Committees

MEC Update May 7, 2014: Shareholders Meeting Informational Picketing and Rally

May 7, 2014 21:32

Dear Flight Attendants,

AFA-CWA Council 30 Anchorage will be hosting a solidarity event tomorrow, May 8, 2014. Flight Attendants will be participating in a rally and informational picketing at the Alaska Air Group Shareholders meeting. Because Alaska Airlines System Regulations prohibit traveling non-revenue in order to picket, we invite Flight Attendant Shareholders, Anchorage-based Flight Attendants and Flight Attendants laying over in Anchorage to join in the event. The festivities will occur on the public sidewalk outside of the Anchorage Museum at Rusmuson Center (625 C St, Anchorage, AK) from 3pm to 4pm ADT.

Following the rally, we invite all Flight Attendant Shareholders to join Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson, Council 30 President Becky Strachan, and Council 30 Vice President and Negotiating Committee member Lisa Pinkston as they participate in the Shareholders meeting from 4pm to 6pm. Be advised we anticipate entry will be restricted to Shareholders only.

AFA appreciates the support of our probationary Fight Attendants, but we’re going to ask them to sit this one out. Probationaries are technically allowed to participate in informational picketing but AFA believes probationaries can best support their ‘tenured’ brothers and sisters by focusing on staying informed, familiarizing themselves with the Contract and passing probation.

Any Flight Attendants participating in informational picketing CANNOT wear the Flight Attendant uniform to the event. Instead, we encourage all Flight Attendants to wear their blue AFA t-shirts as a sign of solidarity. AFA t-shirts will also be provided on site in various sizes while supplies last. A plain royal blue t-shirt will suffice as a backup. Alternatively, you can never go wrong wearing your AFA pin along with a generic blue t-shirt of any shade!

If you’re in the Anchorage area tomorrow afternoon, join in the fun!

In solidarity,

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

4 Reasons To Become a Mobilization Volunteer

May 7, 2014 11:44

For over two years, our Flight Attendants have worked without seeing an improvement in our collective bargaining agreement. We spoke in a resounding way and with a unified voice during the vote on our recent tentative agreement (TA). We told management “NO,” the TA does not recognize the contributions Flight Attendants make towards the numerous industry awards and record profits the company continues to achieve.

Becoming a Mobilization Volunteer is how you can directly contribute to the success of our Negotiating Committee. Read on to find out why being a Mobilization Volunteer is right for you:

1. You’re Tired of Waiting

Our contract has been amendable for over two years. After more than two years of negotiating, the parties have failed to reach an acceptable tentative agreement. This is two years too long!

2. You’re Not Afraid To Let Management Know How Serious We Are

When our voices are united in support of our Negotiating Committee, we send a loud message to management. When our actions are united in solidarity, the message is even louder.

3. You Want Management To Recognize Our Contributions

Flight Attendants have the most direct and longest customer interaction than any other position within the Company. We have been told time and again by management that it is our people who make the difference and keep these customers coming back.

4. Quality of Life Is Important To You

Being able to balance work and life is important to us. Together, we bargain for work rules and provisions that allow us to achieve this.

It’s time to get involved. Mobilization Training sessions are scheduled for next week in all of our base cities. In one two-hour session, you’ll learn about how we got to where we are in the negotiating process, where we’re going from here, and how you can make an impact.

Sign up now for a training session at alaskamec.org/mobilization/training. Want to know more? Visit alaskamec.org/mobilization or get in contact with your Local Mobilization Chairperson, listed below.

ANC – Thresia Raynor (thresiaraynor@gci.net)
SEA – Krystle Cook (kcook907@gmail.com)
PDX – Shawn Grill (sgrill@alaskamec.org)
LAX – Stacy Uebelhor (stacyc.uebelhor@yahoo.com)
SAN – Brice McGee (SanSecAFA@gmail.com)

As we prepare to go back to the table, we must show management that we are unified, organized, and prepared—that we are FIVE BASES, STANDING STRONG!

It’s Time To Gear Up For Mobilization

May 4, 2014 09:54

Last week, Alaska Air Group posted another record quarterly profit for the first quarter of 2014. Quarter after quarter, the Company has been making money hand over fist. Meanwhile, our Flight Attendants have been in contract negotiations for over 2 years. We have yet to be presented with a contract that recognizes our contributions to the award-winning customer service and record profits that Alaska Airlines continues to receive and the record profits that the company continues to earn.

