The Alaska Pilots Podcast

2023 State of the Union and New LOAs

This episode describes the state of the union, including progress made over the last year, areas of current focus, and how Alaska pilots move the profession forward. Three new Letters of Agreement (LOA) have been signed, which collectively represent improvements to the collective bargaining agreement and benefits to the Alaska pilots.

 

Join Host Strategic Communications Chairman David Campbell, MEC Chairman Will McQuillen, Negotiating Chairman Chris Gruner, and Strategic Planning Chairman Drew Coyle as they discuss these issues.

 

If you are interested in volunteering with your MEC, please send an email to VolunteerALA@alpa.org.

 

LOA 23-01 Unused Sick Leave at Retirement

 

LOA 23-02 SIO Amendment

 

LOA 23-03 Airbus Retention Program

Reassignment, Cancelation, Delay, and Severe Irregular Operations

In this episode MEC Chairman Will McQuillen, Negotiating Chairman Chris Gruner, and Scheduling Chairman Scott Rubin discuss and clarify differences between a reassignment, a cancelation, and a delay. There are pay implications to each of these categories. The recent ice storm in Seattle and Portland created examples of each of these categories. The most recent Negotiating Committee Update is a useful companion communication and is linked below.

 

Negotiating Committee Update

CBA 2022 Implementation: When and Why

In this episode, MEC Chairman Will McQuillen, Negotiating Chairman Chris Gruner, and Scheduling Committee Chairman Scott Rubin further discuss the CBA implementation process. A number of ALPA resources are mentioned in this episode which are linked below.

 

Scheduling Floor Pilot Volunteer Hotline Number: 833-30-FLOOR or (833) 303-5667

Pilot Peer Support Number: (309) 777-ALPA or (309) 777-2572

Negotiating Committee Update of November 11, 2022

Payroll Committee Update

MOU 22-06 [CBA 2022 Implementation]

Scheduling Committee Stan Notes

Contract 2022 Implementation

The Alaska Airlines pilots recently ratified a new collective bargaining agreement. The process of implementing these new work rules has begun in earnest. This episode discusses the work being done to ensure that the process moves forward expeditiously and the need for pilots’ solidarity to remain strong. Join host Strategic Communications Chairman David Campbell as he speaks in further detail on these topics with MEC Chairman Will McQuillen, Negotiating Committee Chairman Chris Gruner, Scheduling Committee Chairman Scott Rubin, Strategic Planning Chairman Ronan O’Donoghue and his Vice Chair Drew Coyle.

MOU 222-06 CBA 2022 Implementation

Negotiating Committee Update 10-28-2022

TA 8: Ratification Process, What Happens Next

The Tentative Agreement (TA) approved by the Alaska MEC is now before the pilot members to consider for approval. This episode discusses the process of completing the full language TA which is expected to be available by Friday, September 30, events where one may learn more about the TA, such as roadshows and airport sits, and the balloting process. Host Strategic Communication Chairman David Campbell is joined by MEC Chairman Will McQuillen, Strategic Planning Chairman Ronan O’Donoghue, and Strategic Planning Vice Chairman Drew Coyle.

Find more information at AlaskaPilots.org.

PBS Hotline: (833) ALA-PBS1 or (833) 250-7271

TA 7: Vacation

Learn about the changes to vacation and how vacation will interact with preferential bidding (PBS).

Find more information about the TA at AlaskaPilots.org.

Call the PBS Hotline for questions related to PBS, or using vacation in a PBS system: (833) ALA-PBS1 or (833) 252-7271.

TA 6: Reserve

This tentative agreement contains major changes to the reserve system designed to improve reserve pilots’ quality of life. Additionally, there are a number of positive changes for pilots who commute to work.

Find more information at AlaskaPilots.org. 

TA 5: Trip Ownership, Displacement, and Commuting

This tentative agreement includes several changes to protect pilots’ schedule and days off. It also includes new compensation or monetary incentives in the instances where trips are changed.

Find more information at AlaskaPilots.org. 

