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

    Operational Safety Debriefs

    January 26, 2023 17:00

    Master Executive Council (MEC)

    • AFA and management recently agreed to a defined process for when a debrief meeting with management needs to be conducted following an operational safety event.
    • The agreement ensures protections for Flight Attendants while guaranteeing pay, duty day limitations, and AFA representation.
    • Details can be found in the Operational Safety Debriefs Letter of Agreement (LOA).

    In 2019, AFA filed grievance number 36-99-2-170-19, which alleged management’s violation of section 19.A of the collective bargaining agreement. The violation was related to an incident where management conducted a debrief meeting with Flight Attendants while they were still on duty following a slide deployment incident. As there was no contractual basis for management to conduct a meeting to investigate a work-related event with Flight Attendants outside of the procedures outlined in 19.A, the grievance alleged that contractual rights to AFA representation and investigatory meeting pay were violated.

    The grievance was denied by management and subsequently scheduled for arbitration in June 2020. As the arbitration date approached, management indicated they were interested in settling the grievance in lieu of arbitration. Discussions between AFA and management ensued and a settlement-in-concept was reached, which the MEC approved at the time.

    Following the conceptual agreement, AFA proposed a letter of agreement (LOA) that codified the settlement in detail. Unfortunately, turnover in a number of key management positions resulted in setbacks as new managers needed to brought up to speed with the history of the settlement and background of what had been discussed. To compound the situation, the aircraft evacuation of flight 751 in Seattle on August 23, 2021 revealed some unforeseen issues with the debrief process that required further discussion and incorporation into the proposed settlement.

    Operational Safety Debriefs Letter of Agreement (LOA)

    AFA and management were recently able to reach consensus on the details of the LOA, which serves as final settlement of the original grievance.  AFA LOA 2023-01-17 (Operational Safety Debriefs) establishes a process for management to speak directly to Flight Attendants who have been involved in a significant safety-related event while providing benefits and protections to Flight Attendants, including:

    • Minimum pay of 4 TFP for participating in an Operational Safety Debrief, in addition to any Minimum Pay Rules and pay protection due. 
    • Limitations on how long Operational Safety Debriefs are, when they must begin, and maximum duty day.
    • Guarantee that any conversations are non-disciplinary in nature and any information obtained cannot be used in disciplinary actions (including protections under ASAP if an ASAP report is filed timely).
    • The right to AFA representation and involvement in conversations.
    • An established process to handle any follow-up training.

    For complete details, please click here to view the complete LOA.  You can also find the LOA on your IMD in GoodReader in the ASFA Supplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement folder.

    Questions?

    If you have any questions about the Operational Safety Debriefs LOA, please contact your LEC President.

    Filed Under: AFA Alaska News Now, Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), Grievance Committee, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: letter of agreement, LOA

    iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Device Distribution

    January 10, 2023 17:00

    Master Executive Council (MEC)

    • Management will begin issuing new iPhone 13 IMDs next week to Flight Attendants who currently have an iPhone 7 or 8 Plus IMD.
    • Flight Attendants will be paid 0.5 TFP for picking up the new device and performing the necessary setup tasks.
    • If you’re not scheduled to work during the distribution period in your base, other pickup options, including direct shipping to the address of your choice at no cost to you, will be available.

    Management recently notified AFA that they plan to begin distributing new iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants who are currently issued iPhone 7 or 8 Plus devices.  Distribution will take place in one base at a time over approximately six weeks.  The specific schedule will be communicated by management separately.  Flight Attendants who were hired in 2022 or have already been issued an iPhone 13 IMD will continue using their current device.

    iPhone 13 IMD Distribution Letter of Agreement (LOA)

    In anticipation of the distribution of new iPhone 13 IMDs, AFA and management have entered into a letter of agreement (LOA), further clarifying the process.  AFA LOA 2023-01-09 (Distribution of iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices to Flight Attendants Currently Issued an iPhone 7 or 8 Plus) provides benefits and protections to Flight Attendants, including:

    • Pay of 0.5 TFP for picking up the device and performing the necessary setup tasks (automatically paid on the April 20th paycheck).
    • Flexible pick-up options if not scheduled to work during the designated distribution period, including the option to have the device shipped to the address of your choice at no cost.
    • Specific limitations regarding what tasks Flight Attendants will be required to perform to set the device up.
    • A defined process (with the potential for additional compensation) to handle instances where Flight Attendants have to perform work over and above the limited setup tasks or standard maintenance requirements to make the IMD ready-to-use.

