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Celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month

Human Rights Committee

  • June 1st marks the first day of LGBTQ Pride Month in the United States.  The tradition recognizes the events of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a watershed moment in the LGBTQ rights movement. 
  • Read more about LGBTQ Pride Month, learn about the history of the LGBTQ rights movement, and find out about events that you can take part in using the resource links below.
  • Join the celebration by wearing an LGBTQ Pride Month AFA Pin during the month of June.  If you need a pin, check with your Local Council for more information.

June 1st marks the first day of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month in the United States.  The celebration originated to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan.  The Stonewell Uprising is recognized as a major milestone in the LGBTQ civil rights movement.  On June 28, 1970, the first Pride March was held in New York City to commemorate the one-year anniversary on the Stonewall Uprising and the last Sunday in June continued to be celebrated as “Gay Pride Day”.  Over time, the single day event eventually grew to an entire month of events and activities.

Learn More About LGBTQ Pride Month

You can learn more about the history of LGBTQ Pride Month and the history of the LGBTQ rights movement through some of the dedicated websites and resources below.

Celebrate with an LGBTQ Pride Month AFA Pin

In 2018, the AFA Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution in recognition of June as LGBTQ Pride month.  A special commemorative pin was subsequently designed for AFA Members to wear throughout the month of June.

For more information about the pin, contact your Local Human Rights Committee.  Also be on the lookout for a communication from your Local Council or contact your LEC Officers to determine pin availability.

Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Human Rights Committee

  • May 1st marks the first day of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States.  This tradition dates back to 1978 when Congress passed a resolution to commemorate the first Asian/Pacific American Heritage week the following year.
  • Read more about Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, learn about the accomplishments of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, and find out about events that you can take part in using the resource links below.
  • Join the celebration by wearing an Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month AFA Pin during the month of May.  If you need a pin, check with your Local Council for more information.

May 1st marks the first day of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States.  The celebration originated when Congress adopted a joint resolution in 1978 to honor the first ten days of May in 1979 as “Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week”.  It was expanded to an entire month by Congress in 1990 and was finally designated to take place during the month of May in 1992.  The month of May was selected to recognize both the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States (May 7, 1843) and the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States (May 10, 1869), which was accomplished primarily through work done by Chinese immigrants.

Learn More About Asian/Pacific American Heritage

You can learn more about the accomplishments of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans through some of the dedicated websites and resources below.

Celebrate with an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month AFA Pin

In 2021, the AFA Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution in recognition of May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.   The resolution established a special commemorative pin for AFA Members to wear throughout the month of May.

For more information about the pin, contact your Local Human Rights Committee.  Also be on the lookout for a communication from your Local Council or contact your LEC Officers to determine pin availability.

Human Trafficking Awareness and Updated Training

Human Rights Committee

  • Human trafficking is a crime that occurs when force, fraud, or coercion is used to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act from another person.
  • AFA has partnered with the Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security to bring Blue Lightning human trafficking awareness training to thousands of Flight Attendants.
  • The Blue Lightning Initiative has recently released updated training on human trafficking based on feedback from airline employees and human trafficking survivors.  You can access the training through the AFA Online Learning Academy.

In 2013, AFA formally started efforts to educate Flight Attendants about human trafficking and ensure that airlines provided such training.  Those efforts grew in 2015 when AFA launched a major campaign to support the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Department of Transportation (DOT).  The goal of BLI is to train airline personnel to identify potential traffickers and human trafficking victims, and to report their suspicions to federal law enforcement.  This support expanded into an official partnership in 2017, when AFA became the first labor union to secure a memorandum of understanding to bring the Blue Lightning Training to thousands of Flight Attendants.

As Flight Attendants, we are uniquely positioned to identify human traffickers and assist their victims.  Flight crews are skilled observers, and with the appropriate training, they can be the frontline against trafficking, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  Indicators of human trafficking can include: physical control of travel documents of an adult traveler by a co-traveler; restricting the movement and social interaction of an adult traveler by a co-traveler; an adult traveler who is unclear on details of his/her final destination or point of contact; or a child traveler who appears to be accompanied by someone claiming to be the parent or guardian who is in fact not related to the child.

