Reserve Legal Rest at your home domicile is provided for under Section 8.I.3.a. of our Contract. Reserve Flight Attendants shall have a minimum of twelve (12) hours free from duty at their home domicile. Following an International pairing, a Reserve will be provided with legal rest specific to the pairing completed, as set forth in Section 6.W.2. of our Contract.
Upon release to crew rest, crew scheduling will only contact a Reserve during the last hour of the crew rest period at the home base. The United Master Executive Council filed MEC Grievance 3-19 when the company failed to recognize the Contractual legal rest period for Reserves and it was sustained. The remedy provides that when a Flight Attendant’s legal rest period at home is interrupted by Crew Scheduling, the rest period shall be restarted as soon as the error is discovered or is brought to the company’s attention, within the same rest period in which the improper contact was made.
For all of the above reasons, Flight Attendants have a level of responsibility to know their legal rest legalities at home, based on the previous pairing worked. Flight Attendants should also feel empowered to self-advocate when their rest is interrupted by professionally informing Crew Scheduling of the error and request the rest be restarted. Said another way, the best way to protect your legal rest and ensure that you are taking advantage of every opportunity for rest at home, is to know your Contractual legalities.
If you have questions about the application of these provisions of the Contract, or experience difficulty enforcing this provision, contact your Local Council Office/Reserve Committee for assistance.