SUMMARY OF THE CWA-ENVOY TENTATIVE AGREEMENT - JUNE 2019

On June 21, 2019, CWA and Envoy Air reached a Tentative Agreement (TA). If ratified, the agreement would, for the first time, provide Envoy agents with wage and benefits guarantees for the six-and-a-half-year duration of the contract and would protect them from arbitrary changes in company policies by management. Specific processes, including union representation of all employees in disputes, would be put in place to protect workers’ rights on the job.

The total increase in wages over the life of the contract amounts to $11.6 million above the Tentative Agreement of January 2019. One of our priorities was ending poverty wages, and we achieved wage increases for nearly 2,000 of our lowest paid agents.

All of the over 2,500 part-time agents, who make up over half of the bargaining unit, will receive an increase in vacation over the life of the TA. Part-time agents would receive the same vacation allotment as full-time agents. Currently, part-time agents’ vacation is capped at two weeks (10 days) per year. Starting with the vacation bid in October 2019, for vacation to be used in 2020, agents with 5 -14 years of service would receive 3 weeks of vacation and those with 15 or more years of service would receive 4 weeks.

Below, you will find a summary of 1) articles added or revised after March 2019, during mediated bargaining; and 2) a summary of the full Tentative Agreement, including articles agreed to in both January 2019 and June 2019.

Articles Added or Revised after March 2019

Compensation

At the base wage table stations (77% of our total stations), over 1,400 agents with less than two years of service would receive wage increases. The wages of those with less than 1 year of service would increase to $10.90 per hour; the wages of those with 1-2 years of service would increase to $11.15 per hour.

At MIA, over 500 customer account representatives (CARs) who all have less than 1 year of service would be raised to the next step on the wage scale immediately. This would bring their wages from the current start rate of $9.50 to $10.70 per hour.

Two hubs that currently do not have living wage ordinances (MIA and DFW) would receive increases and would be on the same wage table. The starting rate at these stations would be increased to $12.10 per hour. All other agents at those stations would receive a corresponding increase.

Temporary Leads would receive a $1.00 per hour premium.

Effective on January 1, 2021, there would be 8 designated Revenue Premium Days. If a member worked on those days, they would receive time-and-a-half pay. Management at each station would determine Revenue Premium Days for that station.

When the contract ends in 2026, six months will remain for the final wage increase.

Vacation for Part-time Agents: All of the over 2,500 part-time agents, who make up over half of the bargaining unit, will receive an increase in vacation over the life of the TA. Part-time agents would receive the same vacation allotment as full-time agents. Currently, part-time agents’ vacation is capped at two weeks (10 days) per year. Starting with the vacation bid in October 2019, for vacation to be used in 2020, agents with 5 -14 years of service would receive 3 weeks of vacation and those with 15 or more years of service would receive 4 weeks.

Ground Security Coordinators (GSC): Agents would be permitted to request to drop their GSC certification. Requests would be honored under normal circumstances, except at extremely small stations of 10 agents or less.

Hybrid Stations Transitioning to Above/Below-the-Wing Stations: In the event of a station transition, the company and the union would meet to identify special circumstances that should be considered prior to the transition. Agents would be allowed to bid for preferred positions based on occupational seniority. The company would provide uniforms needed for the transition. If an agent must attend training for a new position, it shall be expeditiously scheduled in order to allow the agent to assume their preferred job function quickly. The 12-month bid position freeze would not apply to the initial transition.

Summary of the Full Tentative Agreement

Compensation

In the first 18 months of the contract, employees would get at least 2 raises (and as many as 4, depending on seniority), and those who have been employed at least 12 months would receive 2 bonuses.

Ratification bonuses would be paid in the first full pay period 30 days after the date of signing (DOS). Employees with 1 to 2 years of service would receive $250. Those with 3 years of service or more would receive $100 for each year of service up to $3,000.

For example, a worker with 12 months of service would receive a $250 bonus.
A worker with 26 months of service would receive a $250 bonus.
A worker with 5 years of service would receive a $500 bonus.
A worker with 12 years of service would receive a $1,200 bonus.
A worker with 30 years or more of service would receive a $3,000 bonus.

Retention bonuses would be paid in the first full pay period 18 months after the DOS, following the same rules. Therefore, every employee on the payroll as of the date of signing would receive at least one bonus, and everyone with 12 months or more would receive 2 bonuses.

Upon date of signing all employees would be put on a wage scale based on completed years of service with guaranteed increases in the wage scales for every year the contract is in effect—instituted on the anniversary of the DOS—and step increases tied to the anniversary of each employee’s start date. In effect, employees would receive 2 raises per year under the wage scale until they reach "top-out" pay after their 14th year.

