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[AS] MEC Scheduling Committee Update

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] Trip Trades/Pickups and Screenshots

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

It has come to our attention that management is requiring screenshots of a Flight Attendant’s roster and the pairing in question if a Flight Attendant is requesting pay protection.  Management has not yet put out an official communication stating this.  AFA has several recent examples where management has denied activity claim forms without this information.

Due to the position that management appears to be taking, AFA highly recommends taking a screenshot of all pairings that you pick up or trade into, along with a picture of your roster with the pairing showing.  This will help to resolve any dispute surrounding pay protection should one occur.

If payroll denies your activity claim form, please contact your LEC Officers for assistance.  You can find contact information for your LEC Officers on your Local Council page of the AFA Alaska website.  Alternately, you can file report using the AFA Online Support Center at http://support.afaalaska.org/.

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

[AS] Enacting §8.S [Natural Disasters…] Due to Hurricane Irma

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

Turning crews out of Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Havana (HAV) starting tomorrow

In anticipation of Hurricane Irma, Alaska Airlines management has made the decision to reposition crews out of Fort Lauderdale (FLL) tonight and to turn crews out of FLL and Havana (HAV) starting tomorrow. AFA and Alaska Airlines have agreed to enact the provision of §8.S [Natural Disasters…] in order to ensure crew safety. The provisions of §8.S remain in effect until such time as Alaska Airlines is able to resume normal operations to the affected stations. Based on the size of Irma, AFA is advocating for management to widen the scope of §8.S in the coming days if the latest forecast models hold. AFA has also requested that management keep the Inflight webpage (SSO login required) updated with the latest information regarding which stations have been affected by Hurricane Irma and are covered by the provisions of §8.S.

Irma Preparedness

AFA International has developed a Hurricane Irma preparedness page for those potentially affected by the storm.

Read more >

Hurricane Harvey and Houston (IAH)

The Master Executive Council (MEC) is pleased that management appears to be more proactive in seeking to utilize §8.S for Hurricane Irma than it was for Hurricane Harvey. Management never sought AFA’s approval to use §8.S in order to turn crews out of Houston (IAH) in advance of Harvey, which resulted in one Flight Attendant crew being stranded in IAH during the storm. Thankfully, management successfully worked with that crew over the next several days, and the crew was eventually evacuated without physical harm. AFA is hoping Hurricane Irma will be an opportunity for the Company to improve its response.

Hurricane Harvey resources for AFA members

The AFA International Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Department has developed an informational page with details on giving help, getting help and recovery resources related to Hurricane Harvey.

Read more >

AFA Disaster Relief Fund

The AFA Disaster Relief Fund provides a means for AFA members to assist other members and retirees who have suffered significant damage and/or relocation as a result of a disaster. Since it began in the fall of 2001, the AFA Disaster Relief Fund has provided support in the aftermath of many large-scale disasters including the September 11th terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and other natural and/or man-made disasters.

AFA encourages members to donate now. Be assured 100% of your contribution will go directly to impacted Flight Attendants in the form of cash assistance.

Read more >

If you have any concerns, questions or need assistance, contact the appropriate AFA resources (e.g. EAP, local officers or Scheduling or Reserve Committee members).

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] Open Time Update – September 2, 2017

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

What is “Back to Book”?

The “Back to Book” Open Time system is the trading system outlined in the 2006-2010 Flight Attendant Agreement as modified by the 2011 AFA Arbitration Award No. 6-99-2-18-11 “Withholding Open Time.” This modified trading system was in place 2012-2015. The contractual language associated with this system is found in CBA §12.F [Exchange of Sequences – Back to Book: Open Time Trading]. The “Back to Book” Section 12 Exchange of Sequences follows the regular Section 12 and precedes Section 13 Uniforms in your contract. The arbitration award follows LOA 6 Contract Implementation Schedule and precedes the index.

What is the Status of “Back to Book”?

It has been three months since our last Open Time update (“Open Time Negotiations Update – June 1, 2017”), so it is not a surprise that Flight Attendants have been inquiring about the “Back to Book” Open Time system. As indicated in the last update, AFA filed a grievance earlier in the summer disputing management’s failure to to provide sufficient IT resources for reverting Back to Book. That grievance was subsequently sustained by management, which essentially means management agrees with AFA’s position. Management further agreed to remedy the situation by contracting with Jeppesen to program Back to Book.

It is ridiculous that a whole year has passed after ending the Open Time Trial, yet very little progress has been made toward actually programming Back to Book into the new Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) crew tracking and trip trading system. Management has been citing “IT limitations” as the reason why reverting Back to Book is still so delayed. (“If reverting, the timeline for rolling back will be dictated by IT limitations” per §12.F.9.a [Exchange of Sequences: Open Time Trial]). Management and Jeppesen claim that all available resources have been allocated to implementation of JCA.

Representatives from the Master Executive Council (MEC) and Alaska Airlines management have met several times recently to have frank discussions about the entire situation. Some of these meetings have included representatives from Jeppesen. The MEC’s goal in these meetings has been to achieve implementation guarantees for programming the new Open Time Tentative Agreement (TA) reached back in May and/or programming Back to Book. As you may recall, the MEC unanimously voted against releasing the Open Time TA due to a lack of implementation guarantees. Unfortunately, the meetings have been depressing.

Management is not inclined to agree to implementation guarantees without confident estimates about when the work would be completed. Further complicating the programming of a replacement Open Time system is the reality that Jeppesen and Alaska management have limited resources. Those resources are stretched even more thinly due to merger-related projects that have aggressive deadlines and several key staffing changes at Jeppesen and in Inflight management.

Finally, the eMaestro system is totally and irrevocably gone. Jeppesen cannot simply ‘flip a switch’ and resurrect eMaestro and/or Back to Book Open Time. Going Back to Book requires Jeppesen to completely replicate the Back to Book trading rules in JCA. Even if implementation were seamless, the “new” Back to Book system would have a significantly different look and feel than in eMaestro.

The very preliminary estimate for programming Back to Book is late summer next year. Based on our recent and ongoing experience with JCA implementation, let’s just say that the MEC does not have confidence that Back to Book—or a completely new Open Time system—will be implemented on time or without glitches.

AFA and management are meeting again early next week to discuss our options. The MEC will provide another update after that meeting. After all the disappointments with extremely delayed implementation timelines and a disastrously executed transition to the new trip trading system, you deserve better!

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] Introducing the Next MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

At our monthly meeting held yesterday, your Master Executive Council (MEC) interviewed candidates for the position of MEC Scheduling Committee chairperson. Former Chairperson Zac Weeks recently vacated that position to successfully pursue an opportunity in Alaska Airlines management as the duty manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling. Two candidates interviewed for the position (one Seattle-based Flight Attendant and one Los Angeles-based Flight Attendant). The MEC thanks the candidates for stepping forward in the spirit of Union service. The MEC has appointed Jake Jones as MEC Scheduling Committee chairperson.

About Jake

Jake Jones is currently serving a third term as vice president of AFA-CWA Council 19 Seattle. Jake is a Seattle-based Flight Attendant and joined the company in 2006.  He holds an AA in Business Administration and Management. Prior to working for Alaska Airlines, he was in the banking industry for seven years.

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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