Committees

MEC Inflight Training Committee Interviews – Call for Expressions of Interest

November 30, 2017 08:55

[UPDATED 12/04/2017] Clarification was added to indicate that only members of the inflight training department or special projects pool assigned to inflight training-related projects are eligible for Inflight Training Committee membership.

Background

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, the special projects pool, and other non-flying assignments.

The MEC is seeking to fill the committee with an MEC Committee Chairperson and two Committee Members. Both pre-merger Alaska and pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants who meet the qualifications of the position are eligible to express interest.

Additional Information from the MEC Policy Manual

I. INFLIGHT TRAINING COMMITTEE

1. SCOPE

a. The MEC Inflight Training Committee will be responsible for representing the unique needs and interests of Flight Attendants who are involved in Flight Attendant Initial and/or Recurrent Training, the special projects pool, and other non-flying assignments (hereafter referred to as the “Inflight Training Department”).

b. The Committee will advocate for Flight Attendant interests in all matters pertaining to Flight Attendant training programs, curriculum, materials, and activities.

2. POLICY/REPSONSIBILITIES

a. The MEC Inflight Training Committee shall consist of the MEC Inflight Training Committee Chairperson and two additional members-at-large selected by the MEC.

b. The MEC Chairperson shall:

(i) Be an active member in good standing who is currently and regularly assigned to Inflight Training Department responsibilities.

(ii) Meet regularly, but no less than monthly, with the MEC Vice President to discuss the needs, interests, challenges, and other matters of interests to members assigned to Inflight Training Department responsibilities.

(iii) Represent the Flight Attendant point of view to the Company in all matters pertaining to Flight Attendant Initial and Recurrent Training programs, curriculum, and other materials as well as supplemental required and optional training activities.

(iv) Work with the Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) to review all Flight Attendant training activities and materials

(v) Work with other AFA Committees as needed to accomplish assigned tasks and responsibilities

(vi) Participate in AFA presentations to Flight Attendant Initial Training (IT) classes

(vii) Keep the membership informed of items of interest pertaining to members assigned to Inflight Training Department responsibilities. He/she will compose informational and educational articles of interest to the membership and provide them to the MEC Communications Chairperson to be included in MEC communications and posted to the MEC website

Qualifications

Current member of the inflight training department and/or inflight special projects pool assigned to inflight training-related projects (includes Virgin America ATS Flight Attendants)
Working knowledge of inflight training department policies and procedures
Strong computer skills. Working knowledge of Google email and Microsoft Office.
Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write membership communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, prepare reports, and plan meeting agendas and take minutes.
Ability to meet deadlines, delegate responsibilities, and follow up on assigned tasks.

Duties

Review and provide input on Flight Attendant Initial and Recurrent Training programs, curriculum, and other materials
Review and provide input on supplemental training activities
Act in an advisory role to the MEC on inflight training-related matters
Review material, handle correspondence, and keep the members well informed of current inflight training developments. Provide information to the Communications Committee for inclusion in MEC communications.
Attend meetings with management and represent the AFA position on inflight training-related matters.
Correspond with the MEC regularly to provide status updates. Prepare and send a monthly committee report to the MEC.

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

It is estimated that most of the work of these positions will be conducted in conjunction with performing regular inflight training or special projects responsibilities. Some additional remote work may be required.
These positions do not have an allocated budget for flight pay loss reimbursement.

Working Relationships

With Other MEC Committee Chairpersons

Regular interaction with other MEC Committee Chairpersons; particularly the Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), Grievance Committee, and Reserve Committee Chairpersons.

With The Master Executive Council

This position reports to the Master Executive Council. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC Vice President.

With Alaska Airlines Management

Constant interaction with inflight management, particularly the Managing Director of Inflight Strategy and Support (Carmen Williams), Manager of Inflight Training Delivery (Amanda Westendorf), Manager of Inflight Policy and Procedure (position currently vacant), and the Inflight Training Supervisors.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the January MEC meeting on Thursday, January 18 and Friday, January 19, 2018.
Interviews will be at the AFA Alaska MEC office in Seattle.
Submit an expression of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Monday, January 8, 2018. In your expression of interest, please indicate the position you are interested in: Chairperson, Committee Member, or both.
Linda will be able to provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.

