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It’s Time for a New Generation to Lead

Master Executive Council President Jeffrey Peterson

  • MEC Elections Update: The MEC Officer elections for the merged MEC will occur on January 29th, effective March 1st. The candidate page is updated each workday by the Membership Department at afacwa.org/AlaskaHawaiian.
  • Leadership Transition: After five terms, MEC President Jeff Peterson will not seek reelection, planning to return to the line on February 28th. His focus remains on setting up the new MEC president for success in JCBA negotiations starting in March.
  • Contract Negotiation Goals: The ideal goal is to use a ratified TA2 as a foundation for further contractual improvements during JCBA negotiations.

As has been previously reported, the MEC Officer elections for the merged MEC will be conducted on January 29th with an effective date of March 1st. The Membership Department has been updating the candidate page at the end of each business day at afacwa.org/AlaskaHawaiian. 

Although I have previously posted my intentions on social media a few times in the past many months, I believe it’s important to communicate more broadly via official AFA Alaska channels. This is especially true now that the preferred deadline of January 15th for candidates to make themselves known is just days away. I would have made the announcement sooner, but I was holding off on doing so because my focus has been on bargaining.

After five consecutive terms as MEC president, it’s time for me to step aside and give a new generation the opportunity to lead. Therefore, I am not seeking reelection and plan on returning to the line. I sincerely thank all the candidates who step forward and are willing to serve, and I look forward to the interviews in a few weeks.  

However, this isn’t a goodbye from me quite yet as there is a lot of work to be done between now and my last day in office on February 28th. The next month and a half will be spent closing the books on TA2 and preparing for the new joint MEC administration. My primary goal is to set up the next MEC president to helm Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) negotiations starting in March from the most optimal position possible. 

I’ll leave you with this thought for your consideration: If the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) were able to use a ratified TA2 as a stepping stone to build upon in the JCBA, then we would all benefit from a proverbial second bite at the apple for additional contractual improvements. In the meantime, stay tuned for developments as we work through the TA2 ratification process. 

In Solidarity,

Jeff

Negotiations And Washington State Bill 5725 2023-2024

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Management solicited AFA’s support for WA SB 5725 in the context of contract negotiations, and the MEC ultimately agreed after careful consideration.
  • Our Negotiating Committee subsequently secured an agreement for near-term implementation of onboard rest breaks and a tentative agreement on Paid Sick Leave (PSL) provisions.
  • The failure of WA SB 5725 to advance out of committee may have some effect on negotiations.

Overview

Alaska Airlines management initiated the legislative effort that became WA State Bill (SB) 5725 2023-2024 (“Clarifying the application of the industrial welfare act and minimum wage act to airline cabin crews”). Management also approached AFA to solicit our support in the broader context of contract negotiations. After much negotiation and deliberation, AFA ultimately agreed to support WA SB 5725. The underlying issues are complex, the stakes are high – and being in negotiations, AFA is in a complicated balancing act.

In a public hearing on the bill last Friday March 24 AFA offered testimony in support of passage. On Tuesday March 28, the Washington State House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee declined to advance the bill out of committee. This action effectively killed SB 5725 for this legislative session, which will likely have consequences for negotiations going forward. 

Some Flight Attendants subsequently brought forward concerns about WA SB 5725 and questioned AFA’s support of the bill.  It was not a cavalier decision, and the reasons are articulated below.

WA SB 5725 2023-2024 References

Background

Alaska Airlines management approached AFA in the context of contract negotiations, seeking our support for legislative amendments that would exempt Washington-based Flight Attendants from (1) meal & rest breaks, (2) overtime, (3) minimum wage, and (4) pay interval requirements under Washington State law. Management also wanted those exemptions to (5) take effect immediately and to (6) apply retroactively. Because we were aware of a pending punitive class action lawsuit being pursued by Seattle-based Flight Attendants who are alleging violations of meal & rest break provisions, our deliberations proceeded cautiously with that in mind.

