Grievance Committee

AFA Update – July 13, 2020

July 13, 2020 05:00

In This Edition

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
Vanguard Retirement Webinars
Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants
Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events
Temporary Requalification (RQ) Training Timeline Modification

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Government Affairs Committee

We need to generate phone calls to Congress every day. Flight Attendants and family members should be making two calls to the Senate line and one call to the House line.

We are calling for a six month aviation Payroll Support Program extension through March 31, 2021, to protect our jobs. This is the most successful jobs program of the CARES Act and it needs to be extended since COVID-19 cases are again on the rise.

All of aviation labor is standing together to call on Congress to pass a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program before the summer Congressional recess. Waiting until September for this action is too late because October planning will be done and hundreds of thousands of workers will already be told they are out of work. Already, Delta Air Lines pilots and United Airlines workers have received WARN notices.

We need urgent action on this now:

1. Call your Representative and Senators: Flight Attendants and family should make three calls every day. Two to the Senate line and one to the House line.

House: (888) 907-9365
Senate: (888) 848-4824

Sample Script:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

2. Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >

3. Tell 5 flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

A CARES Act extension must pass Congress before they recess later this summer. Take action now and plan to keep taking action every day throughout July.

https://youtu.be/OAjNYnWVxOQ

WATCH: AFA Government Affairs Activists Urge Flight Attendants to Make Calls

Vanguard Retirement Webinars

Retirement Committee

As the company will be offering early out packages, your AFA Retirement Committee, in conjunction with Vanguard, the company’s 401(k) plan administrator, will be conducting an online webinar to provide information and answer questions about the planning process for retirement. More information from Vanguard is below.

Switching from earning a paycheck to living off your retirement savings and Social Security is a big change. If you’re within a few years of retiring, learn how you can turn your savings into a steady paycheck. This webinar will help you answer:

How much will my retirement cost?
Where will I find the money to pay for retirement?
How do I make my savings last as long as my retirement?
How do I invest my money during retirement?

Dates, Times, and Registration Information

Two sessions will be available:

Friday, July 17 – 10 AM PDT
Wednesday, July 29 – 1 PM PDT

Advanced registration is required and can be completed using the link below:

Click here to register for one of the sessions

Questions?

If you have any questions about the upcoming webinars, please contact MEC Retirement Committee Chairperson Terry Taylor at terry.taylor@afaalaska.org.

Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Build your resiliency by joining these telephonic support groups just for Flight Attendants. Groups are sponsored by your AFA EAP/FADAP and facilitated by a confidential mental health professional. All Flight Attendants are welcome.

Learn some techniques on stress management, decision making under pressure, emotional balance and connect with flying partners during this period of uncertainty in the Aviation Industry. Join any or all sessions. No pre-registration required.

Calls start on Monday, July 13 and are scheduled Mondays (July 13, 20, 27, August 3) and Fridays (July 17, 23, 31, August 7). Each call begins at 12 PM PDT and will last one hour.

Call-In Number

(855) 544-2320 or (401) 648-9218

If outside the U.S., follow the directions here.

Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events

Grievance Committee

The MEC recently mediated Grievance 36-99-2-30-19, Violation of Section 28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy. This grievance arose out of the February 2019 snow events. The grievance alleged the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 28.G.2 [Domiciles: Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.

Originally, we sought to arbitrate this grievance, however it seemed better with this particular case to mediate the issue with an unbiased mediator. Arbitration results in a decision made by the arbitrator usually with one side winning and the other side losing; whereas mediation allows both parties to have a say in the outcome. An arbitration award cannot change or add contract language, it may only interpret what was already present, however in mediation the parties may come to agreements about adding or changing language.

The issue was resolved very favorably with the addition of language for ground commuting during significant weather delays. This adds protections for Flight Attendants attempting to get to work whether the weather event is anticipated or not. The new language adds a detailed process for management to follow, thereby removing any subjectivity, which typically was only a detriment to our Flight Attendants.

A complete copy of the sideletter of agreement that includes the newly agreed upon language related to ground commuting during significant weather events has been uploaded to the AFA Alaska website and can be accessed by clicking here.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the grievance or sideletter of agreement, please contact your Local Grievance Committee.

