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    You are here: Home / Archives for Committees / Communications Committee

    Understanding Our Union: How AFA Works at Our Airline

    May 4, 2022 17:00

    Communications Committee

    • Representation within our Union starts at the domicile level with your Local Council.  Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers are directly elected from among your fellow Flight Attendants who are members of the same Local Council.
    • LEC Officers work to resolve concerns specific to Flight Attendants from your base with local management.  Your LEC President also represents your base at the airline level as a member of the Master Executive Council (MEC). 
    • The LEC Presidents from all six bases together form our MEC, which works to coordinate the activities of our Union at the airline level.  They make decisions on our behalf and give direction to the MEC Officers, who represent the MEC to management.

    AFA is first and foremost a union organized by Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants.  The structure of AFA, as laid out in the constitution and bylaws, is designed to be democratic and driven by Members. A single Member has the power to bring forward ideas to change the course of our Union, to elect the officers who directly represent us, and to serve in any elected or appointed position within our Union.

    At Your Base—Your Local Council

    Each Local Council is made up of the AFA Member Flight Attendants within a given domicile.  In the case of a new or smaller domiciles where the number of active Members does not meet the constitutional threshold, multiple domiciles may be grouped together into one Local Council for purposes of representation. At Alaska Airlines, each base is represented by its own AFA Local Council.

    At Your Base—Your Local Executive Council (LEC)

    AFA Member Flight Attendants in each Local Council directly elect Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers to represent them.  These Local Executive Council Officers consist of a President, Vice President, and Secretary.  In some Local Councils, additional officer positions called Council Representatives may also be elected to the LEC.

    The LEC Officers are responsible for representing Flight Attendants directly.  They are who a Flight Attendant goes to when there is a question, when assistance is needed, or when they want to make a suggestion for change.  The LEC Officers primarily work with local management and other immediate supervisors to address and resolve Flight Attendant issues that are specific to the domicile they represent.  

    LEC Decision Making

    When a decision needs to be made at the LEC level, the LEC Officers work together to come to consensus.  If consensus can’t be reached, the LEC President makes the final decision.

    At Our Airline—the Master Executive Council (MEC)

    The LEC Presidents from each of our Local Councils come together to form the Master Executive Council (MEC).  The MEC is responsible for coordinating the activities of AFA across our entire airline and administering the collective bargaining agreement.  Each LEC President serves as a voting member of the MEC, directly representing the members of the Local Council that elected them.

    The voting members of the MEC (the LEC Presidents) elect three MEC Officers: a President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer.  These MEC Officers administer the day-to-day business of AFA at our airline and represent the MEC in interactions with company management.  They do not have a vote on the MEC with the exception of the MEC President, who votes only to break a tie.

    MEC Decision Making

    The MEC frequently makes decisions ranging from granting contractual exceptions, approving letters of agreement (LOAs), determining MEC priorities, and providing direction to the MEC Officers.  Often times, the MEC is able to come to consensus and decisions are agreed upon by all.  If there is not consensus on an issue, the voting members of the MEC (the LEC Presidents) will vote to determine the outcome.  If there is a tie, the MEC President is responsible for casting the deciding vote.

    Questions?

    If you have questions about how our Union works at the local or airline levels, please reach out to your LEC President.


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    Filed Under: AFA Alaska News Now, Communications Committee, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: understanding AFA

    Introducing AFA Alaska News Now

    November 29, 2021 17:05

    Communications Committee

    • We’re looking to improve the way we communicate using more frequent updates that are more concise and to-the-point.
    • AFA Alaska News Now posts will be made throughout the week and posted to the AFA Alaska website and AFA Alaska social media channels.
    • Prefer to receive news by email?  AFA Alaska News in Review email updates will still be sent out regularly with a summary of AFA Alaska News Now articles that have been posted recently.

    Based on feedback from you and other AFA Members, we’re reformatting the way we share news and updates.  Starting today, you’ll start seeing AFA Alaska News Now posts, our new primary way to share information with you.  Each post is a single subject update that covers the important information and key points first while still providing additional information that is good to know.

    Unlike email newsletters, AFA Alaska News Now posts will be made throughout the week to bring you information closer to when it happens.  Each post will be available on the AFA Alaska website and AFA social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), so no matter how you prefer to receive news you’ll be able to keep up-to-date.  If you’d rather receive updates by email, we’ve got you covered.  We’ll still be sending out regular AFA Alaska News in Review email newsletters with a summary of recent AFA Alaska News Now articles so you won’t miss anything.

    Thoughts or Ideas?

    If you have thoughts about our new format or ideas about what you’d like to see covered, we’d love to hear from you!  Please send us an email at communications@afaalaska.org.  

    Filed Under: AFA Alaska News Now, Communications Committee, Latest News, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: AFA News Now

    Alaska AFA Information At Your Fingertips

    October 23, 2015 05:00

    AFA Alaska news and information are now easier to access than ever with the recent launch of our new optimized mobile website.  Just visit afaalaska.org on your IMD or personal smartphone for easy access to AFA resources when you’re on the go.

    There’s An App For That

    If you’re using an Apple device, you can save the AFA Alaska mobile website as an app icon on your device’s desktop.  It’s easy; just follow these steps (or check out the screenshots below):

    • On your device, visit afaalaska.org
    • Click the center icon at the bottom of the screen (arrow pointing up inside a square)
    • Click “add to home screen”
    • Click “add” in the top right corner

    The mobile web app will be available as an icon on your desktop an you’ll have easy access whenever you need it.  Please note that the AFA Alaska web app requires an active Internet connection to function.

    If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Local Council.

