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Why File A Local Council Worksheet?

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Why File A Local Council Worksheet?

The answer to this question has its very foundation in The Railway Labor Act.

  • The Act has five major functions:
  • To avoid any interruption to commerce or to the operation of any carrier
  • To allow employees to unionize
  • To provide complete independence of organizations by both managment and labor to carry out and the provisions in the RLA
  • To provide prompt & orderly settlement of disputes arising in regard to rates of pay and working conditions;
  • To provide for prompt & orderly settlement of any disputes or grievances which arise as a result of conflicting interpretations or application of existing agreements. 

The Railway Labor Act requires a grievance process. Filing a Local Council Worksheet is part of our Grievance process and it is provided for under our Contract. 

The importance of proper and thorough reporting through established contractual procedures cannot be overstated. The Local Council Worksheet is to be utilized for disputes pertaining to non-disciplinary actions, contract matters and company policies.

After first attempting to resolve the issue for ourselves, use of the Local Council worksheet is contractual (JCBA Section 23.E.1.). For example, first contact Scheduling with an issue such as legal rest; or contact your supervisor if you see a possible error on your work history and try to resolve any misunderstanding or misapplication of the terms of the agreement or company policy. If you are unable to do so, within sixty (60) days of reasonably having knowledge of the dispute, file a worksheet with the Union which starts the Local Council Dispute Resolution Process.

Along with the worksheet, our system has the functionality that allows us to upload supporting documentation such as screenshots call logs from Crew Scheduling, photographs of pay registers, etc. Anything that can help to support the dispute is helpful to our Local Grievance Representatives who receive the Local Council Worksheets and evaluate them.

If the Union, following a review and evaluation of every worksheet, determines that a worksheet reports a potentially valid claim, a Notice of Dispute (NOD) will be filed with designated company personnel within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of the worksheet. The filing of the NOD, obligates the company and Union, using interest-based dispute resolution, to engage in discussions with appropriate company personnel in an effort to resolve the issue.

Within thirty (30) calendar days after filing of a NOD, the participants in the dispute resolution discussions shall resolve the NOD or, if those efforts are unsuccessful, will file a NOD Submission to the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC). The DRC consists of four participants, two experienced representatives from the Union and two from the company.

The DRC shall make decisions by a majority vote of the whole committee. The expectation is that NOD Submissions will be processed within 60 days of receipt. (Refer to JCBA Section 23.E.2. (pg 199), for additional details surrounding the DRC).

In summary, the contractual Dispute Resolution Process begins with Flight Attendants attempting to resolve the issue first. If those efforts are proven to be unsuccessful, fill out the Local Council Worksheet found on unitedafa.org under the Reports tab. Include as much supporting documentation as possible.

Flight Attendants are encouraged to review the Dispute Resolution, Attendance and Performance Management Flight Attendant Guide. 

Representatives from your Local Council are available to assist you in addressing these issues and navigating the process of resolving any misapplications of the Agreement or Company policy.