To be clear, AFA categorically rejected any consideration to exempt minimum wage. However, after many discussions between AFA leadership and our attorneys, it became clear to us that we needed to harmonize Flight Attendants’ schedules, working conditions, pay structure and pay timing with the existing legislative provisions in Washington State. In some cases, significant work is needed to bring our collective bargaining agreement in line with state law. Further, AFA refused to support full retroactive immunity, and instead agreed to endorse limited retroactive liability on meal/rest requirements of the law because individual Flight Attendants had active lawsuits pending.

In exchange, after years of litigation with no end in sight, we secured implementation of paid sick leave under state law to be applied systemwide. Over the years, we’ve heard from so many of you of the importance of securing paid sick leave under state law. As a result, we pushed for the Company to incorporate paid sick leave, and this was a big win for Flight Attendants. 

Contractual Challenges and/or Conflicts with Washington State Law

The following represent problems for AFA and management that must be resolved either through bargaining and/or through legislation:

  • Meal & rest breaks: Reconciling flight schedules and required safety duties with break times at prescribed time periods.
  • Minimum wage: Washington State does not allow averaging of pay rates across a work week to determine compliance with minimum wage requirements. 
    • To further complicate matters, Alaska Flight Attendants are currently paid based on standard and non-standard TFP (“trips for pay”), which are measures of distance rather than of time. TFPs are two degrees removed from the traditional clock hour worked (i.e., duty-hour), which is referenced in the law; and one degree removed from the industry standard “block hour,” which is generally based on when an aircraft is in motion between block-out and block-in. (Definitions of block-out and block-in vary between carriers.) 
    • AFA is very aware of Flight Attendants’ expectations to be clearly compensated for all hours worked whether through boarding pay and/or duty pay. However, we need to be extremely careful about avoiding unintended consequences. 
      Example: If we were theoretically to completely convert our pay structure from TFP to duty hours (no Flight Attendant contract has this), the transcon and Hawaii trips with one leg per duty period that are currently considered desirable and efficient under TFP would become relatively devalued at only seven hours of duty time or less as compared to other trips with longer duty days.
  • Overtime: Flight Attendants consistently work schedules based on monthly and not weekly or daily schedules, which is why airline crew are already exempted from federal overtime requirements. We have existing premium pay provisions of 1.5x our contractual rates of pay or better to compensate for certain hours or days involuntarily worked in excess of scheduled work. It would be more advantageous to keep those bargained-for provisions and continue to improve them.
  • Pay intervals: We have several contractual pay provisions requiring a full month lookback that we would need to reconcile with existing state law requiring pay the week following the work performed. 

What AFA Secured for Our Support

In consideration of AFA’s support for WA SB 5725:

  • Management agreed to negotiate the best of all paid sick leave (PSL) provisions from every state in which there are Flight Attendant domiciles with PSL laws – currently Washington and Oregon (there is a PSL carve-out for collective bargaining agreements in California and no such law in Alaska) – and to apply those to all Flight Attendants regardless of where they are domiciled upon ratification of a new agreement. We reached a tentative agreement (TA) on those PSL provisions late last Thursday during contract negotiations. The parties also made a mutual strategic decision to not communicate about certain details of the session until this week to give our respective lawyers adequate time to advise and assist us in tying up loose ends.
    (See the “Supplemental Negotiations Update” publishing shortly for more details about negotiations.) 
  • A standalone letter of agreement to be implemented next week that provides for onboard breaks. For the Flight Attendant Onboard Breaks LOA click here >
  • For details regarding the scope of our agreement pursuant to the WA SB 5725 2023-2024 Amendment Support LOA click here >

Meal & Rest Break Retroactivity with Limited Liability

Candidly, the portion of SB 5725 that provided retroactivity but limited liability on meal & rest break requirements was not something we proposed and would generally not support. However, for management, it was a “must have” that we would not have been able to come to an agreement without. With that in mind, we ensured that had the legislation been passed into law that Flight Attendants who took legal action on meal & rest break violations prior to the effective date would still be able to recover compensatory damages as named plaintiffs. 

