TWA SENIORITY INTEGRATION

Q&A

Supplement 1.0

5/20/02

Seniority

 

  1. If I am at a station where my seniority is adjusted to 25%, do I continue to receive 25% seniority adjustment from this day forward? For example: do I have to work four years to get one.

 

A. Since Mr. Kasher awarded a minimum Occupational seniority date of 4/10/01, this implies that Occupational seniority under the AA/TWU agreement begins to accrue day for day from that date forward. 

 

The 25% seniority credit will be calculated as follows:

 

Example A:

 

TWA LLC job seniority date:                                     4/10/61

Date starting to accrue AA Occupational seniority:      4/10/01

Total TWA LLC seniority for credit purposes:              40 years

          25% credit calculation:                                            40 yrs. * .25 = 10 years

          New AA Occupational date:                                      4/10/91

          Total AA Occ. Years as of 5/16/02:                           11.1 years

 

2.     The 10% ASM threshold for a one-station complex was determined by using the aggregate of the ASMs for all the stations within the one station complex.  Does this mean that the 25% seniority credit will be awarded once all AA employees within the one station complex have been recalled?

 

A. Yes, all the stations within the one station were used to determine the 10% threshold.  Since the 10% threshold is the condition to trigger the 25% seniority credit, then the application for the 25% seniority credit should be the same for the one station complex.  So, once all the AA employees with recall to stations within the one station has occurred, then the entire one station complex will be provided the 25% seniority credit.

 

 

 

Seniority cont’d

 

  1. At DFW, American Airlines has assigned two former TWA-LLC mechanics different Company seniority dates; how did American Airlines come to this conclusion?

 

A. Former TWA LLC employees established a company seniority date at TWA based on when they were hired at TWA.  Since this can vary, AA assigned what the Company seniority date was at TWA.  However, the Company did adjust Company seniority date for lay offs, leaves of absence, etc. in line with AA policy, since Company seniority date at TWA was not adjusted for these periods of non-work time.

 

4.     I am a former TWA LLC employee and worked 5 years in Aircraft Maintenance then transferred to Facilities Maintenance for 4 years and finally transferred back to Aircraft Maintenance for 2 years; how much Occupational seniority would I have as an AMT?

 

Under the AA/TWU agreement Aircraft Maintenance and Facility Maintenance are two separate Title Groups for seniority purposes.  In your situation you would have 7 years of Aircraft Maintenance or Title I Occupational seniority if you are based at STL or MCI. If you are based at another station it will depend on whether or not it is a station above 10% ASMs and if you would receive 25% of that time or 4/10/01.  At STL your seniority would be the same.

 

5.     Can our local former TWA-LCC employees bid to MCI or STL to get seniority?

 

A. Former TWA LLC employees may transfer/bid/be recalled or displace into STL or MCI pursuant to the terms of the AA/TWU agreement and the arbitrators award.  Once an employee is in a position at STL or MCI he/she will be provided his/her TWA LLC seniority so long as he/she is in the same classification.  An employee who transfers to STL or MCI into a different classification will be provided an Occupational seniority date in accordance with the AA/TWU agreement. 

 

REDUCTION IN FORCE/JOB PROTECTION

 

  1. In the case of a RIF, can I choose where in the system I bump to or do I have to bump the lowest person?

 

 

 

REDUCTION IN FORCE/JOB PROTECTION cont’d

 

A. Under the AA/TWU agreement, the displacement or bump options listed on the option sheets include the stations where the least senior employee within your classification in the system is located. You may choose amongst only the stations listed on the option or “bump” sheet.       

 

  1. Why did the bump sheet for the Fleet Service Clerk RIF include so many displacement options and vacancies when there is a “no flush” provision in the arbitration award?

 

A.    Due to the timing of the arbitrator’s decision and the upcoming

June 15, 2002 summer operating schedule the system options afforded the former TWA LLC employees included vacancies. The schedule is increasing in many stations which drives the vacancies, however, the efficiencies gained at other stations where the schedule is either flat or a slight increase is driving the need to adjust the staffing.  The filling of the vacancies during the RIF will be governed by the AA/TWU agreement.  Employees affected by the RIF will compete on a seniority basis for the FT vacancies with those AA employees who retain recall to the FT vacancy.  Since the TWA LLC employees have a 4/10/01 Occ. date, it will most likely result in AA employees with FT recall to fill the vacancies before a former TWA LLC employee will.

 

On the RIF option sheet the reason for the displacement options is that former TWA LLC employees may displace other former TWA LLC employees who are junior in the system.  There is no prohibition of that.  Also, we do have AA employees, specifically AA PT Crew Chiefs in MIA who were affected and they are afforded all the displacement rights under the AA/TWU agreement.  This is why you are seeing the displacement options on the RIF sheet.

