Click the following link to read the latest edition of The Fly By….
A message from our LEC President, Melanie Buker
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council
Click the following link to read the latest edition of The Fly By….
A message from our LEC President, Melanie Buker
Just a very quick but IMPORTANT reminder! This Tuesday, September 3rd, we will be having a Base Meeting at the Alaska Regional Building. We are expecting Andy Schneider, Ron Calvin and other “guest speakers” to attend and answer questions that we have all been talking about! Some of these circle around pairings, future planned Anchorage flying, hotel issues/costs (since use of API), etc. Please plan to attend and/or send in any questions you’d like your LEC to ask, in your absence!
Following the Base Meeting is the Anchorage “Happy Hour” (also at the Alaska Regional Center). Andy Schneider is hosting this event, and she requests that anyone planning to attend RSVP online. (You can find the link on our Flight Attendant webpage at Alaskasworld.com)
This is a great opportunity for all of us to find out, firsthand, what future plans may be in the works AND to get our own specific questions answered! See you there!
For Immediate Release
Contact:Corey Caldwell 202-434-0586
FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION COMMEMORATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC MARCH ON WASHINGTON
Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) issued the following statement in honor of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington:
“On this day 50 years ago, hundreds of thousands of women and men descended upon our nation’s capital for an unprecedented demonstration for freedom and economic justice. Strangers from all corners of the country stood side by side as sisters and brothers to demand freedom from discrimination and the means to live their lives free of economic oppression. They were unified and they sent a powerful message that changed the course of history.
“This historic day serves as a reminder of what we, as citizens, can accomplish when we raise our voices together. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words, evoking a new vision of the American dream, still ring true today and serve as a reminder of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go.
“AFA’s commitment to equal treatment of all individuals, regardless of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression has remained a top priority since our founding 68 years ago. Like Dr. King, we recognize that true freedom requires both an end to discrimination and an end to economic oppression. On this historic day, we recommit our efforts to push back against discrimination of any kind and we stand for economic justice.
“For the brave women and men who stood in Lincoln’s shadow on this day 50 years ago, we continue our efforts to fight discrimination in any form in their honor. It is time, once and for all, to eradicate the poisonous legacy of discrimination from our society while we redouble our efforts to achieve economic justice for all working families.”
The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 68 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
Corey Caldwell
FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION’S ENDURING EFFORTS FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH PROTECTIONS in THE CABIN BECOME REALITY
AFA Commends OSHA, FAA for Finalizing Cabin Workplace Safety and Health Policy
Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) today hailed the release of Occupational Safety and Health protections for Flight Attendants working on commercial aircraft. Following AFA’s tireless advocacy to improve safety and health standards for Flight Attendants in the workplace, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) finalized a policy statement that corrects a nearly four-decade old exclusion of OSHA in the passenger cabin.
“AFA looks forward to continuing our work with the FAA and OSHA to protect the safety and health of our nation’s Flight Attendants, whose duties in the cabins of commercial aircraft subject them to potential workplace hazards, including noise, bloodborne pathogens, and toxic chemicals. AFA welcomes the opportunity, as the voice for Flight Attendants, to ensure full implementation of these critical protections,” said Veda Shook, AFA International President. “AFA Flight Attendants have been forceful advocates for OSHA protections. We appreciate the efforts of FAA and OSHA to bring workplace safety and health standards into the cabin. This change will improve the working conditions of tens of thousands of Flight Attendants while benefiting the millions of passengers who travel on commercial flights every day.”
In 1975, the FAA issued a notice claiming exclusive jurisdiction over workplace safety and health for all crewmembers, preventing OSHA from protecting Flight Attendants while working on board commercial flights. Since then, AFA has pursued multiple legal and regulatory solutions to extend OSHA safety and health protections to airline workers. Today’s final policy statement resulted from years of aggressive AFA advocacy for inclusion of Flight Attendant safety and health protections, a memorandum of understanding signed between the FAA and OSHA during the Clinton administration, and follow through by the Obama administration. This final policy statement was issued after the FAA and OSHA thoroughly reviewed comments submitted by AFA, individual AFA members, and various industry stakeholders.
Moving forward, AFA will continue to work with the FAA, OSHA, and key aviation industry stakeholders to ensure that Flight Attendants are provided sufficient information to understand their rights to safe, healthy cabin workplaces, and that airlines comply with all relevant aspects of the applicable OSHA standards, including Flight Attendant training requirements.
The FAA/OSHA final policy statement will be posted later this week.
The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 67 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
082213 OSHA BECOMES REALITY
__________________
Corey Caldwell
AFA Communications
ccaldwell@afanet.org
202-434-0586 (w)
202-550-5520 (c)
Hello Seattle Flight Attendants,
First of all, I want to thank all of the Flight Attendants who were able to work as scheduled, VJA’d and especially the 11 Flight Attendants who were junior assigned last weekend. Junior Assignments require additional sacrifice to personal schedules and valued time off and I recognize the hardship this may cause.