    For complete details, please click here to view the complete LOA.  You can also find the LOA on your IMD in GoodReader in the ASFA Supplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement folder.

    LAX Co-Terminal Support

    Through the continued advocacy of the AFA Council 18 LEC Officers, management has also agreed to provide on-site IT support to distribute IMDs at each of the LAX co-terminals.  On-site support at the LAX co-terminals will take place in March, and specific dates will be published by management in advance.  LAX-based Flight Attendants who primarily fly out of co-terminals can also pick up their IMD at LAX or any other domicile during the scheduled distribution period or make alternate arrangements as outlined in the LOA.

    Questions?

    If you have questions about the iPhone 13 IMD Distribution LOA, please contact your LEC Officers.

    Filed Under: AFA Alaska News Now, Contract, Grievance Committee, Inflight Service Committee, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: IMD, inflight mobile device

    December 2022 Pacific Northwest Winter Weather Event

    December 23, 2022 14:30

    Master Executive Council (MEC)

    • The snow and ice accumulation over the last several days in the Pacific Northwest has caused operational havoc throughout the Alaska Airlines system. Many Flight Attendants are being impacted by cancelled flights, reassignments, and other scheduling issues.
    • Your contract is one of the best resources to help answer questions about pre-cancellations, reassignments, duty times, and rest. The AFA Scheduling Committee has also put together an updated quick reference guide with some key contractual information.
    • If your flying has been impacted by the winter weather and you have contractual questions or concerns, please open a support ticket using the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. AFA Representatives are working to resolve issues as expeditiously as possible.

    This week’s winter weather have had a significant impact on Alaska Airlines operations in Seattle and Portland.  Hundreds of flights have either been delayed or cancelled which has had a ripple effect throughout the system leaving virtually no Flight Attendants unimpacted.  AFA Representatives are actively working to try to resolve Flight Attendant concerns that have been reported, but management’s availability has been limited as they focus on fixing the operation.

    If Your Flight Cancels

    • If your flight has been cancelled, you must still report as scheduled unless contacted by Crew Scheduling or you accept a cancellation notification in Crew Access.
    • If contacted by Crew Scheduling regarding a pre-cancellation, know your options.  Review section 10.S of the contract or the pre-cancellation flowchart.
    • If you have already reported for duty and your flight cancels, you must remain at the airport until released by Crew Scheduling.  Your duty period will run continuously until released.

    If You Are Reassigned

    Reassignments (including same-day cancellations) occur no earlier than midnight on the first day of a scheduled sequence.  They can occur prior to actual departure of the first leg of the sequence or at/after check-in.  For information about how reassignments occur, please see section 10.R of the contract or the reassignment flowchart.  For details about how pay is applied in a reassignment, see section 10.R.5 or the reassignment pay flowchart.

    Difficulty Making it to the Airport

    Significant Weather Ground Commuting Operations (SWGCO) have been declared for Seattle and Portland.  SWGCO provides additional ground commuter protections for Flight Attendants who may have difficulty reporting on time due to the inclement weather.  In order to receive protections under SWGCO, you must notify Crew Scheduling at least one hour prior to report that you won’t be able to report on time due to the weather.  Please review pages 3 and 4 of the full side letter of agreement for more information.

    Management is also offering hotel rooms near the airport in SEA and PDX for those who are reporting for trips the following day.  Please fill out this form to request a hotel room.  Questions about in-base hotels should be directed to the Inflight Snow Ops Command Center at InflightSnowOps@alaskaair.com or Base Management.  

    Pay Questions & Rainmaker

    If your flying has been impacted by irregular operations, be sure to monitor Rainmaker closely to ensure that your pay is reflected accurately.  Any pay questions should be submitted directly in Rainmaker as a pay query. 

    Contractual Questions, Issues, and Concerns

    Your contract is your best resources to answer scheduling and pay-related questions.  You can access the contract on the AFA Alaska website or on your IMD in Goodreader > ASFASupplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement > Contract.  The AFA Scheduling Committee has also put together an updated irregular operations quick reference guide with key contractual information that may be helpful. 

    If you have a contractual concern or issue that has come up and need assistance from an AFA representative, please open a support ticket using the AFA Alaska Online Support Center.  Members of the AFA Grievance, Reserve, and Scheduling Committees are working through submitted tickets as quickly as possible, but resolution may be delayed in some cases as management’s immediate focus is on operational issues.

