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        You are here: Home / Archives for Latest News / AFA News Now

        June 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

        June 28, 2023 17:00

        Master Executive Council (MEC)

        • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Monday, June 26, and Tuesday, June 27, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
        • The MEC also met with executive management and a group of union leaders from other company workgroups to receive updates and discuss concerns affecting employees company-wide.
        • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 8, and Wednesday, August 9.

        The June 2023 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Monday, June 26, and Tuesday, June 27. 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. Council 19 (SEA) LEC President-elect Paula Isla-McGill joined the MEC for the meeting in preparation for the upcoming officer transition.

        It’s Going To Be A Red Hot Summer!

        On Monday afternoon, our MEC met with our Negotiating Committee and MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson to discuss the next steps after last week’s negotiation session with management. Following the discussion, the first part of our Red Hot Summer campaign was put into motion. The distribution of red AFA pins will soon be underway, and more activities are planned to let management know that we stand behind our Negotiating Committee as they go back to the table to negotiate the industry-leading contract we deserve! 

        More information about the Red Hot Summer campaign can be found on the Contract 2022 website.

        Meeting with Management

        As part of this meeting, the MEC met with company executive management and a group of union leaders from the other union-represented workgroups within the company. The intent of these meetings, usually held once per quarter, is to receive updates from management and allow for a broader discussion of issues and concerns facing all company employees.

        Our MEC came to the meeting with a full display of solidarity, dressed in red with red AFA pins on. MEC President Jeffrey Peterson offered a statement on behalf of our MEC that management must do better and provide our Negotiating Committee with an industry-leading contractual proposal that recognizes the contributions of our Flight Attendants to the company’s success. Flight Attendants will accept nothing less!

        System Board of Adjustment Interviews

        Our MEC spent part of Tuesday interviewing candidates for the System Board of Adjustment position that was previously posted in April. Members of the System Board of Adjustment are responsible for arbitrating any disputes or grievances that may arise under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Alaska Airlines and its Flight Attendants. Our MEC would like to thank all of the candidates who expressed a willingness to serve and interviewed for the positions.

        After extensive discussion and thorough consideration, the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) have re-appointed Rene Celestin to the position. Rene’s term of appointment will begin on July 1, 2023 and conclude on June 30, 2025.

        Action on Agenda Items

        The MEC took action on two agenda items that were submitted in advance of the meeting.

        • A proposed update to the Line Observation Safety Audit (LOSA) letter of agreement was approved. The letter of agreement will now be sent out for signing by representatives from AFA and management.
        • A resolution in support of negotiations was unanimously adopted. The resolution changed the color of the official AFA pin at Alaska Airlines to red.

        Questions?

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

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: MEC Meeting

        Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study – Fourth Wave

        June 26, 2023 13:00

        Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

        This message is from researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in regard to the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study. If you have any questions about the study, please contact the researchers directly at fahealth@hsph.harvard.edu.


        The Flight Attendant Health Study, launched in 2007, aims to advance knowledge that can improve working conditions for flight crew in the U.S. and internationally.

        Flight Attendants are some of the most understudied workers, yet flight crew are exposed to many physical and psychosocial stressors, such as cosmic ionizing radiation, higher ozone levels, stressful interactions with passengers, hypoxia/reduced oxygenation, potentially severe circadian rhythm disruption, and other exposures.

        We Need Your Help!

        On June 26, the fourth wave of the study launches and we need as many Flight Attendants as possible to participate in order to accurately represent the characteristics and experiences of flight crews.

        Our goal is to understand the prevalence of health conditions in current and retired U.S. and international flight crew and the relationship with working conditions – especially in light of the pandemic and its aftermath – in order to solve some of the stressors in Flight Attendant work that lead to early-onset illness and disease.

        Please take the survey via this QR code or at bit.ly/fahs and share widely with your colleagues.

        Thank you for helping to advance Flight Attendant health by contributing to this important research.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Tagged With: Harvard Study, health

        AFA Council 19 (SEA) LEC Vice President Runoff Election Results

        June 21, 2023 12:30

        Master Executive Council (MEC)

        The following AFA Flight Attendant was elected to the office of LEC Vice President representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in Seattle:

        LEC Vice President: Melinda Jorge Henderson

        View the certified election results here >>

        This officer will serve a term of office starting July 1, 2023 and concluding on June 30, 2026.

