AirTran contract summary by section

[Lear70]

Perhaps one of the things Airtran pilots could also do to help this situation is to talk to your upcoming buddies and educate them and encourage them not to apply at Airtran until a fair contract is achieved. No pilots, could have the potential to create staffing headaches for the company. May encourage them to negotiate in better faith.

This tactic has been used at the Regional level and has had some positive effects for the pilots at times. Sometimes companies do what they do because of supply and demand. Just a thought..

It's a good thought, but even with the wage going to $37.50 an hour, people will line up for the job because upgrades are under 5 years, and they're monopolizing on that at the job fairs.

The guys I know who read this board have all backed off, postponed class dates, and scheduled interviews at jetBlue in the interim, but most regional guys, especially the newer F/O's, don't educate themselves very well on the industry as a whole. That's why we have some of the problems we have - people think this job is still full of glory and we're all millionaires.

If the experienced guys quit coming to interview, we'll just lower our times like everyone else until we can fill seats. Supply and demand, and the supply never seems to be low enough to help.

It's up to US to make it better.

 

[Lear70]

Section 12: Insurance and Loss of License Benefits


Loss of the Platinum PPO Plan

-Platinum PPO plan itself terminated after 2008: See TA Section 12 Paragraph A.8 "Only those pilots currently participating in the Platinum PPO plan will be permitted to continue with this coverage for the remainder of plan year 2007 and plan year 2008. Thereafter, these pilots may elect coverage under the Gold PPO plan for one or the HMP plans, or under other plans offered by the Company."
[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT]No new participation allowed. Pilots currently enrolled in the Platinum PPO plan are “grandfathered” to the end of 2008.
[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT]Current Contract requires Platinum PPO be maintained. Current Section 11 Paragraph A.1. "Health, Vision Dental, and Life insurance shall be provided to all pilots and their families covered by this Agreement with benefits not less than in effect on the day of signing.


Co-pay amounts can change

-Proposed TA allows a change in monthly premiums AND co-pay amounts for both PPO and HMO plans. See TA Section 12 Paragraph A.9. “Upon request, the Company will provide the Association justification for increases in monthly premiums for health insurance costs or increases in user co-pays, within thirty (30) days.”
[FONT=&quot]o[/FONT]Current contract Health Insurance does not allow both increases in co-pays AND monthly premiums. Section 11 A.6. “the same, or equivalent level of insurance coverage.” Note: The Company has interpreted “co-pay” as “employee monthly contribution of monthly premiums” in this Contract and could be easily grieved.


Premium amounts can STILL increase EVERY YEAR by 15% Gold PPO, 10% HMO

12.A.9 - “Upon request, the Company will provide the Association justification for increases in monthly premiums for health insurance costs or increases in user co-pays, within thirty (30) days.”
12.A.7 – WHEN there is an increase (not IF) in the cost of the total premium for the same health coverage, no more than 50% of that increased cost may be passed on to employees in any one plan year (not one plan year of the duration, but ANY one PLAN YEAR).
- “Further, the maximum cost increase in ANY one year for employee contributions cannot exceed 15% of the previous cost for the same or equivalent level of insurance coverage.”
- “The maximum cost increase in any one plan year for employee monthly contribution for health HMO plans cannot exceed 10% of the previous cost for the same or equivalent level of insurance coverage.”
[FONT=&quot]
o[/FONT]The NPA has claimed that the Company can only increase monthly premiums ONCE for the duration of the contract. There is NO reference anywhere in the contract nor is there reference to a side letter referred to in the NPA Bullet Points which supports this claim.
Loss: Loss-of-License Insurance gutted.

See TA Section 12 Paragraph C.1. "A pilot who is on an extended medical leave of absence in accordance with Section 9 of this Agreement, and who if requested can show verification by a qualified aero medical examiner of unfitness for duty, is entitled to receive loss of license disability pay of fifty (50) percent of his normal pay in accordance with the table below:" ​

Years of Service Number of Months Paid
1 0
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 7
8 8
9 9
10 10
11 11
12 12​

Current Contract Loss-of-license: two years loss of license insurance at 66% of a pilot’s normal pay or $5000, whichever is greater. Note: A System Board ruling in March 2003 established the $5000 cap. This concession gives that up COMPLETELY!​

GAIN: HMO monthly premium increases limited to ten (10) percent

However, Co-Pay amounts under the HMO may increase. See TA Section 12 Paragraph A.9. “Upon request, the Company will provide the Association justification for increases in monthly premiums for health insurance costs or increases in user co-pays, within thirty (30) days.”