    For additional support, please contact your Local Scheduling Committee (lineholders), Local Reserve Committee (reserves), or your LEC Officers. 

    Filed Under: AFA Alaska News Now, Grievance Committee, Reserve Committee, Scheduling Committee Tagged With: irregular operations

    Modification of Section 10.S – Pre-Cancellations

    September 28, 2022 17:00

    Master Executive Council (MEC)

    • AFA and management have recently come to an agreement to provide better clarity as to how pre-cancellations and reassignments are confirmed in advance of the first day of a sequence.
    • The agreement expands existing pre-cancellation language and provides protections to Flight Attendants in how Crew Scheduling handles a number of additional situations.
    • The new language goes into effect at midnight on Saturday, October 1, 2022.  If you have any questions, please contact your Local Scheduling Committee for more information.

    AFA and management started discussions in 2018 regarding reassignments and pre cancellations related to Hurricane Lane, during which Crew Scheduling was found to be reassigning trips out of seniority order.  The issue was referred to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process, agenda item 044-18A.  The parties discovered the language needed further clarification to assist Flight Attendants and Crew Schedulers on how to apply the provisions during these critical events as it relates to pre-cancellations, retimes, flight routing changes and aircraft downgrades that are confirmed in advance of the day of departure (i.e., first day) of a sequence.  Though conversations with management about the issue were ongoing, the ability to make significant progress in resolving the issue was hampered by COVID and network restructuring over the past several years.

    The product of those discussions resulted in the following letter of agreement (LOA), AFA SLOA 2022.09.09 Modification of 10.S Pre-Cancellations.  Please take time to review this agreement so you are aware of your contractual rights and obligations.  As part of the agreement, the following situations will now be handled according to the pre-cancellation provisions our collective bargaining agreement:

    • All retimes of the departure time of the first flight in a sequence
    • All retimes involving the arrival and/or departure times of any flight in a sequence of greater than two hours (2:00)
    • All retimes involving the later arrival time of the last flight in a sequence of greater than fifteen minutes (0:15)
    • A Company flight that is cancelled from a Flight Attendant’s line of time in advance of the day of departure even if such flight is replaced by a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) flight operated as or on behalf of Alaska Airlines (e.g., Horizon Air, SkyWest) with the same flight number and/or routing as the cancelled flight. 

    The new language contained in the LOA goes into effect at midnight on Saturday, October 1, 2022.  Our MEC, Scheduling Committee, and Grievance Committee appreciates each of you filing reports and giving us the opportunity to carve out clarifying language that will support you going forward.

    Questions?

    If you have any questions about the letter of agreement or associated changes, please contact your Local Scheduling Committee.

    Filed Under: AFA Alaska News Now, Grievance Committee, Scheduling Committee Tagged With: 10.S, pre-cancellation

    Grievance Committee Update – 1st and 2nd Quarters 2022

    July 27, 2022 17:00

    Grievance Committee

    • Our Grievance Committee works to protect all Flight Attendants from arbitrary and unjust disciplinary action and to uphold our collective bargaining agreement.  This update provides a short summary of the committee’s work over the past two quarters.
    • Management has issued discipline lately for a variety of reasons.  Read on for more information about the reasons why management is disciplining and terminating Flight Attendants.
    • If you’ve faced a situation that you believe might be a contractual violation, please report the issue through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center.  AFA Representatives review each report submitted and will follow up to help you determine options and a course of action. 

    Our Grievance Committee has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  Termination cases are usually given first priority in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases.  AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors. 

    Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination.  COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in a Flight Attendant’s file for 18 months, and then are removed.  If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation.  Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline.  If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline.  There is no middle ground for certain violations.  

    Many Flight Attendants are under the impression that if they’ve been an overall good employee, have no to low attendance points, good kudos, decent seniority, or other positive work history that they will not get disciplined.  This is not the case.  Regardless of any good work qualities that they may have, if management believes the Flight Attendant committed an offense, they will be disciplined.