The time has come to show management that we stand together in our desire to achieve a contract that acknowledges our contributions to a wildly successful company. Our Mobilization Committee needs you to help demonstrate our solidarity to management by becoming a Mobilization Volunteer. Mobilization Volunteers will show management that we’re serious about negotiating an industry-leading contract by participating in solidarity activities. The Mobilization Committee will also be facilitating active communication between Flight Attendants and the Negotiating Committee.

Mobilization Training events are being held in all bases the week of May 12. By attending a single two-hour session, you’ll be empowered with knowledge about how you can help the Negotiating Committee send management a unified message—we are Five Bases, Standing Strong!

Read more about the Mobilization Committee at alaskamec.org/mobilization. Ready to gear up and make a difference? Sign up to attend a Mobilization Training session at alaskamec.org/mobilization/training.

New PDX Uniform Committee Members

May 2, 2014 14:33

Please join us in welcoming Lisa Curry, Tracy Speck, and David Jelinek to the Alaska AFA PDX Uniform Committee.

Lisa Curry

Lisa started her flying career with Alaska Air Group in August 1989 with Horizon Air. She left Horizon in April 1996 to continue her flying career with Alaska Airlines. Although she doesn’t have any previous AFA involvement at Alaska Airlines, she has been involved in several special projects and committees at Horizon Airlines including aircraft standardization, recycling, food and beverage committee, Big Brother/Big Sister mentorship program, and interviewing potential new hire flight attendant candidates.

Lisa brings prior experience of an eight-year career in men’s and women’s fashion to the committee. She has worked both in sales roles at Nordstrom, Contempo and Foxmoor Casuals and in both sales and management positions at Meier & Frank. Her heartfelt passion for design and fashion in general will help to bring her ideas to the workplace and apply them specifically to our own company’s uniforms.

Lisa is extremely grateful for this opportunity to be a voice for our workgroup and she very much looks forward to working with such a talented to team.

Tracy Speck

Tracy started with Alaska Air Group in 1996 as a Customer Service Agent in Portland. In April 1999, she joined inflight and has served proudly as a Flight Attendant since. Her previous AFA experience includes serving as a VOICE Committee Member.

Being an active voice for our Flight Attendant group is important to Tracy. This motivated her desire to join the Uniform Committee. She looks forward to providing expertise and input as to the concerns, likes and wants of a leading airline uniform while helping to make decisions of a quality yet professional and classy look. Tracy is eager to be an integral part of the process and bringing a look to our Flight Attendant group that sets us a part from other carriers. “We are number ONE in the industry and should look number ONE,” says Tracy.

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David Jelinek

David joined Alaska Airlines as a Flight Attendant in March 2013. Prior to Alaska, he flew for 8 years with Frontier Airlines. During that time he served for 4 years on the Uniform Committee and helped implement a new uniform as well as update uniform standards and wear guides.

David has a degree in costume design from the University of Northern Colorado. When not flying, he enjoys making costumes and doing other sewing projects.

David wanted to get involved with the AFA Alaska Uniform Committee because he wants to help in the creation process of the new Land’s End custom uniform. He looks forward to working with the committee to design a uniform that is not only stylish and professional, but is comfortable and easy to wear. Most importantly, he looks forward to helping to design something that showcases the updated Alaska Airlines brand and that Flight Attendants will be proud to wear.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Contesa Diaz-Nicolaidis and Deanna Hill for their work on the Uniform Committee over the past several years. Their contributions to the committee during both the TwinHill and interim Land’s End uniform periods have been sincerely appreciated.

The Uniform Committee is responsible for ensuring contract language compliance for Flight Attendants in the area of uniforms. The Committee is also charged with representing Flight Attendant interests to management regarding design, fabric selection, and other details of the Flight Attendant uniform.

In Solidarity,

Your LEC Officers – Cathy Gwynn, Brian Palmer and Local Uniform Committee Chairperson Bob Moore

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study

April 23, 2014 05:00

Dear Flight Attendants,

Researches from Harvard University have contacted us seeking assistance in finding Flight Attendants to participate in a health study to help better understand the health implications of our profession. The researchers are ideally seeking candidates who, in addition to having a layover in Boston, will have approximately two weeks off during which the candidate is not planning to travel by air. The two weeks off may occur either immediately prior to or following the Boston layover. Having two weeks free of air travel is not a requirement of the study however and any Flight Attendant working a trip that includes a layover in Boston is encouraged to volunteer. A letter from the Harvard researchers and information about how to participate can found by clicking here.

In Solidarity,

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

Resources

Letter from Harvard Researchers: http://alaskamec.org/latest-news/harvard-flight-attendant-health-study-researchers-letter
Flight Attendant Health Study Website: http://fahealth.org

MEC Update May 7, 2014: Shareholders Meeting Informational Picketing and Rally