This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

• Our JNC met with management last week on September 8 to September 10 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for October 26 to October 28
• Our JNC and management will be exploring a different approach to traditional bargaining called Interest-based Bargaining (IBB) to address complex contract negotiations, aiming for solutions that benefit all parties
• The Reserve Survey is being finalized for release in October

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for four days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management from September 8 to September 10 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants	Representing Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee Chairperson	Allen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Joe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Carmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator	Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska

Last week the JNC got the company’s response to Section 19 (Grievance Procedures) and Section 30 (Training).  We also received a new proposal from management for Section 29 (Performance Based Pay and Retirement) and provided our response, which included proposals for LOA 14 (Legacy Retiree Pass Privileges) and LOA 18 (Retiree Health Insurance).

Most of the remaining sections are complex and will require significant discussion. At this point in negotiations, it is clear that both contracts are very different, well-established and cover different operations and work rules. Finding a solution that works for the combined Flight Attendant group will be challenging. The traditional bargaining approach isn’t always conducive to resolving these types of complicated issues.

Interest-based Bargaining (IBB)Training

The JNC and management will be exploring a different way to negotiate called Interest-based Bargaining (IBB). In IBB, both the company and the Association identify issues and develop solutions that will work for both parties. This is different from traditional bargaining where each side negotiates from a fixed position. For IBB to be successful, all parties need to participate in training to learn how the process works and be open to candid discussions.

The IBB Training will take place in Seattle from October 14 to October 15, led by a mediator from the National Mediation Board (NMB). The NMB mediator has experience in contract negotiations and mediation, and has previously worked with AFA International, Alaska, and Hawaiian. Our staff negotiator also has a lot of experience with this process, and the pre-merger Hawaiian JNC members used IBB successfully in their last full Section 6 Negotiations.

The JNC has strategized to identify sections and concepts that would be best suited for the IBB approach. The most impactful sections of the contract are the most difficult to negotiate because both sides have a significant stake in the outcome. These sections are difficult to tackle even in regular Section 6 Negotiations and merging of our two contracts makes this task significantly more challenging.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA is being used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Sections discussed in this session:

• Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
• Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

• Vacations (AS CBA Section 14 and HA CBA Section 18)
• Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
• Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
• Insurance Benefits (AS CBA Section 23 and HA CBA Section 32)
• General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
• Domiciles (AS CBA Section 28 and HA CBA Section 5, 14, and 27)
• Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 36 and HA CBA Section 34-28)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

• Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
• Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

JCBA Negotiations

As a reminder, here’s how JCBA bargaining differs from regular negotiations:

• Not Section 6 Negotiations: Because our contracts are not amendable, we fall outside the regular Section 6 process.
• Creating One Contract from Two: Instead of improving a single contract, JCBA talks are about building an entirely new agreement from two existing contracts.
• Different Survey Process: The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) will send targeted “subject matter” surveys on specific contract sections.

For more information about the process please see Understanding JCBA Negotiations

What’s Upcoming

Reserve Survey

The JNC is finishing up the long-awaited Reserve Survey, and we expect to release it in October. Thank you for your patience as we collaborated with our MEC Reserve Committee Chairpersons to make sure that the survey questions targeted key issues of concern. To help you understand the differences between the two Reserve programs, we have created extra resources that will be shared with the survey.

Next Session

Our next negotiating session with management is scheduled for October 26 to October 28.

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

• Our JNC met with management last week on August 24 to August 27 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for September 8 to September 10
• This session focused on Section 30 (Training) and its association to Section 19 (Grievance)

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for four days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management from August 24 to August 27 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants	Representing Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee Chairperson	Allen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Ryan St. John, Vice President, Finance, Planning and Investor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Joe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Carmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator	Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
	Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska

Your JNC met last Saturday and Sunday to resume our comprehensive review of the Reserve sections of both contracts as we continue to prepare for upcoming discussions.

On Monday, the company responded to our last Section 30 (Training) proposal. The Negotiating Committee evaluated past proposals that had been tabled to look for ways to settle any remaining issues. Both sides agreed to package Section 30 (Training) and Section 19 (Grievance), which had previously been tabled, in an effort to move negotiations forward. The JNC worked on both sections together in an attempt to resolve these matters.