In Solidarity,

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

[AS] Vacation Open Time Trading Will Now Open Tonight

October 26, 2017 17:30

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

After working to create a technical fix for the vacation trading system, management has advised us that they will be opening vacation open time trading tonight, Thursday, October 26. Each base will open in hourly increments as shown below.

SAN	7 PM
PDX	8 PM
ANC	9 PM Pacific (8 PM ANC local time)
LAX	10 PM
SEA	11 PM

Further Conversation with Management to Be Had

Your AFA leadership is extremely disappointed and frustrated with the IT failure surrounding the delay in the start vacation open time trading. This is yet another occurrence in a long list of IT-related issues that continue to plague various company-related systems and negatively impact Flight Attendant quality of life. We plan to have further discussion with management regarding this situation soon and will provide an update after that conversation has taken place.

In Solidarity,

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

[AS] Annual Benefits Enrollment

October 23, 2017 17:00

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

Annual Enrollment is the time to review your benefits and make changes if desired for the upcoming plan year. Annual enrollment began today (10/23/17) and ends 11/13/17.

Optional ADD, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability may be selected during Open Enrollment, to take effect 01/01/2018.

A few highlights for 2018 include:

Added coverage for medical treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) to both Premera Plans
Optional Group Legal and Identity Theft insurance available
Massage Therapy Benefit added to Consumer Choice PPO ONLY (High deductible plan) – 12 visits/ year

Additional optional Accidental Death and Dismemberment (ADD) insurance, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability (STD) benefits may be selected during Annual Enrollment, to take effect 01/01/2018. As a reminder, Short Term Disability payments are offset by an employee’s Social Security payments. If you are collecting your own Social Security, it may not make sense to select or continue with STD.

If you are planning to start a family in 2018, Open Enrollment will allow you select an extra 20% of Short Term Disability coverage, which will go into effect January 1, 2018. If you are currently pregnant, the additional income replacement will not apply to this maternity leave.

Remember, Travel Benefits Changes occur separately, not during Annual Enrollment.

If you need assistance or have questions, contact a Benefits Committee member for your base. You can also contact the Alaska Air Group Benefits Center with questions, at 1-844-231-3476.

In Solidarity,

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

[AS] MEC Scheduling Committee Update

October 5, 2017 18:00

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

Reporting Issues vs. Contract Questions

A new email is available for reporting Crew Access issues (incorrect illegality, unable to swap, etc.). For issues specific to Crew Access functionality, please email: mgmt.facrewsked@alaskaair.com.

If you have any contract or pay questions, we encourage you to file a report using the AFA Online Support Center. This ensures your question is routed to the correct AFA representative and tracked for informational purposes. Access the AFA Online Support Center here: http://support.afaalaska.org/

Irregular Operations

Whenever flight attendants experience irregular operations, union representatives reach out to offer assistance and ensure the flight attendants know what to request through an Activity Claim Form. For your convenience, we have attached the Irregular Operations document we send to affected crews. Keep in mind this is a quick reference guide of contract provisions. We advise you spend time familiarizing yourself with the contract as well.

Double Checking Pay

Many flight attendants have questions on how to accurately double check pay/TFP totals. While the union agrees flight attendants should not need to double check and request their hard earned pay and TFP, we also want you equipped with the best information possible.

If you choose to check your pay or TFP totals, use your Crew Paysheet as your main resource. Use the Pay Sheet Description and Crew Pay Sheet Codes to interpret your paysheet. You may then compare this to the totals on your actual paycheck each month.

Transition Training

Currently, transition training is scheduled to begin July 2018 and run through November 2018. Alaska FAs will learn the Airbus aircraft and Virgin America FAs will learn Boeing. More information and details will be released once management and AFA discuss the process.

Crew Access

Trading with Codes

There have been many questions recently about trading in Crew Access with TO and non-coded trips. We have attached a document explaining what trades are legal/allowed on Crew Access. Please keep in mind that multiple trades, previously allowed on eMaestro, are not allowed on Crew Access.

‘Published’ vs. ‘Release’ roster report

The Published Roster report is current and should reflect the trips you have flown/are scheduled to fly in a month period. The Roster Release report shows the trips you were originally awarded from PBS, and does not reflect any changes to your schedule.

