We have made it together through one of our peak travel seasons of the year with a brief pause before we enter another. In this time, we have onboarded several classes of brand-new Service Directors and an unparalleled eighth phase of new hire Flight Attendants in 2022 have come online this month – welcome one and all!
Next Reserve Seminar on Zoom
We are happy to announce that the next reserve seminar explaining the “how-to” of reserve and your contractual rights will be conducted on November 17, 2022 @ 10:00h Pacific Time / 13:00h Eastern Time via Zoom. The initial presentation will last approximately 60-80 minutes and then there will be an open question period at the end of the presentation for everyone’s mutual benefit. All members are welcome to attend. The meeting link is as follows:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89473731251?pwd=QWRvOGw4YWZWUjZJc2M4bUtZRzZHUT09
No preregistration or passcode should be necessary in order to join the seminar, but please reach out if you have any difficulties accessing the room. We look forward to seeing you there.
Reserve Switches
As the number of newer reserves systemwide has increased there has been a parallel increase in questions concerning reserve switches, so we have outlined the essentials for you below.
Important Notes
- All reserve switches are done through globe in your browser; when you’re at the main screen in globe after logging in hover your mouse cursor over Home and then click on Reserve Exchange in the submenu that appears
- Next to Other cabin crew type the employee number of the person you wish to trade with; auto-populated suggestions indicating employee names, their employee numbers, and their base will appear as you type
- Next to Give away these days indicate the days off that you wish to exchange with another reserve
- Operate pairing(s) from First Name Last Name YYY AC123456 roster should be reconceptualized as Take Days from… instead; indicate the days off that you wish to receive from the other reserve member in exchange for the ones you are offering
- Switches are of your days off, not your days on; all language in the Collective Agreement is centred around this principle
Switching Rules
These are reserve switch rules directly located in the Collective Agreement in B8.08 (Days Off – Exchange). We will break down each rule for your benefit:
“Requests for an exchange will provide for a minimum of five (5) days notice prior to the first day involved in the exchange. Approval for such request will be given with a minimum of delay.”
This is self-explanatory, but we will add that due to how late in the preceding month blocks are finalized and published to Netline this rule can be overlooked if you’re looking to make a switch involving the first day(s) of the reserve block month. You should submit the reserve switch request shortly after blocks are published to Netline to maximize your chance at getting it approved, assuming it is legal in all respects.
“The exchange will not result in less than three (3) consecutive duty days between any period of days off for either Reserve Blockholder. This restriction will not apply if the total days off involved in the exchange run consecutively.”
Stated more simply, after you make a switch your reserve duty day patterns need to be at least three days long or else the switch will be denied.
“The exchange will not result in either Reserve Blockholder being scheduled in excess of eight [8] consecutive duty days.”
Self-explanatory.
“Days off may not be exchanged with duty days in order to move reserve duty days into a vacation period.”
This is stating that you can’t make an exchange involving vacation days.
“If the exchange involves one (1) day off only for each Reserve Blockholder, the day being exchanged must be moved so that it will be in conjunction with another period of days off in that block month.”
If you are attempting to switch one day off each then the day off that you both receive will need to be connected to an existing period of days off that you have elsewhere in your respective reserve block months.
“If any exchanged non-inviolate days off are moved to a position immediately prior to inviolate days off, the exchanged days off can be flown into. If any exchanged non-inviolate days off are moved to a position immediately following inviolate days off, the employee may be drafted on the exchanged days off.”
As an FYI, non-inviolate days off are RDOs and inviolate days off are GDOs. What this is saying in simpler terms is that RDOs you receive from another reserve via a switch will still function as RDOs even when they are placed just before a set of GDOs or just after a set of GDOs.
“Inviolate days off when moved or exchanged maintain the status of inviolate days off.”
In simpler terms, if you make a switch involving a GDO it will remain a GDO when it lands in the other reserve blockholder’s schedule, and vice versa if a GDO is exchanged to you. The same logic is extended to RDOs.
Reserve Releases Versus Personal Leaves of Absence (PLOAs)
Given that November 2022 is a junior vacation month we are seeing a tangible increase in inquiries involving requests for reserve duty days off, so it is prudent to understand the nuanced differences between what constitutes a paid release on reserve versus a Personal Leave of Absence (PLOA) in order to avoid any unforeseen pay reduction.
Call-In Reserve Release (B8.27.02)
This type of release is only granted when calling in to Crew Scheduling between 2000-2300 on the night prior to a Call-In Day. Please note that when you are given a reserve release on a Call-In Day this day comes at no cost, and you are paid for that day as if you were on call for the entire 24-hour period. If you have a subsequent Call-In Day you will need to call in between 2000-2300 concerning your assignment for that upcoming day.
Ready Reserve Release (B8.30.02)
This type of release is only granted when calling in to Crew Scheduling during a Ready Reserve Day. You are permitted to ask Crew Scheduling for a release for up to six (6) hours for personal reasons, and this type of release is granted based on operational requirements at the time of your call. This type of release comes at no cost, and you are still paid as if you were on call for the entire 24-hour period.
Personal Leaves of Absence (B8.12)
Nearly any other type of request for a release from one or more reserve duty days is considered a Personal Leave of Absence (PLOA). On a PLOA your Minimum Monthly Guarantee (MMG) is reduced by 2:25 for each requested day involved; note that when requesting a PLOA immediately prior to days off, it will extend through your days off until your next scheduled reserve duty day or until your first day of vacation.
RDO Premium Application
We’d like to briefly review the identified criteria for the RDO Premium from B8.06.01 in the Collective Agreement:
“In the event that a Reserve Blockholder is assigned a pairing that operates into a non-inviolate (RDO) day off s/he shall receive a premium of fifty (50%) percent on all flight time credits for flight/s operated on the affected days off with a minimum of four (4) hours pay per scheduled day off affected. This premium will be for pay purposes only. The RDO will be slid in accordance with B8.06 Note 2.”
In order to verify that the RDO premium has been applied, you can open up the crew list in globe for each affected flight, and next to Role you should see RDOM or RDOP written. If it is not, please call Crew Scheduling to address the discrepancy and have it added. It is a good practice to verify the application of the RDO Premium following the termination of the involved duty period(s). If you encounter any difficulties with this, please reach out to your local union officers for their assistance.
As always, if you have any suggestions for topics to address in future reserve committee updates or if you have any reserve-related questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to reserve@accomponent.ca as needed.
Happy travels!
In solidarity,
Jesse Matthews
Chair, Component Reserve Committee