    Subject of Most Recent Discipline

    • Sick leave and FMLA abuse.  Terminations are on the rise due to travel audits among other things.  Anything written in the comments/remarks on posted trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted.  If management determines abuse it results in termination.  
    • Theft.  Removing anything from the aircraft other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed will result in termination.  
    • Timecard fraud.  Examples: Intentionally delaying boarding door closure to obtain sit pay.  Management has terminated for this violation.
    • Reserve “Roulette”.  Not being within two hours of base for your Reserve Availability Period (RAP) and calling in sick only once given an assignment.  The Company considers this a terminable violation.  Management regularly reviews the trip trade postings and history related to sick calls.  Even deleted trade history or postings can be seen by management.
    • Lying in an investigation
    • Drug/Alcohol violations
    • Harassment
    • Reserves commuting during Reserve Availability Period (RAP) even if self-assigned a trip and/or not being in base for the entirety of reserve period.  Management has terminated for this reason several times.  Management regularly reviews commuting history and whether a Flight Attendant is in base for her/his RAP period.  If not, they will terminate on a first offense.
    • Social media violations including sending friend or follow requests to passengers on social media based on information gained from Block2Block.
    • Commuter Violations
      • Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home
      • Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base
      • Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities
      • Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel.  Commuter audits are being used for researching whether commuting
    • Lost IMD or other required items
    • Failing to complete CBT—even if a Flight Attendant just forgets to hit the close button at the top of the screen to switch it from in process to complete.
    • Uniform Issues—Flight Attendants can and have been pulled from working their flights without pay for uniform non-compliance.

    Recent Arbitration/Mediation

    January 2022Disciplinary Grievance
    February 2022Disciplinary Grievance
    March 2022Contractual Grievance
    April 2022Disciplinary Grievance
    May 2022Disciplinary Grievance
    June 2022Disciplinary Grievance
    June 2022Disciplinary Grievance
    July 2022Disciplinary Grievance
    August 2022Disciplinary Grievance

    Recent Contractual Arbitration Awards

    None

    Recent Grievance Settlements

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-301-20-Violation of §3.D Scope of Agreement.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §3.D [Scope of Agreement:  Scope], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it announced beginning October 2020 through July 2021, it will operate flights with cargo in cabin seats; although such flying will occur without passengers, the Company intends to staff the flights with non-Flight Attendant employees, who will be trained to perform Flight Attendant duties, specifically including but not limited to:  Firefighting duties, cargo stowage in the passenger cabin and aircraft door operation in normal and emergency mode.    

    Details:  The Company paid the top two Flight Attendants on the system seniority list who were active during this period, as if they flew these flights the six flights.   

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-186-22-Violation of §10.J.8 Delay of Publishing May 2022 Bid Results.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Contractual Bargaining Agreement §10.J. 8 [Scheduling:  Bid Packets and Bidding Timelines] past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it published the bid award for lines of time to Flight Attendants after the due date of April 13, 2022, at 9:00 AM.  

    Details:  In combination with 36-99-2-187-22, Flight Attendants who were active (i.e., not on any form of leave of absence; and if in Initial Training, must have been eligible to bid for a schedule), during at least one of the following bidding windows, April 5th-10th (for May 2022) or May 5th-16th (for June 2022), will receive 4 TFP at their respective rate of pay (less any applicable taxes withheld and other contributions/deductions) on their July 20, 2022, paycheck.  

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-187-22-Violation of §10.E.5 Failure to Include 10 LIR Pairings in LAX May 2022 Bid Packet.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Contractual Bargaining Agreement §10.E.5 [Scheduling:  Line Construction and Operational Impact] past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it did not include ten known Liberia (LIR) pairings in the Los Angeles (LAX) May 2022 bid packet for bidding.

    Details:  In combination with 36-99-2-186-22, Flight Attendants who were active (i.e., not on any form of leave of absence; and if in Initial Training, must have been eligible to bid for a schedule), during at least one of the following bidding windows, April 5th-10th (for May 2022) or May 5th-16th (for June 2022), will receive 4 TFP at their respective rate of pay (less any applicable taxes withheld and other contributions/deductions) on their July 20, 2022, paycheck.  

    Grievances Recently Mediated

    None

    Grievances Recently Granted by Management 

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-159-17-Violation of §12.A & §12.E Withholding Trips from Open Time and Suspended all Trading due JCTE Issues.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.A & E [Exchange of Sequences: Unlimited Trading/Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about September 30, 2017, to October 1, 2017, for approximately 8 hours, it either withheld all trips in open time or suspended all trading due to an issue with its Jeppesen Crew Tracking system.