While many were able to keep their commitment to work I understand the frustration and disappointment in having your weekend plans ruined by Reassignments and Junior Availability. Each of you came to work and performed your duties with exceptional professionalism and the expectation to fulfill your commitment to the operation. We continue to show the company why we excel in the industry for customer service and operational excellence! For those that were out sick or taking care of family members our thoughts are with you and we wish you and your family a speedy recovery.
Junior Assignment is never an easy topic to dissect. What caused it to happen? Does the company have enough staffing? Did the junior assigning procedure follow the contract and assign in order?
These are all valid questions that I have done my best to address this week.
First of all, the sick calls started growing on Thursday of last week. This meant that the reserve pool that covers the weekend is taking a hit earlier than anticipated. On Thursday July, 18th the sick calls reached 83 in Seattle. Normally, Seattle averages about 74 sick calls a day for both lineholders and reserves.
On Friday July, 19th the sick calls remained higher than normal, 80 Flight Attendants.
On Saturday, July 20th the sick calls returned to the normal average of 74 Flight Attendants.
To minimize the need for junior assigning the company offers VJA. On the 18th the company granted 6 VJA. On the 19th 11 VJA trips were granted and on the 20th 27 VJA trips were granted.
Friday afternoon Crew Scheduling starts assigning trips to reserves for Saturday. When they run the number of sick calls versus available reserves it became clear that the numbers were not going to mesh and even with 27 VJA requests granted, the previous 2 days of sick higher than normal sick calls meant the average number on Saturday could not be managed with available reserves.
Keep in mind that the company manages not only sick calls from Flight Attendants at home. They also manage sick calls from on-line illness and injury. Last weekend several Flight Attendants become sick on line which meant scrambling to cover flights out of domicile. In one instance, a PDX FA graciously offered to cover a flight out of Boston or the flight would have cancelled.
In fact, Portland also saw 4 junior assignments last weekend.
Reserve coverage does not only cover sick calls. The amount of reserves on any day must cover the average sick call of 74 trips and minimum staffing of an aircraft if operational issues arise.
This does raise the question that maybe the company should evaluate the number of reserves and the reality of sick leave use. I have discussed this issue with the company on several occasions and the fact is that there is no way to anticipate a high sick call event.
When the average sick call amount is 74 Flight Attendants the company does plan for a higher average of 74 in reserve coverage. Adding any more reserves than this number does two things: (1). It increases the overall reserve positions and (2) Means less flying for the reserves on the majority of days in the month (impacting paychecks).
I have the JA stack of paper on my desk and I have confirmed that Crew Scheduling followed the contract and called Flight Attendants in order. They started with the most junior person available and legal to fly and went up the list from there. There are a couple of reminders I want to offer to you about this:
1. Reserves cannot be JA’d.
2. Any lineholder who traded out of a day of work cannot be JA’d.
3. Crew Scheduling can contact FAs who are coming in from a trip via ACARS if they are next on the list for an assignment.
4. If Crew Scheduling leaves a message on your cell phone, your home phone, or with one of your family members for you to call that you are NOT required to call them back if you are off duty and/or on a day off.
Remember to reach out to any of your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers if you have any questions on a Junior Assignment and you can refer to Section 9 of the contract for clarification and procedures that must be followed during a JA event.
As I write this today, I have been notified that we are Junior Assinging for this weekend, too. I am actively tracking the JA assignments and have Kieran Whitney, Manager of Crew Scheduling, on speed dial to address any questions or concerns.
I want to thank everyone, again, for their professionalism during this frustrating time.
Our Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for one (1) Member to serve on the AFA System Board of Adjustment. Members are to serve on the System Board of Adjustment for the purpose of arbitrating any disputes or grievances that may arise under the terms of the Agreement between Alaska Airlines and its Flight Attendants.
Our MEC thanks Elizabeth Dillon for the significant role she played in supporting Flight Attendants through her service as MEC EAP/Professional Standards Committee Chairperson. MEC Committee Vice Chairperson Lisa Haugen will succeed Elizabeth as the new MEC Committee Chairperson, with the Vice Chairperson position becoming vacant. Interviews for a new Vice Chairperson will be conducted at the June Regular MEC Meeting.
Alaska Airlines management has directed that older-style B/E Aerospace coffee makers must not be used without a Brew Shield. The action follows months of advocacy by AFA ASHSC, Inflight Service Committee, and MEC, highlighting ongoing injuries to Flight Attendants from the coffee makers. Our Committees and MEC continue to call for a complete suspension of the older coffee makers until the issue is fully resolved to ensure the safety of both crewmembers and passengers.
The April 2024 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Wednesday, April 10. Our MEC met with management to receive updates and review concerns, including DOT drug testing procedures, lack of meetings with the AFA Benefits Committee, coffee maker safety, and staffing adjustment leave administration. Our Negotiating Committee will return to the bargaining table next week in a scheduled mediation session, focusing on data from the Flight Attendant Financial Security Survey.
Scheduling Committee On Tuesday, March 26, our AFA Scheduling 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 Heather Reier (ANC), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also […]