Temporary Requalification Training (RQ) Timeline Modification

Grievance Committee

For Flight Attendants returning from a leave of absence or who have been unable to complete Recurrent Training (RT) by the end of their eligibility period, completing Requalification Training (RQ) is a requirement before being able to return to work. Section 30.B.3 of the joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) requires management to offer a full RQ class within the first five working days of every month, but this requirement has recently caused significant stress for many of our Flight Attendants. Due to a recent changes in how management interprets the eligibility period of Flight Attendants who are required to take Requalification Training (RQ), the home study CBT that must be completed prior to attending class is no longer made available until the first day of the month when scheduled to attend class. With this change, Flight Attendants who might be scheduled to take RQ on the 2^nd of the month would not even have access to the CBT until the 1^st of the month.

Due to this very compressed timeline that Flight Attendants are now being given to complete the CBT prior to RQ, the MEC approached management to work to extend the period of time that would be available to complete the CBT prior to class. We were able to reach a temporary agreement with management to extend the contractual requirement for the Company to offer a full RQ class from within the first five working days of the month to having the class offered no sooner than the seventh working day of the month. The temporary agreement also provides pay protection for any affected Flight Attendants between the fifth working day of the month (the contractual requirement to offer class) and the day prior to when the Company actually offers the class. Even with this temporary extension to the Company’s requirement to offer a full dedicated RQ class, Flight Attendants who are due to take RQ may continue to exercise their contractual right to trade into the RQ slot in any regularly scheduled RT class during the month if space is available.

This temporary agreement will take effect with the August 2020 bid month and will remain in effect through at least the December 2020 bid month. A complete copy of the letter of agreement is available on the AFA Alaska website and can be viewed by clicking here.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Grievance Committee.

COVID-19 Schedule Changes

April 17, 2020 20:00

The drastic changes to April flying have resulted in an unprecedented number of ongoing systemwide disruptions to Flight Attendant schedules: pre-cancellations, flight time changes (“re-times”), flight routing changes, et cetera. Flight Attendants are often given revised flying with completely different flight numbers and/or flight routing and initial report times that are many hours earlier than their original report time.

Crew Access notifications

Multiple ‘bundled’ notifications

Multiple ‘bundled’ Crew Access notifications have made the situation even more confusing. Flight Attendants are being inadvertently stuck with unwanted alternative assignments because they acknowledged a Crew Access notification for pay protection. However, they later realize that same “good news” notification was bundled with other notifications for undesirable alternate assignments such as re-times reporting way earlier than originally scheduled. Acknowledging Crew Access notifications is “all” or “nothing.” Consequently, AFA filed a contractual grievance on this issue yesterday.

Confusing contractual citations

Additionally, AFA has become aware that Crew Access notifications have included confusing references to what appear to be contractual citations that are not related to our contract. AFA has confirmed these citations are from the pilot contract, and we have addressed this concern with management. Pilot crew schedulers have been advised by management to stop including the contractual references in the notifications effective immediately.

Disputing re-times and reassignments

AFA filed Grievance No. 36-99-2-45-17 “Violation of §10.S Pre-Cancellation and Schedule Changes” regarding re-times between 15 and 21 minutes back in June 2017 (click here for the July 2017 Grievance Report >). Management sustained the grievance (meaning they agreed the contract was violated) shortly thereafter in July 2017. However, AFA and management disagreed with the remedy (i.e. the “fix”) for the violation, and we have been in negotiations over the remedy since then.

Unfortunately, other developments and shifting priorities continually complicated our efforts: ongoing Crew Access violations, payroll issues, a merger, Open Time negotiations, Recurrent Training and management leadership changes all along the way. We know this sounds like AFA leadership is making excuses, but we want to be transparent about how long we’ve known about the issue, and why it’s still not resolved.

In the meantime, AFA also added several other contractual disputes related to reassignments to the Alternate Dispute Resolution (i.e. pre-grievance) process. The parties have continued to negotiate over a long-term remedy to all the reassignment-related disputes, including re-times. We had been making more progress towards a mutually acceptable solution lately…but then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. The parties will continue to work towards a long-term resolution to the disputes, but AFA and management agree that Flight Attendants need at least a temporary solution in place now.

COVID-19 Schedule Changes Letter of Agreement

Starting tonight at midnight Pacific Time, AFA and management have agreed to temporarily administer all Flight Attendant schedule changes that occur in advance of the day of departure of a sequence just like pre-cancellations under Section 10.S [Pre-Cancellations] with the exception of §10.S.1.c (re: cancellations reported between 8pm and midnight the day prior). This would include flight time changes (i.e. re-times), flight routing changes, etc. This temporary letter of agreement is not a permanent change to contract and will be in effect through the end of May.