    Grievances Recently Withdrawn

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-321-18- Violation of §§21, 24, 30 & 34 Hotel at Domicile for Transition Training.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21 [Compensation], §24 [General and Miscellaneous], §30 [Training] and §34 [Hotels], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when some Flight Attendants requested and were provided hotel rooms at base for Transition Training while others who requested a room were not provided one.   

    Grievances Recently Filed and Awaiting Management Response

    None

    Grievances Recently Filed and Denied

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-176-22-California Family School Partnership Act Violation of Past Practice and Roberts Award.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of past practice, the Roberts Award 36-99-2-49-03, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it unilaterally disallowed the California Family School Partnership Act for those Flight Attendants based in Los Angeles (LAX); then reinstated, with no notice, the state law for LAX based Flight Attendants only, but not for the other California based Flight Attendants in San Diego (SAN) or San Francisco (SFO), and not for the rest of the Flight Attendants based in our system, Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX) or Anchorage (ANC), in violation of Roberts.

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-233-22-Violation of §16 Sick Leave/On the Job Injury.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §16 [Sick Leave/On the Job Injury], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about May 11, 2022, it unilaterally implemented disparate quarantine procedures without adequate notice by posting and/or updating the Company intranet (“Alaska’s World”) with different quarantine requirements for symptomless vaccinated versus symptomless unvaccinated Flight Attendants. Alaska’s World articles do not provide adequate notice of a policy change to Flight Attendants, whereas such changes are communicated to Flight Attendants via required bulletins that must be read within 24-hour period prior to beginning of pairing, recurrent/requalification training, or reserve.  Under this new policy, the Company requires symptomless unvaccinated Flight Attendants to be removed from their scheduling obligations by forcing them onto sick leave and paid through their sick leave bank or accrued vacation pay if the sick leave bank was depleted. Section 16 does not contain any exceptions or distinctions based on vaccination status, yet the Company failed to bargain with the Association and unilaterally implemented such non-contractual exceptions or distinctions inequitably across the collective bargaining unit.

    Grievances Previously Filed, Denied by Management and Currently Awaiting Arbitration Dates

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-22-14-Violation of Required Maternity Leave.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 15.D. and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to require Flight Attendants to begin Maternity Leave after the 28th week of pregnancy.   

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-55-17-Violation of §21.V Winds Aloft Adjustment of Sit Pay in JCTE.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21.V [Compensation: “Scheduled” or “Actual” For Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs) and/or Sit Pay], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system displayed each posted trip as a static ‘snapshot’ taken at the time of posting rather than a ‘live’ view, thus denying the Flight Attendant the ability to determine whether a trip is eligible for 1.0 TFP of Sit Pay due to an automated scheduling adjustment (e.g. by the Winds Aloft program).

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-40-19-Violation §25.B Failure to Provide a Safe and Healthy Workplace.  This alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.B [Air Safety, Health and Security: Safe and Healthy Workplace], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to provide a safe and healthy workplace when it installed new bulkheads on the retrofitted Airbus (“Aura”) aircraft that effectively renders the aft assist handles near doors L1/R1 as unusable and unnecessarily increases the likelihood and potential severity of Flight Attendant injury during an emergency evacuation.

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-41-19-Violation of §25.D.2 Failing to Notify MEC President and ASHSC of Reconfiguration or Re-design Prior to Final Decision. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.D.2 [Air Safety, Health and Security: Safety Information], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to notify the MEC President of a decision to reconfigure or re-design the interior of the Airbus aircraft and when it failed to discuss with the ASHSC the parties’ interests and concerns for inflight safety prior to making a final decision on the reconfiguration/re-design. 

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-162-19- Violation of §12.C.1 Real-Time Trading Procedures Grievance 36-99-2-28-17 Mediated Settlement.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.C.1 [Exchange of Sequences: Trading Procedure], past practice, its mediated settlement of grievance 36-99-2-28-17 and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it agreed but failed to adhere to its July 5, 2017, mediated settlement of grievance 36-99-2-28-17:  To have AFA and Alaska representatives meet with Jeppesen to explore the capabilities of the system and how to align the front-end with the “real time” experience of the back-end user.  This is a continual violation as such meeting did not take place in a reasonably timely manner, and sufficient action was not taken to rectify the underlying system issues.    

