Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2023

Uniform Committee

• Our AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, May 9 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to uniforms.
• The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are reporting related to uniform quality, wearability, and availability.
• If you are experiencing any issues with uniform quality or construction, please report the issues to Unisync as soon as possible. Please include your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson on the email so they can help track any issues or trends that might be developing.

On Tuesday, May 9, our AFA Local Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace.  Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Salá McDaniel (SEA), David Jelinek (PDX), Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather Holmes (LAX), and JP Perina (SAN).

The committee met with Director of Procurement Eric Phillipson, Uniform Fit Center Lead Ashley Sentner, Senior Project Manager Megan Low, Supply Chain Program Manager Lizzie Revard, and SEA Base Manager Omar Torres.

The next Quarterly Uniform Committee Meeting is scheduled on Tuesday August 8, 2023.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several items during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

• Ongoing uniform quality issues (i.e., name bars falling off wings, pilling, holes in sweaters, seams coming undone).
• Asking to be included in the new uniform policies and provide feedback for the new “Approved Looks”.
• Continuing to advocate for changes in the boot, hosiery, grooming and tattoo policies. 
• Requesting uniform policies and wear guidelines be clearer and more readily available.
• Asking management to find a quality, 4-wheel “Spinner” bag that can be included as an approved option. 
• Results of the updated feminine shirt and cardigan wear test:
  • The shirt redesign was nixed due to more than 50% preferring the current resign. 
  • The redesigned cardigan had issues with the pockets. The design team will work to make the necessary changes and retest.
• Reasons for the long backorders:
  • Supply Chain has upped the number of pieces that are ordered at a time to hopefully circumvent this happening in the future.
  • Once an order is placed it takes 9 months for the items to be produced and shipped to the distribution center.  

What The Committee Is Working On

1. Wear Testing
   • Gender-Neutral Mock Turtleneck. Wear testing of the gender-neutral mock turtleneck ended May 17^th. Testers will be surveyed to help determine decisions and changes
   • Feminine Vest. The new feminine tailored vest began testing on May on 26^th, and will run for 30 days. Wear testing for a gender neutral “Aura Vest” will also take place on a yet-to-be-determined timeframe.
   • Pride Scarf Redesign. A new redesign has been chosen and wear testing will take place in July. If results are positive it will hopefully roll out by Summer of 2024.
   • General. Advocating for a uniform that suits all body types requires available wear testers. The Committee is seeking volunteers who have gender neutral, petite, tall, and/or plus sizes to test uniform redesigns and additions.
2. New “Approved Looks”
   • The committee is asking to be more involved the new look guidelines as we can provide valuable feedback from our peers to management.

We Want to Hear From You!

Please email Unisync directly at alaskaservice@unisyncgroup.com with any quality issues. In the email, please describe the issue in detail, include photos, if possible, and CC your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson. Please also consider opening a ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center so the Uniform Committee can track these issues.

Would you like to join the uniform wear test pool? Do you have other feedback for the Committee or items that you’d like brought up with management?  Please let us know! Your Local Uniform Committee is your voice to management. You can find contact information on the Uniform Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.