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Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – November 2023

Scheduling Committee

  • Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, November 28 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to lineholder scheduling.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are experiencing with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.
  • Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

On Tuesday, November 28, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met 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), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Kamako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz.

The committee met with Managing Director Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director Inflight Operations & Crew Scheduling Allen Thieman, Managing Director Ops Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director Inflight Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Manager Inflight Crew Scheduling Goose Hlaingmyint, Director of Crew Planning Mike Ostler, Manager of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, and other management representatives from Crew Planning.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on December 26, 2023.

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:

  • Regular presentation with some interactive elements focused on Reserve utilization and working over 90%. Some relief seen in October/November. The PowerPoint presentation showed data on flexibility.
  • Breakdown of Reserves used: decrease month over month, with 11.4% covering other sick calls and 49% covering line holder trips. Detailed Reserve breakdown provided.
  • Year-over-year absence rates are slightly higher but trending down. Flexibility with Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) and Personal Drops (PDs) helping. 
  • Premium numbers being worked on, holiday calendar impacting data. October 2023 showed premium isolation to Sundays with a drastic decrease in the number of trips.
  • Personal drops increased, with 7302 compared to 9206 last year at this time. TSN adjustments and more trips allowed into OT. November saw a significant increase in TSN trips, offering more flexibility.
  • Reviewed sick leave days compared to TSN and PDs. Interesting data on leaves and collective attendance.
  • Discussed reassignments and their impact. Reassignments tracking is manual. November reassignments drastically down. Last-minute issues can lead to reassignments for operational reasons.
  • Review of rotation and pairings to address high reassignments. Closer-in sick calls during summer months affected options and peers. Leveraging reserves affects utilization.
  • Highlights of winter operations progress: training new crew schedulers, deadhead reservation support, NOC risk management, IROPs support and resources, teaming/pairings, inflight hotline, and Crew Scheduling Mobile Comm.
  • Testing UAT for Inflight for Teams, encouraging real-time feedback. Go-live expected in mid-December.
  • Discussed January 2024 planning challenges. Seeking 651 Staffing Adjustment Leaves, considering additional solicitation. Reserve staffing anticipated at 20% with 75.4 line averages for the system.
  • Reviewed trip length distribution and ANC commutability. ANC commutability to be tracked separately.
  • Block hour comparison for Dec 2023/Jan 2024, down 12.5% due to the booking environment. Industry fare and cost structure analysis provided. Imbalance in departures and arrivals, optimization challenges.
  • Hotel improvements and teaming to improve recovery, encourage following each other. Focus on SEA, optimizing routes, aircraft, and profits. Open to discussions and potential changes.
  • Overall, the discussion covered various topics related to reserve utilization, absence rates, premium numbers, personal drops, reassignments, winter operations progress, planning challenges, and optimization strategies.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. NavBlue. The PBS Committee seeks feedback on how they can better assist flight crews with bid awards and understanding results. In-person and virtual meetings were available for this purpose.
  2. Pairings Survey. A survey on pairing construction is being discussed, along with the possibility of a virtual session or town hall. Meeting with management occurred June 5, 2023, with a follow-up meeting to be scheduled. No update or ETA yet.
  3. Teaming. Crew Planning is reviewing pairing construction and optimizing teaming to keep costs low and ensure crews (pilots/Flight Attendants) stay together for multiple segments. Currently, the system teams around 10-15%, but enhancements aim to increase it to 20-35% for winter operations. December pairings will reflect this change. Management will communicate about teaming. In December 2023, approximately 23% of sequences will be teamed together, while 52% of duty periods will be teamed.
  4. In and Backs. Network/Crew Planning is reviewing initiatives to restart operations when crews are stranded and flights are canceled. The 2023/2024 IROPs plan was reviewed by Alaska management in September/October, creating opportunities to clear flight schedules on the day of operations.
  5. Chime Communications. Flight Attendants may chat with crew scheduling via app/Microsoft Teams to reduce phone calls. Flight Attendant-initiated contact. Early stages of development, to be discussed with AS Labor Relations and AFA. Testing and implementation to occur in the next few weeks. We are working on a letter of agreement for implementation. 
  6. Crew Scheduling. Monthly review of PowerPoint presentations covering reserve utilization, detailed breakdowns, sick leave (week by week and YoY), premium, personal drops, and other relevant agenda items.
  7. Crew Planning. Monthly review of PowerPoint presentations covering subsequent month staffing, trip length distribution, Flight Attendant block hours, special initiatives (e.g., IROPs), commutability, and other relevant agenda items.
  8. ITS. ITS representatives join scheduling meetings to provide updates on NavBlue, Crew Access, internal systems, and Block2Block. Includes performance updates, data review, and future release information. 

