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AFA Update – September 13, 2019

In This Edition

  • Contractual Supporting Documents
  • Reminder: New KCM Identification Requirements
  • FAA Responds to AFA Advocacy to Move on 10 Hours Rest Implementation

Contractual Supporting Documents

Contract Committee

When there is a disagreement or difference of opinion regarding the intent of contractual language or how a contractual provision should be applied, AFA and management work through an established process to attempt to resolve the dispute.  Depending on the issue at hand, the resolution might be documented in one of several forms: a letter of agreement, memorandum of understanding, labor memorandum, or contractual settlement agreement.  Regardless of the format, these documents are contractually enforceable and supplement the provisions of our collective bargaining agreement.

To allow for the easiest possible access, these contractual supporting documents can easily be accessed from the contract home page of the AFA Alaska website at https://afaalaska.org/contract.  You can also access them on your IMD through the Good Reader app by tapping ASFASupplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Questions?

If you have any questions about contractual supporting documents, please contact your LEC President.

Reminder: New KCM Identification Requirements

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

As a reminder, new crewmember identification requirements for KCM, went into effect on Friday, September 6, 2019. The requirements are:

If the crewmember is wearing a uniform, the crewmember must present, as they do now:

  • A non-expired government-issued photo ID (such as a passport or driver’s license); and
  • An aircraft operator-issued crewmember photo ID (crew ID)

If the crewmember is not wearing a uniform, the crewmember must present:

  • A non-expired government-issued photo ID;
  • An aircraft operator-issued crewmember photo ID; and
  • A third form of identification, either:
    • A valid FAA Airman’s Certificate
    • A valid FAA Flight Attendant Certificate of Proficiency; or
    • A second non-expired government-issued photo ID

This means that out of uniform you must plan to present a passport and driver’s license/government ID card or one of these items and your FAA Certification card.

At some airports Flight Attendants have been improperly directed to passenger screening if not in uniform, and in addition, that new KCM electronic randomizer function is selecting a very high percentage of crewmembers for passenger screening. AFA continues to work with TSA to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. Your reports have been instrumental in our ability to address these issues and correct discrepancies.

Please continue to respectfully question when given instruction that is not consistent with reported procedures. If the TSA Officer or manager persists with the instruction, comply and then document the incident through our reporting form.

KCM Questions and Reporting Form

We fought hard to be included in KCM program. It is both a privilege as trusted crewmembers and a responsibility as part of aviation security. We all need to work together to ensure it continues to promote security and compliments our work as aviation’s last line of defense. 

Please continue to follow all KCM program requirements.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding KCM, please submit your question using the above form or contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officersfor assistance.

FAA Responds to AFA Advocacy to Move on 10 Hours Rest Implementation

Government Affairs Committee

Last year we successfully achieved 10 Hours minimum rest free from duty under the law. According to the legislation timeline and past practice on implementation of new rules, airlines should have had to comply with the law by the beginning of June 2019. Instead, a few airlines mounted significant opposition to the implementation and argued it would be too costly and difficult to implement. The Government Shutdown and the Boeing 737 MAX grounding further delayed the implementation of hundreds of provisions of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. 

Flight Attendants made our rest a top priority and it’s because of all of you that we were able to achieve this legislative win. We have been working diligently on several fronts to remove obstacles to getting our rest implemented. We have worked directly with Chairman DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman Larsen (D-WA) and several other members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As we did with the original bill, we had both Republicans and Democrats from the Committee speaking up and pushing for implementation with FAA and DOT. We also have worked with our airlines to remove obstacles and specifically negotiated and implemented the 10 hours rest at Frontier and PSA. This also helped to demonstrate to regulators that the implementation should not be as difficult as they had been told by some airlines.

Recently confirmed FAA Administrator Steve Dickson assured AFA and lawmakers he would make implementation of 10 hours rest a priority. Today, under his leadership the FAA took an official and public step forward announcing a rulemaking process for implementing the 10 hours minimum rest. Within hours, Delta announced they would implement the rest with the February bid month – demonstrating the truth that all airlines can do this within a few months time. We will keep the heat on and press for full federal implementation as soon as possible. This is about safety, health, and equality.

Questions?

Please reach out to your Local Government Affairs Committeeif you have any questions.

AFA Update – August 16, 2019

In This Edition

  • Hotel Crew Room Blocks Card Now Online
  • REMINDER: Human Rights Committee Forming
  • TAKE ACTION: Stop Toxic Fumes!
  • Cabin Air Quality Resources

Hotel Crew Hotel Room Blocks Card Now Online

Hotel Committee

Your AFA Hotel Committee has succeeded in their effort to have the Crew Hotel Room Blocks card uploaded to an easily accessible location on both the Inflight website and the IMD.  The Crew Hotel Room Blocks card (commonly known as the “purple card”) is a quick reference card that provides information about appropriate hotel room features and room locations.  This card can be shown to hotel staff when you are assigned a hotel room that does not meet the requirements of the company’s contract with the hotel in order to hopefully remedy the situation on-the-spot. 

