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Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council

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Time Sensitive Urgent Request – WA State Paid Sick Leave Law
AFA is looking for Seattle based Flight Attendants who reside in Washington State who have experienced one or more of these situations since the start of 2018.
Here are the potential situations that we’re looking for that had to occur after 1/1/2018:
  • A probationary SEAFA who had to go on Sick Leave 90-180 days post-DOH and who was not given the option to be paid accrued Sick Leave.
  • A SEAFA who wanted to use Sick Leave for preventive (or preventative) care but obviously was not afforded the opportunity to do so.
  • A SEAFA who was given Attendance Points for using Sick Leave.

If this has happened to you, please email Grievance Chair, Stephanie Adams at  Stephanie.Adams@afaalaska.org within the next 24 hours. Please provide your Name, Hire Date, People Soft, and the Date of Occurrence.

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Thanks for your patience as the Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) collected and compiled responses to your most frequently asked questions (FAQ).  We have posted a document with these questions and answers.

You can find the link to the FAQ document in the email version of this article.  Please check your personal email for a message from the AFA Alaska Seniority Merger Integration Committee containing the link to the FAQ document.  If you did not receive the email, please contact your Local Council Officers.

The questions included in this FAQ are:

  1. Where can if find the merged seniority list?
  2. How was the seniority list integrated?
  3. How was the seniority list integrated with the classes that had the same seniority date for both L-AS and L-VX? (same-day tie-breakers)
  4. Did everyone keep their relative seniority?
  5. How did the SMIC determine the initial training credit for the L-AS FAs?
  6. Did Jet America Flight Attendants get training credit when they merged with Alaska?
  7. What if I believe my seniority information is incorrect on the new list?
  8. When will I be able to see seniority by base?
  9. Where is the seniority information for FAs working in a supervisor/non-flying role for Inflight?

If you have any additional questions, please send them to seniority@afacwa.org.

In Solidarity,

Your SMIC – Sandra Morrow, Rolando Teran, Lynne Voigtsberger and Marie Maxwell

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Your Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers, Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents, and many other LEC Officers and Committee Chairs will be attending the 46th Annual AFA Board of Directors (BOD) meeting next week in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  This annual meeting is where AFA conducts the business of our Union at the international level.

Schedule of Events

Sunday, April 8 Executive Board Meeting (MEC President from each airline)
Monday, April 9 Board of Directors Meeting
Tuesday, April 10 Board of Directors Meeting continues
AFA International Officer elections
Wednesday, April 11 Board of Directors Meeting continues

This schedule does not include necessary travel to/from Philadelphia (the closest airport served by Alaska Airlines) and surface travel to/from Atlantic City. Attendees will be traveling on the dates before and after the BOD meeting.

BOD Meeting Agenda Items

Your LEC President represents you and the other members of your Local Council on the Board of Directors and will be casting votes on your behalf at the BOD meeting.  Your MEC Officers serve in an ex-officio capacity on the BOD but do not have voting privileges.

A total of 24 advance agenda items were submitted for consideration by the Board at this meeting. Each LEC held a Local Council meeting over the past several weeks to discuss these agenda items and gain your feedback.  You can find a list of these agenda items and complete language at http://afa-bod.org/index-of-agenda-items.

International Officer Elections

In addition to the consideration of agenda items, AFA International Officer elections will also take place at this year’s BOD meeting.  As your directly elected representative, your LEC President will be voting on your behalf for the offices of International President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer.  For more information about International Officer elections including a list of announced candidates, click here.

Questions?

If you have any questions or thoughts about the BOD meeting or any of the submitted agenda items, please contact your LEC President.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

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Now that the Merger Agreement has been ratified, negotiated changes will start to go into effect.  The JNC is publishing a quick reference guide to indicate provisions that go into effect immediately or that will be phased in shortly which impact line Flight Attendants.  Until both Flight Attendant groups are combined, some provisions will be different for each group.  The list below is separated into L-AS and L-VX provisions to easily distinguish the changes for each Flight Attendant group.

Pre-Merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants (L-AS)

Provisions Retroactive to January 1, 2018

  • New Pay Rates. Based on seniority dates adjusted to include initial training. Retro paid on May 20th
  • Elimination of 1/12th vacation accrual reduction. [Section 14.A.1-2.]