Click here for the COVID-19 Schedule Changes LOA (04/17/2020-05/31/2020) >

Summary of provisions

Re-times, flight routing changes and other schedule changes that occur in advance of the day of departure of a sequence will be treated just like pre-cancellations except under §10.S.1c. All scheduling obligations and scheduling and pay protection options pursuant to §10.S except for §10.S.1.c apply to pre-cancellations as well as re-times, flight routing changes, et cetera. This includes but is not limited to the following:
- The Company may offer an alternate assignment to open positions that may include multiple sequences on the same day(s) as the original assignment. The Flight Attendant may (1) accept the alternate assignment or (2) decline the alternate assignment and waive pay protection.
- However, if the alternate assignment contains a check-in that is more than two hours earlier and/or a release time that is more than two hours later than the original assignment (“footprint + 2 hours”), then the Flight Attendant may decline and agree to call Crew Scheduling between 6 PM and 8 PM local domicile time the night prior to the day of departure of the original assignment.
- If the Flight Attendant calls back Crew Scheduling between 6 PM and 8 PM local domicile time the night prior to the day of departure of the original sequence, then the alternate assignment offered must operate within the check-in and release times (“exact footprint”) at domicile of the original sequence. If no such alternate assignment exists, then the Flight Attendant will be pay protected and relieved of further scheduling obligation.
“I didn’t mean to acknowledge the Crew Access scheduling notification and/or I don’t want the new assignment” provision
- A Flight Attendant who acknowledges a Crew Access notification for an unwanted schedule change occurring in advance of the day of departure of the sequence may re-establish her/his scheduling obligations and scheduling and pay protection options under §10.S [Pre-Cancellations].
- The Flight Attendant must call Crew Scheduling prior to 6 PM local domicile time on the day prior to the day of departure of the sequence in order to be eligible for this provision.
Extension of the “Pre-Cancellations Due To COVID-19 Schedule Changes” LOA (executed 3/28/2020) through May 31, 2020
- Please do not call Crew Scheduling until the day prior to the day of departure of the sequence.
- You may waive pay protection and be relieved of further scheduling obligation by emailing Crew Scheduling (“CrewSked FADesk” <CrewSked.FADesk@alaskaair.com>) no later than one day prior to the date of departure of the sequence.

We know that is a lot of information for one update. The Master Executive Council (MEC) hopes this temporary LOA will provide at least some short-term relief to all the confusion and disruption caused by the COVID-19 schedule changes. As your direct representative on the MEC, your LEC President is available to answer questions that you have about the LOA or the information above. You can find contact information for your LEC President by clicking here.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

AFA Update – March 25, 2020

March 25, 2020 17:00

In This Edition

Contacting AFA Representatives for Support
Pre-Cancellations (JCBA Section 10.S)
REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity
Grievance Committee Report

Contacting AFA Representatives For Support

As always, AFA representatives remain available to provide assistance during the current situation. In order to provide you with the best possible support, we ask that you continue to reach out using the following methods of contact:

AFA Online Support Center. Contractual concerns, scheduling or reserve problems, and payroll issues can all be reported using the AFA Online Support Center. Once you open a ticket, your concern will be assigned to a specific AFA representative who will assist you in resolving the issue. Click here for more information about the AFA Online Support Center.

E-Mail. Your Local Committee Members, Chairpersons, and LEC Officers can all be contacted by email. Please refer to your Local Council’s committee roster for contact information for each of your committees. Your LEC Officers can also be easily be contacted as a group using by email addresses below. Using the group email address ensures that your question or concern can be addressed as soon as possible by the first available officer.

ANC	anc@afaalaska.org
SEA	sea@afaalaska.org
PDX	pdx@afaalaska.org
SFO	sfo@afaalaska.org
LAX	lax@afaalaska.org
SAN	san@afaalaska.org

When making contact by email, please use your personal email address and not your company-provided Outlook email account. Company-provided email accounts are subject to monitoring by management and there is no expectation or guarantee of privacy.

Telephone Call. Telephone numbers for most Local Committee Members, Chairpersons, and LEC Officers can also be found on your Local Council’s committee roster. If you receive a voicemail prompt, please leave a message that includes your full name, PeopleSoft number, and contact telephone number. Voicemail messages will be returned as soon as possible and within 24 hours.

In order to ensure that your request, question, or concern is properly documented and receives the appropriate follow-up, please limit contact to one of the methods outlined above when reaching out to AFA representatives. Text messages, messages sent to personal social media accounts, and other methods of contact may not necessarily be regularly monitored for AFA-related communications and could cause a significant delay in response.