Your JNC spent a significant amount of time working through those proposals, making changes, and working toward an agreement that would address the remaining concerns. The JNC completed multiple rounds of discussions to reach an agreement. While we made progress on a number of items, we were ultimately unable to reach an agreement with the company to close out these sections. Both Section 30 (Training) and Section 19 (Grievance) are still open for discussion.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA is being used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Sections discussed in this session:

• Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
• Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

• Vacations (AS CBA Section 14 and HA CBA Section 18)
• Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
• Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
• Insurance Benefits (AS CBA Section 23 and HA CBA Section 32)
• General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
• Domiciles (AS CBA Section 28 and HA CBA Section 5, 14, and 27)
• Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 36 and HA CBA Section 34-28)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

• Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
• Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

JCBA Negotiations

As a reminder, here’s how JCBA bargaining differs from regular negotiations:

• Not Section 6 Negotiations: Because our contracts are not amendable, we fall outside the regular Section 6 process.
• Creating One Contract from Two: Instead of improving a single contract, JCBA talks are about building an entirely new agreement from two existing contracts.
• Different Survey Process: The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) will send targeted “subject matter” surveys on specific contract sections.

For more information about the process please see Understanding JCBA Negotiations

What’s Upcoming

Our next session with management is scheduled for August 24 to August 26.

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

• Our JNC met with management this week on July 21 to July 23 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for August 24 to August 26
• Our JNC presented our response to the company’s initial proposal on Section 23 (Insurance Benefits), aiming to secure Flight Attendant specific provisions

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management from July 21 to July 23 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants	Representing Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee Chairperson	Allen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Ryan St. John, Vice President, Finance, Planning and Investor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Joe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Carmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator	Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
	Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska

This week the JNC started off by meeting with our pre-merger Alaska MEC Reserve Chairperson, Julie Thornton, to continue to review Alaska Reserve concerns. Julie also weighed in on formulating the Reserve survey to ensure all relevant pre-merger Alaska questions were addressed. The JNC will be meeting with the pre-merger Hawaiian MEC Reserve Chairperson, Kela Chong, prior to the next negotiating session.

The JNC passed our initial proposal on Section 23 (Insurance Benefits) this week, incorporating many of the protections found in the Hawaiian agreement and cementing those already in the Alaska agreement. One of our goals is to secure Flight Attendant specific insurance plan provisions in our JCBA, examples being Flexible Spending Accounts, coverage of dependent children up to age 26 and company provided life insurance.

We continued to discuss the remaining outstanding issues in Section 30 (Training) and have made much progress in this section. We have already secured Buddy Bidding for Recurrent Training and are working to secure other improvements in this section. This proposal is currently in the company’s court and we are hopeful to receive a response from management at the next session.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA is being used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Sections discussed in this session:

• Insurance Benefits (AS CBA Section 23 and HA CBA Section 32)
• Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

• Vacations (AS CBA Section 14 and HA CBA Section 18)
• Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
• Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
• General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
• Domiciles (AS CBA Section 28 and HA CBA Section 5, 14, and 27)
• Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 36 and HA CBA Section 34-28)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

• Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
• Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
• Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

JCBA Negotiations

As a reminder, here’s how JCBA bargaining differs from regular negotiations:

• Not Section 6 Negotiations: Because our contracts are not amendable, we fall outside the regular Section 6 process.
• Creating One Contract from Two: Instead of improving a single contract, JCBA talks are about building an entirely new agreement from two existing contracts.
• Different Survey Process: The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) will send targeted “subject matter” surveys on specific contract sections.

For more information about the process please see Understanding JCBA Negotiations

What’s Upcoming

Our next session with management is scheduled for August 24 to August 26.