 

8.     If I was laid off from a classification under the IAM/TWA agreement while working at TWA, Inc. (prior to April 10, 2001), do I have recall rights to that classification and station?  If so, for how long?

 

A. At the time of the acquisition American Airlines did not agree to provide recall rights to those former TWA employees who were laid off prior to 4/10/01.  However, Mr. Kasher did provide in his award the reserving of certain positions after AA employees have been recalled to TWA employees with recall rights.  Our understanding of the term “with recall rights” is to TWA LLC, Inc., which has been in existence since 4/10/01.

 

REDUCTION IN FORCE/JOB PROTECTION cont’d

 

 

9.     If there is a layoff at DFW and the former TWA LLC employees are affected, what occupational seniority date do they have for bumping purposes?

 

Due to uniqueness of this round of reduction in force and the “no adverse impact” language for AA employees, former TWA LLC employees may only displace other former TWA LLC employees and/or AA employees on probation.  The Occupational date for displacement will depend on where the employee is opting to displace.  For example, if a former TWA LLC employee is opting to displace into STL, the employee will use his/her TWA LLC seniority to compete or determine if he/she can displace into STL.  If the employee opts to displace into ORD, then the employee will use 4/10/01 to displace a former TWA LLC employee.  If the former TWA LLC employee in ORD has a 4/10/01 date, then the tiebreaker will be the former TWA LLC job seniority date and then the Company seniority date. 

 

RECALL

 

10.      Former TWA-LLC A/C Maintenance personnel have recall rights to other stations; will they be allowed to use them, and if so, with what seniority date?

 

A. In the arbitrator’s decision, Mr. Kasher provided the former TWA LLC employees recall rights to positions and station they were laid off from once all AA employees with recall rights have been proffered.  The employees will be recalled in Occupational seniority order.

 

11.      Two former TWA-LLC A/C Maint. personnel were laid off after 4/10/01 are currently on layoff status at DFW; will they be recalled and should they be recalled before any more 12L transfers are taken?

 

A. The former TWA LLC employees will have recall rights to DFW as an AMT, since they were laid off after 4/10/01.  If at DFW all AA employees with recall to DFW AMT have been proffered recall, then the former TWA LLC employees would have recall rights to the vacancies before a 12(l) transfer pursuant to Mr. Kasher’s award.

 

 

12.      I am a former TWA LLC employee who was laid off in the past from Facility Maintenance and went to an AMT.  I was then laid off from AMT and accepted layoff.  Both of these events took place after 4/10/01.  What are my recall rights?

 

A. Under the AA/TWU agreement and since this occurred post 4/10/01, you would retain recall rights to both the Facility Maintenance position and AMT position in accordance with Article 16.

 

GENERAL

 

13.      A former TWA LLC employee or AA employee was full time last year and now is part time does he/she get 40 hours this year for vacation?

 

A. The accrual for vacation occurs during the year 2001 to be taken the following year, 2002.  Based on this, if the employee was FT during the entire year of 2001, he/she was accruing vacation for use in 2002 as a FT employee.  Thus, the employee, upon taking VC in 2002 would receive 40 hours for each week of vacation, even though they are PT at the time of his/her 2002 vacation.  This is similar to the PT employee who in 2001 accrues vacation and is paid vacation in 2002 based on the hours worked in 2001. The formula that calculates the equivalent FT service, which determines the number of hours to pay for the vacation in 2002, is included in Article 43 of the AA/TWU agreement.

 

14.      When does a former TWA LLC employee get his vesting for retirement under the AA plan?

 

TWA LLC employees were credited for Company seniority based on their time at TWA, however, it was adjusted for lay offs, leaves of absence, etc. per AA policy.  In addition, the TWA LLC employees were given credit for their Company time for purposes of vesting under the AA retirement plan.  So, a TWA LLC employee with 5 or more years of Company seniority would be vested in the AA plan (1 year for eligibility and 5 years for vesting purposes).

 

 

GENERAL cont’d

 

15.      Can former TWA-LLC A/C Maintenance personnel transfer and if so, what seniority date would they transfer with – would they be able to transfer above American Airlines A/C Maintenance personnel?

 

A. Former TWA LLC employees may transfer to other stations within the AA system and will compete with other transfers on file for the vacancies based on occupational seniority.  The seniority date used to compete for the vacancy will depend on what station he/she wants to transfer to and when.  For example, if a former TWA LLC employee at DFW (has 4/10/01 since DFW is below the 10% ASM threshold) transfers to LAX (a 4/10/01 station for now since AA has AMTs on recall), then 4/10/01 would be used to compete with other transfers on file.  If this same employee puts in a transfer to LAX after all AA employees have been recalled at LAX, then the former TWA LLC employee would use the 25% seniority credit Occupational date to compete with all other transfers on file.