During the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, SIA’s top priority has been the safety and well-being of our SkyWest Flight Attendants. The past week has been a defining time for all of us as we face the challenges in the aviation industry. The challenges change daily if not hourly. As we rise to face these challenges, very difficult discussions and agreements are being made to ensure our SkyWest Flight Attendant’s jobs are protected. It’s been imperative that SIA and the Company work together in preventing furloughs and preserving our airline.  Your SIA Leadership Team has been devoted in our efforts to ensure more options are available for our SkyWest Flight Attendants during this critical time.

As Sonya Wolford, VP InFlight stated in her communication that went out today (3/19/20),

“This week we will bid for April schedules. We are expecting significant schedule reductions for our Alaska and United operation. As of March 19th, SkyWest has not received final files from Delta or American for the April 2020 bid period. Because of this delay, the April bid will open with United and Alaska flying only. This will result in some domiciles being set up in PBS as reserve only domiciles. Due to this, we can expect an unprecedented number of reserve lines, especially in domiciles with high percentages of Delta and American flying. Given the uncertainty ahead, I can’t think of a time it’s been more important for us to finish a month and deliver on our partner flying contracts. They are counting on us more than ever”.

SIA’s commitment is to provide all of you with as much information and as many options as possible so that each of you are better prepared in making your choices for the month(s) ahead.  We know this situation has and will continue to create many challenges and hardships for our Flight Attendants.

Below is the agreement that was finalized just a few hours ago (full MOA Agreements will be available in the FAPM 03/20/20):

The Memorandum of Agreement between SIA and SkyWest Airlines:

WHEREAS the Company and SIA wish to provide temporary relief to some of the terms in the Flight Attendant Policy Manual due to the unforeseen schedule impact by the COVID-19 and which has forced significant last-minute schedule and fleet changes to SkyWest Airlines;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and SIA agree to the following and conduct themselves in accordance thereof, and in order to minimize chances of furlough, that for the Month of April:

 

• FAPM SP 2329.2 (Part Time Flight Eligibility Requirements). A part time Flight Attendant may hold a reserve or composite line while holding part time position.
• FAPM SP 2308.08 (Minimum Bid/Pay Guarantees) and SP 2308.10 (Description of Guarantees) are suspended. Reserve guarantee will be 68 hours (reconciled at 4 hours per day for 17 days of work availability for full time and 8 days of work availability for part time), a guaranteed line Flight Attendant will receive a guarantee of 77 credit hours (38.5 for part time flight attendants) only if that Flight Attendant does not bid down a credit range to close out a bid at a lower value. Flight Attendants awarded a composite line will only be brought up to 68 (34 for part time) credit hours using reserve day add-ons (A 68-hour guarantee will apply to full time composite lineholders and 34 credit hours for part time composite lineholders).
• FAPM SP 2317.7 (PBS line construction) and 2317.9 (PBS awarding of schedules) are suspended. Flight Attendants will have the option, depending on seniority, to bid down to zero credit or be awarded up to a maximum of 87 credit hours (44 hours for part time Flight Attendants).
• FAPM SP 2317.12 (Flight Attendant Schedule Adjustments) is suspended. Flight Attendants not on any LOA/VTO/CPTO will be allowed to pick up any crewmember-traded pairings. Regardless of Open Time trip incentives posted in SkedPlus+, no open time incentives will be paid; Flight Attendants asked by the Company to pick up pairings may be paid an incentive at the discretion of the Company.
• FAPM SP 2308.3 (Flight Attendant Productivity Override). The Flight Attendant productivity override is suspended.
• Flight Attendants awarded Covid-19 Paid Time Off (CPTO) will receive 50 credit hours for the month of April (Part time Flight Attendants awarded CPTO will receive 25 credit hours). CPTO requests will be reviewed after all VTO requests have been reviewed. If after all VTO/CPTO requests have been awarded and the Company determines we are still overstaffed, the Company reserves the right to involuntarily award CPTO to Flight Attendants in inverse InFlight seniority order by domicile. The following will also apply to Flight Attendants awarded CPTO:
  1. Maintain leisure travel privileges
  2. Medical and dental premium coverage (Company only covers Company portion of premiums – full time Flight Attendants only)
  3. Be required to attend any preassigned CQ training
  4. May request to have user or vacation time applied
  5. Not be permitted to perform any work assignments (except to maintain qualifications)

 

Cease Operations Clause

In the event commercial travel in the national airspace system is halted (airline travel), the Company will be allowed to reduce all lineholder, composite lineholder, and reserve guarantees to 38.5 credit hours (19.25 credit hours for part time Flight Attendants) and SkyWest will cover the full premiums (both Company and Flight Attendant portions – full time Flight Attendants only) for medical and dental benefits for the duration of the month flying is halted. In addition, Flight Attendants who bid for and were awarded a CPTO will have their 50 credit hours reduced to 38.5 credit hours (25 credit hours reduced to 19.25 for part time Flight Attendants) and the Company will now pay for full medical and dental premiums (both Company and Flight Attendant portions – full time Flight Attendants).

38. Prior to implementation of the clause within this MOA, all Flight Attendants will be given the choice to accept the 38.5 hour adjusted guarantee (19.25 for part time) under cessation of operations or apply for Voluntary Time Off (VTO) for the remainder of the bid month. If the Flight Attendant is approved VTO, he/she will forfeit the 38.5-hour guarantee (19.25 guarantee for part time).

 

SIA has asked the Company (they have agreed) to forgo not only Q1 2020 Quarterly Hour Requirements but Q2 2020 Quarterly Hour Requirements with no impact to a Flight Attendants reliability or benefits for both quarters– SP2316.4 “Hours of Service” and SP 2329.3 “Part Time Flight Attendants.

 

Bids for Voluntary Time Off (VTO) or Covid-19 Paid Time Off (CPTO) will open tomorrow morning 3/20/20, at 09:00 am MT. The Company has provided SIA with the instructions for Applying for Voluntary Time Off (VTO) or Covid-19 Paid Time Off (CPTO) which we have attached for you. The instructions will also be available on SkyWest Online tomorrow morning 03/20/2020.

We will continue with our daily SIA Q & A’s throughout this process to assist you better.  Due to the volume of questions we have been receiving, we apologize in advance if we are not able to respond to you individually. Please continue to refer to the SIA Communications and the communication from the Company on SkyWest Online to keep yourself informed as you are making your choices and decisions in the days ahead.