AFA Alaska + Hawaiian

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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AFA Alaska Online Support Center Planned Outage

Grievance Committee

Our Grievance Committee is working to make back-end improvements to the AFA Alaska Online Support Center (support.afaalaska.org) to help ensure that AFA Representatives can provide you with the best possible help when you need it. These improvements will require a planned outage, during which the AFA Alaska Online Support System will be offline and unavailable. The outage is scheduled to begin at 7 AM Pacific time on Friday, April 28. The system is anticipated to return to service by 5 PM Pacific time on Monday, May 1.

If you have any issues to report or need assistance while the system is offline, please contact your LEC Officers.

Join The Fight To End Trans Genocide

Human Rights Committee

Our CWA Pride Caucus launched a petition on March 31st—International Transgender Day of Visibility. The goal of the petition is to have a statement read in the House and the Senate about the reality that trans people in America are in Stage 7 of a genocide. Stage 8 is when large scale round ups and exterminations begin. Any observer of the history of human rights crimes will tell you the situation is well past terrifying.

Statistically, with one in ten people being queer, we have tens of thousands of queer Members across AFA and all the sectors of CWA – and even more allies! Sign the petition now and help show our support to allied legislators!

Click here to sign the petition >

Crew Access Frustrations

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Changes to how trips are posted and displayed in Crew Access and other ongoing system issues have resulted in concerns about contractual violations and a lack of management accountability.
  • Management must provide a functional system that works correctly and has agreed to troubleshoot the current issues and review programming changes to Crew Access.
  • AFA Representatives will continue protecting Flight Attendant interests and contractual rights through all legal means available to us, including the grievance process as applicable.

We understand that many of you are frustrated with recent changes to how trips are posted and displayed in Jeppesen Crew Access, especially when it comes to trading trips with crew members or through Open Time. These issues have resulted in concerns about contract violations and an apparent lack of accountability from management. As your Union leadership, we are actively addressing these concerns and advocating for your rights.

It’s important to note that a financial award may not be an achievable or realistic remedy for contract violations brought forward to a system board of adjustment under the Railway Labor Act (RLA). Under the standards of arbitration, AFA would have the burden of proving that a specific person was denied a particular trip on a specific date and time. This is essentially impossible; even if it were, the remedy would be limited to what can be found within the “four corners of the contract” doctrine; in other words, any remedy must be contained within the contract. For example, if you were denied sit pay when you sat for two hours, you would be awarded one TFP. However, we cannot show who was specifically harmed or the dollar amount of such harm. As a result, in these circumstances, the only likely arbitral remedy for a contractual grievance would be a “cease and desist” order, which would require the Company to comply with the contract on a go-forward basis.

Compliance in this case still requires the system to work correctly, and even in the face of an award, it would not necessarily happen immediately. Management has already agreed to troubleshoot the current trip display issues in Crew Access and has expressed a willingness to implement programming changes to the Crew Access trading system potentially. Our analysis indicates that an arbitrator would likely find management’s actions an appropriate remedy for the current concerns. While we understand that this may only partially satisfy your expectations, it’s essential to recognize the legal limitations of the process.

This does not mean that we give up. As your AFA Representatives, we are committed to working towards fair and just solutions to contract violations—and filing and arbitrating grievances where appropriate. We will continue to negotiate and pursue all available avenues under the RLA and the contract to protect your interests. We understand your frustrations and encourage you to contact us with any questions or further grievances you may have. Your feedback and input are invaluable in helping us advocate for your rights and achieve positive outcomes.

We take your concerns seriously and are dedicated to holding management accountable to the terms of our contract. We appreciate your ongoing support and solidarity as we work towards resolving these issues. Together, we can continue to fight for the rights and well-being of all Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants.

System Board of Adjustment Interviews

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for one (1) member to serve on the AFA System Board of Adjustment.

Scope

Members are to serve on the System Board of Adjustment for the purpose of arbitrating any disputes or grievances that may arise under the terms of the Agreement between Alaska Airlines and its Flight Attendants.

Policy/Responsibilities

  • There shall be two members selected by the MEC from active members in good standing to represent the Association.  Members will be selected at-large without regard to Local Council or domicile. 
  • Any person seeking a position as a System Board of Adjustment Member must submit a resume.  Candidates must interview with the MEC.
  • System Board Members shall be selected for a two (2) year appointment period in accordance with the AFA Constitution and Bylaws.  At least one appointment will be reviewed in June of each year.  Selection shall be made, insofar as possible, to ensure that both members will not be new at the same time.  
  • The System Board Members will act in the best interest of the membership and the Association and will be consistent with the Agreement between the Flight Attendants and Alaska Airlines.
  • The MEC President shall have the ability, in the event of an emergency, to appoint a qualified member in good standing to fill an ad hoc position on the Board.
  • The MEC on an ad hoc basis, by majority vote, may appoint an expert as a substitute for one member of the System Board of Adjustment.

Qualifications

  • Current Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant
  • Willingness to attend the requisite grievance training(s)
  • In depth knowledge of the contract
  • Understanding of the principles of just cause
  • Adherence to Grievance Committee policies, procedures, and standards of ethical conduct
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive and personal information
  • Maintenance of member-in-good-standing status
  • Ability to remain in good standing with the company
  • Ability to analyze written data and information with high attention to detail
  • Strong written and communication skills
  • Strong computer skills.

Term of Appointment

The selected candidate will serve the a term of appointment that begins on July 1, 2023 and concludes on June 30, 2025.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews of eligible candidates during the June Regular MEC Meeting on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.  If you’re interested in interviewing, plan to bid around this date or adjust your schedule accordingly to accommodate.  All interviews will be conducted either in person or using Google Meet videoconferencing.