At the base wage table stations (77% of our total stations), over 1400 agents with less than two years of service would receive the following wage increases: The wages of those with less than 1 year of service would increase to $10.90 per hour; the wages of those with 1-2 years of service would increase to $11.15 per hour.

At MIA, over 500 customer account representatives (CARs) who all have less than 1 year of service would be raised to the next step on the wage scale immediately. This would bring their wages from the current start rate of $9.50 to $10.70 per hour.

Two hubs that currently do not have living wage ordinances (MIA and DFW) would receive increases and would be on the same wage table. The starting rate at these stations would be increased to $12.10 per hour. All other agents at those stations would receive a corresponding increase.

When the contract ends in 2026, six months will remain for the final wage increase.

During each year of the agreement, if the increase to the wage rate of an agent with at least one or more years of service is not at least 3% based on the new wage scale, the agent would receive the difference in a lump sum payment based on the hours worked in the previous calendar year. For example, if the TA is ratified:

If a worker received only a 2% pay increase as a result of being placed on the new wage scale, they would receive a lump sum payment in the amount of 1% of their previous year’s wages.
If a worker currently makes more than their rate on the wage scale, they would move up to the next higher step on the wage scale. If that increase in wages doesn’t result in at least a 3% increase, they would receive the difference in a lump sum payment.

Temporary Leads would receive a $1.00 per hour premium; Compliance Coordinators would receive a $1.00 per hour premium; and Leads would receive a $1.75 per hour premium.
Effective on January 1, 2021, there would be 8 designated Revenue Premium Days. If a member works on those days, they would receive time-and-a-half pay. Management at each station would determine Revenue Premium Days for that station.
Current uniform cleaning allowances would continue for the life of the contract.

Benefits

The current cost split for full-time and part-time health insurance (for full-time agents the company pays 70% and the employee pays 30%; for part-time agents the company and the employee each pay 50%) would be guaranteed for the life of the contract for medical and dental benefits.
The company’s 401k contribution is an improvement that brings the Envoy bargaining unit up to the same matching level as other units. The company would match employee contributions amounting to:

50% of the employee contributions up to 6% with a maximum match of 3% for those with 1 to 10 years of service;
66.6% of the employee contributions up to 6% with a maximum match of 4% for those with 11-15 years of service;
83.3% of the employee contributions up to 6% with a maximum match of 5% for those with 16-19 years of service;
and 100% of the employee contributions up to 6% with a maximum match of 6% for those with 20+ years of service.

Travel privileges from American Airlines would be guaranteed.

Additional Provisions

Attendance at Hearings or Investigations: If involved in an investigation, employees would no longer be required to come in on a day off without pay, stay after their shifts, or arrive before their shifts. Employees would be guaranteed pay for the time they come in to take part in hearings and investigations.

Authorized Union Business: Employees would be allowed necessary time off for union business during working hours and would be compensated by the union or company in some circumstances.

Change of Shift: Workers’ right to swap shifts would be guaranteed. If the company wanted to modify the policy, it would have to notify the union at least 60 days in advance and the union would have input in the modifications.

Classification and Scope: In the event the company replaces some Lead positions with management positions, an employee who is currently a Lead would remain in that position for 12 months. The company has the option of filling any Lead openings with managers or Leads, although Leads applying for these management positions would be given preference. Leads who choose not to apply for a management position can remain in their station as an agent. Those who choose to go into a manager position would have 18 months to decide whether to return to the bargaining unit with no loss of occupational seniority.

Customer Assistance Representatives: CARs (wheelchair attendants) who are new members at MIA would be covered under the TA with their own wage scale and could accept tips. If the company chose to abolish tips in the future, the CARs would receive raises to meet the wage rates of other agents.

Discipline and Discharge: The company must take any disciplinary action within 45 days.

Filling Vacancies: Managers would no longer be able to play favorites with employees when filling vacancies because a plan and process emphasizing seniority in all positions would be in place. Some key provisions of this article include:

The company would allow employees to file a standing bid for future vacancies.
All vacancies would be posted system-wide electronically for 7 days.
Vacancies would be awarded primarily in order of seniority.

Grievance Procedure: The TA allows for grievances related to any article. With this guarantee, the union would be able to make sure the company is following the letter and spirit of the contract, and union representatives would be able to fight for justice for each employee.

Holidays: Employees who work on holidays would receive 3 holidays each year paid at time and a half and 3 holidays paid at double time. One floating holiday would be guaranteed each year for employees with at least one year of active service, and employees would be able to carry over their floating holiday to the next year.

Hours of Service: Current company policies regarding hours of service would be guaranteed, with no room for arbitrary decisions by managers. Included: a guarantee of 30-minute meal breaks for shifts reaching over 5-and-a-half hours, a rest break of 15 minutes during 4-hour shifts, and 2 rest breaks of 15 minutes during 8-hour shifts. Employees would receive at least 2 hours of pay if recalled to work after relieved for the day or called into work on a regularly scheduled day off.