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 Scheduling Committee is your voice to management. You can open a support request on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or contact us directly using the information on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2023

Uniform Committee

  • Our AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, November 14 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to uniforms.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are reporting related to uniform quality, wearability, and availability.
  • If you are experiencing any issues with uniform quality or construction, please report the issues to Unisync as soon as possible. Please include your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson on the email so they can help track any issues or trends that might be developing.

On Tuesday, November 14th, the AFA Local Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Present at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), David Jelinek (PDX), Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather Holmes (LAX), JP Perina (SAN), and MEC Uniform Committee Chairperson Kiara O’Bryant.

The committee also met with Director – Procurement and Logistics Eric Phillipson, Sr Product Manager Marketing Megan Low, Uniform Fit Center Lead Ashley Sentner, Supply Chain Program Manager Lizzie Revard, PDX Base Manager Kristie Stafford, SFO Inflight Base Manager Cierra Lewis and Manager Inflight Policies and Standards Jeannette Waddel.

The next Quarterly Uniform Committee Meeting is tentatively set for Tuesday, February 22, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several items during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

  • The new Unisync website launched at the end of October.
  • New method for reporting quality issues – now located directly on the Uniforms page in Team AAG.
  • Mockneck sweater now available for order. Delivery slated for Q1 2024. Aura vest (blue) is scheduled to ship in Summer 2024 and ordering will be available shortly before then.
  • Spinner suitcase testing will begin in the near future. A Travelpro spinner was previously tested but proved to be too top heavy (tipped easily) and one inch smaller (inclusive of the wheels). This created about two inches less space compared to our current roller making it unsuitable for 4+ day trips. AFA and management will continue to explore other options.
  • New uniform policies were updated at the end of October.
    • Aura and Atlas pieces may be mixed and matched to suit body types and style preferences, however, the style guide must be followed regardless of which pieces are being worn.
    • Uniform checks are currently being conducted. The main areas of concern receiving discipline are:
      • Outerwear – Noncompliant coats
      • Nose rings (hoops) and earrings that are larger than approved size of a quarter
      • Hemlines – Too short
      • Lanyards other than ones from the company store (Labor has expressed that management will not pursue discipline, however, if you are asked to remove your lanyard, please comply and submit a ticket at support.afaalaska.org)
      • Shoes with white soles or stitching (you can use a navy/brown permanent marker or leather dye on the white stitching to make them compliant)
  • Management will consider moving from the current approved list to “boot guidelines and requirements” for the seasonal navy boots. Updates will be made by March of 2024 when boot season concludes.
  • March 2024 will also see the ban of popular lug-style shoes and discipline may be issued for noncompliance. AFA has gone all the way up through marketing (including Luly Yang) in attempts to advocate for the shoe to remain in compliance. The final decision is that these shoes will not be allowed.
  • Seasonal aprons will continue to be allowed and the committee is advocating for marketing to make this a permanent part of the style guide.
  • Maternity pieces should be in full stock and available. Please email or call the Fit Center if you encounter any issues and let your local Uniform Committee Chairperson know if you are unable to obtain pieces.
  • The Uniform survey closed on 11/07/2023 and results will be shared with AFA in late December once the data has been analyzed.
  • Discussed the possibility of opening the PDX Fit Center on an annual or semiannual basis, but there has not been much turn out in the past. If you are interested in this opportunity, please email AFA at uniform@afaalaska.org so we can collect data on how many FAs would attend to return items, have repairs done, and get fitted.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Wear Testing. Trying to create a diverse pool of wear testers. Finding convenient ways to get wear test items to testers other than base office hours as we would like FAs working early AM trips and nighters to also be part of future wear tests. Would also reduce issues with returns getting back to the Fit Center.
  2. Annual Review of Basic Uniform Cost. AFA meets annually to review the cost of the basic uniform per the contract to ensure the allotment amount is correct with the addition of new pieces.
  3. Unisync Usability. Concerns over confusion with new ordering sizes. Wool Sensitivity options are available but not widely known or advertised. Made-to-order pieces (tall) still require a phone call.

We Want to Hear From You!

Please email Unisync with any quality issues. In the email, please describe the issue in detail, include the “PO” number from the tag, attach photos of the issue and the tag, if possible, and CC your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson. Please consider opening a ticket at AFA Alaska Support so the Uniform Committee can track these issues.

Would you like to join the wear test pool? Do you have other feedback for the committee or items that you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Uniform Committee is your voice to management. You can find contact information on the Uniform Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

November 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met on Tuesday, November 14, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
  • In solidarity with our Negotiating Committee, the MEC canceled the planned meeting with management.
  • The next regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 5, and Wednesday, December 6.

