United Offering October/November Special Leaves that Will Affect Benefits
United will open for bid 250 system-wide Special Leaves of Absence for the two-month period of October and November 2006. Before bidding for these leaves it's important to review the Contractual provisions of Section 23.B. and carefully review the company's Special Leave of Absence information, particularly as it pertains to medical benefits, pass travel, and vacation or sick leave accrual. Special Leave status will impact each of these benefits and could also affect seniority accrual if on special leave status for more than 180 days in a rolling 12 month period.
Whether you intend to bid or not, every Flight Attendant should check the LOAREQ screen to ensure there is not a request on file that is no longer wanted.
After carefully reviewing all of the information about a Special Leave of Absence, bidding for the October and November leave may be accomplished through your LOAREQ screen starting on Monday, August 28 through Wednesday, September 13th at 0800 Central Time. Whether you intend to bid or not, every Flight Attendant should check the LOAREQ screen to ensure there is not a request on file that is no longer wanted. This is especially important since your benefits could be affected with the award of a Special Leave of Absence.
While it may be beneficial for some Members to have no flying obligation during these two fall months, regular awards of ANP and 30-day ANP will also continue during this time without interference to your benefits. The only exception to this is the award of 30-day ANP directly touching another 30-day ANP or single day of ANP without at least one day off in between. This circumstance would cause change of status to a Personal Leave of Absence which would also affect benefits. When requesting any time off, we encourage you to fully review all available information and ask questions about anything that is unclear.
United made clear in its announcement that Special Leaves will not be offered in December due to the increased load factors. New hire Flight Attendants will begin to report for flying next month to help cover the additional demand for December.
