The AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) would like to thank Bev Bullock for her service as MEC Chairperson of the AFA Government Affairs Committee for over 15 years. Bev has been a tireless advocate for issues affecting our profession on Capitol Hill and has spearheaded countless campaigns on behalf of Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants. Her presence as MEC Committee Chairperson will truly be missed.
Background
The MEC Chairperson of the Government Affairs Committee is responsible for leading the committee’s effort to monitor and pursue legislative activities that relate to the AFA-CWA political agenda and to build positive relationships with candidates for office and elected officials.
Additional Information from the MEC Policy Manual
1. SCOPE
a. The Government Affairs Committee will keep members informed of legislative actions that could affect Flight Attendant income, working conditions, job security and safety.
b. The MEC Government Affairs Chairperson coordinates activity on all legislative issues with the MEC and AFA-CWA International, and shall interact with local, state and national legislatures, as appropriate, to advocate for AFA-CWA positions on relevant issues.
2. POLICY/RESPONSIBILITIES
a. The MEC Government Affairs Committee shall consist of the MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson and the Local Government Affairs Committee Chairperson from each council.
b. Committee Members should be registered to vote.
c. The MEC Chairperson shall:
(i) Administer the Committee and conduct activities to further the stated objectives of the AFA-CWA International Legislative Policy Committee
(ii) Compose informational and educational articles of interest to the membership and provide them to the MEC Communications Chairperson to be included in MEC communications and posted to the MEC website
d. The Committee shall:
(i) Act in an advisory role to the MEC on political matters.
(ii) Maintain an involvement in the political activities sponsored by local and central Labor Councils with which the MEC is affiliated
Qualifications
- Previous Government Affairs Committee or political/legislative activist experience preferred
- Knowledge of current political climate and legislative issues affecting Flight Attendants
- Ability to attend meetings as required, including occasionally being present in Seattle
- Ability to participate in meetings with elected officials, including occasional travel to Washington, D.C.
- Ability and willingness to participate in political and legislative action events
- Ability to attend AFA International and other required training as needed
- Strong computer skills. Excellent working knowledge of Google email and Microsoft Office.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, prepare reports, and take meeting minutes.
- Ability to meet deadlines and follow up on assigned tasks
Duties
- Act on and follow through on directives as established in the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws and FlightPAC
- Act on recommendations of the AFA-CWA Director of Government Affairs and AFA-CWA Legislative Policy Committee. Provide input, suggestions, and feedback as appropriate.
- Represent the MEC with local and central Labor Councils
- Coordinate FlightPAC program enrollment at the MEC level
- Schedule and attend meetings with elected officials and key staff
- Coordinate committee participation in AFA-CWA political and legislative action events
- Correspond with the Local Government Affairs Committee Chairpersons and MEC regularly to provide status updates. Prepare and send a monthly committee report to the MEC.
Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement
- This position is eligible for Flight Pay Loss (FPL) reimbursement by AFA. Union Business (UB) FPL is compensated at 0.75 TFP per hour when participating in pre-approved meetings or activities.
- Time commitment is highly variable depending on the work to be completed each week and month. Workload will likely be higher when campaigning for key legislative issues and during election periods. Most work can be accomplished remotely.
Working Relationships
With The Government Affairs Committee
Regular interaction with the Local Government Affairs Committee Chairpersons and Local Government Affairs Committee Members.
With The Master Executive Council
This position reports to the Master Executive Council. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC Vice President.
With AFA International
Frequent interaction with the AFA-CWA Director of Government Affairs.
Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling
- The MEC will hold interviews during the July MEC meeting on Monday July 18 or Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Bid around the interview date or plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.
- Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Yvette Satterlee at yvette.satterlee@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Friday, July 8, 2016. Yvette will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and LEC Presidents-Elect Tim Green and Brice McGee