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AFA Membership Meeting Q & A
Questions from Tuesday, April 1st, Meeting
What happens to our long term care plan? Does the plan continue?
The Long-Term Care plan will continue as long as you continue to pay your premiums. Once the payroll deductions stop, you should receive a notice of how to continue paying for the coverage directly.
What happens to the AD&D plan that we currently hold and pay premiums on?
Because this is an optional plan, you will be offered the ability to continue coverage by paying the premiums directly to the provider.
If we find medical insurance in the interim period that we are waiting for Aloha to respond can we then switch to COBRA through Aloha if it is offered?
COBRA will be offered by the company and you should be receiving the notice soon.
Is there a law that requires Aloha to pay the flight attendants wages owed within a certain time frame from separation from the Company?
Normally, yes. But under the bankruptcy laws, unpaid wages usually become a “claim” against the estate of the bankrupt entity. These “claims” are not paid until the conclusion of the bankruptcy process and only if there is money left in the estate to pay all or some portion of the claim. That being said, Aloha management maintains the next payroll run will occur as scheduled and you should expect to receive it on April 15th. The final check, or for those with direct deposit, the final pay stub will be mailed to you.
Will HAL offer preferential hiring for Aloha Flight Attendant applicants?
Hawaiian Airlines has stated that they will be hiring and will give preference to Aloha flight attendants.
When can we expect termination letters?
All termination letters were mailed by April 3, 2008.
How protected is our pension?
Your pension moneys are extremely secure. The funds are held in a trust by Bank of Hawaii and cannot be accessed by the company, its creditors or the bankruptcy court.
Can we leave our funds in the fidelity 401k fund as it is today?
As of this time, yes. The company has not made any decision yet as to whether or not it will alter or terminate the current 401k fund. This money is also as secure as your pension money. Again, the company does not have this money, nor can they, the creditors or the bankruptcy court access this money to settle the company’s debt liabilities.
What do we do with our AOA and crew badges?
AOA badges should be returned to the company by April 4, 2008. If, for some reason, you miss this deadline, or live out of state or on an outer island, mail to:
Aloha Airlines, attn: Security, P.O. Box 30028, Honolulu, HI 96820
How do we get our belongings from the crew room and locker room?
Inquire with Tina (836-5177) to see if airport areas are still accessible.
Is it true that there is a TSA penalty if we do not return our AOA badges?
The TSA will assess a penalty of $125 for unreturned AOA badges. Additionally, your name will be placed on a list that will flag you for secondary screening any time you go through security.
Can we get the balances of our benefit services banks returned to us? How long do we have before we need to submit our expenses?
Qualified expenses must be made prior to the end of the month in which the company ceases remaining operations (Cargo and Contract Services). Reimbursements must be submitted within 90 days of that date.
What happens to our credit union loans?
Nothing happens to your credit union loans but you should contact the credit union to discuss your loan and make arrangements.
How do we get our parking reimbursements that have not been submitted?
You should submit them quickly. If they are then denied, it will need to be included in the bankruptcy claims.
Were all parking claims submitted previously paid out?
Yes. Those who had checks bounce should attach them to a new expense form and resubmit them. Many of those who have done this had the parking claim added into their March 31st pay check. So check there to verify that your claim has been paid.
What positions of the In-flight staff will be retained?
A few of the supervisors and managers will be kept on briefly to assist with administrative needs during the shut down process.
Will we receive our April 15th paycheck?
Yes. You will receive the April 15th paycheck as you normally would. All the deductions that would normally come out of this check will be taken out with the exception your medical insurance premiums. Since union dues are paid “in arrears”, that is the April deduction for March, your union dues will also be deducted from this last check, along with normal 401k deductions, loan payments, etc.
How are our personnel files protected from possible identity theft? How will they be stored?
The personnel files will be stored in a locked, secured facility until such time, as determined by the company, that they are shredded.
Has the computer system been adjusted so that normal automatic deductions not be made?
No. The only deductions that have been eliminated are those for medical insurance premiums. Many of the others, by law, can only be adjust by you and there is insufficient time for those adjustments to be made.
Can we petition the courts to persuade Aloha to be more forthcoming with information needed by the employees?