Provisions Effective Date of Ratification (DOR) or soon after (as noted)

  • New Pay Rates. Across-the-board 4.5% increase.
  • 401(k) Match Increase. 401(k) employer match increased to 7.5% (if you are not currently contributing at least 7.5% you should increase your contribution as soon as possible to achieve full matching!)
  • Seniority “Sync-Up” Date. Includes credit for initial training. Will apply to pass travel and vacation accrual (no change in relative seniority).
    • New badges will be issued to all Flight Attendants
    • Will not change your RT base month
  • Bank Point Award (2 bank points). One time reduction and/or credit of two (2) total points to his/her attendance points balance.
  • Might Be Late Grace Period. 5 minute grace period [Section 32.C & E]
  • Ground Commuting Provision. [Section 28.G]
  • Holiday Pay Scheduled or Actual Provision. Effective starting July 4, 2018. [Section 21.H.2]
  • Holiday Pay “Show-No-Go” Premium. Effective starting July 4, 2018. [Section 21.H.3]
  • Medical Leave of Absence Provision. Minimum of 4 years without company approval: immediate halt to terminations in progress under former 1-year maximum duration without company approval. [Section 15.C.2]
  • Vacation Coordination Bank. To maintain insurance while on a leave of absence. [Section 15.M.2.c]
  • $75 Parking Stipend. Inflight will be a sending out a communication to Flight Attendants on how to relinquish their parking.  The notification will need to be submitted by 4/14/2018 to start receiving the stipend in May.  [Section 28.H.2]

Pre-Merger Virgin America Flight Attendants (L-VX)

Provisions Retroactive to January 1, 2018

  • New Pay Rates. Retro paid on May 30th
  • Greater of Scheduled or Actual Block Time. Calculated on a segment-by-segment basis.
  • Reserve Premium. Greater of Reserve Premium or $2.83/block hour flown while on reserve.
  • Per Diem Increase. Increased to $2.50 per hour.
  • Holiday Premium (2x pay). Retroactive to include New Year’s Day.

Provisions Effective Date of Ratification (DOR) or soon after (as noted)

  • New Pay Rates. Red Circle provision in effect.
  • Trade Below 70. Ability to trade down to 50 block hours to another Flight Attendant – please see management email for instructions on trading.
  • Reserve Minimum Day. Increased to 4.3 credit hours/day of reserve
  • Reserve Premium. Greater of $100 or $2.83/block hour flown while on reserve
  • Pre-Board Pay. Twenty-six block minutes (0:26) or (0.5 TFP equivalent) when asked to pre-board a flight (does not apply to RRR)
  • Greater of Scheduled or Actual Block Time. Calculated on a segment-by-segment basis.
  • Full Deadhead Pay. 100% pay for deadheading, retro to 4/1/2018.
  • Show-No-Go Pay Increase. Increased to 2:39 credit hours of pay
  • Charter Pay. Increased to 2x pay
  • Sit Pay. If “sit” in excess of 2:00 (scheduled or actual) between flights, pay fifty-three block minutes (0:53) of pay (above guarantee for reserves).  “First fight of day” sit pay:  Sit pay, above, applies to the first flight if actual delay in excess of 2:00 in addition to ground holding pay
  • International Pay. Increased to $1.13/block hour, applies when customs is not pre-cleared.
  • ITL Program Transition. Flight Attendants will begin to bid to be in the “A” pool (bidding at the end of April for June)
  • Premium Open Time. Increased to 1.5x pay for trips picked up
  • Operational Assignment Premium. Increased to 1.5x pay
  • Holiday Pay Premium. Increased to 2x pay; new holiday, July 4th
  • Extended Maternity Leave. L-AS policy available to L-VX Flight Attendants
  • Base Swaps. Minimum 3-month base swapsavailable between LAX and SFO-based L-VX Flight Attendants. Notification required May 1st for swap effective June 1st.
  • Management Seniority Accrual. Supervisors/management on seniority list may not accrue seniority for longer than they have been a line Flight Attendant.

No furlough protection for all Flight Attendants effective April 3, 2018 through December 31, 2019.

Further information will be sent out detailing provisions effective on a later date.

All the relevant documents describing the negotiated changes can be accessed on the Merger TA & Information Page of the AFA Alaska website.

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

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The separate, pre-merger seniority lists for AS and VX have been merged and we now have a single Integrated Seniority List.

The Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) completed this monumental task over the course of the previous 10 months.  The SMIC consists of representatives from each of our pre-merger airlines: AS members Sandra Morrow and Marie Maxwell; and, the VX members Lynne Voigtsberger and Rolando Teran.

