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AFA Merger Negotiations Survey *Reminder*

*Reminder*

Your AFA Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has developed this survey to solicit feedback regarding your expectations for merger negotiations. Your participation is extremely important. Providing your union leaders with your input and support will better help us to represent you at the bargaining table.

Keep in mind that merger negotiations are a different process than regular negotiations. These talks are not under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board or Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, and neither management nor AFA believes the entire contract is open for discussion. Therefore, discussions are focusing on transitioning the Virgin America Flight Attendants to the Alaska contract and on a very short list of potential improvements to the Alaska contract that will benefit Flight Attendants from both groups.

The survey is now open to all Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Flight Attendants and will close on Friday, October 13, 2017, at 9am Pacific Time.

(Survey link is located here in the emailed version of this communication.)

For security reasons, the survey link will be included only in the emailed version of this communication and distributed to personal email addresses on file in the AFA Newsletter Sending System. The survey link will not be available on the afaalaska.org website nor on social media, and AFA requests that you do not repost the link.

If you have any questions or if you need the survey link sent to you, email the Joint Negotiating Committee from a personal email address. If you have a requesting a survey link, please provide the following for verification purposes: your name, employee number and current domicile.

In Solidarity,

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

Seniority Verification Letters Being Mailed Today

The Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) has finalized the Seniority Verification Letters (SVL) that are being mailed today: October 10, 2017.  Over 5,000 letters are being sent to Alaska Airlines (AS) and Virgin America (VX) Flight Attendants, and they will begin arriving at mailing addresses on file with the Company within a week.

While letters are being mailed to everyone, the SMIC recognizes that F/A’s living and receiving mail outside the U.S. might face delayed deliveries.  To better ensure a timely delivery to F/A’s living and receiving mail outside the U.S., a copy of the letter will be placed in the company mailbox/v-file of anyone with a non-U.S. mailing address.

If you do not receive a Seniority Verification Letter (SVL) by October 23, you may request that a duplicate be sent to you by email.  To do so, send your request to the following email address: seniority@afacwa.org.  Your request must include your Name, Employee Number, Council/Base, and your Email Address.  You will receive a response within five business 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

Association of Flight Attendants 2017 Merger Negotiations Survey for Pre-merger Alaska Airlines and Pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

Your AFA Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has developed this survey to solicit feedback regarding your expectations for merger negotiations. Your participation is extremely important. Providing your union leaders with your input and support will better help us to represent you at the bargaining table.

Keep in mind that merger negotiations are a different process than regular negotiations. These talks are not under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board or Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, and neither management nor AFA believes the entire contract is open for discussion. Therefore, discussions are focusing on transitioning the Virgin America Flight Attendants to the Alaska contract and on a very short list of potential improvements to the Alaska contract that will benefit Flight Attendants from both groups.

The survey is now open to all Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Flight Attendants and will close on Friday, October 13, 2017, at 9am Pacific Time.

(Survey link is located here in the emailed version of this communication.)

For security reasons, the survey link will be included only in the emailed version of this communication and distributed to personal email addresses on file in the AFA Newsletter Sending System. The survey link will not be available on the afaalaska.org website nor on social media, and AFA requests that you do not repost the link.

If you have any questions or if you need the survey link sent to you, email the Joint Negotiating Committee from a personal email address. If you have a requesting a survey link, please provide the following for verification purposes: your name, employee number and current domicile.

In Solidarity,

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

[AS] New Crew Tracking System and Payroll Disputes

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

AFA is not okay with the situation

The Master Executive Council (MEC) sent out a “Trip Trades/Pickups and Screenshots” communication on September 20, 2017, that generated a number of concerns from the membership. We wish to clarify the intent of that communication and to assure you that AFA is definitely not okay with the situation.

