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AFA Alaska News in Review – August 19, 2022

In This Edition

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2022

Originally posted August 15, 2022

Our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, August 12 to discuss their ongoing program of work to protect and improve the quality of Flight Attendant hotel accommodations and ground transportation providers.  The Committee met with representatives from management and the Company’s crew accommodations vendor to review current trends and concerns related to layover hotels and transportation.  More than ever, the Committee needs your help in reporting hotel and transportation concerns through CrewCare.  Issues that are reported through CrewCare provide the Committee with important data to drive change with management.

Read More >

TAKE ACTION: Demand No Stock Buybacks

Originally posted August 18, 2022

COVID relief legislation temporarily prohibited airlines from using stock buybacks that enrich executives and big investors on the backs of workers and consumers. But those prohibitions end on September 30.

Now is not the time to start sending cash to Wall Street when the airlines can’t yet meet public demand or manage effectively through operational challenges. Airline workers have had contract negotiations on hold for years – delaying raises and improving working conditions needed to keep skilled workers on the job and attract new applicants.

We call on all airline CEOs to take the No Stock Buybacks Pledge!

Read More >

Ready to Get Involved?  Become a Mobilization Volunteer!

Originally posted August 18, 2022

Solidarity is the key to our success in upcoming contract negotiations.  Keeping others informed and involved in the process is the role of our Mobilization Committee and Mobilization Volunteers.  Mobilization Volunteers are responsible for sharing negotiations news and information, gathering feedback, and encouraging other Flight Attendants to take action to support our Negotiating Committee.  If you’re interested in getting involved as a Mobilization Volunteer, fill out an expression of interest form today.  If you want to know more, get in touch with your Local Mobilization Committee Chairperson.

Read More >

AFA Alaska Online Support Center Outage

Originally posted August 18, 2022

At around 6 PM Pacific time this evening (Thursday, August 18) the AFA Alaska Online Support Center at support.afaalaska.org went offline due to an issue with our hosting provider. We are currently working to resolve the issue but have been advised that it may take up to 48 hours to restore the system. As long as the system is down, please email your LEC Officers directly if you have an issue to report to AFA. 

Read More >

Shared on Social

Have You Taken Our Negotiations Survey?

Note: these were originally posted earlier in the week and are being shared for historical reference.  The survey closed earlier today at 12 PM Pacific time.

Monday, August 15

Our Negotiating Committee needs your feedback!  As of today, 32% of Flight Attendants have taken our negotiations survey.  The survey is your direct line to our Negotiating Committee to share your thoughts and have your feedback included.  Make sure that your voice is heard and take the survey now!

Tuesday, August 16

Our Negotiating Committee needs your feedback!  As of today, 42% of Flight Attendants have taken our negotiations survey.  Check with your flying partners—has everyone completed the survey yet?  If not, share this QR code and encourage them to have their voice heard!

Wednesday, August 17

Our Negotiating Committee needs your feedback!  As of today, 48% of Flight Attendants have taken our negotiations survey.  Haven’t taken the survey yet because you’re short on time?  It’s easy to take the survey…

🚐 On the van 

🪑 On a sit 

🏨 On your layover 

🏡 At home 

or almost anywhere in between!

Thursday, August 18

🚨 REMINDER 🚨 Less than 24 hours left to take our negotiations survey!  The survey closes tomorrow (Friday, August 19) at 12 PM Pacific time.

Our Negotiating Committee needs your feedback!  As of today, 54% of Flight Attendants have taken our negotiations survey.  Check in with your flying partners and reach out to your Alaska Flight Attendant friends to make sure they’ve taken the survey!  Text, call, email, video chat—get in touch with as many people as you can and ask them to make sure they have their voice heard!

Our Negotiations Survey is Now Closed

Our Negotiations Survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took the survey and encouraged your flying partners and Flight Attendant friends to do the same. Our final participation rate for the survey was 62%.