Pre-Cancellations (JCBA Section 10.S)

Scheduling Committee

Pre-cancellations occur prior to your trip, while reassignments occur same day. Currently, trips are being pre-cancelled, and you may have more than one trip that is affected. Crew Scheduling may offer more than one alternate trip if multiple awarded trips are cancelled when you call.

If you have a pre-cancellation, a CR code will be placed on your roster. You may acknowledge your cancellation on your roster, however the JCBA requires you to call Crew Scheduling. If you fail to contact Crew Scheduling prior to your trip, you must report to work as scheduled. If you are flying during your pre-cancellation, then you are required to call Crew Scheduling no later than release at domicile if the trip reports the next day.

If you do not report at the original show time and you have not contacted Crew Scheduling, you will be subject to the attendance policy and will receive a no-show under Section 32 of the JCBA. Crew Scheduling will send you an email via Outlook and leave a message for you to call them back using your PeopleSoft phone number on file, so ensure your numbers are up to date. You may be offered an alternate assignment (the footprint of which can begin or end 2 hours beyond original footprint of the trip) or you may decline the alternate assignment and waive pay protection. If the flight you are offered has a check in and/or release time outside of the footprint described above, you will have a third option to contact Crew Scheduling the night prior to that assignment. Pay protection may apply depending on the options available at the time you contact Crew Scheduling. Please refer to sections 10.S.2 and 10.S.3 for your contractual options prior to calling Crew Scheduling. Please always remember you are able to decline the alternate assignments and waive pay protection.

The Scheduling Committee has compiled a “cheat sheet” on the pre-cancellation process and section 10.S language that you can access by clicking here.

Questions?

If you have any questions about pre-cancellations or reassignments, please contact your Local Scheduling Committee.

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity

Master Executive Council (MEC)

The Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews with several Negotiating Committee candidates during the March Regular MEC Meeting. The candidates interviewed in March ranged from less than one year to eight years of Flight Attendant seniority. All candidates who met the original deadline of March 3 to express interest will be given the opportunity to interview and will be included in the candidate pool that the MEC will elect the Negotiating Committee from.

It is important to the MEC that the candidate pool is representative of the entire Flight Attendant group. As such, the MEC has re-opened the expression of interest process for Negotiating Committee Members. Additional interviews will be conducted at the April Regular MEC Meeting. The MEC is specifically seeking additional candidates with 25 years or more of Flight Attendant seniority and/or those with previous negotiating experience. Other candidates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Our current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) becomes amendable on December 17, 2021 but also contains an early opener clause for the negotiating process to begin as early as December 2020. In anticipation of early openers, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the Negotiating Committee during the April Regular MEC Meeting, to be held April 7 and 8, 2020. All three Negotiating Committee positions are up for interview and consideration. Per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, the MEC President is the chairperson of the Negotiating Committee and rounds out the Committee as the fourth member.

The Negotiating Committee is charged to negotiate and institute the needs and desires of the Flight Attendants into an effective collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The Committee should have a good working knowledge of the current CBA and be willing to devote their full time to the Committee during negotiations. The members of this Committee shall serve as the CBA Interpretation Committee until a new agreement is completed.

Selection of Committee Members

Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
Maintain a current record of the:
- Financial condition of the company.
- Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
- Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
Review tentative agreement with the MEC
Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
Present the tentative agreement to the members
Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
Remain available as a resource for interpretations
Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA. A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Flight pay loss (FPL) reimbursement will be provided to Negotiating Committee Members at the rate of 6 TFP at “A” pay for 8 hours of work. FPL is not reimbursed for days that solely contain travel to/from an activity.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the April Regular MEC meeting from April 7-8, 2020. Please plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/YGCUtxVETB3z9aZW7. The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Friday, March 27. After that time, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.

Please note that in order to submit an expression of interest, you must have a Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free at https://accounts.google.com/signup.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) 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. AFA typically prioritizes termination cases 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 the 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.

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

In order to keep terminations low, we want to give you an idea of what areas management has recently focused on in regard to disciplining (including terminating) Flight Attendants. See below:

Theft. Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination. (Temporarily there are Covid-19 exceptions).
Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things. Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted. If management determines abuse it results in termination.
Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay. Management has terminated for this violation.
Drug/Alcohol violations
Harassment
Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
Social media violations Including “friending” passengers on FB from information gained from the IMD
Commuter Violations-1. Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home; 2. Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base; 3. Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities; and 4. Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel.
Lost IMD or other required items
Failing to complete CBT—even if Flight Attendant just forgets to hit the close out x at the top to switch it from in process to complete.