NOTE: There is NO reference to the letter referred to in the NPA Bullet Points which only allow ONE increase in Insurance Co-Pays over the course of the proposed TA


Loss: Insurance after Retirement.

Pilots retiring from service under the TA will only receive coverage at pilot rates for the first 12 months. See TA Section 15 paragraph C. 4. "The cost of the insurance coverage shall be paid by the Pilot and the monthly premium shall be equal to that applicable under COBRA except that the Company will continue to pay the Company contributions for the first twelve (12) months following retirement. This Company contribution (for the first twelve (12) months following retirement) will terminate on the day prior to the amendable date of this 2007 Agreement."
Current contract protects retirees by making the Company contribute to retiree’s medical premiums. Section 14 Paragraph C.1.b) The Company will continue to pay the Company contributions required in Section 11 of this Agreement for those pilots who elect coverage past retirement using the following terms:
Pilots who retire at age sixty (60) or older shall be responsible for paying only the pilot’s share for such coverage as follows: Note: What follows allows the use of vacation bank, monthly payments, etc


Loss: Insurance after Retirement. Company contribution terminated on amendable date of contract

If Proposed TA is not renewed by the amendable date, retiree’s company contributions are terminated one day prior to the amendable date. See TA Section 15 paragraph C. 4. "The cost of the insurance coverage shall be paid by the Pilot and the monthly premium shall be equal to that applicable under COBRA except that the Company will continue to pay the Company contributions for the first twelve (12) months following retirement. This Company contribution (for the first twelve (12) months following retirement) will terminate on the day prior to the amendable date of this 2007 Agreement."


Loss: Insurance after Retirement. Cannot change retirement plans after retirement

See TA Section 15 paragraph C. 6 "Election for such insurance after retirement is a one-time election, made at retirement. "
Current contract Section 14 Paragraph C.1.a) allows changes. The coverage (including but not limited to: Single Employee, Employee and Spouse/family coverage, High or Low option, HMO, PPO, etc.) will be selected or modified by the pilot in accordance with the enrollment/change of status provisions of the policies.


Loss: Insurance after Medical Retirement.

Proposed TA requires 5 years service and fifty (50) years of age. Current contract allows pilots with five years active service medical coverage in case of medical coverage with no age limit. Current Contract Section 14 C.2.a): "Pilots who medically retire prior to age sixty may elect to continue medical insurance as follows:
The Company will continue to pay the Company contributions required in Section 11 of this Agreement for the first twelve (12) months following medical retirement. "
See TA Section 15 paragraph C. 2. "Mandatory Retirement Due to Medical Reasons. A Pilot who retires from AirTran Airways prior to reaching mandatory retirement age will continue to be eligible to participate in the medical insurance programs (Medical, Dental, Vision) in effect for the Pilot workforce covered under this agreement up to a maximum of five (5) years, or until he reaches mandatory retirement age, whichever occurs first, provided he has reached age fifty (50) and has five (5) years of service as a Pilot with the Company."

 

[FIREMAN]

Lear the current CBA does have an OJI section it is section 10 the TA is current book.

 

[Lear70]

Section 20 - Hotels


This section can be referred to as a “Twinkie”. A Twinkie has no nutritional value; therefore its contribution to ending your hunger is fleeting and temporary. The same thing can be said for this section. The original Sec. 20 ver. 2.2 (authored by the original Hotel Committee) was expected to take at least one week to negotiate. The version in the current T/A (authored by the “new” Hotel Committee) was done via breakout group and took one day.

The NPA claimed that the entire new T.A. was a complete re-write when, in fact, it has been almost completely copied from the current CBA with changes to certain sections EXCEPT for Hotels. What you have here is a complete re-write that guts many of the existing protections we currently enjoy.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]A.1 – Missing section. Removed by accident on “final” T.A. Originally contained the phrase “Affordable”. Why is that in there? Management could argue that NPA signed off on affordable hotels, so that means no more business level hotels. Where is the term “affordable” defined?