The direct concern about retroactivity has now been resolved due to failure of the bill. However, the MEC knows some Flight Attendants are particularly upset about our support. Know that this decision was admittedly very difficult to make with no easy choice given the potential shortcomings of any decision. Yet, we believed this was the optimal path forward with the greatest benefit to Flight Attendants. Our support for this legislation ensured, for the first time, that Alaska management would implement Paid Sick Leave and apply it system-wide. This was a very important improvement and protects the most vulnerable among us.

What Happens Now That WA SB 5725 Failed?

The parties have now tentatively agreed to Paid Sick Leave provisions.  This agreement is a big win for Flight Attendants and resolves major portions of Sections 15 – Leaves of Absence, 16 – Sick Leave and On the Job Injury, and 32 – Attendance Policy. The agreed-to PSL provisions would require variances from WA Labor & Industries (L&I) for the minimum sick leave draw and potentially for the unit of accrual depending on whatever pay structure (TFP vs. block-hours vs. duty hours) is ultimately agreed to in bargaining, so we’ll work through those details. Otherwise, AFA is planning to continue negotiations on the same aggressive bargaining schedule of meeting twice per month. 

Management informed us that they are assessing the situation and determining next steps.

Whatever happens, we will keep you informed.

Washington State Legislature Declines to Advance State Bill 5725

Master Executive Council

Yesterday, the Washington State House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee declined to advance WA State Bill (SB) 5725 (“Clarifying the application of the industrial welfare act and minimum wage act to airline cabin crews”) out of committee. This action effectively killed the bill for the 2023-2024 legislative session. 

Alaska Airlines management was championing the effort, and AFA ultimately agreed to support the bill after much negotiation. Flight Attendants have brought forward questions and concerns about WA SB 5725 and AFA’s support. The underlying issues are complex, the stakes are high – and being in negotiations, AFA is in a complicated balancing act. 

The bill’s failure this legislative session may impact bargaining. Both sides are assessing the situation and determining next steps, which may not be known until contract negotiations next week. In the meantime, AFA is working on a more comprehensive communication to publish tomorrow. 

Thank you in advance for your patience!

Response to the November 18th Inflight Town Hall Webcast

California meal & rest breaks

Management’s continued scare tactics and speculative “what-if’s” as put forward during the Inflight Town Hall webcast today regarding California meal & rest breaks are unnecessary and extremely disappointing. Although it is true there are some challenging aspects of compliance with California meal & rest break laws for commercial aviation, AFA International continues to partner with Alaska Airlines management, other labor groups and the wider aviation industry to achieve a legislative fix. Alaska Airlines management, if you want AFA’s continued partnership on this issue, then maybe you can lay off the specific gloom and doom scenarios for now?

From our perspective, management is nowhere near implementing the following for California-based Flight Attendants: clocking in and out during a duty period, attesting to meal & rest break opportunities, restricting 4k flying, or downsizing or closing California domiciles. Remember earlier this year when management was adamant that they would have to take drastic efforts in response to Bernstein v. Virgin America? It’s been mostly crickets since then. Meanwhile, staffing has started to increase in California – and other carriers have yet to make any discernible changes to their operations.

Management is unnecessarily freaking you out – don’t fall for it!

Alaska Airlines Management’s Unlawful Continued Denial of Washington State Sick Leave Law

Grievance Committee

  • Washington’s Paid Sick Leave Law went into effect on January 1, 2018, which in part allows Flight Attendants to use sick leave to care for themselves or a family member – including preventative care – and for which they cannot be disciplined or given attendance points.
  • The industry trade association Airlines for America and Alaska Airlines management refused to comply with the law and spent the last four years litigating whether they had to or not; they ultimately lost in litigation, and the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit decision in favor of the State of Washington and AFA stands.
  • Management still refuses to comply with the law, so AFA needs Seattle-based Flight Attendants to file complaints with the State of Washington Labor & Industries agency to ensure the law is rightfully applied.

