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Before It Becomes a Grievance: Understanding ADR and SRB

Grievance Committee

  • When AFA and management disagree on a contractual issue, it doesn’t necessarily become a grievance right away.  Most times, there is an intermediate step taken to try to resolve the issue.
  • Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) brings together decision makers from AFA leadership, inflight management, and labor relations management to try to work the issue out.  Scheduling Review Board (SRB) is a similar process that involves AFA Representatives and Crew Scheduling management.  
  • If everyone can’t agree on a resolution, our AFA Grievance Committee can still file a formal grievance and address the issue through the contractual grievance process.

As we know, our collective bargaining agreement provides many protections related to our working conditions, pay, and benefits.  Our AFA Grievance Committee and other AFA Representatives work constantly to ensure that management is doing right by our Flight Attendants according to the language in the contract.  Sometimes, however, disagreements arise between AFA and management about how a particular provision in the contract should be applied or whether or not a contractual violation occurred in the first place.

Our contract provides an established process for handling disagreements such as these.  Section 19 [Grievance Procedures] and section 20 [Board of Adjustment] of our CBA, often referred to collectively as the contractual grievance process, outline the procedures for how disputes about contractual language and interpretation are handled.  But before a matter is referred to the grievance process, there is often an intermediate step taken to try to work the issue out with management.

Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process is intended to give AFA Representatives and management the opportunity to resolve issues more quickly and with more flexibility while saving on the expenses related to processing a grievance.  ADR meetings are held every two weeks and include the AFA MEC Grievance Committee and management counterparts in Inflight management and the Labor Relations department.  During these meetings, the group reviews each case and attempts to work through issues that would otherwise be forced to the grievance process directly.

Scheduling Review Board (SRB)

Alongside ADR is a parallel process that specifically addresses scheduling-related issues.  The Scheduling Review Board (SRB) meets once per month and includes representatives from our AFA MEC Grievance, Scheduling, and Reserve Committees along with Crew Scheduling management.  The goal of SRB is the same—work to resolve issues more quickly than the grievance process would allow while achieving the best possible outcome for Flight Attendants.

How Do I Know If My Issue Has Been Referred to ADR/SRB?

If you’ve reported a concern to AFA and the issue has been referred to ADR or SRB, the status of your ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center will show as “escalated to ADR” or “escalated to SRB” accordingly.  The AFA Representative assigned to your case will continue to be your point of contact and provide you with updates following ADR/SRB meetings.  Our MEC Grievance Committee also maintains a log of current and past ADR items that can be viewed on the Grievance Committee page of the AFA Alaska website (click the “view the ADR log” button under the ADR process heading).   

What If We Can’t Work it Out?

While an issue is being addressed through ADR or SRB, the time limitations outlined in the contract for when a grievance must be filed are placed on hold.  This ensures that the Flight Attendant and our contractual rights are protected as we try to resolve the issue.  If we aren’t able to reach an agreement with management that is acceptable to everyone involved, our AFA Grievance Committee maintains the right to address the issue by filing a formal grievance.

Questions?

If you have questions about the ADR process, don’t hesitate to contact your Local Grievance Committee Chairperson.  For any questions about the SRB process, contact your Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson or Local Reserve Committee Chairperson.

December 2021 Pacific Northwest Snowstorm

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • The snowfall that occurred over the last several days in the Pacific Northwest has caused operational havoc throughout the Alaska Airlines system. Many Flight Attendants are being impacted by cancelled flights, reassignments, and other scheduling issues.
  • Your contract is one of the best resources to help answer questions about pre-cancellations, reassignments, duty times, and rest. The AFA Scheduling Committee has also put together an updated quick reference guide with some key contractual information.
  • If your flying has been impacted by the snowstorm and you have contractual questions or concerns, please open a support ticket using the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. AFA Representatives are working to resolve issues as expeditiously as possible.

This week’s snowstorm and continued winter weather have had a significant impact on Alaska Airlines operations in Seattle and Portland.  Hundreds of flights have either been delayed or cancelled which has had a ripple effect throughout the system leaving virtually no Flight Attendants unimpacted.  AFA Representatives are actively working to try to resolve Flight Attendant concerns that have been reported, but management’s availability has been limited as they focus on fixing the operation.