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]A.2.a – Interior corridor, non-smoking, non-handicapped accessible rooms above the 1st floor.

[FONT=&quot]o[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][/FONT]Interior corridor was not further defined to say, “not open to the atmospheric elements”. Vast knowledge of hotel layout and construction would have prevented this mistake. Ever been to the Comfort Inn – Hilton Head, S.C.? It is interior corridor, but those corridors are not enclosed, thus allowing humidity and insects into the room via the front door. Makes it much harder to control noise as well.
[FONT=&quot]o[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][/FONT]“Above ground floor” means floor #2. You are still subject to street level noise. Language stating upper 1/3 of all floors would take care of this. It is a cost neutral item because the hotel simply pre-blocks those higher rooms for the pilots the day before arrival.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]A.3.c. – Gave up 4 hour scheduled sit requires a hotel room for delays over 5 hours. Wasn’t the 13 hour duty day and 4.5 average day supposed to REDUCE ground sits? Why, therefore, do we need to RELAX language for airport appreciation?
[FONT=&quot]o[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][/FONT]Current CBA Sec. 20 further defined this to include maintenance and weather delays; this is concessionary as well.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]A.5 – Gave up 13 hour delineation point for hotels 20-30 minutes away, now at 10:01 SCHEDULED or longer, Company can put you in a hotel that is 30 minutes away.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]A.6 – Waives A.4 and A.5 if the PILOT HOTEL COMMITTEE wants. Not the NPA BOD, just the committee, can waive your right to have a hotel on a ground sit or how far the hotel is away from the airport.

[FONT=&quot]o[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][/FONT]Why would you put a Waiver Clause in something as critical as this? A committee may not always be staffed with experienced individuals and may in fact be loaded with pilots who will grant a waiver to management.


NOTE: Section B is missing COMPLETELY from the “Final” draft, skips to Section C

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]C.1.b – The NPA agreed to let the company “mutually agree to” whether our hotel Committee Chairman is the direct liaison or not? Anyone remember who got fired a couple months ago and had their job reinstated recently?

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]D.1 - Improved notifications, but still falls short of what original language had. References sections that don’t exist in this T.A.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]D.1.a. – Allows HC to bring two hotels to the table. However, does not bind Company into selecting one of these hotels, therefore effort is futile.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]D.1 – Current CBA requires prospectus list must be given to NPA at least 10 days in advance of site inspection so that due diligence can be performed. This 10-day requirement is not in the T/A.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]D.2.b – Does not bind the Company into selecting a hotel that is “mutually acceptable” as is the case at Delta and United. Hasn’t the NPA been preaching “industry standard”?

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]E.2.b – Free access is not mentioned here for business center facilities.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]E.2.c – Needs to be re-worded to say that, “All hotel contracts will provide for free in-room wired or wireless high-speed internet access. If not free, then the Company will pre-pay the cost”. The way the T/A language written, if a hotel does not provide free internet access to its clients then that hotel could be eliminated on the spot. That means no more Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Renaissance, Westin, etc. This is a very dangerous loophole.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]E.2.d – Good quality workout facilities must be included…on-premises. Not requiring a walk of up to ¼ mile. See original Sec. 20 for proper language to address this.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]E.2.e. – 100% ambiguous. Define “nearby”. Define “retail”. Unsat. Just use the Airport/Downtown distance, time, and location language from the original Sec. 20.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]E.2.i. – No mention of ban against rooms having a connecting door to an adjacent room. Change to read, “Pilots will be assigned only rooms that do not have an internal connecting door to the adjacent room”. This is a priority security item and it is appalling that such a simple cost-neutral item was not put in T/A. Again, see original Sec. 20 language; page 2, b(1-15).

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]E.2.k. – Another loophole allowing standards to be waived by just the Hotel Comittee. Management must love this section.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]E.3 - “Current hotel properties are ‘grandfathered from the above standards…” So we get absolutely NOTHING for the few gains in this section if we stay in the current properties.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]G.1.a. – Vans running every 30 minutes. This is what Ramada’s, Sleep Inn’s, Holiday Inn’s, and Comfort Inn’s do. Most Business level hotels run it every 15 or 20 minutes. A clause needs to be written in that if the hotel can not/will not meet this schedule, then the Company will pay for and utilize private transportation….just like United, Delta, American,,, remember, “Industry Standard”, right?