The TFP ‘Circle’

The TFP ‘circle’ at the top of Crew Access shows your monthly TFP totals. Keep in mind this number only reflects your TFP through the current day of the month. To avoid any error, we advise you to use the published roster report for an accurate TFP total for the month.

Trading Recurrent

Recurrent training may be traded with any open recurrent day in OT, the same as you would trade any trip. You may also direct trade recurrent dates with another flight attendant the same as you would direct trade a trip. Notice the ‘trip number’ for recurrent in the picture below.

Please note: when trading recurrent, you will need to contact CS to remove travel days from your schedule in order to pick up trips on those dates. You will also need to cancel any hotel reservations. SAN FAs – currently, trading recurrent must be done after “out of domicile” trades are allowed.

If you have any questions, please email your Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson.

Fly safe! – MEC Scheduling Committee

[AS] New Crew Tracking System and Payroll Disputes

October 4, 2017 17:00

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

AFA is not okay with the situation

The Master Executive Council (MEC) sent out a “Trip Trades/Pickups and Screenshots” communication on September 20, 2017, that generated a number of concerns from the membership. We wish to clarify the intent of that communication and to assure you that AFA is definitely not okay with the situation.

Our new crew tracking system is a hot mess

Let’s be honest: From the Flight Attendant perspective, our new crew tracking system is a hot mess. As just one example, pairing values sometimes change due to reasons unknown as of this writing. Crew Administration has been taking the position that in order to guarantee pay when a pairing value has changed on the roster or is different than listed in the bid packet, then there needs to be a screenshot as proof. Otherwise, Crew Administration generally has not been paying the difference.

Documentation (e.g. screenshots) is generally needed as evidence in order for claims to be successful

In order for AFA to successfully achieve pay protection for a Flight Attendant pursuant to CBA §10.W [Scheduling Errors], management has usually been requiring objective evidence to substantiate the pay claim. One of the easiest ways for a F/A to provide evidence to AFA in order to help us advocate on your behalf is to take a screenshot of the pairing.

Similarly, if F/As wish to bring forward complaints to the state or to file a lawsuit, then documentation (e.g. screen shots) is generally needed as evidence in order to be successful. When you also consider that F/As can only look back 60 days on their respective rosters, then screenshots seem like one of the easier methods of verifying activity. AFA’s primary goal here is to get you paid correctly as soon as possible, which is why we recommended screenshots in the previous communication.

The law says the burden of proof for wage claims lies with the employer, not the employee

That being said, AFA believes the scheduling and payroll situation is completely unacceptable. Your AFA leaders and representatives advocate to management on a near-daily basis that Flight Attendants are being denied the tools to successfully manage their schedules and to verify their pay. Thankfully, AFA and management recently arrived at the same understanding on one very important point: The law says the burden of proof for wage claims lies with the employer, not the employee.

Consequently, AFA is advising F/As that you should not be required to provide screenshots to management in order to be properly compensated. However, AFA will continue to ask members who request our assistance with pay discrepancies to supply us with screenshots and any other available documentation so that we can research and resolve your disputes.

Jeff Butler’s October 3^rd “JCTE and Payroll” email is a step in the right direction

The MEC appreciates Vice President of Inflight & Call Center Services Jeff Butler acknowledging the issues in his October 3^rd “JCTE and Payroll” email, which is a step in the right direction. AFA is committed to continuing to work with management and advocating on your behalf to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams and MEC Grievance Committee Representative Christina Frees

Background

Additional Information from the MEC Policy Manual

Qualifications

Duties

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Working Relationships

With Other MEC Committee Chairpersons

With The Master Executive Council

With Alaska Airlines Management

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

Further Conversation with Management to Be Had

Reporting Issues vs. Contract Questions

Irregular Operations

Double Checking Pay

Transition Training

Crew Access

Trading with Codes

‘Published’ vs. ‘Release’ roster report

The TFP ‘Circle’

Trading Recurrent

AFA is not okay with the situation

Our new crew tracking system is a hot mess

Documentation (e.g. screenshots) is generally needed as evidence in order for claims to be successful

The law says the burden of proof for wage claims lies with the employer, not the employee

Jeff Butler’s October 3rd “JCTE and Payroll” email is a step in the right direction

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Jeff Butler’s October 3^rd “JCTE and Payroll” email is a step in the right direction