AFA Alaska

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
You are here: Home / Benefits Committee

website-header-benefits

Including Worker’s Compensation, Maternity, FMLA, and Leaves of Absence
Tools & Resources

What Does This Committee Do?
The Benefits Committee works to educate and provide assistance to Flight Attendants in all matters involving benefits (including insurance, maternity, worker’s compensation, and leave of absence programs)

Download the Benefits Committee Member duties and responsibilities

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
  • Work with management to resolve any concerns involving claims submitted under benefits programs
  • Act in an advisory role to the LEC Officers on matters related to benefits, insurance, maternity, worker’s compensation, and leave of absence programs
  • Actively communicate information of interest to the Flight Attendants. Provide information to the Communications Committee for inclusion in Local Council communications.
Why Would I Contact This Committee?

The Benefits Committee is available to help you with:

  • Company provided or voluntary benefits programs
  • Medical or maternity leaves of absence
  • Family medical leave (FMLA)
  • On-the-job injuries and workers compensation procedures

Go to top

Who Do I Contact?

For assistance, contact any member of your Local Benefits Committee.  You can find a list of Committee Members on your Local Council Committees page.  For your convenience, a list of Committee Chairs and links to the Local Committee lists are below.

ANC

Debi Wallstrom
Tallee Wellman-Ullom
Maki Bogart
anc.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the ANC Committee List >>

LAX

Contact LEC Officers
lax.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the LAX Committee List >>

PDX

Ann LaRue
pdx.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the PDX Committee List >>

SAN

Sonia Quackenbush
san.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the SAN Committee List >>

SEA

Kathy O’Malley
sea.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the SEA Committee List >>

SFO

Julie Pearson
sfo.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the SFO Committee List >>

MEC

Terry Taylor, MEC Chairperson
benefits@afaalaska.org

Go to top

Links

Go to top

Committee News

View the Benefits Committee news archives

Health Benefits Coverage & Staffing Adjustment Leaves

Posted: November 6, 2023

Benefits Committee Our Benefits Committee has been notified that there are multiple issues with health benefits coverage for those returning from staffing adjustment leaves (SAL). If you are on a staffing adjustment leave or have recently returned from one, please be aware of the following. Re-Enrolling After A Leave While we disagree that one should […]

Benefits Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2023

Posted: October 26, 2023

Benefits Committee On Tuesday, October 24, representatives from our Local AFA Benefits Committees met to discuss their ongoing work related to Flight Attendant work-related benefits, including insurance, maternity, worker’s compensation, and leave of absence programs. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), Kathy O’Malley (SEA), Ann LaRue (PDX), Julie Pearson (SFO), Majo Tanco, […]

New Medical Billing Protections For You

Posted: February 9, 2022

New rules that went into place on January 1, 2022 will provide new billing protections related to some medical care expenses. The new rules provide expanded protections against the practice of “balance billing” by providers in certain instances. You can read more about these new protections at www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers. 

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 3

Posted: September 20, 2021

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 3 Master Executive Council (MEC), Grievance Committee, Benefits Committee This is the third in a series reporting on management’s opposition to various state and local laws, the latest developments to complex state law litigations related to these laws that are playing out in Washington and California, and […]

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 2

Posted: September 16, 2021

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 2 Master Executive Council (MEC), Grievance Committee, Benefits Committee This is the second in a series reporting on management’s opposition to various state and local laws, the latest developments to complex state law litigations related to these laws that are playing out in Washington and California, and […]

Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Management has recently informed our Master Executive Council (MEC) that they are distributing new Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants with devices nearing the end of their lifecycle. The specific schedule for this distribution will be communicated by management separately. Flight Attendants with the oldest devices […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, September 23, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), […]

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the first group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives for the upcoming MEC Officer term. They’ll begin transitioning into their roles over the next few months and officially start their terms on January 1, 2026. Below, you’ll find brief biographies that […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025

On Thursday, September 18, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing efforts to represent our Flight Attendants and advocate for improvements in our workplace. Although our Inflight Service Committee has now merged, meetings with management continue to focus primarily on the Alaska or Hawaiian brands individually. This particular meeting was centered […]

Vacation Survey Closing Soon

There’s just 1 DAY LEFT to complete the crucial vacation survey that will help shape future provisions—your insights are essential for advocating the best outcomes for all Flight Attendants. The survey is currently open and will remain available until Wednesday, September 24 at 12 PM PT.

Recent Posts

News By Month

News By Category

AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Committee Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
Sign Up for Emails
Sign Up for Text Updates