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iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Device Distribution

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Management will begin issuing new iPhone 13 IMDs next week to Flight Attendants who currently have an iPhone 7 or 8 Plus IMD.
  • Flight Attendants will be paid 0.5 TFP for picking up the new device and performing the necessary setup tasks.
  • If you’re not scheduled to work during the distribution period in your base, other pickup options, including direct shipping to the address of your choice at no cost to you, will be available.

Management recently notified AFA that they plan to begin distributing new iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants who are currently issued iPhone 7 or 8 Plus devices.  Distribution will take place in one base at a time over approximately six weeks.  The specific schedule will be communicated by management separately.  Flight Attendants who were hired in 2022 or have already been issued an iPhone 13 IMD will continue using their current device.

iPhone 13 IMD Distribution Letter of Agreement (LOA)

In anticipation of the distribution of new iPhone 13 IMDs, AFA and management have entered into a letter of agreement (LOA), further clarifying the process.  AFA LOA 2023-01-09 (Distribution of iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices to Flight Attendants Currently Issued an iPhone 7 or 8 Plus) provides benefits and protections to Flight Attendants, including:

  • Pay of 0.5 TFP for picking up the device and performing the necessary setup tasks (automatically paid on the April 20th paycheck).
  • Flexible pick-up options if not scheduled to work during the designated distribution period, including the option to have the device shipped to the address of your choice at no cost.
  • Specific limitations regarding what tasks Flight Attendants will be required to perform to set the device up.
  • A defined process (with the potential for additional compensation) to handle instances where Flight Attendants have to perform work over and above the limited setup tasks or standard maintenance requirements to make the IMD ready-to-use.

For complete details, please click here to view the complete LOA.  You can also find the LOA on your IMD in GoodReader in the ASFA Supplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement folder.

LAX Co-Terminal Support

Through the continued advocacy of the AFA Council 18 LEC Officers, management has also agreed to provide on-site IT support to distribute IMDs at each of the LAX co-terminals.  On-site support at the LAX co-terminals will take place in March, and specific dates will be published by management in advance.  LAX-based Flight Attendants who primarily fly out of co-terminals can also pick up their IMD at LAX or any other domicile during the scheduled distribution period or make alternate arrangements as outlined in the LOA.

Questions?

If you have questions about the iPhone 13 IMD Distribution LOA, please contact your LEC Officers.

AFA Alaska News in Review – January 6, 2023

In This Edition

National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Originally posted January 6, 2023

Human trafficking is a crime that occurs when force, fraud, or coercion is used to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act from another person. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Help by taking a stand against human trafficking and recommit to ending it on our planes. Join the third annual #WearBlueDay on January 11th to help build public awareness about the ongoing fight to end human trafficking. 

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, January 10 – Thursday, January 12Contract Negotiations
Tuesday, January 10 – Wednesday, January 11Regular MEC Meeting
Friday, January 13Alternate 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!

National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Human Rights Committee

  • Human trafficking is a crime that occurs when force, fraud, or coercion is used to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act from another person.
  • January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Help by taking a stand against human trafficking and recommit to ending it on our planes.
  • Join the third annual #WearBlueDay on January 11th to help build public awareness about the ongoing fight to end human trafficking.

As Flight Attendants, we are uniquely positioned to identify human traffickers and assist their victims.  Flight crews are skilled observers, and with the appropriate training, they can be the frontline against trafficking, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  Indicators of human trafficking can include: physical control of travel documents of an adult traveler by a co-traveler; restricting the movement and social interaction of an adult traveler by a co-traveler; an adult traveler who is unclear on details of his/her final destination or point of contact; or a child traveler who appears to be accompanied by someone claiming to be the parent or guardian who is in fact not related to the child.

January is National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. We can take a stand against human trafficking by recommitting ourselves to end it on our planes. As Flight Attendants and aviation’s first responders, we are uniquely positioned to identify human traffickers and assist their victims.

Wear Blue on January 11th

All over the world people will be wearing blue articles of clothing, January 11, in observance of the third annual #WearBlueDay to encourage greater public awareness about the scourge of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a billion dollar business, but Flight Attendants can be 100,000 Eyes in the Skies to recognize and report it. We can be the ones to make the difference.

Want to participate? Here’s how:

  • Post a photo of yourself and others on social media wearing blue with hashtags #WearBlueDay and when tweeting tag @afa_cwa.
  • Finish the statement #WeWearBlueBecause to share why you are participating. 

Download and print the AFA/Department of Homeland Security’s Guide to Recognize and Report Suspected Human Trafficking. 

AFA Alaska News in Review – December 30, 2022

In This Edition

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – December 2022

Originally posted December 28, 2022

Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, December 27 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!

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Thursday, January 5Quarterly Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Meeting
Thursday, January 5Scheduling Review Board (SRB)
Thursday, January 5Alternate 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!

 

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – December 2022

Scheduling Committee

  • Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, December 27 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, December 27, 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), Martin Vance (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Natalie Codd (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Adam Clarey, and MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton. The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Inflight Crew Scheduling Supervisor Matthew Trujillo, Manager of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, and other management representatives from Crew Planning and Crew Scheduling.

