Local 514 Digest for the week of August 28, 2020

Labor Day Parade 2020

The annual Labor Day Parade for 2020 will still go on as planned in Henryetta, Oklahoma with a few changes for safety reasons. 

    • Participants will have to be registered in advanced
    • Participants will have to practice safety protocols per the CDC guidelines
    • The marching bands from the local schools have not been asked to attend for safety reasons. 
    • The carnival will be there and will follow strict safety guidelines

Tracy Hardin
Executive Member at Large
Community Services Co-Chair

American Airlines Announces Furloughs

As you all know American has announced that, barring intervention from Congress, it intends to begin furloughs October 1st. Your Association leadership was only provided with the reduction information late last night.  We have met with the company on this issue, and we continue to work to limit the impact on our members as much as possible.

The Company will issue all furlough letters to the affected members through their AA email address starting Thursday August 27th with instructions on how to select their options.  It is critical that you click SUBMIT/SAVE before you exit the selection process to ensure the selections are saved. If you hold seniority in another classification and elect to exercise your seniority in that lower classification to remain at your location, please make sure you select that classification as well. It will not pop up on the screen. You will need to select it from the drop-down menu.The company will then process and award your selections, based on Article 12 of the CBA, between September 3rdthrough September 9th. The Company will notify everyone affected by September 14, 2020. Employees affected by subsequent bumping will be notified by the Company, and subsequent bumping will be accomplished per Article 12 of the CBA. The Company has indicated this entire process will be completed, with all those who have been affected notified of the results, by September 30, 2020 in order for the furloughs to be effective on October 1, 2020.

MORE

TWU Air Division Podcast

American Airlines Announces Employee Reductions

ATD Representative Gary Peterson: covers this process

 

Reduction in Force Information

TWU/IAM Represented Maintenance & Related team members 12 p.m. CT Aug. 28 – 12 p.m. CT Sept. 2

More information from Jetnet:

Resigning from the company ->HERE

VEOP per CBA

LETTERS OF MEMORANDUM – 10 – VOLUNTARY EARLY OUT PROGRAM

 Voluntary Early Out Program

In the event of a headcount overage or the need for a reduction in force which occurs after ratification of a new JCBA for the combined LUS-LAA Association membership, the Company will offer active employees and employees on authorized Union Leave of Absence the opportunity to participate in a Voluntary Early Out Program as follows:

      • Employees must have a minimum of fifteen (15) years of service to participate and have otherwise been unaffected by the reduction.
      • The maximum number of VEOPs (Voluntary Early Outs) offered in a location, classification and bid area / duty assignment will be at a minimum, as determined by the Company, equivalent to the number of reductions in that location, classification and bid area / duty assignment
      • Employees awarded a VEOP will receive a lump sum payment of $22,500.00 within thirty (30) days of the employees release date and lose all rights to any recall and their seniority will be forfeited
      • In addition to lump sum payment, employees will receive any severance allowance as outlined in their applicable TWU/IAM Association agreement(s).

This Lump sum payment will not have any impact on any Sick Leave Buy Back provisions in any of the Association Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Reference M&R:  Letter of Memorandum -10- Voluntary Early Out Program page 213, Article 13 Furlough Benefits page 87 for Lump Sum.

The Last of the Marine Flying Sgt’s 102nd Birthday

The Marine Corps League is having a drive by honk and wave birthday salute for the last of the Marine Flying Sgt’s on Saturday, August 29, 2020.  He is 102. 

They will meet at the Kirk of the Hills Church lower parking lot at 8:30 am for the 9:00 am parade. The church is located at 4102 E. 61 st ., Tulsa., between Harvard and Yale.

It would be nice to have a good showing of Military Vehicles and other vehicles for the “102 years Young” Marine

Veteran’s Birthday.  

 

Tracy Hardin
Veteran Committee

If you took a Loan for Pay in Arrears

We’ve received some questions about how the optional payroll advance you elected during your pay alignment earlier this year is taxed and recovered. As stated in your pay guides, the payroll advance is taxed at supplemental rates (usually 22%, but not always). When American begins to recover your advance in early 2021, the recovery will be made through 10 or 26 pre-tax deductions, reducing your taxable gross income. By the time the recovery is complete, the effect of the taxed advance and the pre-tax recovery on your taxable income is net neutral.

How to add a new device to Duo

Duo is the security application for password reset that American Airlines has chosen for you to access Jetnet.

If you have a new mobile phone or tablet that you need to receive Duo notifications on or want to download the Duo Mobile app on, you must activate it first in the Identity Verification Portal. Here are instructions to add a new device that already has the Duo Mobile app installed on it.

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Unemployment is Taxable

We have been contacted by a member of the Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC). SPEC is the outreach and education function of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). They are wanting to be sure that we all know the rules and regulations.

As of April 2020, over 23 million Americans filed for unemployment, and one out of four Americans received unemployment this year. 

You need to know that:

    • unemployment income is taxable
    • You can contact your state unemployment office to have taxes withheld from ongoing unemployment payments
    • if you did not have taxes withheld from unemployment payments, there are ways to pay on those taxes before the year ends       
    • you can use the withholding calculator https://apps.irs.gov/app/tax-withholding-estimator, and determine what they may owe

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CARES Act

TWU members continue to put their lives on the line while serving the public during this pandemic. Federal funding is quickly running out and our jobs are at risk of disappearing if Congress doesn’t extend worker protections in the airline industry before October 1.

Take action and send a letter to Congress today. 

The CARES Act helped save transportation workers jobs, wages, and benefits by prohibiting involuntary furloughs or wage reductions at airlines through the Payroll Support Program (PSP). It is time to ask your elected officials to renew this program and pass a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) through March 31, 2021. Without an extension of the PSP grant job program, tens of thousands of aviation jobs will be lost before the end of the year.

We can’t afford a delay. Airlines are already announcing devastating jobs cuts. As our economy struggles to recover from the effects of this ongoing pandemic, even more jobs will be lost if we don’t take action now. Congress must act fast to save OUR jobs before time runs out.

Please take action and send a letter to Congress today.

Implementation of Article 33 – Grievance 

As of this time we are NOT implementing the new grievance procedure. We are still in discussions with the international as to the starting date.

Kendal Anderson
Vice President

November 3 – General Election/Special Elections

Last day to register to vote: October 9

Deadline to request absentee ballot: 5 PM, October 27 

Early voting: Thursday, October 29, 8 AM – 6 PM

                       Friday, October 30, 8 AM – 6 PM

                       Saturday, October 31, 9 AM – 2 PM

OK Voter Portal

OK Voter Portal (OVP) Access

Welcome to the Oklahoma State Election Board’s OK Voter Portal (OVP)! The OVP provides a “one-stop-shop” for your voting needs. With a name AND date of birth (DOB), voters can:

    • Complete a Voter Registration Application – (Be sure to print, sign, and mail the application to your County Election Board in order to complete the process.)
    • Request Absentee Ballots
    • Verify Voter Registration Information
    • View Voting Districts
    • Find Polling Place Information
    • View a Sample Ballot
    • Check the Status of Absentee Ballots
    • Respond to an Address Confirmation Notice – What is this?

By entering your name, date of birth (DOB), Oklahoma driver license number OR state ID number, AND the last four digits of your Social Security number, you can access additional features such as:

    • Change Political Affiliation
    • Change a Residence Address or Mailing Address (Residence change must be within the county where you are currently registered.) NOTE: If change is not within the same county, you will need to complete a paper application, which can be completed online using the OK Voter Portal “wizard” or downloaded here.

Good History Read