Going forward, the Crew Hotel Room Blocks card will be published on the first page of the monthly Hotel Hotline document.  The Hotel Hotline can be found on the Flight Attendant website under Hotel, Travel & Station > Hotel Hotline.  On the IMD, you can find the Hotel Hotline under ASFASupplemental > Hotel Hotline.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your Local Hotel Committee.

REMINDER: Human Rights Committee Forming

Human Rights Committee

In 2018, the AFA Board of Directors approved the creation of Human Rights Committees across AFA, with committees to be formed at each Local Council and MEC.  Members of the Human Rights Committee will work to promote activities that foster greater understanding of one another and the diversity of our membership in order to build the strength of our Union through our common struggles and goals rather than allowing others to divide us by our differences.  This work will involve close coordination with local community and CWA allies to engage in efforts that advance both human rights and worker’s rights.

As part of the formation of the Committee, volunteer involvement opportunities are available both at the local level (Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson) and the airline level (MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson).  If you are interested in filling the role of Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson, please refer to recent communications from your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers or contact your LEC President.

MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson

Information about the MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson can be found in the August 2, 2019 AFA Update.

The MEC will hold interviews for the position of MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson during the September MEC meeting on Tuesday, September 17.  Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/bns2FHqC11PLe3889.  The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Tuesday, September 10.  After that time, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.

Please note that in order to submit an expression of interest, you must have a Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free at https://accounts.google.com/signup.

TAKE ACTION: Stop Toxic Fumes!

Government Affairs Committee

The Cabin Air Safety Act of 2019 aims to protect airline passengers and crew from the harmful effects of toxic cabin air.

“Our workspace is the public’s travel space and in that space today, crews and passengers are breathing toxins and it has to stop,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson.

Call your Representative and Senators today and tell them to cosponsor the Cabin Air Safety Act. The House bill is H.R. 2208 and the Senate bill is S. 1112. 

Call Your Representative: 866-937-4359

Call Your Senators: 877-750-7411 

“Hi, my name is_________. As a constituent and a Flight Attendant, I am calling to ask you to cosponsor the Cabin Air Safety Act of 2019. Flight Attendants and passengers can be exposed to toxic fumes in the cabin. We need the FAA to intervene and implement protections. Support clean air onboard for passengers and Flight Attendants!”

AFA’s efforts to improve the cabin environment span the last three decades, from advocating for smoke-free skies to stopping poisonous pesticide spraying to addressing the dangers of contaminated bleed air. We advocate that the airline industry either end the use of engine bleed air for cabin air supply like on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or mitigate the circulation of contaminated air. In 2015, AFA was an active member of the ICAO task group that published Circular 344, which advises airlines to enhance their operational procedures to minimize onboard exposure to smoke and fumes. This led to an FAA Safety Alert published in 2018. This is progress, but it doesn’t go far enough. 

“Most Americans go to work with the expectation of breathing clean air. Flight Attendants don’t have this guarantee, and it is past time for that to change,” AFA President Sara Nelson said.

Cabin Air Quality Resources

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee – Air Quality Subcommittee

Your AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) and Air Quality Subcommittee have worked with AFA International to put together a number of tools and resources to use in the event of a cabin air fume event.  Some of the resources available are listed below.

Air Quality Fume Event FAQs

The Committee has compiled a comprehensive question and answer document to help provide information about many of the questions and concerns that have been received about cabin air fume events.

You can access the Q&A document by clicking here.

Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card

The Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card is a wallet sized card that explains what to do in a contaminated cabin air exposure event.  The card can be kept in a badge holder behind your company ID or in your wallet.

The card was recently updated by the Committee and now includes information about the Airbus fleet.  If you currently have an older version of the card, please destroy your old card and replace it with a newly updated one. The updated cards are currently being distributed to each domicile.

Look for more information from your Local Council about where to pick one up at your base.  You can access and print the card on the AFA Alaska website by clicking here.

AFA Alaska Website

Additional air quality information, including a flow chart that describes what to do in a cabin air fume event, can be found at afaalaska.org under Committees > Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC) > Air Quality.

Questions?

If you have additional questions about cabin air quality or the AFA resources available, please email airquality@afaalaska.org or contact a member of your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC).  

8->10 Day of Action

Tomorrow is August 10 (8-10), our Online Day of Action to keep our rest and jobs in front of Congress. Our representatives need to take action now to enact 10 hours irreducible rest for Flight Attendants and protect good U.S. aviation jobs.

Have you signed up for Twitter yet? Twitter is an effective platform to connect with our legislators and we’ve made it simple for you to sign up and participate.