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-36-20-Violation of §25.B ANC Training Facility.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.B [Air Safety, Health and Security: Safe and Healthy Workplace], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it conducted Recurrent Training (RT) drills in Anchorage, Alaska in the Ross Aviation Hanger, and on or about February 16-19, 2020, the external temperature ranged from 18 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit and when the hanger door opened, frequently without notice, the internal hanger temperature dropped to as low as 46 degrees.  After the external hanger door opened it took approximately two hours with a loud heater to get the internal temperature back up to the low to mid 60s.  

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-207-20-Violation of §10, §11.D & §24.L Bundled Scheduling Notifications.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10 [Scheduling], §11.D [Reserve:  Scheduling/Notice of Time to Report] and §24.L [General and Miscellaneous: Company-Provided Inflight Mobile Device (IMD)], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system sent bundled scheduling notifications to Flight Attendants on their Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) or directly in Crew Access, requiring Flight Attendants to batch acknowledge or ignore such notifications and thereby resulting in Flight Attendants potentially waiving multiple contractual protections via an extra-contractual point of contact (i.e. Crew Access scheduling notifications).  

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-384-20-Violation of §10.S Scheduling Notifications.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10.S [Scheduling :  Pre-Cancellations], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it used non-contractual scheduling notifications sent to Flight Attendants via the Crew Scheduling system in order to communicate and assign alternate flying or an obligation to call Crew Scheduling within a specific window of time.  If a Flight Attendant accepts such non-contractual scheduling notification(s), which is neither contact by Crew Scheduling via Company email nor via primary phone contact as defined in §10.S.1.a, the scheduling notification(s) violates the contract by abrogating the Flight Attendant’s ability to: (1) decline the alternate assignment and waive pay protection (§10.S.2.b), (2) decline the “out of original footprint by more than two hours” alternate assignment and call Crew Scheduling between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM (local domicile time) the night prior to the start of the original sequence (§10.S.2.c), or (3) waive pay protection and be relieved of any further scheduling obligation (§10.S.3). 

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-386-20-Violation of §8.Q & §8.R Contactability and Notification of Delay or Cancellation. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §8.Q [Hours of Service: Contactability] and §8.R [Hours of Service: Notification of Delay or Cancellation], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it used non-contractual scheduling notifications sent via the Crew Scheduling system in order to communicate and assign revised flying to Flight Attendants who were off-duty on a remain overnight (RON). Such scheduling notifications are in violation of the contractually defined means of contact and/or the Flight Attendant’s obligation to respond pursuant to these provisions.

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-230-21- Violation of §16 Sick Leave/On the Job Injury.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §16 [Sick Leave/On the Job Injury], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it announced beginning on or about August 31, 2021, that it would grant pay protection per §21.M [Compensation: Pay Protection…] to vaccinated symptomatic and/or COVID+ Flight Attendants for scheduling obligations removed due to Company-directed quarantine in response to high-risk COVID-19 workplace exposures and deny pay protection under similar or the same circumstances for unvaccinated Flight Attendants or for Flight Attendants who decline to disclose their vaccination status and would instead require them to be removed from their scheduling obligations by forcing them onto sick leave and paid through their sick leave bank or accrued vacation pay if the sick leave bank was depleted. Neither §16 nor §21.M contains any exceptions or distinctions based on vaccination status, yet the Company failed to bargain with the Association and unilaterally implemented such non-contractual exceptions or distinctions inequitably across the collective bargaining unit.

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-234-21-Violation of §21 Non-Negotiated Compensation.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21 [Compensation], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it announced on or about September 2, 2021, that it would pay $200.00 to each vaccinated Flight Attendant who provides proof of vaccination to the Company by October 15, 2021.   Section 21 does not contain any exceptions or distinctions based on vaccination status, and the Company failed to bargain with the Association and unilaterally implemented such a non-contractual exception inequitably across the collective bargaining unit.

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-1-22-Violation of §8.D Check-In and Release.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §8.D [Hours of Service:  Check-In and Release], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Block to Block (B2B) check-in system doesn’t allow a Flight Attendant to check-in if they have an unacknowledged trip change requiring them to report as originally scheduled.

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-3-22-Violation of §10.S Pre-Cancellations.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10.S [Scheduling: Pre-Cancellations], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about December 26, 2021,  it did not accept or process Flight Attendant calls in a timely manner thereby usurping the Flight Attendants’ ability to utilize the contractual pre-cancellation language allowing them to receive and decline an alternate assignment; and it allowed the Company to reassign Flight Attendants. 

