Government Affairs Committee

U.S. Presidential Election Text Messaging by CWA

September 19, 2016 12:00

Over the weekend, it came to our attention that many AFA Members received a text message or series of messages from the Communication Workers of America (CWA), of which AFA is part, regarding the upcoming presidential election. The messages were sent using a computer system and were programmed to carry on a conversation based on the response from the person receiving the message.

After further investigation, we discovered that these text messages were sent from the CWA Political Department without the knowledge of your AFA Alaska leadership. Your MEC has contacted both CWA and AFA International regarding these communications. We received a commitment that AFA Members will not be included in future messaging using this system.

If you have any questions, please contact your LEC President. Contact information for your LEC President can be found on your Local Council page at http://afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Government Affairs Chairperson Krystle Berry

Introducing Your MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson

July 25, 2016 08:00

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews last week for the position of MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson. We would like to thank the candidates who expressed a willingness to serve and interviewed for the position. After thorough consideration, the MEC has appointed Krystle Cook to the position.

Krystle’s career with Alaska began in February 2007 in Anchorage. It was here she called home for seven years. Three of those years she was extremely active volunteering her time on various committees. In 2014, Krystle made the move and transferred, back home, to the greater Seattle area and was appointed the SEA Local Government Affairs Chairperson.

Together with AFA activists, she has worked tirelessly to prevent knives from being allowed in the cabin of our aircrafts, lobbied to stop voice calls by passengers in flight, and is pushing members of Congress to enact 10-hour minimum rest rules and a fatigue risk management plan for all Flight Attendants.

She is the first and only representative of the Association of Flight Attendants to sit on two different young worker committees. Krystle is the AFA Lead Activist for the CWA Next Generation Program and a committee member of the AFL-CIO Young Worker Advisory Council. Both of these committees focus on issues that are directly affecting workers under the age of 36. These committees focus on issues such as student debt, economic struggles, racial injustices, and leadership development and trainings.

Krystle says, “”I am beyond honored to continue to fight for Alaska flight attendants, and all AFA members, as well as working people across the country. My passion for social and economic justice will be a driving force in ensuring we have the safest and best work environment possible.”

In her role as MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson, Krystle will work closely with the Local Government Affairs Committee Chairpersons and the AFA International Government Affairs department to represent and advocate for Flight Attendants. Her term of appointment is concurrent with the term of the MEC Officers and she reports directly to the MEC

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson Interviews

June 6, 2016 05:00

The AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) would like to thank Bev Bullock for her service as MEC Chairperson of the AFA Government Affairs Committee for over 15 years. Bev has been a tireless advocate for issues affecting our profession on Capitol Hill and has spearheaded countless campaigns on behalf of Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants. Her presence as MEC Committee Chairperson will truly be missed.

Background

The MEC Chairperson of the Government Affairs Committee is responsible for leading the committee’s effort to monitor and pursue legislative activities that relate to the AFA-CWA political agenda and to build positive relationships with candidates for office and elected officials.

Additional Information from the MEC Policy Manual

1. SCOPE

a. The Government Affairs Committee will keep members informed of legislative actions that could affect Flight Attendant income, working conditions, job security and safety.

b. The MEC Government Affairs Chairperson coordinates activity on all legislative issues with the MEC and AFA-CWA International, and shall interact with local, state and national legislatures, as appropriate, to advocate for AFA-CWA positions on relevant issues.

2. POLICY/RESPONSIBILITIES

a. The MEC Government Affairs Committee shall consist of the MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson and the Local Government Affairs Committee Chairperson from each council.

b. Committee Members should be registered to vote.

c. The MEC Chairperson shall:

(i) Administer the Committee and conduct activities to further the stated objectives of the AFA-CWA International Legislative Policy Committee

(ii) 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

d. The Committee shall:

(i) Act in an advisory role to the MEC on political matters.