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:

  • Reviewing AFA Alaska Online Support Center tickets related to the recent winter storm and compiling an agenda to review with management the week of January 9, 2023. The issues include, but are not limited to, hotels/transportation, pre-cancellations/reassignments, ground/air commuting, stranded pay, long waits for Crew Scheduling phone lines and return phone calls, holiday/premium pay and attendance points. 
  • If you were stranded during the recent winter weather event, please review contract section 21.N. Be sure to file an inquiry in Rainmaker for pay on the date in question. You will need to login to the Flight Attendant website > administration > pay & benefits > Rainmaker logon. After logging in, you will see a comment box and be able to submit a pay inquiry. It will take the pay analyst approximately two weeks to review the claim. You will find instructions and information in the Rainmaker user guides.
  • Holiday Pay is addressed in contract section 21.H. If you had a cancellation on a holiday, it is possible that you qualify for the provisions in contract section 21.H.3 which states: “If a Flight Attendant reports for a sequence containing a flight that is scheduled to operate on a holiday and that flight subsequently cancels, then the Flight Attendant will receive one (1) TFP at two times (2.0x) her/his trip rate for the canceled flight in addition to all other appropriate pay premiums and pay provisions (including pay protection, if applicable). For a Reserve, one (1.0) TFP will be paid above the guarantee and one (1.0) TFP will be credited towards guarantee, both at straight time.” If you don’t see this pay displayed in Rainmaker, please file an inquiry.
  • Staffing Leaves for February were awarded, review informational bulletin #2022-0132. 
  • CARE Retreat bidding in January will be for March sessions.  If you do not want to be assigned a session, be sure to bid for your class or pick up from Open Time. 
  • Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) might increase in January once the operation is back to normal. This will allow more flexibility in the form of dropping trips to Open Time. 
  • Review of Longevity PTO bidding and awarding.  Flight Attendants are projected to receive this provision and if they don’t bid the dates, the vacation is usually put into January of the following year. This causes issues with removal of vacation in subsequent months. 
  • Expense reimbursement.  If you are due expense reimbursement related to the recent winter weather events, please see an inflight supervisor for assistance. 
  • Crew Access filter bugs and changes.  Management projects that the day filter will be fixed in March 2023.  The days have an error where the system is looking at UTC (Coordinated Universal/Greenwich Mean Time).
  • Flight cancellations.  If your flight is cancelled, report as scheduled unless you contact Crew Scheduling or Crew Scheduling contacts you.  Review contract sections 10.S and 10.R.  Flow charts outlining the process are also available on the Scheduling Committee page of afaalaska.org.
  • If you were an air/ground commuter during the winter weather event, please review the Ground Commuting During Significant Weather Events letter of agreement.
  • Crew Access Known Issues Document.  An updated list was provided in Bulletin Bundle #2022-0120 on November 28, 2022.  You can also find the information on the Flight Attendant website > schedule & bidding > crew access help.
  • If you have pay concerns, please be sure to review both Crew Access and Rainmaker.  AFA Representatives do not have access to your Rainmaker.  If you have a pay issue or an issue with an inquiry, please take a screenshot of the applicable Rainmaker page and provide an AFA representative with a copy by filing a ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. 

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Scheduling a meeting with Network Planning.  The Committee would like to meet with Network Planning in 2023 to discuss our contract, legalities and suggestions. We want to provide management with the Flight Attendant perspective and in an effort to improve our quality of life. 
  2. Review of JCTE/Crew Access transaction performance.  Each month, ITS provides the Committee with data on performance and transactions within JCTE/Crew Access.  The Committee reviews these reports to ensure our service levels are maintained at the appropriate thresholds.
  3. Scheduling Quality of Life Improvements.  Reviewing ways to improve Trip Length Distribution (TLD) and other quality of life options.  Working with management to develop a quality of life survey to determine Flight Attendant scheduling priorities. 
  4. Review of user guides and links of Flight Attendant website.  Ensuring information is still accurate in existing resource materials, links are still active and working, etc.
  5. Updating Crew Access videos.  Working with management and ITS to update the Crew Access instructional videos to reflect updates and changes to the user interface.

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.

2026 AFA Board of Directors Convention: What You Need To Know

Next week, our Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers, Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents, and several other LEC Officers, Committee Chairpersons, and Committee Members will attend the 53rd Annual AFA Board of Directors (BOD) Convention in Portland, Oregon. They will join representatives from other AFA airlines to address our Union’s business at the international level. Watch […]

Hawaiian Flight Attendant Seattle Domicile Negotiations – March 2026 Update

Management currently requires Flight Attendants to provide proof of relocation to receive the flat-rate moving expense, a policy that the AFA is formally challenging through the grievance process. While this dispute is ongoing, Flight Attendants able to submit proof of relocation must submit two forms of documentation, such as a lease or updated driver’s license, within 60 days of transfer if they wish to be paid under management’s terms. The union continues to advocate for a fairer process and encourages members to keep records of all related interactions.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 12 – February 2026

During this negotiation session, we made progress on Sections 15 (Leaves of Absence) and 22 (Expenses). The JNC advocated for positive developments from the Hawaiian CBA to strengthen our proposals. We also introduced our initial proposal for Section 28 (Domiciles) and remain committed to meaningful improvements in all areas of discussion.

Reminder: Don’t Miss Next Week’s MEC Town Hall!

Mark your calendar—Tuesday, March 3, is almost here! There’s still time to register for our Alaska + Hawaiian Town Hall and hear directly from your MEC Officers: MEC President Tim Green, MEC Vice President Brice McGee, and MEC Secretary-Treasurer Paul Ikioka. Join us for the latest updates and get answers to your questions. The Details What […]

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, February 19, our AFA Local 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), Bob Moore (PDX), Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather Holmes […]

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