        Our Master Executive Council (MEC) congratulates the newly elected officer and we sincerely thank all those who stepped forward to run in the election.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Council 19 SEA (pmAS) Tagged With: election results, officer elections

        Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2023

        June 14, 2023 12:32

        Reserve Committee

        • Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, June 8 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.
        • The Committee also met with management to review a number of specific concerns that were brought forward by Flight Attendants.
        • Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any reserve related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

        On Thursday, June 8, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Conner Gallagher (SEA), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present was MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton and MEC Reserve Committee Vice-Chairperson for New Hires & Probationaries Jarod McNeil.

        The committee met with Inflight Crew Scheduling Director Sara Cook and Inflight Crew Scheduling Supervisor Derrick Bernard.

        The committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 14th.

        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:

        • Planned Initial Training classes for the remainder of the year. Class 3 started online June 1 and class 4 will graduate this week and be online July 1. Management intends to hire additional Flight Attendants this year. The number of classes and specific number of students in each class is dependent on delivery of new aircraft.
        • Crew Scheduling management changes. Sara Cook is in the process of interviewing for new Crew Scheduling Supervisors as well as a manager to support operations.
        • Issues and glitches with Crew Access affecting Reserve Flight Attendants. Reviewed where known issues are documented and newly added/fixed issues. 
        • Review of upcoming update to Crew Access software. Includes associated fixes to current issues and other improvements, and prioritization for programming fixes.
        • Review of reserve-related scheduling issues that have occurred recently. Includes out of order assignment and incorrect application of personal drop for Reserves.
        • Review of reserve-related issues that have been escalated to the Scheduling Review Board (SRB) and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) process. Includes multiple calls from scheduling while on a layover.
        • Review of reserve utilization statistics. Reserve utilization is approximately 85% in all bases. Reserve coverage is anticipated to be approximately 22-20% for the remainder of Quarter 2 and Quarter 3.
        • Request for management to decrease the Adequate Reserve Coverage (ARC) minimum. Goal of providing additional flexibility for shifting reserve days. Management agreed to review possible changes.
        • Reminder of the newly updated AFA Alaska Online Support Center. New hire Flight Attendants can report issues, raise concerns, or ask questions.

        What the Committee is Working On

        1. Assisting Probationary Flight Attendants Through the Probationary Buddy Program. Answering questions from and providing support to probationary Flight Attendants through an expanded AFA Probationary Buddy program.
        2. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns. Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring management is complying with our contract.
        3. Developing Additional Tools & Resources for New Flight Attendants. Working to create documents to provide user friendly, easy-to-digest resources about the Collective Bargaining Agreement and other job-related information for new Flight Attendants.

        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 Reserve 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 Reserve Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Reserve Committee Tagged With: committee meeting

        AFA Alaska News in Review – June 9, 2023

        June 9, 2023 17:00

        In This Edition

        • 2023 AFA-CWA & Union Plus Scholarships Awarded
        • Next Week’s Events

        2023 AFA-CWA & Union Plus Scholarships Awarded

        Originally posted June 9, 2023

        The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to dependents of AFA Flight Attendants who will be attending a college or university.

        This year’s AFA-CWA Scholarships:

        • $2,500 winner Madison Hruske, child of Stephen Hruska, Alaska AFA Flight Attendant
        • $1,000 winner Soma Eugene Lattea, child of Junko Lattea, United AFA Flight Attendant
        • $500 winner Noah Lum, child of Winiford & Kendall Lum, Hawaiian AFA Flight Attendants

        Alternate – Sydney Amelia Grace Reardon, child of Melissa Spraker, AFA Spirit Flight Attendant

        Additionally, Union Plus awarded two scholarships to AFA-CWA:

        • $500 winner Dianne Escalona, United AFA Flight Attendant
        • $500 winner Adin A. Williams, child of Shonna Schroedl, Alaska AFA Flight Attendant

        Congratulations! We’re so proud of you.

        Read More >


        Next Week’s Events

        Monday, June 12 – Thursday, June 15Contract Negotiations
        Tuesday, June 13Quarterly Human Rights Committee Meeting

        See the MEC Event Calendar >


        Find Us on Social Media

        You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

        • Facebook
        • Twitter
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        Filed Under: AFA News Now Tagged With: AFA News in Review

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        Need Help?

        Have an issue or concern to report to AFA?  Click here to access the AFA Alaska online support center.

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        Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – August 2026

        August 31, 2026

        This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, August 25, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

        Joint Contract Negotiations Session 18 – August 2026

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        This week, the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian JNC engaged in four days of collective bargaining with management in Seattle. Despite presenting a comprehensive proposal to address Section 19 (Grievance) and Section 30 (Training), the committee and the company were unable to reach an agreement. The JNC remains dedicated to securing the best possible outcome for our members.

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        Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2026

        August 19, 2026

        This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, August 13, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), Diana Berni (PDX),  Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather […]

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