Our new crew tracking system is a hot mess

Let’s be honest: From the Flight Attendant perspective, our new crew tracking system is a hot mess. As just one example, pairing values sometimes change due to reasons unknown as of this writing. Crew Administration has been taking the position that in order to guarantee pay when a pairing value has changed on the roster or is different than listed in the bid packet, then there needs to be a screenshot as proof. Otherwise, Crew Administration generally has not been paying the difference.

Documentation (e.g. screenshots) is generally needed as evidence in order for claims to be successful

In order for AFA to successfully achieve pay protection for a Flight Attendant pursuant to CBA §10.W [Scheduling Errors], management has usually been requiring objective evidence to substantiate the pay claim. One of the easiest ways for a F/A to provide evidence to AFA in order to help us advocate on your behalf is to take a screenshot of the pairing.

Similarly, if F/As wish to bring forward complaints to the state or to file a lawsuit, then documentation (e.g. screen shots) is generally needed as evidence in order to be successful. When you also consider that F/As can only look back 60 days on their respective rosters, then screenshots seem like one of the easier methods of verifying activity. AFA’s primary goal here is to get you paid correctly as soon as possible, which is why we recommended screenshots in the previous communication.

The law says the burden of proof for wage claims lies with the employer, not the employee

That being said, AFA believes the scheduling and payroll situation is completely unacceptable. Your AFA leaders and representatives advocate to management on a near-daily basis that Flight Attendants are being denied the tools to successfully manage their schedules and to verify their pay. Thankfully, AFA and management recently arrived at the same understanding on one very important point: The law says the burden of proof for wage claims lies with the employer, not the employee.

Consequently, AFA is advising F/As that you should not be required to provide screenshots to management in order to be properly compensated. However, AFA will continue to ask members who request our assistance with pay discrepancies to supply us with screenshots and any other available documentation so that we can research and resolve your disputes.

Jeff Butler’s October 3rd “JCTE and Payroll” email is a step in the right direction

The MEC appreciates Vice President of Inflight & Call Center Services Jeff Butler acknowledging the issues in his October 3rd “JCTE and Payroll” email, which is a step in the right direction. AFA is committed to continuing to work with management and advocating on your behalf to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

In Solidarity,

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

Merger Negotiations Session #4 Update – September 2017

The AFA Alaska-Virgin America Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) just wrapped up this week’s session of merger negotiations, our fourth so far; we met with management from Tuesday, September 26th through Thursday, September 28th in Seattle, WA. Representing management: Vice President of Labor Relations Greg Mays, Vice President of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Inflight & Call Center/Guest Services Jeff Butler, Managing Director of Labor Relations-Air Elizabeth Ryan and Virgin America Manager of Labor Emily Kimmel.

Management presented the Joint Negotiating Committee with a comprehensive transitional proposal on the first day, which provided a springboard for discussions the remainder of the week. The parties are starting to reach tentative agreements on transitional items in several sections of the Alaska contract.

The Joint Negotiating Committee is planning on soliciting your feedback regarding your expectations and/or priorities for these negotiations in the very near future. We know that our combined membership of over 5,000 will not ratify a transitional-only contract. Be on the lookout for the merger negotiations survey to be released early next week.

Keep in mind that merger negotiations are a different process than regular negotiations. These talks are not under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board or Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, and neither AFA nor management believes that the entire contract is open for discussion. Discussions are focusing on a short list of items. All the provisions in the AFA Alaska contract (scheduled pay raises, etc.) will continue in force for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants; all the provisions in the Virgin America work rules will remain in effect for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants unless modified and/or superseded by the AFA Virgin America letters of agreement.

Our next merger negotiations session is scheduled for October 24-26.

In Solidarity,

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

Navigating Acute & Delayed Stress As A Flight Attendant

Stress is an inherent aspect of the Flight Attendant profession, often stemming from the demanding nature of responsibilities and the unpredictable nature of air travel. It’s essential for Flight Attendants not only to understand the different types of stress they may encounter but also to recognize the warning signs of acute and delayed stress for […]

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.

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