TA 4: Trading

Learn about how this tentative agreement will change pilots’ ability to adjust their schedules.

Find more information at AlaskaPilots.org. 

TA 3: PBS and Trip Construction

This tentative agreement includes a preferential bidding system (PBS) as the delivery process for monthly schedules. Hear about ALPA’s enhanced control over trip construction and how PBS will work.

Many terms may be unfamiliar. Some may find the glossary below helpful while listening to this episode.

Find more information at AlaskaPilots.org.

PBS Hotline: (833) ALA-PBS1 or (833) 250-7271

Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Glossary

 

Average Line Value (ALV)

The average Credit value of all lines in a Base Position.  ALV will include all known Credit in that Base Position.

 

Correct Line:

The initial line the Pilot should have been awarded had a PBS Misaward not occurred.

 

Credit Window

Credit range within which a line may be awarded.

 

Denial Mode

A process in PBS that:

• is performed after PBS is unable to award a Pilot a line consistent with his or her bid preferences, seniority, known absences, the FARs, and the CBA, and within the Minimum Credit Window,
• is utilized after shuffle and prior to Secondary Line Generation (SLG), and ignores, one at a time, a Pilot's preference(s) to avoid flying a specified trip or a trip with specified criteria (e.g., number of duty periods in a trip, departure time of trip, number of flight segments per duty period) or the Pilot’s preference to avoid flying on a specified Calendar Day, in an effort to award a line within his or her Minimum Credit Window.

 

Fill to Threshold

A tool in PBS that is utilized prior to Denial Mode, and continues to award trips to each Pilot's line, if possible, until such line is at or above the threshold.

 

Force Priority Stack Date on SLG

A tool in PBS that ensures a Pilot who is awarded a line during the SLG process is awarded a trip that is scheduled to operate on the specified priority stack date.

 

Max Followed By Time

The maximum time between trips that are awarded via the "Followed By" bid statement.

 

Max Iteration

A parameter in PBS that limits the number of trips PBS considers when attempting to construct a line.

 

Max Passes

A parameter in PBS that limits the number of attempts by PBS to award lines to all Pilots in a Base Position.

 

Max Reserves

A parameter in PBS that limits the number of Pilots permitted to be awarded a Reserve Schedule in a Base Position.

 

Maximum Stack Height

A parameter in PBS that limits a stack after all Pilots in the Base Position are awarded a line.

 

Priority Stack Date

A designated date that is unstacked before PBS unstacks any other date. Priority stack date is limited to days which receive Holiday Pay.

 

Reduced Lower Limit (RLL)

A line that is awarded below the minimum Credit value for the Month when the Pilot could not legally be awarded a line within the Credit Window.

 

Secondary Line Generation (SLG)

The final PBS process, used after Shuffle and Denial Mode, that ignores a Pilot's bid preferences in an attempt to construct a line for the Pilot.

 

Shuffle

A tool in PBS that:

• is utilized after PBS is unable to award a Pilot a line within his or her line credit window which complies with his higher priority bid preference(s)
• removes a trip(s) which had been awarded in accordance with such bid preference(s) and searches for combinations of trip(s) which comply with his or her lower priority bid preference(s), and
• is utilized prior to Denial Mode.

 

Stack

The number of duty periods that remain in Open Flying Time on a given Calendar Day at the end of a bid run.

 

Threshold

The target Credit value for each line in each Base Position in a Bid Period.

 

Trailing Line Value (TLV)

The twelve (12) Bid Period rolling average of the ALV for a Base Position.

 

Unstack

A tool in PBS that assigns trips to Pilots in such a way as to prevent a stack that is greater than the Maximum Stack Height.

 

Vacation Any

A function applied during the PBS award process in which vacation days may be moved as needed so as to avoid conflicts with preferred trips. Vacation Any does not change the number of vacation days or the Credit of the awarded schedule.

 

Virtual Credit

A credit value applied to an activity or absence only during schedule construction in PBS.  Virtual Credit has no value once the schedule is awarded.