    In Solidarity,

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

    IMG_9944

    Step 1 – Click the center icon (arrow pointing up)

    Step 2 - Click "Add to Home Screen"

    Step 2 – Click “Add to Home Screen”

    Step 3 - Click "Add"

    Step 3 – Click “Add”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    AFA Alaska Logo No Tag

    Filed Under: Communications Committee, Latest News, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: 2015, communications, IMD, inflight mobile device, mobile website, web app

    New AFA Alaska Website Now Online

    August 6, 2014 10:39

    We’re pleased to announce the launch of our new AFA Alaska website!  The new site features more content, features, and an easier-to-navigate layout including a mobile layout optimized for use on smartphones.  You’ll find the new site at http://afaalaska.org.  Please be sure to update your bookmarks and favorites, as this is a new address for the site.

    If you have any feedback or ideas to help improve the new website, please let us know by emailing them to communications@afaalaska.org.

    In Solidarity,

    Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

    MEC 5B Logo

    Filed Under: Communications Committee, Latest News

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    Our Negotiating Committee just wrapped up a week-long series of listening sessions. The Committee will now shift their focus to the upcoming Negotiations Survey, which will allow all Flight Attendants the opportunity to provide input and feedback about priorities for our upcoming contract negotiations. You can also provide direct feedback to our Negotiating Committee at any time by email or online feedback form.
    Our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met on Wednesday, May 25 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to catering and onboard service/sales. The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are facing onboard the aircraft. Management continues to experience challenges in many locations that are affecting the correct loading on onboard catering supplies and retail products. Please continue to report catering issues through Block2Block and safety-related issues through ReportIt!
    The following AFA Flight Attendants were elected to Local Council Officer positions representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in San Francisco:
    Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, May 24 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants. As part of the meeting, our MEC joined the May 24th Negotiating Committee Listening Session to hear directly from our Flight Attendants about experiences, thoughts, and ideas for upcoming contract negotiations. The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.
    The following AFA Flight Attendants were elected to Local Council Officer positions representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in San Diego:
    Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, May 24 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to lineholder scheduling. The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are experiencing with scheduling, pairings, and bidding. Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

    Latest News

    • AFA Alaska News in Review – May 27, 2022
    • Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2022
    • AFA Council 35 (SFO) Election Results
    • May 2022 MEC Meeting Recap
    • AFA Council 15 (SAN) Election Results
    • Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – May 2022
    • AFA Council 18 (LAX) Election Results
    • AFA Alaska News in Review – May 20, 2022
    • Tell Management: It’s Time To Make it Right!
    • AFA Alaska News in Review – May 13, 2022

    Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2022

    May 26, 2022 Leave a Comment

    Our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met on Wednesday, May 25 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to catering and onboard service/sales. The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are facing onboard the aircraft. Management continues to experience challenges in many locations that are affecting the correct loading on onboard catering supplies and retail products.  Please continue to report catering issues through Block2Block and safety-related issues through ReportIt!  

    AFA Council 35 (SFO) Election Results

    May 26, 2022 Leave a Comment

    Master Executive Council (MEC) The following AFA Flight Attendants were elected to Local Council Officer positions representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in San Francisco: LEC President: Melissa OsborneLEC Vice President: Virginia FritzLEC Secretary: James IkeharaCouncil Representative: Brad Young View the certified election results here >> These officers will serve a term of office starting July 1, 2022 and […]

    May 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

    May 25, 2022 Leave a Comment

    Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, May 24 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants. As part of the meeting, our MEC joined the May 24th Negotiating Committee Listening Session to hear directly from our Flight Attendants about experiences, thoughts, and ideas for upcoming contract negotiations. The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

    AFA Council 15 (SAN) Election Results

    May 25, 2022 Leave a Comment

    Master Executive Council (MEC) The following AFA Flight Attendants were elected to Local Council Officer positions representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in San Diego: LEC President: Brice McGeeLEC Vice President: Melanie BukerLEC Secretary: Stephen Couckuyt View the certified election results here >> These officers will serve a term of office starting July 1, 2022 and concluding on […]

    Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – May 2022

    May 25, 2022 4 Comments

    Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, May 24 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to lineholder scheduling. The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are experiencing with scheduling, pairings, and bidding. Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any lineholder scheduling-related issues.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

    Masks Are No Longer Required in Airports or Onboard

    April 18, 2022 By Jeffrey Peterson (MEC President)

    The CDC and TSA report the federal mask mandate is no longer in effect after today’s court ruling. Additionally, Alaska Airlines management just announced via multiple channels that the mask mandate is lifted effective immediately on all aircraft.

    December 2021 MEC Meeting Recap

    December 8, 2021 By Jeffrey Peterson (MEC President)

    December 2021 MEC Meeting Recap Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson Just wrapped up chairing our monthly MEC meeting yesterday and today. As usual, your AFA committee chairs and reps provided written reports to the MEC about the latest developments in their areas, and we received live briefings regarding dispute resolution & grievances, scheduling, […]

    Inflight Leadership Change and the Path Forward

    December 6, 2021 By Jeffrey Peterson (MEC President)

    Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson Now that is has been officially announced that Travis will be stepping away as leader of the Inflight division, I thought Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants might want to hear from their MEC president. I may not always be at liberty to communicate the details of every conversation advocating […]

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    Recent Posts

    • AFA Alaska News in Review – May 27, 2022
    • Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2022
    • AFA Council 35 (SFO) Election Results
    • May 2022 MEC Meeting Recap
    • AFA Council 15 (SAN) Election Results
    • Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – May 2022
    • AFA Council 18 (LAX) Election Results
    • AFA Alaska News in Review – May 20, 2022
    • Tell Management: It’s Time To Make it Right!
    • AFA Alaska News in Review – May 13, 2022

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