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

Arbitration	Thursday, January 30	Disciplinary Grievance
Mediation	Tuesday, March 3	Contractual Grievance
Arbitration	Tuesday, March 31 (postponed)	Disciplinary Grievance

Recent Settled Grievances

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-5-16- Non-Negotiated Compensation. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 21 [Compensation] and Section 32 [Attendance Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Railway Labor Act when it awarded, without prior consistent notice, policy and application, $5 gift cards to all Anchorage based Flight Attendants for meeting the daily attendance goal.

Settlement: The Company will issue one $5.00 (five dollar) Starbucks gift card to Flight Attendants who were employed by Alaska Airlines as Flight Attendants as of 12/31/15, except for those based in ANC as of that date. Management agrees not to issue non-negotiated compensation related to the contractual attendance policy. This is not intended as an agreement that non-negotiated compensation is or is not permissible in other circumstances.

Note: The settlement will be distributed when management can obtain the correct information regarding which FAs were based outside of ANC at that point in time.

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-161-19- Violation of §12.E Withholding Trips from Open Time. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.E [Exchange of Sequences: Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) failed to immediately place all uncovered sequences or portions of sequences including but not limited to sick calls, Management Drop(s), Personal Drop(s), leaves of absence, jury duty, bereavement leave.

Management’s Response: On September 24^th, during a scheduled JCTE release, a bug was unknowingly, and regrettably, introduced to JCTE that caused long delays (up to 10 minutes at times) in trips showing up in Open Time if a scheduler made a change to the sequence. Although the company did not intentionally delay these trips from showing up in Open Time immediately, the bug in the system did cause a delay. For this reason, this grievance is sustained. This issue was resolved with the November 8^th JCTE release.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-20-20-Violation of §25.C.1 Failure to Include ASHSC in Safety Meeting. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.C.1 [Air Safety Health and Security: Safety Meetings], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 13, 2020, it failed to include the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) in a reactive safety risk assessment (SRA) meeting regarding unaccompanied minors who are sent to the wrong destinations.

Management’s response: After investigation, I agree with you that we did not appropriately include the ASHSC in the SRA meeting regarding unaccompanied minors who are sent to the wrong destinations. Going forward, the ASHSC will be included in all inflight safety meetings that the Cabin Safety Manager is invited to attend. As such, this grievance is sustained.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-27-20-Violation of §12.F.3 Threshold Sequence Number Determination for Seattle Domicile February 2020. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.F.3 [Exchange of Sequences: Threshold Sequence Number Determination], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 16, 2020, it was discovered Crew Planning did not review and increase the Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) for the Seattle domicile from 12 to 13 for February 2020.

Management’s response: After investigation, I agree with you that we did not appropriately increase the TSN for the Seattle domicile from 12 to 13 for February 2020, prior to Open Time commencing on January 16, 2020. For this reason, this grievance is sustained and the Director of Crew Planning and the Director of Crew Scheduling commit to working together to develop a documented process to ensure this does not happen again in the future.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-30-20-Violation of §30.C.1 Training Pay. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.1 [Training: Training Pay/Recurrent Training], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) home study exceeded five (5) hours; per the agreed upon computer based training (CBT) run time test process, the run time was calculated to be six hours and twenty six minutes (6:26).

Management’s response: After investigation, I have found the above referenced information to be true and therefore the grievance is sustained. Our agreed remedy is that each Flight Attendant that completes the 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) home study will receive a flat pay out of $125.00 versus the $75.00 flat pay out referenced in Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.1.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-37-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training: Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 24, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in SEA were released at approximately 5:08pm, eight (8) minutes past the contractual release time of 5:00pm.

Management’s response: After investigation, I have found that on the date referenced above, that the class did in fact release at 5:08pm. This class ran late due to the addition of the flashlight exercise at the end of the day. For this reason, the grievance is sustained. The agreed upon remedy is 1 TFP for all Flight Attendants who attended this class.

Grievance No.: 36-99-2-125-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training: Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about February 14, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in ANC were released at approximately 5:28pm, twenty-eight (28) minutes past the contractual release time of 5:00pm.

Management’s response: After investigation, I have found that on the date referenced above, that the class did in fact release at 5:28pm. The R2 training door was not airworthy and had to be re-built late the night before, pushing hands-on and drill evaluations to the second day. For this reason, the grievance is sustained. The agreed upon remedy is 6 TFP for all Flight Attendants who attended this class.