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]G.1.a – No language that says our crews will be taken directly to and from the hotel with no intermediate stops and/or waiting to pick up other passengers or other airline crew. This does not preclude other passengers and/or airline crews from riding with our crews; as long as such individual(s) are ready to depart when our crews are ready to depart.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]H.1 – “location” does not mean, “on-premises”.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]H.2 – Here “location” is further redefined in the Company’s favor. Another “or” ;ie loophole. So if a restaurant is not located “on-site”, then a pilot may have to walk up to ¼ mile in the rain, snow, at night, and/or in dangerous neighborhood.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]H.3 – “table side service” with “full waiter/waitress staff employed and available” and Q&A section says that a “Waffle House” is an allowable restaurant to satisfy this section. Current CBA Sec. 20 has language that specifically disallows fast-food type restaurants.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]H.4 – So donuts in the MKE Sheraton Four Points is supposed to be in lieu of a traditional nutritious breakfast.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]H.5.– No lighting requirement mentioned. A pilot could start out down the path but get mugged and never make it to destination because it is unlit or improperly lit.

 

[Lear70]

Sec 20, concluded:

Note: This entire section requires a rewrite to be in compliance with original Sec. 20 language. The reason the original Sec. 20 meals language was written the way it was is for three reasons:
1.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Ensures that full-service restaurant(s) are on hotel premises so that a pilot would never have to risk health, life or limb venturing outside in the elements.
2.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Provided alternatives to on-premises restaurants for those pilots who wanted variety or were willing to risk leaving the safety of the hotel.
3.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]As backup to ensuring that good quality hotel brands were selected. Have you ever seen a full service restaurant located on-premises in a Sleep Inn, Baymont Inn, Extended Stay, etc.? Nuff said.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]I.1 – Company was just given carte blanche to send a pilot to Timbuktu to get a cheaper hotel rate instead of keeping the pilot in closer proximity to the airport for a reduced short layover where the hotel cost might be higher.

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]I.2.a – What if the pilot was not right at 9 hour minimum contractual rest? Let’s say he was at 10 hours. Company could send the pilot to a hotel 1 hour away and still be at 9 hours. Then the pilot has to endure another 1 hour drive back to the airport the next day. Loophole! Better to simply mandate that Temporary Lodging facilities still have to comply with the drive times already established in the previous sections.

​

NOTE: CURRENT SELF-WALK PROCEDURES ARE NO LONGER AUTHORIZED!​

-[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]J.1 – Establishes a complaint reporting system.
[FONT=&quot]o[FONT=&quot] [/FONT][/FONT]Does not mandate an electronic or computerized system. Therefore Company could change it any time to some sort of antiquated paper system just to make it difficult to report problems. Original Sec. 20 ver 2.2 language EHCS (Electronic Hotel Complaint System) addressed this. What will Company do if by some miracle the Hotel Broker disappears and takes his CIS with him?


Delta Airlines Section 5 hotel language (who our rates are being compared to), even in bankruptcy, has the following safety net statement: “This process is intended to result in the selection of mutually acceptable lodging accommodations.” United Airlines has managed to maintain their high quality business level hotels, even in bankruptcy, by mandating full service restaurants be located on hotel premises.

Once upon a short time ago, you had a highly experienced Hotel Committee that was already in place and which provided the tightest hotel section language in the industry (Original CBA 200X-Sec. 20 ver 2.2). That is no longer the case.

To sum it up, all you have to do is ask yourself the following question: Will this new language get the pilots out of the PHL Comfort Inn, or the IND Ramada Inn? This is the most basic test. If the answer is, “No”, then you have a worthless hotel section.

 

[Lear70]

Fireman has brought to my attention that the current CBA does have an OJI section that is close to the same as what is in the new T.A.

Disregard the OJI section, have to research a little more.

That's what happens when I get in a hurry...