Don’t forget, you can still share your thoughts and feedback with our Negotiating Committee at any time. Send a direct email to negotiations@afaalaska.org or fill out a Negotiations Feedback Form online!

https://contract2022.afaalaska.org/contact/

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, August 23Monthly Scheduling Committee Meeting
Thursday, August 25Special MEC 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 Alaska Online Support Center Outage

At around 6 PM Pacific time this evening (Thursday, August 18) the AFA Alaska Online Support Center at support.afaalaska.org went offline due to an issue with our hosting provider. We are currently working to resolve the issue but have been advised that it may take up to 48 hours to restore the system. As long as the system is down, please email your LEC Officers directly if you have an issue to report to AFA. Contact information is below.

BaseEmail
ANCanc@afaalaska.org
LAXlax@afaalaska.org
PDXpdx@afaalaska.org
SANsan@afaalaska.org
SEAsea@afaalaska.org
SFOsfo@afaalaska.org

TAKE ACTION: Demand No Stock Buybacks

AFA International

COVID relief legislation temporarily prohibited airlines from using stock buybacks that enrich executives and big investors on the backs of workers and consumers. But those prohibitions end on September 30.

Now is not the time to start sending cash to Wall Street when the airlines can’t yet meet public demand or manage effectively through operational challenges. Airline workers have had contract negotiations on hold for years – delaying raises and improving working conditions needed to keep skilled workers on the job and attract new applicants.

We call on all airline CEOs to take the No Stock Buybacks Pledge!

Airlines pledge to extend the COVID relief ban on stock buybacks until:

  • operational meltdowns are not the norm and staffing and flights schedules are aligned to support public demand; and
  • labor contract negotiations are concluded.

Stabilizing the industry must be CEOs #1 priority. Not $1 in stock buybacks until this is achieved.

Take Action and Sign the Petition!

From 2014 through 2019, United, Southwest, American and Delta rewarded Wall Street with more than $39 billion in stock buybacks. That’s money that should have been invested in improving passenger experiences, better staffing, and good jobs. When the pandemic struck, aviation unions secured a historic relief package, the Payroll Support Program (PSP), which provided the airlines with funding to maintain payroll and benefits, while temporarily banning stock buybacks and capping executive compensation. At the same time, frontline workers helped the U.S. aviation system weather the economic and public health storm.

We know Wall Street will demand airlines resume buybacks the minute this ban ends. But if CEOs don’t prioritize operations, the crisis in the industry will only deepen.

Airline CEOs can use resources to end operational meltdowns and restore stability, or they can feed Wall Street greed. Sign the demand that CEOs put the industry’s stability, their passengers, and aviation workers first. Greed doesn’t fly. No stock buybacks until the industry flies right!

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2022

Hotel Committee

  • Our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, August 12 to discuss their ongoing program of work to protect and improve the quality of Flight Attendant hotel accommodations and ground transportation providers.
  • The Committee met with representatives from management and the Company’s crew accommodations vendor to review current trends and concerns related to layover hotels and transportation.
  • More than ever, the Committee needs your help in reporting hotel and transportation concerns through CrewCare.  Issues that are reported through CrewCare provide the Committee with important data to drive change with management.

On Thursday, August 12, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management.  Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA), Cassie Dole (SFO), Majo Tanco (LAX), and Kanani Vallot (SAN).  Also present were MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson Laura Hinojosa and MEC Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson Jodi Snow.  The committee met with Crew Hotel Support Specialist Alyssa Umagat, Crew Hotels & Administration Manager Nichole Turner, and Managing Director of Operations Staffing & Resource Management Brittany Audette from management.  Representatives from the Company’s crew accommodations vendor Accommodations Plus International (API) and ALPA participated in the meeting as well.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed a number of items both during the meeting with management and API.  Some items discussed include:

  • Review of the overall condition of the hotel industry and how the industry is recovering from the pandemic.  Similar to the airline business, the hotel industry has mostly rebounded at this point to business levels that are on par or exceed 2019.  This has driven hotel rates up and availability down (supply and demand).
  • Overview of new technology options being offered by API that may improve the flow of information about hotels and ground transportation to crewmembers.  Management will be working with API to evaluate how the options could be used at Alaska.
  • Review of the Company’s utilization of hotels by city
  • Review of CrewCare reports filed (both complaints and compliments). 
  • Ongoing issue with rooms not being available when crew members arrive at a hotel and having to wait.  It is important that Flight Attendants call Crew Scheduling upon arrival if rooms are not ready and then again when provided with a room.  Management has been providing additional compensation for documented wait times of one hour or longer.  Please follow up by documenting with a CrewCare report.
  • Concerns about upcoming major events in LAS, PHX, and ANC that may impact hotel availability and quality of crew layovers.  Working to ensure that crew members have rooms and minimal disruptions.
  • Ensuring room availability in cities that experience major seasonal fluctuations in hotel demand (primarily ANC during summer).  The Committee had previously asked that management take a more proactive approach to guarantee room availability for crews in these locations and is continuing to do so.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Conducting hotel site visits.  Visiting hotels under consideration by management and advocating for management to select the hotel that will provide the safest and most comfortable layover experience for Flight Attendants.
  2. Investigating CrewCare reports.  Reviewing CrewCare reports and working to hold hotel and transportation providers accountable through management and API.
  3. Working to ensure hotel availability in cities with seasonal demand.  Advocating for improved processes to ensure that enough contractually compliant hotel rooms will be available for crews in cities that experience strong seasonal fluctuations in demand for hotels.  

We Want to Hear From You!

If you’ve had an unacceptable or substandard experience with a layover hotel or ground transportation provider, please report the issue!  Our AFA Hotel Committee receives a copy of every CrewCare report filed and each one is read and reviewed.  You can file a CrewCare report using the web app on your IMD home screen or by clicking here. 

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

AFA Alaska News in Review – August 12, 2022

In This Edition

Getting Ready for Contract Negotiations

Originally posted August 11, 2022

Contract negotiations with management are set to begin just over a month from today.  As our Negotiating Committee gears up to go to the table with management, a number of activities are taking place to help support their work.  Our Negotiations Survey is underway, preparatory work has started on our AFA opening proposal to management, and our Mobilization Committee is looking for Mobilization Volunteers to back our Negotiating Committee.  Looking for even more information about negotiations and what to expect?  Our Contract 2022 website is your one-stop resource for everything you need to know! 

Read More >

August 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

Originally posted August 12, 2022

Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Thursday, August 11 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 to take place on Tuesday, September 13 and Wednesday, September 14.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, August 16Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Tuesday, August 16 – Thursday, August 18Flight Attendant Drug & Alcohol Program (FADAP) Conference
Friday, August 19Negotiations Survey Closes (12 PM Pacific time)

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!

 

MEC Officer Election Results

With the current Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers’ term ending on December 31, 2025, our MEC held elections this week for the next term. According to the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws, each of the eight Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents casts one vote for each officer position. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected […]

Sick Leave Survey Deadline Extended

Our JNC has received reports that some Flight Attendants may not have received the Sick Leave Survey email due to technical issues. Please check your spam or junk folder. The survey deadline has been extended to Friday, November 21, at Noon PT, allowing everyone to participate.

Sick Leave Survey Closing Soon

There’s just 1 DAY LEFT to complete the Sick Leave Survey that will help shape future provisions. Our JNC is eager to hear your thoughts on which elements of our paid sick leave policy are most meaningful to you, as we strive to improve our support for your needs. The survey is currently open and will remain available until Tuesday, November 11 at Noon PT.

Council 30 (ANC) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 12 PM PT today for the election of Council 30 LEC Officers, representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in Anchorage. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: LeiLauni ScheidemanLEC Vice President: Heather ReierLEC Secretary: Anne Madsen View the certified election results here >> These newly elected officers […]

Apps To Help You Save Money On Food

Our AFA Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee recognizes that Flight Attendants may be facing increasing challenges when it comes to accessing affordable food, whether on the road or at home. We want you to know that you are not alone. In response to these difficulties, we have compiled a list of apps to help […]

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