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

• Our JNC met with management this week on July 1 to July 3 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for July 21 to July 23
• A Tentative Agreement has been reached for Section 35 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat and Pass Privileges) and LOA 9 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat)

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management from July 1 to July 3 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants	Representing Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee Chairperson	Allen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Ryan St. John, Vice President, Finance, Planning and Investor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Joe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Carmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator	Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
	Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska

This week, the JNC has reached a tentative agreement on Section 35 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat and Pass Privileges) and Letter of Agreement (LOA) 9 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat). These provisions cement protections governing Flight Attendant Jumpseat usage and establish the priority order for Flight Attendant assignment to the jumpseat. The LOA further secures jumpseat assignment order and availability ensuring access and guidelines for Flight Attendant pass travel. The JNC also received the first proposal from management on Section 23 (Insurance Benefits) and spent a considerable amount of time analyzing and consulting with our subject matter experts to prepare a comprehensive counter proposal. The JNC also passed a proposal on Section 30 (Training) and is continuing to make progress forward.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA is being used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Sections discussed in this session:

• Insurance Benefits (AS CBA Section 23 and HA CBA Section 32)
• Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)
• Flight Attendant Jumpseat and Pass Privileges (AS CBA Section 35 and HA CBA Section 30)
• Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 36 and HA CBA Section 34-28)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

• Vacations (AS CBA Section 14 and HA CBA Section 18)
• Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
• Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
• General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
• Domiciles (AS CBA Section 28 and HA CBA Section 5, 14, and 27)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

• Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
• Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
• Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

What’s Upcoming

Our next session with management is scheduled for July 21 to July 23.

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

• Our JNC met with management this week on June 2 to June 4 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for June 30 to July 3
• A Tentative Agreement has been reached for Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignments)
• Our JNC made progress on vacation and staffing provisions, having discussions with both Alaska and Hawaiian stakeholders

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management from June 2 to June 4 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants	Representing Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee Chairperson	Allen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Joe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Carmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Brittany Audette, Managing Director, Operations Staffing and Resource Management, Alaska
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator	Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
	Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska

Prior to this week’s session, the JNC held a small group meeting with Alaska and Hawaiian crew-planning stakeholders to explore vacation and staffing options in preparation for our joint session.  This week, the JNC continued the conversation with management to review the Alaska and Hawaiian vacation systems. We discussed how the Alaska vacation provisions are currently applied and how the different Hawaiian vacation provisions are used. Brittany Audette, Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management, joined us for this discussion.

The JNC also continued to work through Section 14 (Vacations). Recognizing that Hawaiian Flight Attendants currently have more flexibility with their vacation benefits, we are exploring ways to incorporate those benefits into the JCBA for the combined workgroup.

The JNC reached a tentative agreement on the new Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignment). This new section primarily incorporated language from the Hawaiian CBA and added protections from other airlines’ Flight Attendant contracts. TDY (Temporary Duty Assignment) allows the company to establish a temporary base at a non-domicile location or to supplement staffing at an existing base temporarily. This section ensures Flight Attendants financial protection, including around-the-clock per diem, hotel stays for the duration of the TDY period, space-positive travel, and improved expense reimbursement. The goal is to ensure assignments are fair and Flight Attendants are supported, while also meeting operational and staffing needs.

We exchanged proposals for Section 35 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat and Pass Privileges) and Letter of Agreement 9 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat Occupancy). We are working to codify our travel benefits, including priority access to Flight Attendant jumpseats.

We also continued to exchange proposals on Section 16 (Sick Leave), but there are still significant differences between the two parties.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA is being used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Sections discussed in this session:

• Vacations (AS CBA Section 14 and HA CBA Section 18)
• Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
• Flight Attendant Jumpseat and Pass Privileges (AS CBA Section 35 and HA CBA Section 30)
• 🆕 Temporary Duty Assignments (AS CBA does not address these provisions and HA CBA Section 15)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

• Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
• General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
• Domiciles (AS CBA Section 28 and HA CBA Section 5, 14, and 27)
• Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)
• Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 36 and HA CBA Section 34-28)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

• Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
• Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
• Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

Crew Meal Survey

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Crew Meal Survey. We received 3,323 completed surveys from Flight Attendants, along with 509 partial responses. The JNC will review all feedback, including the partial surveys, as we evaluate the results. Your input helps us keep advocating for you.

What’s Upcoming

Our next session with management is scheduled for June 30 to July 3.

To get things started, the JNC met with our MEC Reserve Chairpersons to talk about current reserve rules and possible improvements for our combined workgroup. We are finalizing a Reserve survey that will go out to the Membership later this month. Thank you to pre-merger Alaska MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson, Julie Thornton and pre-merger Hawaiian MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson, Kela Chong for sharing their expertise.