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Eagle757shark]

Lear70, thanks for putting out a lot of information. However, each AirTran pilot needs to download this TA and read through it completely. The union will not provide you with a TA. They said it will cost too much to print out enough to go out to each pilot(very dissappointing). You have to go to the NPA website and download it yourself. Hopefully you will take out your current contract and compare section by section with the new TA. I have attended a road show, and the one thing I found interesting was the number of pilots who hadn't read the TA or read through the current contract. Guys this is important. Don't just look at the hourly rates, but really study the work rules and ask yourself, are these the work rules I want for the next six years? The road show should be a place to clarify information and ask the why is this.....? I believe there is a lot of work to be done on this TA. But I have read through the entire contract along side the current contract. Fellow pilots, please download this TA and eduacate yourself on this TA. Regardless of how you vote, base it not on rumors, but on what is best for you and your families. Money is one thing, but work rules are what is going to affect your quality of life at work. Section 5 is very vague and needs more clarity. We all have dealt with scheduling. Take a moment and read what scheduling will be able to do or what is not clear what scheduling may do under this new TA. Finally, this is our TA and we have to live with it. Don't make a decision based on FEAR! So many guys keep asking what will happen if this is voted down. Folks that is not the question to ask. If your vote is based on fear, then you aren't making an informed decision. Currently we have an amendable contract with work rules in place. READ this TA and sit down with a fellow pilot and discuss it and then make an informed decision based on what is right for you and your family. According to what was said at the road shows, the voting will begin June 15th and run through July16th. Again, Lear70 thanks for putting out a lot of information. Folks, this is about you, take a moment and read this TA. KNOW WHY YOU ARE MAKING YOUR VOTE! Best to All.

 

[Lear70]

Shark is absolutely right. The reason I did this is because I fear that too many people will not go to the trouble of downloading and reading 157 pages page by page to realize what they're signing.

Please recognize that, although a handful of other guys helped prepare some of what I've posted, all of it is our "interpretation" based on the language.

It's not designed to disparage the company. It's not designed to disparage the NPA. Those things can go to another thread. THIS thread is designed to POINT OUT the problems and EXACTLY where they're located in the T.A. so YOU can go straight to it in the T.A. and read it for yourself.

Get educated. Don't buy everything I've said. Don't buy everything the NPA says. You're intelligent people, you can make up YOUR OWN mind.

Hope to see you out there!

 

[EMBATP]

lear 70,

i really appreciate the time and effort you have put into the summaries of each section of the contract...i am going to read the t/a and you just made it easier to look for the loopholes...you are my hero...

is it at all possible to get this from you in like a pdf file or something? would it be posssible to print out a bunch of these things and stuff them in v files? or if nothing else carry them with you and explain to that ca/fo that is thinking of voting yes that this thing sucks?

i will gladly help in paying the cost of printing and take the time to stuff these things in v-files....

we have to get the word out and as lear 70 pointed out....the devil is in the details....

 

[Lear70]

is it at all possible to get this from you in like a pdf file or something? would it be posssible to print out a bunch of these things and stuff them in v files? or if nothing else carry them with you and explain to that ca/fo that is thinking of voting yes that this thing sucks?

Yeah, so far the thing is 28 pages long or 14 double-sided pages I had printed to keep the size down (which sucks, but I can't pare it down any further and still get the point across) and I haven't even done Sections 15-19 and 21 and 22 which includes the training section, retirement, and other sections with some pretty big give-backs.

I printed 10 copies to take with me, they're about $2 bucks a piece at Kinkos printed double-sided. I'll have them in ops in about 3 hours (got bumped off my 1st commute attempt, next one is in an hour). If you're around, grab one from me - I'll be the guy sitting with a few spread out on a table with a bunch of NO TA stickers.

Otherwise, I'm going to take this trip to finish the other section, try my best to keep it under 30 pages, and create a PDF file from it, then upload it to my website (which right now just has some funny pictures and ebay crap on it)

http://home.earthlink.net/~lear70

Hopefully will have the final copy up by tomorrow evening.

i will gladly help in paying the cost of printing and take the time to stuff these things in v-files....

Can't do that last part... the V-files aren't ours to use; they belong to the company, and we've already been warned about doing that. The absolute BEST thing you could do is get you and a buddy to sit in ops a few hours before or after each trip with copies of these and stickers and just talk to the guys and let them read them and take them with them if they want.

Got to get the fringe guys on board to realize that this WILL affect not only their quality of life, but also their retirement. The best way to do that is in person, calmly, and armed with the text as proof.

[/quote]we have to get the word out and as lear 70 pointed out....the devil is in the details....[/quote]
It always is... Thanks for the support and the help!