Click here to get started.

Tomorrow, go to afacwa.org/8-10. This page will direct you to take action by tweeting at members of Congress and making calls for 10 hours rest and good U.S. aviation jobs.

8/10 Day of Action Checklist:

  1. Create a Twitter Account.
  2. Like AFA on Facebook and follow AFA on Twitter.
  3. Schedule 15 min on your calendar tomorrow to to make a difference.
  4. Spread the word with your flying partners.

To create a Twitter account:

  1. Go to http://twitter.com and find the sign up box, or go directly to https://twitter.com/signup.
  2. Enter your full name, phone number, and a password.
  3. Click Sign up for Twitter.
  4. In order to verify your phone number, Twitter will send you an SMS text message with a code. Enter the verification code in the box provided.
  5. Once you’ve clicked Sign up for Twitter, you can select a username (usernames are unique identifiers on Twitter) — type your own or choose one Twitter has suggested. Twitter will tell you if the username you want is available.
  6. Double-check your name, phone number, password, and username.
  7. Click Create my account. You may be asked to complete a Captcha to let Twitter know that you’re human.
  8. Follow @afa_cwa on Twitter.
  9. Add a profile picture to ensure people know you’re a real person and not a bot.

Thank you in advance for participating!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; and MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson Krystle Berry

CALL NOW: Tell Your Representative to Support the AIRR Act!

The House FAA Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 2997), also known as the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform & Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, protects our jobs from outsourcing and sets 10 hours non-reducible minimum rest for Flight Attendants.  This is our opportunity to make these provisions law.  But it won’t happen without your action.

Politico reports: “House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s floor schedule for this week left out Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster’s FAA reauthorization bill. The million-dollar question, of course, is why. It’s likely some combination of not enough votes. The whip count was close to a few dozen votes short as of the time lawmakers left town Friday afternoon.”

AFA International President Sara Nelson is asking all of us to take action.

Click Here To Watch The Video

If Congress does not pass a FAA Reauthorization Bill, it is likely that we will not get a full FAA Reauthorization Bill adopted until after the 2018 elections.  Instead, Congress will likely pass an extension.  That is unacceptable.  We need rest now.  We need job security now.  We need a fully funded FAA now.

Call your Representative TODAY at (855) 980-2366 and tell them to support the 21st Century AIRR Act (H.R. 2997)!

Here’s what you can say when you are connected:

“I’m your constituent and a Flight Attendant. I’m calling to urge my Representative to vote YES on H.R. 2997 when it comes to the House floor. This FAA Reauthorization bill ensures I have 10 hours non-reducible rest and prevents the outsourcing of my job. Flight Attendants can’t wait any longer for these safety and job protections. Please vote YES on H.R. 2997. Thank you.”

Calling is easy: When you dial the number, you will automatically be connected to your Representative’s office after a brief message. Keep calling every day!

Why are Flight Attendants supporting H.R. 2997?  The bill advances priority safety and job protections for Flight Attendants, including:

  • Flags Don’t Fly Here — prevents the DOT from awarding foreign air carrier permits to airlines that use the flags-of-convenience model
  • 10 Hours Non-Reducible Rest and a Fatigue Risk Management Plan for Flight Attendants
  • Banning Voice Calls on Planes
  • Secondary Cockpit Barriers
  • Customer Service Agent Assault Penalties
  • Cabin Evacuation Certification Standards
  • Impact of Seat Pitch on Safety
  • Nursing Rooms in Airports
  • Improved Insecticide Notification
  • Expanded Airport Personnel Human Trafficking Awareness Training
  • Improved Lithium Ion Battery Regulations

In Solidarity,

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

Equal Rest for Flight Attendants: Call Your Senators NOW

The following is a message from your AFA Government Affairs Committee

The Senate is drafting their version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill and we need them to make combating Flight Attendant fatigue a top priority.

Tell Senators to include our 10 hours minimum rest provision along with a Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) in the base bill.

Call your Senator TODAY at (855) 534-1774 and tell them Flight Attendants need 10 hours minimum rest and not a minute less!

Congressional fatigue studies confirm we need more rest. This is about safety, health and equality – the flight deck has 10 hours minimum rest and so should we!

Call your Senator TODAY at (855) 534-1774! Calling is easy: When you dial the number, you will automatically be connected to one of your Senator’s offices after a brief message. It may take several attempts to reach both your Senators, so keep calling!

Here’s what you can say when you are connected:

“I’m your constituent and a Flight Attendant. Studies show I can become fatigued at work. I’m calling to urge the Commerce Committee to include 10-hour, non-reducible minimum rest for Flight Attendants and a Fatigue Risk Management Plan in the FAA Reauthorization Bill. Thank you.”

For more information on our #Fightfor10 Campaign visit afacwa.org.

 

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson Krystle Berry

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