(ii) Maintain an involvement in the political activities sponsored by local and central Labor Councils with which the MEC is affiliated

Qualifications

Previous Government Affairs Committee or political/legislative activist experience preferred
Knowledge of current political climate and legislative issues affecting Flight Attendants
Ability to attend meetings as required, including occasionally being present in Seattle
Ability to participate in meetings with elected officials, including occasional travel to Washington, D.C.
Ability and willingness to participate in political and legislative action events
Ability to attend AFA International and other required training as needed
Strong computer skills. Excellent working knowledge of Google email and Microsoft Office.
Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, prepare reports, and take meeting minutes.
Ability to meet deadlines and follow up on assigned tasks

Duties

Act on and follow through on directives as established in the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws and FlightPAC
Act on recommendations of the AFA-CWA Director of Government Affairs and AFA-CWA Legislative Policy Committee. Provide input, suggestions, and feedback as appropriate.
Represent the MEC with local and central Labor Councils
Coordinate FlightPAC program enrollment at the MEC level
Schedule and attend meetings with elected officials and key staff
Coordinate committee participation in AFA-CWA political and legislative action events
Correspond with the Local Government Affairs Committee Chairpersons and MEC regularly to provide status updates. Prepare and send a monthly committee report to the MEC.

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

This position is eligible for Flight Pay Loss (FPL) reimbursement by AFA. Union Business (UB) FPL is compensated at 0.75 TFP per hour when participating in pre-approved meetings or activities.
Time commitment is highly variable depending on the work to be completed each week and month. Workload will likely be higher when campaigning for key legislative issues and during election periods. Most work can be accomplished remotely.

Working Relationships

With The Government Affairs Committee

Regular interaction with the Local Government Affairs Committee Chairpersons and Local Government Affairs Committee Members.

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 AFA International

Frequent interaction with the AFA-CWA Director of Government Affairs.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the July MEC meeting on Monday July 18 or Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Bid around the interview date or plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.
Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Yvette Satterlee at yvette.satterlee@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Friday, July 8, 2016. Yvette will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and LEC Presidents-Elect Tim Green and Brice McGee

URGENT: Take Action Now to #DenyNAI

April 29, 2016 18:00

Norwegian Air International (NAI), a subsidiary of a Norwegian airline, has headquartered its operations in Ireland to take advantage of lower labor and regulatory standards. This runs counter to U.S. law and the U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement. NAI’s business plan has called for hiring pilots and Flight Attendants under individual contracts that run $18,000 a year for Flight Attendants or utilize pilots based in Asia to fly between Europe and the United States without serving Ireland.

Despite calls from AFA, ALPA, and other U.S., and European labor groups, U.S. and European passenger carriers, and more than 200 bipartisan members of Congress, the DOT announced Friday, April 15 that it will tentatively approve NAI’s application for a foreign air carrier permit. AFA has already voiced our strong opposition to this decision.

Help stop this by participating in our call to action today!

The NAI scheme threatens our career and the future of the U.S. aviation industry. A flags-of-convenience model in the U.S. shipping industry has already forced U.S. companies out of the market and lost more than 97,000 jobs. Should NAI be allowed to operate into the U.S., we are potentially looking at a similar result for Flight Attendant jobs.

TAKE ACTION NOW! Register your objection to the DOT ruling to allow Norwegian Air International to operate on an Irish certificate and trample labor standards in the U.S. and E.U.

We need each and every Flight Attendant and the traveling public to take the following actions. We only have a few weeks to stop this threat to our jobs!

Fill out the form to register your objection to NAI with the DOT. The deadline is May 6, 2016.
Call your Representatives and tell them to support HR 5090. Find your Representative at house.gov and call their D.C. and home offices.

“I am a Flight Attendant and constituent. I am urging you to co-sponsor H.R. 5090, to enforce the high labor standards negotiated in the E.U./U.S. Open Skies agreement. And, I urge you to also sign on to the Collins/Garamendi letter to Secretary Foxx to deny the NAI foreign air carrier permit. We can’t let U.S. aviation be destroyed like U.S. shipping. This is about my job, our nation’s economy and our safety and security.”

Join the picket line in front of the White House on May 12 to show our unity and strength in opposition to the recent tentative approval of NAI.