If Your Flight Cancels

  • If your flight has been cancelled, you must still report as scheduled unless contacted by Crew Scheduling or you accept a cancellation notification in Crew Access.
  • If contacted by Crew Scheduling regarding a pre-cancellation, know your options.  Review section 10.S of the contract or the pre-cancellation flowchart.
  • If you have already reported for duty and your flight cancels, you must remain at the airport until released by Crew Scheduling.  Your duty period will run continuously until released.

Difficulty Making it to the Airport

Significant Weather Ground Commuting Operations (SWGCO) have been declared for Seattle and Portland.  SWGCO provides additional ground commuter protections for Flight Attendants who may have difficulty reporting on time due to the inclement weather.  In order to receive protections under SWGCO, you must notify Crew Scheduling at least one hour prior to report that you won’t be able to report on time due to the weather.  Please review pages 3 and 4 of the full side letter of agreement for more information.

Management is also offering hotel rooms near the airport in SEA and PDX for those who are reporting for trips the following day.  Please fill out this form to request a hotel room.  They have also authorized any F/A to expense $100 for Uber/Lyft transportation to/from the airport in order to get to work.  No advance approval is required and your base management can provide assistance with reimbursement.  Questions about in-base hotels or transportation reimbursement should be directed to the Inflight Snow Ops Command Center at InflightSnowOps@alaskaair.com.  

Hotel or Transportation Issues While Flying

If you are currently flying and are having issues with hotels or ground transportation, you may be able to receive a quicker response from the Inflight Snow Ops Command Center by emailing InflightSnowOps@alaskaair.com.  Requests that go through the command center, especially ones that are not time sensitive, will free up Crew Scheduling to attend to other operational duties.  The command center is open from 08:00-20:00 Pacific time.  Outside of these hours Crew Scheduling will be your point of contact.

Pay Questions & Rainmaker

If your flying has been impacted by irregular operations, be sure to monitor Rainmaker closely to ensure that your pay is reflected accurately.  Any pay questions should be submitted directly in Rainmaker as a pay query. 

Contractual Questions, Issues, and Concerns

Your contract is your best resources to answer scheduling and pay-related questions.  You can access the contract on the AFA Alaska website or on your IMD in Goodreader > ASFASupplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement > Contract.  The AFA Scheduling Committee has also put together an updated irregular operations quick reference guide with key contractual information that may be helpful. 

If you have a contractual concern or issue that has come up and need assistance from an AFA representative, please open a support ticket using the AFA Alaska Online Support Center.  Members of the AFA Grievance, Reserve, and Scheduling Committees are working through submitted tickets as quickly as possible, but resolution may be delayed in some cases as management’s immediate focus is on operational issues.

For additional support, please contact your Local Scheduling Committee (lineholders), Local Reserve Committee (reserves), or your LEC Officers. 

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2021

Reserve Committee

  • Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, December 9 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • The Committee also met with management to review a number of specific concerns that were brought forward by Flight Attendants.
  • Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any reserve related issues.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

On Thursday, December 9, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.  Representing you at the meeting were Haley Hirsch (ANC), Conner Gallagher (SEA), Megan Zablan (PDX), Meg Casey & Camile Caldwell (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Joe Coneglio (SAN).  Also present were MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton, MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation Jarod McNeill, and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee also met with Inflight Crew Scheduling Duty Manager Kiana Shaw 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:

  • Review of reserve utilization statistics for November 2021.  Utilization rates are substantially higher than management’s goals.  They are aware that they are working Reserve Flight Attendants hard.
  • Clarification about how Crew Scheduling handles situations when a Flight Attendant calls in and indicates they are tired or exhausted.
  • Review of reserve coverage levels.  Coverage was increased for December 2021 and is expected to remain at the increased level through the first quarter of 2022.
  • Issues and glitches with Crew Access that are affecting Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • Clarification about how Airport Standby (ASPB) assignments are placed into Open Time (OT) for self-assignment and whether or not management is contractually compliant.
  • Concerns that Crew Scheduling may be calling Reserve Flight Attendants more than once during the first 9 hours of domicile rest.
  • Procedures used by Crew Scheduling to award Personal Drops to Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • Review of 2022 initial training classes and how the Committee will be supporting our new hire Flight Attendants.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Pushing Management to Give Relief to Reserve Flight Attendants.  Advocating for improvements in flexibility through reasonable Adequate Reserve Coverage (ARC) numbers to allow for shifting/repositioning and increased personal drops.
  2. Getting Ready for New Hire Flight Attendants.  Preparing to support new hire F/As through presentations during initial training, participation in base orientation, and expanding the reserve buddy program.
  3. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns.  Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring that management is compliant with our contract. 

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 Reserve Committee is your voice to management.  You can find our contact information on the Reserve Committee page of the AFA Alaska website. 

Next Week: Committee Meetings with Management

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Several AFA committees will meet with management next week for regularly scheduled discussions of issues currently impacting Flight Attendants.
  • Each AFA Local Council/base sends a representative to committee meetings to ensure that the voices of all Flight Attendants are heard.
  • If you have concerns or items that you would like to see brought forward, please reach out to your respective Local Committee Chairperson prior to the meeting.

Most AFA committees hold meetings with management on a regular basis as a part of their advocacy work on behalf of our Flight Attendants.  These meetings are an opportunity for our Committee Members to bring concerns and issues forward and push for improvements to our workplace.  Representing you at these meetings is your Local Committee Chairperson (sometimes another Local Committee Member or LEC Officer may fill in), who is your voice to management on matters related to the committee.

Next week, several committee meetings are scheduled to take place with management.  They include:

  • Human Rights Committee on Monday, December 6
  • Retirement Committee on Tuesday, December 7
  • Reserve Committee on Thursday, December 9
  • Hotel Committee on Thursday, December 9
  • Inflight Service Committee on Friday, December 10

If there are items that you would like to see any of these committees bring forward to management at their upcoming meeting, please let your Local Committee Chairperson know.  Click below for contact information.

Human Rights Committee
Retirement Committee
Reserve Committee
Hotel Committee
Inflight Service Committee

AFA Update – January 22, 2021

In This Edition

  • Letters of Agreement and Memorandums of Understanding
  • REMINDER: Reserve Availability & Commuting
  • College Scholarship Opportunities

Letters of Agreement and Memorandums of Understanding

Grievance Committee

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) occasionally enters into letters of agreement (LOAs) with management to address situations that were not anticipated or did not exist during contract negotiations.  The MEC also enters into memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with management in order to clarify existing contractual language.  Both LOAs and MOUs are binding agreements and are fully enforceable documents.

LOAs and MOUs are accessible on the current contract page of the AFA Alaska website and can also be accessed on the IMD through the Goodreader app (ASFA Supplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement).

Recent LOAs and MOUs

Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) – outlines how the company’s FRMP will be structured, including how reports will be coded and handled as well as disciplinary protections.  Also guarantees AFA representation on the Fatigue Review Board (FRB).

Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) – renews the ASAP program (FAA requires that the ASAP MOU be renewed every two years).

COVID-19 Agreements Extension – Through March 2021 – extends the Temporary Waiver of Discipline Delivery Confirmation MOU (04/14/2020) and Commuter Policy and Utilizing Other Airline (OAL) Carriers During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions LOA (04/07/2020).  Both will remain in effect through March 31, 2021. 

Boeing 737 MAX 9 Proving Activities – outlines Flight Attendant involvement in FAA-required proving activities for the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and ensures AFA participation in the process.

Questions?

If you have questions about LOAs or MOUs, please contact your LEC President or Local Grievance Committee.

REMINDER: Reserve Availability & Commuting

Reserve Committee

There have recently been some instances where Reserve Flight Attendants were disciplined for not being physically present in their domicile during their entire availability period.  Contractually, reserve availability periods run from 00:00 to 14:00 for AM reserve, 10:00 to 23:59 for PM reserve, and 00:00 to 23:59 for ER reserve.  During these times, a Reserve Flight Attendant must be present in their domicile, contactable, and available to report for an assignment within two hours.

