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Human Rights Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2021 (Rescheduled)

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, January 11 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates on what progress has been made on concerns that had been previously brought forward and address new concerns that have been brought forward.  The meeting with management was originally scheduled to be held on December 6 but was cancelled at the last minute due to inflight management changes that took place at around the same time.
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Tuesday, January 11, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community.  Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), and Louise Borras (LAX).  Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Inflight Strategy and Support Gloria Chow, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, California Regional Director of Inflight Operations Robbi Burton, and Seattle Director of Inflight Base Operations Jenny Bookert 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:

  • Ongoing concerns about low morale within our work group
  • Opportunities to emphasize the importance of maintaining positive working relationships and encourage voter turnout during the upcoming election cycle.
  • Concerns about company suppliers/vendors whose values may be contradictory to those of Alaska Airlines and how management would address the issue.
  • Management’s progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and plans for upcoming work.
  • Upcoming plans to include more substantial DEI training in the Initial Training and Recurrent Training programs.
  • Introduction of new pronoun pins, currently available at the Company Store.  Management is reviewing the possibility of allowing Flight Attendants to use their uniform allotment to purchase the pins.
  • Requests to increase diversity and representation among the Flight Attendant Special Projects Pool, starting with those selected for Flight Attendant recruiting and hiring.
  • Ways for the committee to start building relationships with the company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs).

The committee is next scheduled to meet with management on Friday, February 4, 2022.  

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Developing a Membership Survey.  Creating a membership survey to determine what Flight Attendants would like to see our Human Rights Committee address and prioritize going forward.
  2. Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs).  Beginning the process of establishing relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
  3. Promoting Increased Diversity Within the Flight Attendant Special Projects Pool.  Advocating for management to create a Special Projects Pool that is reflective of our overall work group, starting with a focus on those who are selected to participate in Flight Attendant recruiting and hiring. 

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

Human Rights Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2021

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Monday, December 6 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee was scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled the joint portion of the meeting with short notice due to the inflight management changes that took place at about the same time.  Management rescheduled the meeting to take place on January 11, 2022.
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Monday, December 6, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community.  Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), Louise Borras (LAX), and Erika Daniel (SAN).  Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee was also scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled with short notice due to Travis’ departure from the inflight division that occurred at the same time. 

Topics of Discussion

Despite the fact that management was unable to participate, the committee still had the opportunity to provide updates, share concerns, and determine priorities for the ongoing work of the committee.  Some of the things the committee discussed include:

  • Concerns about low morale within our work group and the MEC’s continued work to have management adequately address the issue.
  • How to address situations when another employee uses terminology or language that is discriminatory in nature, including having another person present as an additional set of eyes and ears if the situation warrants it.
  • Using AFA Professional Standards as a resource to address concerns or conflicts between co-workers (including conflicts with Pilots).
  • Upcoming new AFA diversity pins celebrating Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American heritage months.

The committee was able to reschedule the meeting with management for Tuesday, January 11, 2022.  

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Developing a Membership Survey.  Creating a membership survey to determine what Flight Attendants would like to see our Human Rights Committee address and prioritize going forward.
  2. Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs).  Working to establish relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
  3. Providing Support For Upcoming Negotiations.  Finding opportunities to build our collective power in upcoming negotiations through support of our Mobilization Committee. 

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 Human Rights Committee is your voice to management.  You can find our contact information on the Human Rights 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 Alaska Update – September 17, 2021

In This Edition

  • Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month
  • PBS Subcommittee Appointment
  • Why a $5 Starbucks Card is Important to Your Contractual Rights

Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month

Human Rights Committee

September 15 marks the first day of Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month in the United States.  The celebration, which is also referred to as National Hispanic Heritage Month, began as Hispanic Heritage week when it was established by legislation that was signed into law by President Lydon Johnson in 1968.  In 1988, the single week event was expanded to a month-long period to be celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15.

September 15 is of significance as it marks the anniversary of independence of the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  Mexico also celebrates independence on September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21. 

Learn More About Hispanic-Latinx History

You can learn more about the accomplishments of Hispanic-Latinx Americans through some of the dedicated websites and resources below.

Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month AFA Pins Coming in 2022

The AFA Executive Board recently passed a resolution recognizing Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month and providing for the creation of a new diversity AFA pin in celebration.  You can read the complete text of the resolution by clicking here.  The new pin will be undergo the design and development process over the next year and will be made available in September 2022.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Human Rights Committee.

PBS Subcommittee Appointment

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews this week for an additional PBS Subcommittee Member as previously announced in the August 6 AFA Update email.  The MEC would like to thank the candidates who demonstrated willingness to represent our Flight Attendants. After thorough consideration, the MEC has appointed SAN-based Flight Attendant Steven Patronsky to the position.

About Steve

Representing the membership and upholding contract compliance are the aspects of the work that most excites Steve about being appointed to the PBS Subcommittee. His volunteering history for AFA includes work on the Scheduling and Hotel Committees.  Steve’s recent accomplishments include completing a Master’s Program at the University of Central Florida and remodeling a 50’s era Mid-Century home in Orlando. 

About the Position

The PBS Subcommittee, part of the Scheduling Committee, works with the company and the Inflight Crew Planning Department to maintain the company’s preferential bidding system and oversee the bidding and bid award processes.  The Subcommittee represents and advocates for the MEC position in matters pertaining to bidding and the preferential bidding system.  Additional information about the position and subcommittee can be found by clicking here.