Grievances Recently Filed and Awaiting Response from Management

None

More Information

For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.

AFA Update – March 6, 2020

March 6, 2020 12:00

In This Edition

COVID-19 Continuing Developments
Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity
Never Refuse a Drug or Alcohol Test
MEC Meets with FAA to Discuss Recurrent Training

COVID-19 Continuing Developments

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

The AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), in conjunction with our AFA counterparts at Horizon Air and AFA International, continue to closely monitor the situation in regard to the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). A meeting was conducted between AFA Alaska and Horizon leaders on Wednesday to have further discussion about AFA’s requests to improve Flight Attendant protections. This meeting will be followed up by an additional meeting between all Alaska and Horizon labor leaders and management from across Alaska Air Group (AAG) to further discussions about the impact of the virus and the steps that need to be taken to protect Flight Attendants, other employees, and passengers.

AFA Alaska released a communication earlier this week with more detailed information about the requests that we have made of management to improve protections for all of us on the job. In addition to this communication, you can find the most up-to-date, pertinent information about COVID-19 and its impact on Flight Attendants on the Coronavirus Outbreak page of the AFA International website. The page contains the latest news on the outbreak, resources for Flight Attendants to guard against the spread of infection, and links to additional governmental resources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC.

Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity

Master Executive Council (MEC)

[Note: The MEC has become aware of chatter elsewhere on social media that we’re discriminating against junior and/or Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) FAs. This is due to the reposted opening for the Negotiating Committee that is soliciting for 25+ years occupational seniority and/or prior negotiations experience. This is definitely a misunderstanding about intent. The MEC has already received approximately 20 applications from both Legacy Alaska (L-AS) and L-VX FAs. We have full intention of interviewing all of them for the NC.

With a few exceptions, nearly all applicants have less than 15 years of occupational seniority and no formal negotiations experience. It is the MEC’s desire to have a representative NC, so we are looking to fill in the applicant pool with more senior FAs so that we have a representative sampling of the Membership. Additionally, Section VI.A.1 of the AFA Constitution & Bylaws specifically states “The Negotiating Committee selected should include a member, or members, who have had previous experience, insofar as is practicable.”

It is regrettable that some FAs have misconstrued the call for additional applicants with specific qualifications to mean the NC will be exclusively comprised of FAs with 25+ years of seniority and therefore all L-VX will be locked out of representation on the NC. This is absolutely not true.With only three members on the NC (plus the MEC president as chair), the MEC must consider each appointment very carefully. There are no guarantees who will ultimately be appointed because it will depend on each applicant’s qualifications and interview(s), but the MEC has a strong desire to choose a NC that is representative of all members and all constituencies as much as possible (e.g. seniorities, domiciles, legacy carriers, etc.). ^jtp 03/06/2020 @ 17:50 PT ]

The Master Executive Council (MEC) is currently in the process of scheduling interviews for prospective Negotiating Committee candidates who submitted expression of interest forms prior to the March 3 deadline. In order to provide an additional opportunity, the MEC has decided to re-open the expression of interest process for Negotiating Committee Members. Additional interviews will be conducted at the April Regular MEC Meeting. The MEC is specifically seeking candidates with 25 years or more of Flight Attendant seniority and/or those with previous negotiating experience. Other candidates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Selection of Committee Members

Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
Maintain a current record of the:
- Financial condition of the company.
- Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
- Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
Review tentative agreement with the MEC
Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
Present the tentative agreement to the members
Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
Remain available as a resource for interpretations
Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA. A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the April Regular MEC meeting from April 7-8, 2020. Bid around the interview date or plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

Never Refuse a Drug or Alcohol Test

Grievance Committee

As Flight Attendants, we are all aware that we are subject to random drug and alcohol testing. This requirement is contained in 49 CFR part 40 and falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation. At Alaska Airlines, the Drug Abatement department, which is part of the Safety Division, is responsible for administering the testing program and ensuring that the company remains compliant with all applicable rules and regulations pertaining to drug and alcohol testing.

At the end of a duty period, many of us eagerly await block in and the opening of the boarding door to see whether or not a drug/alcohol tester is waiting for us. The Drug Abatement department has told AFA that their expectation of the drug testers is that they will be present in the jet bridge when the door is opened. Unfortunately, this does not always happen for a variety of reasons.

In order to prevent any misunderstanding and protect yourself, it is critically important that you never refuse a request to be tested. Failing to cooperate with any part of the testing process is also considered a refusal to test. Alaska Airlines drug and alcohol policy states that refusing to take a test is considered to be the same as failing a test.