Our MEC held its regular meeting for November 2023 on Tuesday, November 14. The MEC Officers, LEC Presidents, Grievance Committee, and Scheduling Committee provided updates during the meeting. The MEC also reviewed written reports from other AFA MEC Committee Chairpersons regarding their ongoing work.

Meeting with Management

Our MEC was initially scheduled to have a meeting with management this month. However, it was decided to cancel the meeting to show our full support for the Negotiating Committee’s decision to cancel the November negotiations session. This decision was made in response to management’s insulting proposals at the bargaining table. Instead of the meeting, the time was utilized to discuss contract negotiations and strategize our mobilization efforts.

Contract Negotiations and Mobilization

Our MEC had a productive meeting with the Negotiating Committee and MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson to discuss yesterday’s direct passenger outreach preparations and our upcoming Day of Solidarity informational picketing. We are confident about plans for the December 19 event, and our Negotiating Committee is counting on us to show up and join the picket lines. We also had an in-depth discussion about plans for other forthcoming mobilization activities yet to be announced.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s regular MEC Meeting, please get in touch with your LEC President.

Join The Picket Line: Support American Flight Attendants on Thursday, November 16

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Flight Attendants at American Airlines, part of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), have been in negotiations for a new contract since January 2019. In August, they took a strike authorization vote, and an overwhelming 99.47% of American Flight Attendants authorized APFA to call for a strike if necessary. Despite this, American management continues to delay the process by offering concessionary proposals or, more recently, showing up to the bargaining table with no proposals at all.

American Flight Attendants have had enough of these delaying tactics and are taking action! On November 16, they’ll conduct a systemwide informational picket to demonstrate they are unified, committed, and ready to fight for the contract they deserve. It’s time to stand up and show American Airlines management that Flight Attendants and workers everywhere are united in demanding an end to corporate greed. Be on the lookout for a picket line near you, and plan to show your solidarity!

APFA Systemwide Picketing Event Information

Date: Thursday, November 16

BOS, CLT, DCA, LGA, MCO, MIA, PHL: 11 AM – 1 PM ET
ORD, MSP: 11 AM – 1 PM CT
DFW: 3:30 – 5:30 CT
PHX: 9 – 11 AM MT
LAS, LAX: 11 AM – 1 PM PT

Click here to RSVP >

Health Benefits Coverage & Staffing Adjustment Leaves

Benefits Committee

Our Benefits Committee has been notified that there are multiple issues with health benefits coverage for those returning from staffing adjustment leaves (SAL). If you are on a staffing adjustment leave or have recently returned from one, please be aware of the following.

Re-Enrolling After A Leave

While we disagree that one should have to re-enroll in Health Benefits when returning from Staffing Leave, we strongly suggest that you do so. Check to make sure that all your prior coverages are in place. To do so, you can call your health plan directly or visit www.MyAlaskaBenefits.com and check your coverage. We’ve also been advised that once you re-enroll, it can take several days for the coverage to update. You should also have received an email in your company Outlook email regarding health benefits when returning from SAL.

Health Benefits Deductions For September Premiums And Direct Billing

Health benefits premiums, like payroll, are deducted in the subsequent month (i.e., in October for September). When on a Staffing Leave, these deductions do not take place. Flight Attendants are advised to review their pay statement to determine whether or not deductions were taken from October 20th paychecks.

Direct Billing Notice Errors

Those on Staffing Adjustment Leave should have received a direct bill from Cobra Management Services (CMS) with instructions to self-pay the employee contribution for September Health Benefits. We are aware that some Flight Attendants DID receive this notice, and it was correct. We are also aware that many did NOT receive a direct bill and that some did receive bills for very strange amounts that do not reflect the usual employee contributions.

No Direct Bill Received

If you did not receive a direct bill, or if you did not have a correct bill or a deduction from your October 20 paycheck, please contact CMS. The balance owed must be paid to continue coverage. You can contact CMS at:

Phone: (425) 452-9889, ext. 145 or (866) 527-7580, ext. 145
Email: services@cobramanagement.com

Service Charges May Apply

Payments made by credit card or electronic funds transfer have an added service charge applied by the vendor. You might prefer to mail a check to avoid these.

Reporting Issues And Questions

If you’re having challenges with any of these issues, please email management at tiffany.perry@alaskaair.com and emmit.elliott@alaskaair.com and cc our AFA Benefits Committee at benefits@afaalaska.org. Our Benefits and Grievance Committees are continuing to work to resolve these issues.

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