The SMIC merged the lists in compliance with the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws.  Everyone on each seniority list remains in the same relative order.  Everyone on the VX list retains the same seniority date, and those on the AS list have an adjusted seniority date that provides credit for the initial training period.

This merged list establishes the seniority dates and relative order for all 5,000-plus Alaska Flight Attendants.  For easy distinction of the merged list, VX members are shaded in a light red.  You can either scroll through the list or search on your name to find your seniority number and seniority date.

You can view the merged seniority list in the email version of this article.  Please check your personal email for a message from the AFA Alaska Seniority Merger Integration Committee containing the link to the list.

This list is being provided to management.  Going forward, this copy of the list will be “static,” but the seniority list that is published monthly on the F/A website will be updated and “live” in approximately 60 days.  It will change as new members are added or current members leave, but the seniority dates and relative order will not change.

The SMIC will be sending out an additional communication later this week with answers to the most frequently asked question.  It will include background on the methods used to determine initial training adjustments, the methodology used when FAs from both airlines had the same seniority date, and many other general questions.

If you have any questions or would like to contact the SMIC, please do so by email at the following address: seniority@afacwa.org.

In Solidarity,

Your SMIC – Sandra Morrow, Rolando Teran, Lynne Voigtsberger and Marie Maxwell

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Polls closed today at 9 AM Pacific Time for voting on the Merger Tentative Agreement reached by the Joint Negotiating Committee in February 2018.  The results of the vote are as follows:

 

Voting FOR the agreement 3094 75%
Voting AGAINST the agreement 1011 25%
Total Votes 4105
Participation Rate of Eligible Voters 76.34%

As indicated above, the TA has passed.

Click here for a copy of the certified results.

What’s Next?

Several provisions of the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), including new pay rates for both L-AS and L-VX Flight Attendants, take effect immediately.  Additional communications regarding JCBA implementation will be coming out over the next several days.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee; and

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

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Q.  Looking for a clarification on the voting eligibility for this Merger Agreement.

For L-VX Flight Attendants, anyone can vote, no matter their seniority, as long as they have completed a membership application?

For L-AS Flight Attendants, they must have completed four months of seniority before being eligible to vote?

In two different road shows, it was said that all Flight Attendants, L-VX and L-AS, must complete four months of seniority, yet the information on the voting information page of the AFA Alaska website indicates otherwise.

Can you please clarify this discrepancy?

A.  The MEC received clarification after the road shows you mentioned (from AFA International Membership Services) that L-VX F/As are eligible to vote as of date of hire.  This is due to the fact that there is no first contract in place and there is no apprentice membership at carriers without a first contract. It is the same reason that they are not required to pay dues yet.

So L-VX Flight Attendants are eligible to vote as of date of hire as long as they have a membership application on file and are therefore in good standing.

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Merger Tentative Agreement voting ends Tuesday, April 3 at 9 AM Pacific Time

Need Help With Voting?

Flight Attendants who have misplaced or not received their voting instructions with the 16-digit activation code must call the AFA Ballot Helpline.  Call (800) 424-2401 and choose option 1, then enter extension 706.

Flight Attendants who have dues or membership issues should call AFA Membership Services at (800) 424-2401 and choose option 7.

AFA Membership Services is staffed Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 5 PM EST.

TA Information and Resources

For information on the TA, webinar videos and the JNC Blog click here -> http://afaalaska.org/merger/jnc/ta

For information on voting and to see the AFA Voting Tracker click here -> http://afaalaska.org/merger/jnc/ta/voting

Please exercise your right to vote, every vote counts.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee; and

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

By

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

Background

The MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative is responsible for working with management to resolve Flight Attendant payroll discrepancies.  The Representative works closely with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson, Scheduling Committee, and Reserve Committee to gather Flight Attendant payroll concerns and represents the position of the MEC in interactions with management.

Additional Information from the MEC Policy Manual

The following language is contained in Article VII.F.3 (Grievance Committee, Payroll Subcommittee) of the AFA Policy & Procedure Manual

A.  Scope

(i)  The Payroll Subcommittee will work with the company and the Inflight Payroll Department to resolve Flight Attendant pay concerns with management.

(ii)  The Subcommittee will represent and advocate for the MEC position in matters pertaining to Flight Attendant pay

B.  Policy/Responsibilities

(i)  The Payroll Subcommittee shall consist of the MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative

(ii)  The Subcommittee shall:

(A)  Review activity claim forms and other Flight Attendant pay claims as needed.