We are looking at all ways possible to compel the company to give us the information we need. Part of the problem is simply that there are so few people left in the company, and many of them are tied up with the bankruptcy court.
Is there anyone in the Company willing to write a letter of recommendation for the flight attendants? If so, who and how do we facilitate that?
If you wish to have your manager or another company employee to write a letter of recommendation for you, you should contact that person directly.
Questions from March 25, 2008
Questions & Answers:
1) Were there potential buyers prior to this (Bankruptcy) announcement?
Yes, according to the company, they had spoken to a number of potential buyers and/or investors prior to filing, none of which have panned out thus far.
2) Any possibility of becoming a publicly traded company?
Since the bankruptcy filing, any money raised by a stock offering at this point would first have to be used to repay the creditors. It is highly unlikely this will occur as it would be difficult to sell shares of a bankrupt entity.
3) Where and how are we making money?
Aloha Airlines generates revenue from 4 sources: the Inter-Island service, Trans Pac or ETOPS service, Contract Services, and Cargo Services. According to the company’s statements in court, all divisions have been profitable except the Inter Island service.
4) How will selling off parts of the company be beneficial?
While the Bankruptcy Court will have the final say on how any monies can or will be used, the proceeds of a sale would possibly provide the operating revenue needed to fund the operation until an investor can be found.
5) If I fly a reduced bid (37:30), which generates a 15th paycheck, will I get paid?
Yes, the Bankruptcy court approved all post-petition employee wages, which means that work performed after the filing on March 20, will be paid. The Bankruptcy Court also approved payment of all pre-petition wages which also assures that we will be paid for all wages earned between March 16 – March 20.
6) Will we get our March 15-31 premium pays that would be reflected on the April 15th paycheck?
Yes, the Bankruptcy court has approved all post-petition employee wages.
7) Would we be eligible for COBRA?
No. COBRA would only be available if the company medical plan continued to exist. In the event of liquidation, the company medical plan would cease simultaneously.
8) How do we get medical insurance and how much does it cost?
In the event of liquidation, the company will cease to exist. Therefore, we will not have medical coverage. If you are married, or have a partner whose employer offers domestic partner medical benefits, the loss of your job would typically be a “triggering event” to allow you to join and be covered under your spouse/partner’s medical plan immediately, outside of the open enrollment period. Yet another option would be to seek state and federal sponsored plans that would likely have criteria for qualification, until you can find other employment that offers medical insurance.
9) Is Yucaipa pulling out completely, or just looking for additional investors?
The company has told us that Yucaipa’s Board of Directors has made the decision to stop funding the Aloha Airlines operation.
10) Last year, Yucaipa said they were here for the long haul. What happened?
The company reported to us that a business decision was made to stop funding us. As you know, Yucaipa is an investment firm, with the objective to make money. It is assumed that at a certain point of posting losses, this investment was determined no longer viable.
11) Can Governor Lingle help Aloha by signing a secured loan for Aloha Airlines? What about the Legislators helping?
As reported on the news, the Governor and the legislators are exploring a number of options to see if any assistance can be provided.
12) What about our lawsuit against go! Will it go forward even if Aloha doesn’t? Do employees have the option of filing a civil class action against go!?
The lawsuit will go forward, but any monies awarded by the court will be the property of Yucaipa. Employees have all options available under law.
13) If I have a carry-out trip at the end of the month, how will we get back to HNL if the company liquidates?
The company has assured us that they will get everyone home in the event of liquidation. All aircraft will likely be returned to HNL. We recommend that going forward, all crews exchange contact information while on layovers, in the event you must return sooner than your regularly scheduled return flight. We are encouraging the company, and have offered our assistance, in establishing a plan in the event of liquidation.
14) Does AFA help us in any way financially if Aloha liquidates?
AFA does not have a program of financial assistance for furloughed/terminated flight attendants. The Pegasus program, which is funded solely through voluntary donations, is an AFA sponsored program that is designed to provide assistance for certain qualifying financial hardships.
15) How do we get our money out of our defined contribution pension plan?
First, know that all of your defined contribution pension plan monies and 401k monies are safe. We are still researching all the legal requirements surrounding the defined contribution pension plan, including how one may access those monies. Please check back for an updated answer.
16) How long before we get our retirement money?
We are still trying to get an answer to this question. Please check back for an updated answer.
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