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume using the online expression of interest form.  The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Friday, June 16, 2023.  After the submission deadline, an MEC representative will contact eligible candidates to arrange a specific interview time.

Please note that 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.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the position or application process should be directed to MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams at stephanie.adams@afaalaska.org.

April 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, April 11, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
  • As part of the meeting, the MEC met with members of inflight, crew planning, and labor relations management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.
  • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 9. Please don’t hesitate to contact your LEC President if you have any questions.

The April 2023 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, April 11.  The meeting consisted of updates from our MEC Officers, LEC Presidents, Grievance Committee, and Scheduling Committee.  Our MEC also reviewed written reports submitted by other AFA MEC Committee Chairpersons about their current programs of work. 

Meeting with Management

As part of most Regular MEC Meetings, our MEC meets with management to review the current issues and challenges that Flight Attendants face.  Attendees from management this month included Managing Director of Inflight Services Gloria Chow, Director of Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Managing Director of Operation Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Mike Ostler, Director of Payroll Leah Ables, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, and Senior Labor Relations Program Manager Mike Link.

Some of the topics discussed include:

  • Operational safety debriefs letter of agreement (LOA) implementation challenges. Management appears to lack alignment regarding how the recently signed operational safety debrief LOA provisions are to be implemented. Additional guidance is needed regarding who in management is specifically responsible for what when an operational debrief becomes necessary. Management agreed to work on developing additional guidance and will meet with AFA Representatives to review and implement it.
  • Ongoing issues with non-rev travel. Our MEC and numerous Flight Attendants have brought forward issues surrounding inconsistency with how non-rev travelers are cleared from the priority list on the day of travel. In addition, there have been reports of a perceived lack of coordination and communication with how aircraft weight and balance is calculated, resulting in non-revs being unnecessarily left behind. These issues have been reported to different members of management in various departments, and despite promises to investigate, our MEC continues to receive reports, and there appears to be no noticeable action being taken to address the concerns.
  • Continuing issues with transition to new leave/absence management vendor. Numerous employee reports have revealed that management’s transition to a new vendor for leave and absence management has been full of issues. Employees have reported not being paid correctly, a lack of responsiveness from the vendor, and other issues. Management indicated they would escalate the matter to Human Resources to determine what action is being taken to address the problems.
  • Flight Attendant hiring and initial training. Management shared updates about the anticipated number of initial training classes this year and adjustments to hiring projections. 
  • Recurrent training (RT). Management is evaluating when Airbus drills will be removed from RT based on the fleet retirement schedule. Planning is also underway for the 2024 RT curriculum.
  • Distribution of iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs). Management continues distributing iPhone 13 IMDs to Flight Attendants with iPhone 7 or 8 Plus IMDs. Currently, over 1000 Flight Attendants still need to be issued new devices. Base management will contact those Flight Attendants by company email to offer a reminder and share options on how new IMDs can be picked up. (Note: to view the iPhone 13 IMD distribution LOA, click here).
  • Staffing adjustment leaves & KCM eligibility.  Update on previous request from AFA that management continue to allow Flight Attendants access to KCM while on staffing adjustment leaves to the extent TSA policy allows.  Management indicated they are making progress and are working to make sure the process covers all foreseeable scenarios while being compliant with TSA requirements.
  • Pairing construction and 4-position pairings. Management is continuing to analyze the possibility of building 4-position (A/B/C/D) pairings versus the current practice of building separate 3-position (A/B/C) and 1-positon (D) pairings. They are analyzing the cost-effectiveness of the change and evaluating possible impacts on pairing quality. This work is ongoing.

Action on Agenda Items

The MEC took action on one agenda item that was submitted in advance of the meeting.

  • The proposed annual budget of the AFA Alaska MEC was adopted as proposed. The MEC budget is based on the allocation of funding provided to our MEC from our monthly dues.

Questions?

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

Register Now: Reserve Webinar – Thursday, August 6

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants As a follow-up to our June 23 save-the-date announcement, we’re excited to share full details and open registration for our August pre-merger Alaska Reserve Webinar! If you’ve ever wondered, “Can they do that?” when Crew Scheduling calls with a reserve assignment or schedule change—whether you’re a Reserve Flight […]

AFA Committee Focus Month: Membership Engagement

July marks our latest AFA Committee Focus Month, and we’re excited to spotlight our Membership Engagement Committee. In May, we kicked off this initiative by showcasing the exceptional work of our EAP/Professional Standards Committee—illustrating how our committees serve and support us every day. Our Membership Engagement Committee is here to make sure every Member feels genuinely […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 16 – July 2026

The JNC has been actively negotiating key sections of the contract, focusing on vacation, sick leave, and temporary duty assignments. A tentative agreement was reached on Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignments), ensuring financial protections and fair treatment for Flight Attendants during temporary assignments. These ongoing discussions demonstrate a commitment to integrating the best benefits from both Alaska and Hawaiian CBAs for all members.

Human Rights & Equity Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2026

On Wednesday, June 24, our AFA Human Rights & Equity Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to raise awareness and create positive change within our workplace and community. Your representatives attending the meeting were Nyachan Chuar (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Aaron Miller (PDX), Trista Vanta (SFO), Louise Borras (LAX-pmAS), Bruni Agosto-Pinal (LAX-pmHA), […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2026

On Thursday, June 11, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met with management to represent our Flight Attendants and advance meaningful improvements in our workplace. Your representatives at the meeting included Naomi Parcell (ANC), Ross DeJong (SEA), Todd Horn (PDX), Raymond Ramirez (SFO), Johanna Thomas (LAX pmAS), Gary Manoi (LAX pmHA), Andrew Malone (SAN), and […]

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