WHAT: Airline Workers Mobilize to #DenyNAI

WHEN: Thursday, May 12 at 12:00pm ET

WHERE: 1601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20050

WHO:

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA)
Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)
The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)

Don’t delay—take action now!

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; LEC Presidents-elect Tim Green, Brice McGee; and MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson Bev Bullock

AFA Alaska Master Executive Council Supports FIGHT FOR 10

March 21, 2016 18:00

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants attended the March 16^th RALLY FOR REST

Over 300 Flight Attendants from across the industry, including Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants, descended on Capitol Hill on March 16^th to RALLY FOR REST. Flight Attendants from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transport Workers Union joined together to FIGHT FOR 10. They visited all 541 Congressional offices to advocate for these provisions.

What is the FIGHT FOR 10 all about?

Every three to five years Congress is required to authorize funding and set policies for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). AFA’s top legislative priority for this FAA reauthorization is to have Congress increase the minimum rest requirements for Flight Attendants. Seven Flight Attendant fatigue studies, commissioned by Congress, concluded that the best way to combat fatigue is to get more rest.

Currently, Flight Attendant rest can include passenger deplaning, preflight preparation and passenger boarding is included within the rest period which means that the opportunity to actually sleep is closer to four or five hours. Unless an air carrier is contractually required to provide more rest than the Federal Air Regulations (FARs), Flight Attendants could be facing a scheduled 14-hour duty day following that very short sleep opportunity. The goal of AFA’s FIGHT FOR 10 includes achieving an irreducible FAA minimum 10 hours rest for all Flight Attendants.

In addition to proper rest, the FIGHT FOR 10 includes a Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP). The FRMP would provide a protocol for reporting instances of fatigue in order to take steps to correct it. The FRMP would also require education for Flight Attendants to determine when they are fatigued and how to avoid it.

What is the current status of the FIGHT FOR 10?

The House of Representatives and the Senate have two different versions of the FAA reauthorization bill, which both including language regarding Flight Attendant rest. The Senate bill includes proposed ten hours with “reasonable flexibility,” which means rest for Flight Attendants will most often be reduced to nine hours. The House version of the bill includes FAA minimum (irreducible) rest of ten hours and a FRMP.

Now that both the House and Senate have marked up FAA reauthorization bills, each chamber will schedule votes in their respective chamber. If the House and the Senate pass different versions the bill, a Conference Committee will work out differences between the two versions of the bill.

How would the FIGHT FOR 10 affect the contractual premium pay for going under 9 ½ hours?

If the FAA required minimum (irreducible) rest were to become ten hours, Alaska Flight Attendants would never achieve the two and a half times (2.5x) premium for receiving less than nine and one-half (9 ½) hours per CBA §8.K. [Hours of Service: Reduced RON Rest]. Instead, Crew Scheduling would always ensure that Flight Attendants received at least 10 hours of rest on layovers, even if that meant delaying a flight.

Why would the Master Executive Council support a legislative effort that could negatively impact a lucrative contractual provision?

The Master Executive Council (MEC) strongly believes that it would be near sighted of us to not fully support legislation that would greatly improve Flight Attendant rest across the entire industry. Not only that, but there are no guarantees the new provisions in §8.K will survive from one contract to the next. Did you know the Negotiating Committee sought such a stiff “penalty” for receiving reduced rest on a layover not for the purpose of consistently paying out, but rather to ensure Flight Attendants received improved rest? In other words, the new contractual provisions in §8.K were specifically negotiated to improve safety for Flight Attendants, not primarily as a windfall (although it is a nice bonus when it happens).

Proper rest for Flight Attendants is about safety, health and equality. Fatigue threatens safety throughout the industry. Consequently, the MEC officers feel it is our duty as safety professionals to advance the legislative agenda encapsulated in the FIGHT FOR 10.

* * *

Do you have any questions or want to know how you can help the FIGHT FOR 10? Contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) president or LEC Government Affairs Committee.

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Government Affairs Chairperson Bev Bullock

U.S. Presidential Election Text Messaging by CWA

Introducing Your MEC Government Affairs Committee Chairperson