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-4-22-Violation of §8.D Check-In and Release.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §8.D [Hours of Service:  Check-In and Release], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its designated check-in application (Block2Block) on the Flight Attendants’ Infight Mobile Device (IMD) displayed cancelled trips that were not cancelled in Crew Access thereby inhibiting check-in for their trips and assessing them a No Show and 3 (three) attendance points.  Flight Attendants were unable to check in manually via a call to Crew Scheduling as it had excessive wait times.

    Grievance No.:  36-99-2-84-22-Violation of §21.J Ground Delay Pay.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21.J [Compensation:  Block and Ground Delays], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it did not pay ground delay pay accumulatively, requiring each delay to go over 11 minutes to be eligible for pay, when a flight (same flight number/same routing) returns to gate one or more times.

    Filed Under: AFA Alaska News Now, Grievance Committee

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    February 1st marks the first day of Black History Month in the United States. This tradition dates back to 1925 when Harvard trained-historian Carter G. Woodson first introduced a week-long event to build awareness of the contributions made by Black individuals. Read more about Black History Month, learn about the accomplishments of Black Americans, and find out about events that you can take part in using the resource links below. Join the celebration by wearing your Black History Month AFA Pin during the month of February. If you need a pin, check with your Local Council for more information.
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    The first set of observations under the Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) program begin today (January 27) and will continue through February 28. Similar to the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), participation in LOSA is entirely voluntary and identifying information such as Flight Attendant names, dates, and flight numbers are never associated with observation data. If you have any questions about the LOSA program, please don’t hesitate to contact the AFA members of the LOSA Steering Committee.
    Read details from our Negotiating Committee about Session 8 of contract negotiations, including a tentative agreement on Hotels and updates on current progress.
    AFA and management recently agreed to a defined process for when a debrief meeting with management needs to be conducted following an operational safety event. The agreement ensures protections for Flight Attendants while guaranteeing pay, duty day limitations, and AFA representation. Details can be found in the Operational Safety Debriefs Letter of Agreement (LOA).
    Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, January 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

    • Celebrating Black History Month
    • Never Forget: Honoring Alaska Airlines Flight 261—January 31, 2000
    • LOSA Observations Are Underway
    • AFA Alaska News in Review – January 27, 2023
    • Operational Safety Debriefs
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    • AFA Alaska News in Review – January 13, 2023
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    Celebrating Black History Month

    February 1, 2023 Leave a Comment

    Human Rights Committee February 1st marks the first day of Black History Month in the United States.  The celebration has a long tradition that can be traced back to 1925 when Harvard trained-historian Carter G. Woodson introduced “Negro History Week”, which sought to raise awareness of the contributions made by Black individuals to society and the […]

    Never Forget: Honoring Alaska Airlines Flight 261—January 31, 2000

    January 31, 2023 Leave a Comment

    Master Executive Council (MEC) Twenty-three years ago today, we tragically lost Alaska Airlines Flight 261, flying between Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco, when it went down in the Pacific Ocean between Port Hueneme and Anacapa Island off the coast of Southern California. We will never forget Flight Attendants Kristin Mills, Craig Pulanco and Allison Shanks; […]

    LOSA Observations Are Underway

    January 27, 2023 Leave a Comment

    Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) As previously communicated, AFA and management agreed to conduct a Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) to help improve safety for Flight Attendants, other crewmembers, and passengers.  The LOSA program is jointly administered by AFA and management as outlined in the Inflight Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) Program letter of agreement. The […]

    Operational Safety Debriefs

    January 26, 2023

    Master Executive Council (MEC) In 2019, AFA filed grievance number 36-99-2-170-19, which alleged management’s violation of section 19.A of the collective bargaining agreement. The violation was related to an incident where management conducted a debrief meeting with Flight Attendants while they were still on duty following a slide deployment incident. As there was no contractual […]

    Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – January 2023

    January 25, 2023

    Scheduling Committee On Tuesday, January 24, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Natalie Codd (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also […]

    Response to the November 18th Inflight Town Hall Webcast

    November 18, 2022 By Jeffrey Peterson (MEC President)

    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 […]

    ALPA Alaska Approves Tentative Agreement for Pilot Ratification

    September 23, 2022 By Jeffrey Peterson (MEC President)

    Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Alaska Airlines leadership recently announced they approved a tentative agreement (TA) with Alaska Airlines management for pilot ratification. Click here for the Alaska Airlines Pilots TA Quick Guide (September 2022) > At a quick glance, the TA contains impressive improvements to scope, […]

    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.

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