Why a $5 Starbucks Card is Important to Your Contractual Rights

Grievance Committee

In early 2020, our Grievance Committee included information in an AFA Update about a settlement agreement related to management issuing $5 Starbucks cards to ANC-based Flight Attendants for meeting an attendance goal back in 2015.  You can read the original communication from March 25, 2020 by clicking here (scroll to the Grievance Committee Update article, then the Recent Settled Grievances heading).  Due to the pandemic and other administrative issues, management is just now distributing the Starbucks card as agreed upon.

So Why Is This Important?

The issue at hand isn’t so much about the amount of the Starbucks card but rather what management did wrong.  The priority of our Grievance Committee is to ensure that management complies with our collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  In this case, management violated the CBA by awarding gift cards to a particular group of Flight Attendants for having better attendance rates than others without negotiating it with AFA.  Gift cards, which have a dollar value, are considered a form of compensation which is a negotiated part of our CBA.

If our Grievance Committee had failed to address this contractual violation, regardless of how small it may seem, it could open the door to management making other attempts to change our compensation or working conditions in violation of the CBA.  This settlement agreement protects your rights and makes all Flight Attendants equal in terms of the CBA.  Although it may only be $5 to each Flight Attendant, the overall cost to management for the settlement agreement is significant and a reminder not to violate the language in our contract.

Questions?

If you have questions about the settlement agreement or reasoning behind it, please feel free to reach out to your Local Grievance Committee.

AFA Alaska Update – August 20, 2021

In This Edition

  • TSA Mask Mandate Extended Through January
  • Being Inclusive: A Reminder About Announcements
  • REMINDER: Help End Human Trafficking, Take the Survey

TSA Mask Mandate Extended Through January

Master Executive Council (MEC)

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has recently confirmed that it will extend its federal mask mandate on transportation until at least January 18, 2022. The mandate, which was previously scheduled to expire on September 13, was extended to “minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation,” according to a TSA spokesperson.

AFA International President Sara Nelson released a statement on Wednesday in support of the extension of the mask mandate and said in part, “…the TSA enforcement directive for the CDC transportation mask mandate will help tremendously to keep passengers and aviation workers safe.”  The complete statement is available on the AFA International website.

AFA Alaska representatives from the Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), Inflight Service Committee, and Master Executive Council (MEC) have been in communication with inflight management regarding the extension of the mask mandate.  Management has indicated that they do not anticipate any changes to mask/face covering policies at this time and current procedures will remain in effect for the new duration of the mandate.

Mask Mandate in the News

Being Inclusive: A Reminder About Announcements

Human Rights Committee

As Flight Attendants, we are used to certain routines and habitual behaviors when it comes to how we do our job.  The processes of performing the safety demo, setting up our galleys and carts for service, and many others are second nature to us, and we often don’t give them a second thought.  One of those deeply ingrained habits for many is starting our cabin announcements with the phrase “ladies and gentlemen”.

What you may not know, however, is that “ladies and gentlemen” is no longer part of our announcement scripts. Section 10 of the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM) and the announcements section of Block2Block no longer include any gender-specific references.  Though it may take some effort to drop the habit of using the phrase, doing so is important in creating an inclusive environment for all our fellow Flight Attendants, other co-workers, and passengers.

Our MEC adopted a resolution on gender equality in December 2020.  The resolution affirms the MEC’s support of the right to recognition, acceptance, and inclusion of people of all gender identities and expressions both in and out of the workplace.  As not everyone identifies as male or female, preceding cabin announcements with the term “ladies and gentlemen” does not support a welcoming atmosphere for everyone.  Let’s work together to create an inclusive environment by using language that is welcoming to all!

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Human Rights Committee.

REMINDER: Help End Human Trafficking, Take the Survey

AFA International

AFA is partnering with United Against Slavery in a global effort to end the scourge of human trafficking. As Flight Attendants and aviation’s first responders, we are uniquely positioned to identify human traffickers and assist their victims.

Human trafficking is a billion-dollar business, but Flight Attendants can be 100,000 Eyes in the Skies to recognize and report it. We can be the ones to make the difference.

Historical efforts to gather and understand information to implement effective solutions for this crime have been a challenge and success seemed unattainable. Why? They have not involved collecting the knowledge that only those on the frontlines have.

Click here to take the survey >

Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Management has recently informed our Master Executive Council (MEC) that they are distributing new Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants with devices nearing the end of their lifecycle. The specific schedule for this distribution will be communicated by management separately. Flight Attendants with the oldest devices […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, September 23, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), […]

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the first group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives for the upcoming MEC Officer term. They’ll begin transitioning into their roles over the next few months and officially start their terms on January 1, 2026. Below, you’ll find brief biographies that […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025

On Thursday, September 18, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing efforts to represent our Flight Attendants and advocate for improvements in our workplace. Although our Inflight Service Committee has now merged, meetings with management continue to focus primarily on the Alaska or Hawaiian brands individually. This particular meeting was centered […]

Vacation Survey Closing Soon

There’s just 1 DAY LEFT to complete the crucial vacation survey that will help shape future provisions—your insights are essential for advocating the best outcomes for all Flight Attendants. The survey is currently open and will remain available until Wednesday, September 24 at 12 PM PT.

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