In 2018, a state law providing for paid sick leave went into effect in Washington State. Among other things, it required that employers provide:

  1. A minimum of one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, and 
  2. The right to use your sick leave after 90 days of employment, not after the 180 days of employment (following probation) provided in our contract. 

Under the law, you can use this time to care for yourself or a family member — including preventative care. Additionally, the use of paid sick leave time cannot be counted as an absence that leads to or results in any type of discipline – and you cannot be given attendance points.

Click here for more info about WA Paid Sick Leave (WA Department of Labor & Industries) >

When the law went into effect in 2018, the MEC Grievance Committee contacted management to determine how they planned to implement the state law. We then learned that management had no intention of complying and instead would challenge the law through the court system. 

Click here for “Washington Paid Sick Leave Law 2018” (afaalaska.org – February 7, 2018) >

After four years of litigation and a win for the State of Washington and AFA in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court recently denied management’s request to hear the case. 

Click here for “Supreme Court Ruling on A4A v. WA L&I (WA Paid Sick Leave)” (afaalaska.org – July 14, 2022) >

As a result, the 9th Circuit’s ruling against Airlines for America (A4A) – including Alaska Airlines – is final, and no more appeals are possible. Even though the 9th Circuit’s decision in favor of the State of Washington and AFA is now binding, management still refuses to apply this law to Flight Attendants. They argue that litigation in district courts other the 9th Circuit that challenge how other states’ sick leave laws apply to flight crew could impact the application of the state law in Washington. 

AFA strongly disagrees with management’s approach. We encourage Seattle-based Flight Attendants to file claims with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) if any of the following occur:

  1. You are given attendance points for calling in sick to care for yourself or a qualifying family member when you have accrued sick leave to cover the event,
  2. You are denied the use of sick leave for preventative care, or
  3. You are denied the use of paid sick leave after 90 days of employment (and prior to the end of your probationary period of 180 days). 

While filing a claim can be time consuming, doing so helps you and your fellow crew members by protecting your rights and contributing to achieving what is legally due to you.

Click here for SEAFAs to file a claim online with WA L&I >  

We are also evaluating the applicability of the Washington law to all Flight Attendants under a prior arbitration award and will keep you updated on any further developments.

Protect Yourself From Potential Discipline on Social Media

Our Grievance Committee would like to provide background on social media, protected classes, and discipline. Federal protected classes include race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or transgender status), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.  Alaska’s People Policy says: Personal Conduct22. Threatening, intimidating, or discourteous behavior, including abusive, profane, or obscene language, acts, […]

Human Rights & Equity Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2026

On Wednesday, March 25, our AFA Human Rights & Equity Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to raise awareness and create positive change within our workplace and community. Your representatives attending the meeting included Louise Borras (LAX-pmAS), Bruni Agosto-Pinal (LAX-pmHA), Aaron Miller (PDX), Nyachan Chuar (ANC), and Yan Yan Teague (SEA). MEC Human […]

Pre-Merger Hawaiian Inflight Service Committee Update – March 2026

Editor’s Note: Our MEC Inflight Service Committee now represents both pre-merger airlines, but management still makes service decisions that affect each group of Flight Attendants differently. This update covers changes for both Hawaiian- and Alaska-branded flying, but is specific to aircraft flown by pre-merger Hawaiian Airlines crews. As the work of the merger progresses, we […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 13 – March 2026

Our JNC met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC focused on clarifying questions about moving expenses and presented a proposal for Sick Leave, using feedback from Flight Attendants to guide improvements. The Committee is working to incorporate the strongest elements from both contracts to ensure better support for all members.

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – March 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, March 24, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

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