Reporting any Drug or Alcohol Testing Irregularities to AFA

If you are notified of a drug or alcohol test and experience any irregularities with the process, fully cooperate with the tester but make a mental note of anything unusual. Irregularities could include:

The tester is not present in the jet bridge prior to aircraft block in
The test is conducted in a public restroom that is not closed off to public access

* Please note that even though these items could be considered irregularities, they are not prohibited under DOT regulations. Do not refuse a test based on a suspected irregularity.

Once the test is complete, please report any suspected irregularities to AFA as soon as possible. These reports should be filed as a ticket through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. Be sure to include the date and time of the test, the name of the tester (if known), the flight number you worked immediately prior to the test, and any details of the irregularity. An AFA representative will follow up with you based your report.

Questions?

If you have questions about drug and alcohol testing or possible test irregularities, please contact your Local Grievance Committee.

MEC Meets with FAA to Discuss Recurrent Training

Master Executive Council (MEC)

On Wednesday, February 26, members of the Master Executive Council (MEC), including many Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents, met with representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Cascadia Certificate Management Officer (CMO) as well as various members of Alaska Airlines inflight, flight operations, and labor relations management. During the meeting, the MEC was able to engage in direct dialog with both FAA and management representatives in an attempt to gain clarity surrounding the considerable changes made to the recurrent training (RT) program over the past several months. The MEC plans to have additional discussion about RT at next week’s Regular MEC Meeting and will provide another update within the next several weeks.

AFA Update – January 30, 2020

January 30, 2020 17:00

In This Edition

Novel Coronavirus Outbreak
Black History Month AFA Pin
Negotiating Committee Interviews
Uniform Returns & Packing Materials
REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents
Managing Negativity

Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019, is creating growing concern for air travel. The first known case has now been confirmed in the United States. AFA is contacting our airlines in an effort to put in place information and precautions for crewmembers. We are sharing what we know about the virus now, although health officials are still determining the full implications of the virus and how it is spread.

NOTE: It is important that crew redouble efforts to take the best steps against spread of communicable disease. Review personal safety and universal precautions in section 4.200 of the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Situation Summary for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus remains a good source of up-to-date information on the rapidly changing situation.

AFA is calling on all airlines to institute emergency measures immediately, including providing crew members the latest information regarding the 2019-nCoV outbreak, identification of signs/symptoms of illness (in oneself and others), and procedures to manage potentially ill persons – utilizing information from relevant U.S. authorities including the CDC, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and international authorities including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). We are also encouraging airlines to adopt AFA recommendations from our Communicable Disease Incident Response Checklists.We will provide additional updates as more information is available. We will continue to press airlines for action on this as we work to keep aviation’s first responders, our counterparts in the flight deck, and our passengers safe and healthy.

Black History Month AFA Pin

Master Executive Council (MEC)

At the December 2019 meeting of the AFA Executive Board, a resolution was unanimously passed in recognition of February as Black History Month. The resolution established a special commemorative pin for AFA Members to wear throughout the month of February.

Our Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers have been provided with a limited supply of these special edition pins and will soon be making them available to you. Please be on the lookout for information directly from your LEC Officers with instructions on how you can obtain your own Black History Month AFA pin!

Negotiating Committee Interviews

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Our current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) becomes amendable on December 17, 2021 but also contains an early opener clause for the negotiating process to begin as early as December 2020. In anticipation of early openers, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the Negotiating Committee during the March Regular MEC Meeting, to be held March 10 and 11, 2020. All three Negotiating Committee positions are up for interview and consideration. Per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, the MEC President is the chairperson of the Negotiating Committee and rounds out the Committee as the fourth member.

Selection of Committee Members

Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
Maintain a current record of the:
- Financial condition of the company.
- Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
- Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
Review tentative agreement with the MEC
Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
Present the tentative agreement to the members
Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
Remain available as a resource for interpretations
Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA. A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the March Regular MEC meeting from March 10-11, 2020. Bid around the interview date or plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/6vj5XPxDwv9x54eb9. The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Tuesday, March 3. After that time, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

Uniform Returns & Packing Materials

Uniform Committee

Our Uniform Committee has recently received reports that some Flight Attendants have been told that their uniform return shipments were improperly packed when dropping them off at FedEx shipping locations. Some Flight Attendants have been told by FedEx personnel that they would be required to purchase additional packing supplies including “fill” material to prevent the contents in the package from shifting.

