Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

[Updated 1140 PDT] URGENT: Buy on Board Credit Card Sleeve Recall

October 12, 2015 06:58

[Updated information in red text below.]

This morning there was a fire caused by the battery in the buy on board credit card sleeve on a flight from EWR to SEA. Everyone is safe and the flight was diverted. Because of that Alaska Airlines is removing all credit card sleeves from all flights immediately. Management is working on sending out an ACARS message to crews already in flight with instructions.

***Please do not take the buy on board sleeves onboard and do not charge them. Keep your iPhone. Return the sleeve to your base office. If you are on a layover, leave the sleeve with station personnel (e.g. CSA) prior to boarding. Ensure it is powered off with the battery still attached. ***

Once Alaska Airlines management has a better handle on the situation they will be providing more information. There is a message on the splash screen and management will be pushing a message out to all F/A phones this morning. Please help us get out the word quickly!

Take care and fly safe!

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple

On The Watch Against Bed Bugs

June 26, 2015 20:00

Along with the warm weather throughout our route network comes an increase in bugs that we see at our layover hotels. One very particular type of bug that we should all be very concerned about is the bed bug.

No matter whether you’re on a layover, overnighting for training, or on a personal vacation, it’s always a best practice to inspect your room for signs of bed bugs as soon as you get to your room. Despite their name, bed bugs do not live in bed—they only eat there. During the day they hide in cracks and crevices (the size of a credit card or less) of furniture. Adult bugs are about the size of an apple seed and are visible to the naked eye.

First Things First–Check Your Room

Pull back a sheet corner on the bed and check for signs of bugs. Look for brown/black dot stains on the mattress and possibly molted bed bug skins
Check the areas where the mattress rests on the box spring, inside any folds or under buttons or piping
Take a close look at the headboard, picture frames and nightstands for any sign of hiding bugs
Check in books or hotel literature around the bed. Bed bugs have been found on index tabs in the in-room bible.
Bed bugs can also be detected by their characteristic smell of rotting raspberries

Help, I Found Bed Bugs In My Room!

If you find bed bugs upon check in or at any time during your stay, notify the front desk staff immediately and move to another room. Report the incident on a Flight Attendant Incident Report and fill out a report on CrewCare (http://www.alaskaaircrew.com). CrewCare reports are forwarded to management and your AFA Hotel Committee Members.

More About Bed Bugs

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has some great resources and information about bed bugs available at http://www2.epa.gov/bedbugs.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt, MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson Laura Hinojosa and MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Chairperson Seth Heiple

AFA Alaska

Clarification to iPhone 6+ Charging

March 30, 2015 17:00

On March 8, an AFA communication was released outlining recommendations for the iPhone 6+ inflight mobile device that is currently being distributed to all Flight Attendants. In that communication, it was suggested that Flight Attendants could potentially leave the iPhone 6+ in their crew bag while the device was plugged in and charging.

After further review of documentation provided by Apple, it is recommended that you do not leave your iPhone 6+ in your crew bag while it is charging. The iPhone 6+ must be kept in a well-ventilated area while charging in order to ensure proper temperature regulation of the device. When charging your iPhone 6+, please ensure it is in an open area away from materials that could insulate the device and potentially cause it to overheat.

You can find more information and safety recommendations pertaining to use of the device in the iPhone User Guide located on the Apple website at https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1565/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Chairperson Seth Heiple

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study Survey

February 25, 2015 20:00

Researchers from Harvard University are continuing their study of Flight Attendant health and need your help in collecting information. You’ll find a letter below regarding the study and what you can do to help. Your participation matters; please take a moment to take the survey now if you haven’t already.

In Solidarity,

Dear Flight Attendant,

We keep climbing, but we are only 50% towards our goal for participation, so we extended our deadline to March 8th. Get your survey completed by 3/8/15 11:59 PM PST and you will automatically be entered into a raffle for an Apple Watch. We need YOU! We’ve doubled our numbers in the last few days, so we know you can do it.

Our results will only be as strong as our participation. The more flight attendants who tell us about their health, the better our knowledge will be. Have you retired or changed jobs? Have you participated in other flight attendant studies? Have you started the survey, but haven’t had time to complete it? Do you only have time to take it on your phone or tablet? Great, you’re still eligible to participate—the only requirement for participation is that you worked as a flight attendant in the past.

Take 15 to 20 minutes of your time to inform our understanding of flight attendant health for YEARS to come. Join us at Harvard University School of Public Health by

Following this link to the Survey: www.fahealth.org/harvard-study

Also, please let your friends know that ALL flight attendants are welcome to participate. We’ve heard some flight attendants have not received an email from us or maybe our email was caught in spam, so please spread the word that ANY former or current flight attendant can take the survey at www.fahealth.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. Eileen McNeely, Principal Investigator, Flight Attendant Health Study
Dr. Sara Gale, Project Manager, Flight Attendant Health Study

Harvard School of Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Research
Landmark Center, Room 3-098
401 Park Drive, P.O. Box 15697
Boston, MA 02115 617-384-8861
www.fahealth.org

Too Fatigued to Fly

January 8, 2015 20:25

Crewmember fatigue is a serious issue facing pilots and Flight Attendants and has gained considerable media attention over the last several years. New federal regulations addressing pilot fatigue contained in 14 FAR 117 took effect January 4, 2014. Despite the advances being made for pilots, federal regulations addressing rest and fatigue for Flight Attendants continue to lag behind.

Our Fatigue Policy: There Isn’t One

Neither our contract nor the Flight Attendant Manual addresses the issue of Flight Attendant fatigue. No provision exists for a Flight Attendant to call in “fatigued”. Despite numerous requests from AFA to discuss a fatigue policy, management will not enter into a discussion at this time. This leaves us as Flight Attendants with very few options when we are too fatigued to continue working.

I’m Too Fatigued To Fly, What Are My Options?

If you are unable to continue flying due to fatigue, management’s position is that your only option is to call in sick online (SO). Calling in sick online will remove you from your trip and you will receive corresponding attendance points and, if you have available sick leave, be paid sick leave for any flying not yet completed on the pairing. You’ll have the ability to submit a point reduction form to mitigate any points if you haven’t already submitted one for the quarter.

Write It Up—File an ASAP

The ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) has starting tracking fatigue-related events separately for reporting purposes. If you experience a fatigue-related event, please document it on an ASAP report. The Master Executive Council (MEC) is tracking the information from these reports in hopes that the company will see the importance of entering into a discussion and eventual development of a fatigue policy to help improve safety for our Flight Attendants, coworkers, and passengers alike.

If you have any questions about Flight Attendant fatigue, please contact one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers. Contact information is available on afaalaska.org under the Local Council menu.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Grievance Chairperson Jennifer Wise-MacColl

[Updated 1140 PDT] URGENT: Buy on Board Credit Card Sleeve Recall