Explanation of Annual Credit Requirements to Obtain Employer Contributions for Health Care

Annual Credit Requirements to Obtain Employer Contributions for Health Care

The Tentative Agreement specifies that a Flight Attendant must maintain a minimum number of credited hours per year to receive the employer's contribution for health care benefits. The language is carefully crafted to limit the impact on Flight Attendants and ensure that those with medical and other personal emergencies maintain health care.

With the negotiated language, we are confident that Flight Attendants who are ill or otherwise unable to maintain the 480 hours will be protected through the many negotiated exceptions and credits. Below, we will walk you through the provisions in detail.

In order to receive employer contributions for health care, Flight Attendants must maintain 480 hours of flight time credit in a calendar year. Flight Time credit includes:

• Flight time credit, including all time credited towards assignments

• Vacation

• Paid sick leave 

• Training 

• Deadheads

• FMLA 

• Other leaves protected by law (such as California KinCare, Colorado Family Leave, etc)

• The greater of Reserve guarantee or Reserve credit in a month

The 480 hours will be reduced by any time on an unpaid leave of absence. For example, if a Flight Attendant is on a medical leave for eight months, the 480 hours would be reduced proportionally by 320 hours, so their requirement would be 140 hours for that year. If a Flight Attendant was out the entire year, their requirement would be reduced to zero.

These credit reductions apply to taking any leave of absence (COLA, Medical, Maternity, Parental, Adoption, FMLA, Military, Personal, etc.). They also include any leaves protected by federal law and state law. 

In addition, we negotiated language unique to this TA, which is the most protective in the entire industry, that specifies Flight Attendants will receive a credit for any month they have special circumstances that limit their ability to fly. This includes urgent personal circumstances (e.g., family care, natural disasters, or other personal circumstances that result in a reduced ability to fly). 

The urgent circumstances exception addresses situations where a Flight Attendant may not need a full leave of absence but has circumstances that limit their ability to fly. 

An important example of a protected situation is a Flight Attendant who has returned to work after a medical leave. While they may be back to flying, they could still need to miss trips due to ongoing treatment or recurring symptoms; this Flight Attendant would have this time reduced from their yearly credit. Even if they do not currently qualify for FMLA, they would be covered by our provisions. This is exactly the situation this exemption would cover. The exemption would cover them and receive a credit in any months the exemption applied.

While the requirement to maintain a minimum level of flying is new to an agreement we have seen before, these provisions are commonplace in the airline industry and in other industries. Coming from the highest levels of the company, United Airlines was not willing to continue to offer medical coverage to a very small subset of Flight Attendants who bid lines only to drop them all so they can get medical benefits, some never flying for years. Their position is unlikely to change in any subsequent TA should we return to the table in the future. 

AFA has consistently fought to ensure that those with medical conditions or other emergencies have health care when they need it most. We are confident that these provisions protect those who need health care the most.

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