Hybrid Stations Transitioning to Abolve/Below-the-Wing Stations: In the event of a station transition, the company and the union would meet to identify special circumstances that should be considered prior to the transition. Agents would be allowed to bid for preferred positions based on occupational seniority. The company would provide uniforms needed for the transition. If an agent must attend training for a new position, it shall be expeditiously scheduled in order to allow the agent to assume their preferred job function quickly. The 12-month bid position freeze would not apply to the initial transition.

Leaves of Absence: Current company policies would be guaranteed.

Medical Examinations: If a member’s personal doctor and the company’s doctor did not agree on a diagnosis that would lead to any medical restrictions, the decision would go before the medical exam board made up of one physician representing the company, one physician representing the employee, and a third neutral physician.

No Strike/No Lockout: In keeping with the rules of the Railway Labor Act, employees and their union would not engage in strikes or illegal picketing, and the company would not engage in a lockout.

Overtime: Employees who work more than 40 company-assigned hours would be paid time and a half. Overtime assignments would no longer depend on managers’ whims, but on defined rules: Managers would first ask for volunteers to work before or after a regular shift, then ask for volunteers to work on a day off. If there were not enough volunteers, the company could force employees to work overtime following reverse order of seniority, starting with the least senior employees.

If an employee were overlooked for an overtime shift, the employee could choose an available overtime shift that week or the following week or the next available. If an overtime shift extended into the next calendar week, the hours would be counted on the previous week’s overtime. Shift trades (equal swaps) during the same work week would be used to calculate overtime. And the company would make every effort to provide at least 2 hours notice of mandatory overtime.

Part-Time Employees: In keeping with current policy, part-time workers could be employed by the company, and they would be covered under all the provisions of any contract.

Probation: Current company policies regarding an initial 6-month probationary period would be guaranteed.

Profit Share: Employees would be guaranteed participation in the American Airlines profit-sharing plan and the Envoy quarterly bonus plan.

Reduction in Force/Furloughs: If the company initiated a reduction in force or furlough of employees, current company policies—including 30 days notice or pay in lieu of less than 30 days notice—would be guaranteed by the new contract. Employees with 6 months to 2 years of service would receive 2 weeks base salary, and those with 2 years or more of seniority would receive 3 weeks base salary. Employees would also be guaranteed recall rights for 10 years.

Representation: The union would choose workers’ representatives during grievance procedures, and Local officers would have access to company premises in order to investigate grievances.

Safety and Health: The company must maintain safe and healthy workplaces. The new contract would allow the union to participate in safety committee meetings on a local and national basis. In addition, according to a letter, the company and the union would meet to determine the maximum hours to be worked each week and the maximum number of consecutive days worked to protect the safety and health of employees.

Schedule Bidding: Current company policy regarding the bidding process would be guaranteed.

Seniority: Employees would maintain 2 kinds of seniority: company and occupational. Company seniority would be based on the member’s start date with the company. Occupational seniority would be based on the date the member started in their job classification. No matter at what job or station an employee works, company seniority would remain with them and would be used for vacation selection. Occupational seniority would be used for schedule bidding. A job switch would eliminate occupational seniority, which would govern schedule preferences, transfers, reduction in force, and recall.

Sick Leave/On the Job Injury: The current company policy would be guaranteed.

System Board of Adjustment: A neutral third party called the System Board of Adjustment would have jurisdiction over disputes between the company and the union or employees regarding the contract.

Temporary Duty: In keeping with current policy, temporary duty shifts could not be forced, and would include reimbursement for meals, lodging, and transportation.

Training, Travel Pay, and Expenses: Employees who had completed probation and were required to travel for training would be provided a private (single) hotel room.

Uniforms: When American Airlines institutes new uniforms in 2019, Envoy employees would receive 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and a jacket free of charge. Employees would receive a uniform allowance on the anniversary of their hire each year, in the amount of $200 for below-the-wing employees; $250 for above-and-below-the-wing employees, and $300 for above-the-wing employees. Payroll deductions would no longer be available for uniforms.

Union Security and Maintenance of Membership: In keeping with the Railway Labor Act, all employees covered by the agreement would be required to pay union dues equal to 1.3% of base wages (not including overtime) as a condition of employment.

Vacations: The current company policy would be guaranteed.

General/Miscellaneous:

If no free parking is available, the company would pay for parking and provide transportation to and from parking lots.
No costs would be associated with obtaining an ID badge, unless one were lost.
Employees could view their human resources files in the presence of management.
All employees would be subject to DoT and non-DoT alcohol and drug testing.