AFA Alaska

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
You are here: Home / Benefits Committee

website-header-benefits

Including Worker’s Compensation, Maternity, FMLA, and Leaves of Absence
Tools & Resources

What Does This Committee Do?
The Benefits Committee works to educate and provide assistance to Flight Attendants in all matters involving benefits (including insurance, maternity, worker’s compensation, and leave of absence programs)

Download the Benefits Committee Member duties and responsibilities

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
  • Work with management to resolve any concerns involving claims submitted under benefits programs
  • Act in an advisory role to the LEC Officers on matters related to benefits, insurance, maternity, worker’s compensation, and leave of absence programs
  • Actively communicate information of interest to the Flight Attendants. Provide information to the Communications Committee for inclusion in Local Council communications.
Why Would I Contact This Committee?

The Benefits Committee is available to help you with:

  • Company provided or voluntary benefits programs
  • Medical or maternity leaves of absence
  • Family medical leave (FMLA)
  • On-the-job injuries and workers compensation procedures

Go to top

Who Do I Contact?

For assistance, contact any member of your Local Benefits Committee.  You can find a list of Committee Members on your Local Council Committees page.  For your convenience, a list of Committee Chairs and links to the Local Committee lists are below.

ANC

Debi Wallstrom
Tallee Wellman-Ullom
Maki Bogart
anc.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the ANC Committee List >>

LAX

Contact LEC Officers
lax.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the LAX Committee List >>

PDX

Ann LaRue
pdx.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the PDX Committee List >>

SAN

Sonia Quackenbush
san.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the SAN Committee List >>

SEA

Kathy O’Malley
sea.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the SEA Committee List >>

SFO

Julie Pearson
sfo.benefits.chair@afaalaska.org

View the SFO Committee List >>

MEC

Terry Taylor, MEC Chairperson
benefits@afaalaska.org

Go to top

Links

Go to top

Committee News

View the Benefits Committee news archives

Health Benefits Coverage & Staffing Adjustment Leaves

Posted: November 6, 2023

Benefits Committee Our Benefits Committee has been notified that there are multiple issues with health benefits coverage for those returning from staffing adjustment leaves (SAL). If you are on a staffing adjustment leave or have recently returned from one, please be aware of the following. Re-Enrolling After A Leave While we disagree that one should […]

Benefits Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2023

Posted: October 26, 2023

Benefits Committee On Tuesday, October 24, representatives from our Local AFA Benefits Committees met to discuss their ongoing work related to Flight Attendant work-related benefits, including insurance, maternity, worker’s compensation, and leave of absence programs. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), Kathy O’Malley (SEA), Ann LaRue (PDX), Julie Pearson (SFO), Majo Tanco, […]

New Medical Billing Protections For You

Posted: February 9, 2022

New rules that went into place on January 1, 2022 will provide new billing protections related to some medical care expenses. The new rules provide expanded protections against the practice of “balance billing” by providers in certain instances. You can read more about these new protections at www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers. 

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 3

Posted: September 20, 2021

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 3 Master Executive Council (MEC), Grievance Committee, Benefits Committee This is the third in a series reporting on management’s opposition to various state and local laws, the latest developments to complex state law litigations related to these laws that are playing out in Washington and California, and […]

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 2

Posted: September 16, 2021

Management vs. State and Local Laws – Part 2 Master Executive Council (MEC), Grievance Committee, Benefits Committee This is the second in a series reporting on management’s opposition to various state and local laws, the latest developments to complex state law litigations related to these laws that are playing out in Washington and California, and […]

Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives

We’re excited to introduce our next group of newly elected merged MEC Committee Chairpersons, who will begin their roles on November 1. These leaders are dedicated to representing the interests of our Flight Attendants as they coordinate activities across the merged committees of both airlines. They’ll work closely with the Local Committee Chairpersons from all […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

On Monday, October 13, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in person in Seattle to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Chris Cardenas (LAX), and Kanani Vallot […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have been elected: MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee […]

U.S. Customs & Border Protection Gender Code Requirement

Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced changes to the rules surrounding how airlines report information about passengers and crew before flights. This system is called the Advance Passenger Information System, or APIS. These changes are in response to a Presidential Executive Order. What is APIS? APIS is a system that airlines are legally […]

Recent Posts

News By Month

News By Category

AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Committee Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
Sign Up for Emails
Sign Up for Text Updates