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[L-AS] Transition Training Bidding Re-Open

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This message is for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

AFA has been advised of a processing error involving the time that Transition Training bidding was closed within the bidding system.  According to the Airbus Transition Training Letter of Agreement, bidding was supposed to close on Friday, May 4, 2018 at 5 PM Pacific time.  In actuality, bidding closed at 9 AM Pacific time.

As a result of this error, Transition Training bidding has been reopened to allow additional time to enter and modify bids.  Bidding will now close tomorrow, May 9, 2018, at 5 PM Pacific time.  If you have already submitted a Transition Training bid, your original bid has been saved and will remain on file.  If you submit a new bid at this point in time, any new bid will override your previously submitted bid.

As a reminder, it is important that you bid enough dates for Transition Training to ensure that you are awarded one of your preferred slots.  If you do not bid or do not bid enough dates, you will be assigned a Transition Training date by Crew Planning.

In Solidarity,

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

Transition Training

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As part of the merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America, Flight Attendants from both pre-merger airlines will need to be trained to work on the aircraft of the other pre-merger airline in order for crews to be able to fully integrate.

Transition training will take place regardless of whether or not the pending joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) is ratified.  All Flight Attendants, both pre-merger Alaska and pre-merger Virgin America, will be qualified to work both Boeing and Airbus aircraft by the end of 2018.  If the JCBA is ratified, all Flight Attendants will be able to fly on both aircraft types once full integration takes place (currently scheduled for the March 2019 bid period).  If the JCBA is not ratified, pre-merger AS and VX Flight Attendants will continue to re-certify on both aircraft types during recurrent training each year starting in 2019, but will not be able to serve as a working crew member on the other pre-merger fleet of aircraft until a JCBA is ratified.

Airbus Transition Training

For Pre-Merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

Airbus transition training will take place between July and November 2018.  Pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants will attend two, 8-hour days of transition training in either ANC, SEA, PDX, or LAX.  SAN F/As may bid into any location that has scheduled training sessions.  Similar to recurrent training, there will also be a 4-hour computer based training (CBT) that needs to be completed before attending class.

AFA and management have signed a letter of agreement pertaining to Airbus transition training, which you can view by clicking here.

Bidding

Pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants will bid for transition training between April 21 and May 4; awards will be posted by May 10.  All available training dates will be available for bid during this process.  Bids will be awarded in seniority order.  If you do not submit a transition training bid, you will be assigned a training date by management.

Boeing Transition Training

For Pre-Merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

Boeing transition training will take place between July and October 2018.  Pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants will attend two, 8-hour days of transition training in either SFO or LAX.  Similar to recurrent training, there will also be a 4-hour computer based training (CBT) that needs to be completed before attending class.

Bidding

Pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants will bid for transition training one month at a time.  Bids will be awarded in seniority order; if not enough Flight Attendants bid for the available training dates in a given month, FLICA will assign the dates in inverse seniority order until all classes for the month are full.

Management will be communicating specifics on when bidding will occur and when awards will be posted for each month.

Questions?

Management will be putting out more information about transition training within the next several weeks.  If you have additional questions, please contact your Local Council Officers.

In Solidarity,

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

[pmAS] Trading Recurrent Training To Early Or Grace Months

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This message is for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

Recently, AFA worked with management to clarify the ability of Flight Attendants to trade Recurrent Training (RT) into the month before or after your RT base month.   The result of this agreement is the Trading Recurrent Training to Early or Grace Months letter of agreement (LOA).  You can view the LOA by clicking here.

This LOA solidifies the ability of a Flight Attendant to trade RT with another Flight Attendant or with RT classes in OT into the month before your base month (Early month), base month, or month after your base month (Grace month).  JCTE will eventually be programmed to process these trades but until the programming is done, Flight Attendants should contact Crew Scheduling to process trades into Early or Grace months.

Please note that if you trade into your Grace month and are subsequently unable to attend RT during your Grace month and become no longer current, you will receive no pay protection or credit for any trips or scheduling obligations that have to be dropped because you are no longer current.

If you have received attendance points as a result of recurrent training trades since this LOA was agreed to and signed (02/08/2018), please contact your LEC Officers for assistance in contacting your performance supervisor.  If you have any other questions about this LOA, your LEC Officers are also available to assist you.