According to paragraph B.7 of the Flight Attendant Custom Uniform 2020 Letter of Agreement, Inflight management will assist Flight Attendants with uniform returns and provide appropriate packing supplies at no cost to the Flight Attendant upon request. If you experience a problem with FedEx personnel accepting your return shipment due to the way it is packaged, it is recommended that you bring the package to an inflight supervisor at any base and ask them to provide the necessary packing materials and assist you with sending the shipment back to Unisync.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Uniform Committee.

REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents

Contract Committee

When there is a disagreement or difference of opinion regarding the intent of contractual language or how a contractual provision should be applied, AFA and management work through an established process to attempt to resolve the dispute. Depending on the issue at hand, the resolution might be documented in one of several forms: a letter of agreement, memorandum of understanding, labor memorandum, or contractual settlement agreement. Regardless of the format, these documents are contractually enforceable and supplement the provisions of our collective bargaining agreement.

To allow for the easiest possible access, these contractual supporting documents can easily be accessed from the contract home page of the AFA Alaska website at https://afaalaska.org/contract. You can also access them on your IMD through the Good Reader app by tapping ASFASupplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Questions?

If you have any questions about contractual supporting documents, please contact your LEC President.

Managing Negativity

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Many work environments have at least that one negative person whose only way of communicating is through a string of complaints. Escaping that individual at 30,000 feet is difficult. Relentless negativity tears away at our resiliency and ability to ignore the behavior. While we cannot change the way other people behave, we can change the way we react. Below are suggestions which may help you manage our own responses to negative communication and limit its impact.

Don’t Take it Personally

Negative individuals tend to find something wrong in almost every situation. Being negative may also be one’s main way to engage or connect with others. Negativity is sometimes correlated with self-esteem and inter-generational communication patterns. A person who chronically finds problems with other people may truly be unhappy with themselves and/or demonstrating the strong influences of familial communication.

“You” and “I”

Replace “you” statements with “I” statements. People feel attacked when their behavior is directly pointed out. Feeling attacked causes the person to become defensive and may create unnecessary conflict. For example, instead of “You always complain about working with her, and it gets old.” try “I feel uncomfortable when people discuss their feelings about our co-workers with me.”

Make it a Challenge

Try to say something like “We always seem to have something to talk about, but it is usually negative. Let’s only talk about cheerful situations today.” Beginning with a positive comment increases the probability your listener will be receptive. Giving feedback in this manner may also allow you to point out the negative tone of conversation of which the complainer maybe unaware.

Offer or Seek Assistance from Your AFA EAP

Allowing a person to bombard you with their negativity may actually reinforce that behavior. Everyone manages some negativity in their lives. It is important for your own mental health to limit the accumulation of others’ issues. If someone is clearly struggling, remind her/him that AFA EAP offers confidential assistance. Say something like “You know it sounds like it might be helpful for you to give our EAP a call. I think they might be a good listener and resource for you.” Then, give them AFA EAP’s number: (949) 470-0493. Remember, AFA EAP is also available to you to help you maintain your resiliency in dealing with negativity.

In This Edition

ACTION ALERT: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Vanguard Retirement Webinars

Dates, Times, and Registration Information

Questions?

Telephonic Support Groups for Flight Attendants

Call-In Number

Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events

Questions?

Temporary Requalification Training (RQ) Timeline Modification

Questions?

Crew Access notifications

Multiple ‘bundled’ notifications

Confusing contractual citations

Disputing re-times and reassignments

COVID-19 Schedule Changes Letter of Agreement

Summary of provisions

In This Edition

Contacting AFA Representatives For Support

Pre-Cancellations (JCBA Section 10.S)

Questions?

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity

Selection of Committee Members

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

Questions?

Grievance Committee Update

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

Recent Settled Grievances

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

Grievances Recently Filed and Awaiting Response from Management

More Information

Questions?

In This Edition

COVID-19 Continuing Developments

Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity

Selection of Committee Members

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

Questions?

Never Refuse a Drug or Alcohol Test

Reporting any Drug or Alcohol Testing Irregularities to AFA

Questions?

MEC Meets with FAA to Discuss Recurrent Training

In This Edition

Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

Black History Month AFA Pin

Negotiating Committee Interviews

Selection of Committee Members

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

Questions?

Uniform Returns & Packing Materials

Questions?

REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents

Questions?

Managing Negativity

Don’t Take it Personally

“You” and “I”

Make it a Challenge

Offer or Seek Assistance from Your AFA EAP

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