Updated Blue Lightning Initiative Training

The new Blue Lighting Initiative training, led by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Transportation, is an element of the DHS Blue Campaign. The training is 17 minutes in length, and is comprised of four lessons that include:

  • What is Human Trafficking?
  • Indicators of Human Trafficking Activity
  • Reporting Suspected Human Trafficking
  • Indicator Challenge

You can access the updated training through the AFA-CWA Online Learning Academy.  If it’s your first time visiting the AFA-CWA Online Learning Academy, you’ll need to register for an account using your personal email address in order to access the training.

More Information

You can find more information about efforts to end human trafficking on the Blue Lightning Initiative or the DHS Blue Campaign website pages. 

Human Rights Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2022

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Friday, March 4 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates on what progress has been made on concerns that had been previously brought forward and address new concerns that have come to light. 
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Friday, March 4, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community.  Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), Louise Borras (LAX), and Erika Daniel (SAN).  Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, California Regional Director of Inflight Operations Robbi Burton, and Seattle Director of Inflight Base Operations Jenny Bookert from management. 

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed a number of items both during internal AFA-only conversation and when meeting with management.  Some items discussed include:

  • Ongoing concerns about low morale within our work group.
  • Possibility of expanding current uniform and appearance standards to be more inclusive of varying cultural identities.
  • Support for the people of Ukraine and what the company, the inflight division, and AFA are doing.
  • Concerns about company suppliers/vendors whose values may be contradictory to those of Alaska Airlines.  Management is continuing to research this issue.
  • Concerns about a perceived lack of cultural sensitivity surrounding how the company chooses to participate in certain public events and promotional activities.
  • Ways for the committee to start building relationships with the company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) and expand existing relationships with the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) department.
  • Management’s proposal to conduct DEI listening sessions with Flight Attendants in each base; discussion about involvement of the AFA Human Rights Committee.
  • Request to make DEI information easily accessible to Flight Attendants on the Inflight Mobile Device (IMD).
  • Management’s progress on DEI initiatives and plans for upcoming work.
  • Request that management provide more timely and visible DEI updates and information about upcoming events and opportunities.  Specifically, providing Flight Attendants with enough notice to bid time off for activities they’d like to participate in.
  • Ensuring diversity and representation in company photo shoots and promotional materials that depict employees.

The committee is next scheduled to meet with management on Tuesday, May 31, 2022.  

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Working to Make Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Information More Accessible.  Encouraging management to make information about DEI events, activities, and programs more accessible and visible to Flight Attendants through links on the IMD and more regular and relevant communication.  Requesting that management include links to the Human Rights Committee’s resource page on afaalaska.org.
  2. Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs).  Continuing to work to establish relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
  3. Exploring Ways to Engage with Flight Attendants About Human Rights.  Discussing possible opportunities to work with management to conduct and participate in DEI activities in each base.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items that you’d like brought up with management?  Please let us know!  Your Local Human Rights Committee is your voice to management.  You can find our contact information on the Human Rights Committee page of the AFA Alaska website. 

Celebrating Black History Month

Human Rights Committee

  • 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.
Carter G. Woodson

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 world.  It was expanded to its current form in 1976 by President Gerald R. Ford when it became Black History Month.

Learn More About Black History

You can learn more about the accomplishments of Black Americans through some of the dedicated websites and resources below.

Celebrate with a Black History Month AFA Pin

In 2019, the AFA Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution 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.

For more information about the pin, contact your Local Human Rights Committee.  Also be on the lookout for a communication from your Local Council or contact your LEC Officers to determine pin availability.

Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives

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

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

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

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

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

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

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

U.S. Customs & Border Protection Gender Code Requirement

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

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