Even if a Reserve Flight Attendant has self-assigned or otherwise already been given an assignment, this does not relieve them of the requirement to be in their domicile during their entire reserve availability period.  There are certain circumstances when they may be removed from the assignment and given another assignment as indicated in the CBA.  Crew Scheduling has the right to utilize this contractual language and does so on a regular basis.

Example: Reserve Flight Attendant has a 4-day block of PM reserve days starting on the 20th of the month.  On the 19th, they self-assign a 4-day trip with a report time of 21:00 on the 20th.  The Reserve Flight Attendant is still required to be contactable starting at 10:00 on the 20th and be able to accept an assignment and report within two hours.  Even though the F/A has self-assigned a trip, Crew Scheduling retains the right to contact the F/A at or after 10:00, remove the self-assignment as indicated in the CBA, and give the F/A another legal assignment.

Release on Last Day of Reserve Block

Section 11.C.5 of the CBA provides Reserve Flight Attendants with the right to request release from the remainder of their reserve obligation on the last day of a reserve block after the last Company-operated flight that the Reserve would be legal to fly has departed the domicile.  In order to take advantage of this contractual provision, a Reserve Flight Attendant must call Crew Scheduling and request to be released from the remainder of their reserve availability period.  Once released by Crew Scheduling, the Reserve Flight Attendant is free from further duty and may commute home.  If a Reserve Flight Attendant does not request release, they are still considered on duty and are obligated to physically remain in domicile until the end of their reserve availability period.

Questions?

If you have questions about commuting while on reserve, please contact your Local Reserve Committee.

College Scholarship Opportunities

AFA International

As an AFA and CWA Member, you and/or certain eligible dependents have the opportunities for at least three different scholarships, and the ability to earn a degree with no out of pocket expense for tuition, fees, and e-books.  The time for applying is now!

Brought to you by our Union, these benefits of union membership have become very popular with members.  Please see the respective links for detailed information, and good luck in obtaining financial assistance.

AFA Scholarship Fund

The Association of Flight Attendants Scholarship Fund is intended to provide financial assistance to dependents of our active members who will be attending a college or university.  The deadline for applications is April 10.  Details are available on the AFA International website at http://www.afacwa.org/scholarships.

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

The Joe Beirne Scholarship is offered by CWA. The deadline for applications is April 30.   Details on this scholarship are on the CWA website at http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/beirne.

Union Plus Scholarship Program

Union Plus provides a suite of scholarships, educational discounts, and loans available for union members.  You can find information at https://www.unionplus.org/college-education-financing.  One additional “click” brings up the scholarship applications that may be submitted online by the deadline of January 31.

Union Plus Free College Benefit

In addition, there is a free college benefit available through Union Plus for active and retired Members and their families with the opportunity to earn an associate degree completely online – for FREE.  Details and an application are online at https://www.unionplusfreecollege.org.  This benefit can save you thousands of dollars.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your LEC Officers

We Will Never Forget – September 11, 2001

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Vacation Survey Now Open

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants Your Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) is working diligently to understand and improve the vacation benefits for our Flight Attendants at Alaska and Hawaiian. Your input is essential in ensuring that the vacation provisions we adopt reflect your needs and preferences. To gather your perspectives, […]

SEA Domicile Negotiations – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants Negotiations Update The SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management.  The SEA NC met with management on September 3 to September 5 in Honolulu. At the negotiating table for this session were: Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants   […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Interviews—October 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants In accordance with Article VI.C of the AFA Alaska MEC Policy and Procedure Manual, the terms of office for the MEC Committee Chairpersons and other MEC-level positions align with those of the MEC Officers. Since the current term for the MEC Officers will conclude on December 31, […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Interviews—October 2025

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants The integration of our Master Executive Councils (MECs) is progressing steadily. Our first group of committees successfully merged on June 1, and we are now planning for another group of committees to merge on November 1. As part of the committee merging process, our […]

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