In Solidarity,

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

[pmAS] Tracking Technical Issues with Cornerstone

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This message is for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

AFA is receiving reports of increased issues related to the Cornerstone app and desktop portal.  If you are having difficulties with the system please take screenshots, log your time, contact the IT help desk for an IT ticket by email at its.service.desk@alaskaair.com or by phone at (877) 238-1077.  In addition, please report the issue to AFA at http://support.afaalaska.org/ so that the issue can be tracked.

AFA and Alaska Airlines management have established a component of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process to review documented IT concerns on a case-by-case basis.  This process allows us to work through these issues and ensure the concerns and limitations of the system are being resolved by management in a timely manner.

In Solidarity,

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

Introducing Your Inflight Training Committee

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Your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews last week for three positons for the new Inflight Training Committee: one chairperson position and two committee member positions. The MEC would like to thank the candidates who demonstrated willingness to represent our Flight Attendants. After thorough deliberation, the MEC has appointed Megan Brown to the chairperson position and Steven Vincent and Samuel Clifton to the committee member positions.

About The Committee Members

Megan Brown, Inflight Training Committee Chairperson

Megan started her Flight Attendant career in 1991.  After Flight 261, she decided to get involved with the AFA Employee Assistance Program (EAP).  She spent 10 years as the Local EAP Chair/Co-Chair for Council 19 in Seattle.  In 2004, she joined the inflight training department where she was an initial instructor and recurrent instructor, which she enjoyed.  In 2016, Megan stepped out of the classroom, but continued to support training by performing Probationary Observations and IOEs. She has recently stepped back into the classroom and hopes to support Flight Attendants’ training needs and concerns.

Megan’s greatest accomplishment is her son, Zane.  When she’s not flying, she spends her time with her family.  She looks forward to learning and supporting her fellow coworkers in her work with AFA.

Steven Vincent, Inflight Training Committee Member

Steven attended initial training in June 1981.  He initially became involved with AFA just after probation, starting with involvement on the Safety Committee.  He also became the chairperson of the AFA International Aircraft Technical Committee immediately after probation. In this role he worked with Regulatory committees and Aircraft Manufactures. He also provided accident support for the International committee and the member airlines representing AFA Flight Attendants.

In 1983, he joined the training department in preparation for the MD-80 aircraft arrival. He has worked on development and presenting training for the MD-80, 737-400 and Russian extended overwater flying for 727-200, MD-80 and support for ETOPS certification of the 737. He also has conducted Initial training since mid-80s.

Previously, Steve participated in the development and implementation of merger training for pre-merger Jet America Flight Attendants. In Alaska/Virgin America merger, he has supported pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants by participating in the blending of emergency procedures, manuals and training for FAM revision cycle 4 in SFO.

In this new role, Steve hopes to represent the entire membership as we merge to become one Flight Attendant group.

Samuel Clifton, Inflight Training Committee Member

Sam has been with Virgin America since May 2007 as an Inflight Team Leader and Inflight Instructor, mainly teaching recurrent training but has also taught several new hire training classes.

Prior to working at Virgin America, Sam worked at American Trans Air (ATA) from 1989 through 2007.  While at ATA, he was a Flight Attendant and also taught recurrent training throughout the system.  He was an active member of AFA and served on the LEC Informational Committee during contract negotiations.

From 1986-1989 Sam served in the United States Air Force as a C-5 Aircraft Crew Chief.

Sam has always had the aviation bug!  When not working he enjoys being at home in the Bay Area taking his miniature Australian Shepherd for walks on the Bay Trail.  Something interesting about Sam is he has a small collection of vintage Barbies ranging from 1959-1968.

He is extremely excited to be serving on the Inflight Training Committee and hopes to be a strong voice for his fellow instructors.

About The Inflight Training Committee

The Inflight Training Committee is an MEC-level committee responsible for working with management to advocate for Flight Attendant interests in all matters pertaining to Flight Attendant training programs and to represent the unique needs and interests of Flight Attendants who are involved in Flight Attendant Initial and/or Recurrent Training and training-related special projects.  Additional information about the Inflight Training Committee can be found at http://afaalaska.org/inflighttraining.

In Solidarity,

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

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