserve concerns. Monitoring CLLR conversions is at the top of our list of priorities. However, this is fairly labor-intensive and we depend on local volunteers to assist. If you feel this is a frequent problem at your domicile, talk to your Local Reserve Committee Chairperson or LECP and see if you can assist in monitoring.

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