(B)  When pay is correct, provide Flight Attendants with an explanation and applicable contractual citations explaining how the pay is correct.

(C)  Meet with management on a regular basis to discuss, review, and resolve Flight Attendant pay discrepancies.

(D)  Attend and participate in the Scheduling Review Board.

(E)  Meet regularly, but no less than weekly, with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson to discuss the needs, interests, and challenges of the subcommittee.

(F)  Meet regularly, but no less than bi-weekly, with the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson and MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson to review and provide updates on work of interest to the committee(s) and subcommittee.

Qualifications

  • Robust working knowledge of scheduling, reserve, hours of service, and compensation provisions of the Flight Attendant collective bargaining agreement.
  • Ability to maintain office hours in Seattle during the business week and attend meetings as required.
  • Strong computer skills. Excellent working knowledge of Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA), Google email, osTicket, and Microsoft Office.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, track issues, prepare reports, and plan meeting agendas and take minutes.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and follow up on assigned tasks.

Duties

  • Provide assistance and guidance to Local Benefits, Grievance, Scheduling, and Reserve Committees in handling Flight Attendant pay concerns and issues. Assist in resolution of issues as needed.
  • Attend meetings with management and represent the AFA position on Flight Attendant pay-related matters.
  • Participate in the Scheduling Review Board process. Participate in Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) meetings when requested.
  • Schedule, plan, and conduct monthly meetings of the committee and other meetings and conference calls as needed.
  • Coordinate with the MEC Scheduling and Reserve Committee Chairpersons to address and resolve open issues.
  • Correspond with the Local Benefits, Grievance, Scheduling, and Reserve Committee Chairpersons and MEC regularly to provide status updates. Prepare and send a monthly activity report to the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson for inclusion in the monthly committee report to the MEC.

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

  • This position will receive 75 TFP of Flight Pay Loss (FPL) per month in accordance with a letter of agreement with the company, paid with a 5% override at “A” pay.
  • Time commitment is approximately three days per week in Seattle with additional work completed remotely or in the office as necessary. No relocation or accommodation expense is provided for this position.
  • The MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative does not bid a line.

Working Relationships

With The MEC Grievance Committee

This position works directly on a day-to-day basis with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson and Representative. Frequent interaction with Local Grievance Committee Members.

With Other MEC Committee

Constant interaction with the MEC Committee Chairperson and Local Committee Chairpersons of the Benefits, Scheduling, and Reserve Committees. Frequent interaction with Local Committee Members of each committee.

With The Master Executive Council

This position reports to the Master Executive Council through the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC President.

With Alaska Airlines Management

Constant interaction with inflight management, particularly the Manager of Crew Pay (Debbie Bakke), Supervisor of Crew Pay (Michele Carcalean), Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling (Denia Pisia), Crew Pay Analysts, and Inflight Crew Scheduling Duty Managers.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

  • The MEC will hold interviews during the May MEC meeting on Wednesday, May 16. No trip drops or scheduling adjustments are available to attend the interviews.
  • Interviews will be at the AFA Alaska MEC office in Seattle.
  • Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Friday, May 4, 2018. Linda will be able to provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams

Latest News

Merged Seniority List FAQ

By

Thanks for your patience as the Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) collected and compiled responses to your most frequently asked questions (FAQ).  We have posted a document with these questions and answers. You can find the link to the FAQ document in the email version of this article.  Please check your personal email for a […]

Upcoming AFA Board of Directors Meeting

By

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers, Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents, and many other LEC Officers and Committee Chairs will be attending the 46th Annual AFA Board of Directors (BOD) meeting next week in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  This annual meeting is where AFA conducts the business of our Union at the international level. Schedule […]

Merged Seniority List

By

The separate, pre-merger seniority lists for AS and VX have been merged and we now have a single Integrated Seniority List. The Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) completed this monumental task over the course of the previous 10 months.  The SMIC consists of representatives from each of our pre-merger airlines: AS members Sandra Morrow and […]

Merger TA Voting Results

By

Polls closed today at 9 AM Pacific Time for voting on the Merger Tentative Agreement reached by the Joint Negotiating Committee in February 2018.  The results of the vote are as follows:   Voting FOR the agreement 3094 75% Voting AGAINST the agreement 1011 25% Total Votes 4105 Participation Rate of Eligible Voters 76.34% As […]

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