AFA Alaska + Hawaiian

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
You are here: Home / Archives for Latest News

AFA Alaska News in Review – June 30, 2023

In This Edition

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study – Fourth Wave

Originally posted June 26, 2023

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.

Read More >

It’s Going To Be A Red Hot Summer!

Originally posted June 27, 2023

It’s time to turn the heat up on management. The official AFA pin at Alaska Airlines is now red. Mark your calendar for August 15 and plan to bid the day off for solidarity events in all bases.

Read More >

June 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

Originally posted June 28, 2023

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.

Read More >

Setting the Record Straight

Originally posted June 29, 2023

Our Negotiating Committee was asked to provide an official response to the statements management made last week about negotiations. We are committed to negotiating an industry-leading contract with many significant improvements. Our value does not diminish on June 30th – or any other arbitrary date!

Read More >

Shared on Social

Share The News!

As part of our mobilization efforts, use this statement for your social media profile picture and status:

Nearly 7,000 Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants, the largest labor group at the company, are currently negotiating our first full contract since 2014. There are many essential changes needed to address how far behind the industry our contract has fallen in the past 9 years. Management initially agreed to place us at the top of the industry in pay, but they indicated their commitment has expired. 

We were instrumental in Alaska Airlines and the entire airline industry surviving the Covid-19 pandemic, and our airline is back to making record profits. Other labor groups have recently ratified contracts with vast improvements. Now is the right time for Alaska Airlines to Do the Right Thing and negotiate a Flight Attendant contract we deserve.

Based on their recent negotiations proposals, it’s clear Alaska Airlines management doesn’t value me or my fellow Flight Attendants. We are mobilizing for a “Red Hot Summer” to support our Negotiating Committee’s efforts to negotiate a contract equal to our value. Alaska Airlines – show us you CARE!

Next Week’s Events

Thursday, July 6Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

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!

June 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

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.

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study – Fourth Wave

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.

AFA Alaska News in Review – June 23, 2023

In This Edition

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

Originally posted June 21, 2023

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

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

Read More >

Negotiation Session 17

Originally posted June 22, 2023

Negotiations on an aggressive timeline were unsuccessful. Management shared their response to our economic proposal. Both parties are significantly apart from agreeing on economic provisions. We are planning next steps. Expect negotiations to continue for quite some time, along with mobilization activities to pressure management to provide a contract we all deserve.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Monday, June 26 – Tuesday, June 27Regular MEC Meeting
Tuesday, June 27Monthly Scheduling 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!

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

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.

Go In-Depth with Our AFA Membership Engagement Committee Chairperson

Building on the momentum of our Membership Engagement Committee introduction video and this week’s look at the committee’s history, we’re excited to introduce the next feature of our July Committee Focus Month. Today, we’re launching an in-depth interview that offers an inside look at the mission and people powering the Membership Engagement Committee. What You’ll […]

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), […]

Recent Posts

News By Month

News By Category

AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX (pmAS) Council 19 SEA (pmAS) Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX Council 43 HNL Council 47 LAX/SEA (pmHA) EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska + Hawaiian news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
Sign Up for Emails
Sign Up for Text Updates