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AFA Alaska News in Review – April 22, 2022

In This Edition

Masks Are No Longer Required in Airports or Onboard

Originally posted April 18, 2022

The CDC and TSA report the federal mask mandate is no longer in effect after today’s court ruling. The Administration is still reviewing its legal options for addressing the issue of executive authority to issue public health initiatives.  Additionally, Alaska Airlines management just announced via multiple channels that the mask mandate is lifted effective immediately on all aircraft. This policy change has been picked by media outlets, so it is very likely that passengers will be reading this information possibly before crews hear about it.

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Introducing Our AFA Staff Negotiator and Staff Attorney

Originally posted April 19, 2022

AFA is a union organized by Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants.  All AFA officers and committee members are Flight Attendants who have experience doing our job and understand the uniqueness of our profession.  To help complement the representation work done by our officers and committees, AFA also employs experts in a variety of fields to provide professional support and add to our strength.  Two AFA staff members assigned to AFA Alaska play key roles in the negotiation and administration of our contract: AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo and AFA Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput.

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Three Things That You Can Do to Keep Management From Getting the Upper Hand in Contract Negotiations

Originally posted April 21, 2022

Preparation work for contract negotiations is underway and many of us are starting to talk about improvements we’d like to see in our next contract.  We need to make sure that our Negotiating Committee has every possible advantage to give us the strongest position at the bargaining table.  Things that we say or do may have an impact on the strength of that position.  Being mindful of the conversations we have and what we post online will help to keep management from getting the upper hand over our Negotiating Committee.

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Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2022

Originally posted April 22, 2022

Our AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met on Thursday, April 14 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to safety, health, and security in our workplace.  The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are facing onboard the aircraft.  Reporting safety concerns is more important than ever given the challenges we are currently facing as a work group.  Flight Attendant Irregularity Reports (FAIR), Aviation Safety Action Reports (ASAP), and fatigue reports can all be filed through Report It!  Please contact a member of your Local ASHSC if you need assistance.

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REMINDER: Sign Up For a Listening Session

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Listening Sessions are coming up next month and the time to sign up is now!  Listening Sessions are your opportunity to meet with our Negotiating Committee in a small group setting and share your thoughts, ideas, experiences, or anything else on your mind about negotiations.  Register for a session today and get involved in the process—your voice matters! 

https://contract2022.afaalaska.org/committee/listening/

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, April 26Monthly Scheduling Committee Meeting
Tuesday, April 26 Council 39 (PDX) Local Council Meeting

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2022

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

  • Our AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met on Thursday, April 14 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to safety, health, and security in our workplace.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are facing onboard the aircraft.
  • Reporting safety concerns is more important than ever given the challenges we are currently facing as a work group.  Flight Attendant Irregularity Reports (FAIR), Aviation Safety Action Reports (ASAP), and fatigue reports can all be filed through Report It!  Please contact a member of your Local ASHSC if you need assistance.

On Thursday, April 14, our AFA Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) 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 Debi Wallstrom (ANC), David Lake (SEA), Bethany Gilbo (PDX), Brad Young (SFO), Felicia Porter (LAX), and Eva Gatus (SAN).  Also present were MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple, MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—Air Quality Yvette Satterlee, and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee met with Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Director of Inflight Strategy & Support Gloria Chow, Cabin Safety Manager Cari Smith-Allen, and Manager of Inflight Policy & Procedure Joevanni Camacho and other representatives from inflight management.

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:

  • Lack of onboard experience being provided to our newest Flight Attendants during Initial Training. The ASHSC believes that more onboard experience during Initial Training is better.
  • Timeline for retiring legacy Virgin America carts and discussion about general cart maintenance.
  • Lack of availability of replacement luggage for Flight Attendants.
  • New IMD device and timeline for replacement of current IMD and electronic FAM (GoodReader).  Also discussed the desire/need to have a bigger screen on the next IMD.
  • Update on request to establish a dedicated time prior to boarding to perform emergency equipment checks and Flight Attendant briefings.
  • The risk of irregular operations, such as reopening the boarding door after departure to enplane passengers.
  • Wild fire season preparedness; there will be an accommodation process for those with health conditions increasing their risk of being exposed to poor air quality.
  • Preparation for the eventual ending of the mask mandate. Note: unfortunately, many of the needed discussions and preparations did not take place prior to the abrupt ending of the mandate and associated company policy on April 18.
  • Airbus L1 & R1 assist handle is not usable by all due to the placement of the divider. We have been working with the company for three years to address the issue. Although not ideal, an extension strap will be installed to the bottom of the current assist handle for Flight Attendants to hold in an emergency while pulling the manual inflation handle.
  • Some of the mockups in training facilities have platforms which require Flight Attendants to step down and back up to get into their protected position during drills. This is a safety hazard. The platforms will be expanded to provide more space.
  • LEOs have been using body cameras to record interviews with/take statements from Flight Attendants involved in significant events. These interviews can be obtained by the public via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The ASHSC asked management to update company post event protocols and training to account for this.
  • Update on transition to T-Mobile. Company reports that service had been upgraded at most stations which had inadequate service at the start of the rollout.
  • The need for brighter lighting during compliance checks.
  • The adoption of the ASHSC’s recommendation to have the D-position Flight Attendant in a dedicated boarding position at L1 as part of the boarding position changes.
  • Inflight management and AFA representatives not being notified of disruptive passenger and other significant events so appropriate response and support can be provided to crew.
  • Report It! app to receive update to turbulence reporting section and the ability to submit EIRs (Employee Injury Reports)
  • Inflight has agreed to take the ASHSC’s recommendation to add “in an emergency leave everything” to the safety demo in a future FAM revision.
  • ASHSC is still advocating for updates to EMK/EEMK to include a pulse oximeter and glucometer among other improvements and standardization across kits.
  • High quality hands on training of safest body mechanics to use when performing Flight Attendant duties.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Improved Restraint Devices.  Advocating for replacement of current restraint devices with an improved product.
  2. Conducting Prior to Landing Compliance Checks Earlier.  Advocating for a change to the timing of the prior to landing compliance check announcement. The ASHSC believes it is safer to make the announcement at 18,000 feet so we can be seated for landing closer to 10,000 feet.
  3. Reducing Carry-On Bag and Overhead Bin Injuries.  Working with management to identify and implement mitigations for injuries caused by carry on bags and closing overhead bins. 

We Want to Hear From You!

If you’ve experienced a safety-related issue, please help the committee to advocate for improvement and change by filing a report.  Flight Attendant Irregularity Reports (FAIR), Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) reports, and fatigue reports can all be submitted using ReportIt!  If you’re not sure what type of report to file for a particular situation or need help, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of your Local ASHSC.

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

AFA Alaska News in Review – April 15, 2022

In This Edition

Delayed Publication of May 2022 Bid Awards

Originally posted April 13, 2022

Management violated section 10.J.8 of our collective bargaining agreement when they failed to publish bid awards by 9 AM Pacific time on the 13th of the month.  They owe all of us a explanation as to why they failed to honor their obligation and what they plan to do to hold themselves accountable.  Our MEC has also let management know that we expect them to engage with AFA about an appropriate and mutually acceptable remedy for the contractual violation.

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April 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

Originally posted April 14, 2022

Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.  As part of the meeting, the MEC met with members of inflight, labor relations, and executive management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.  The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 24.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

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Introducing our MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson

Originally posted April 15, 2022

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews this week for the MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson position who will be responsible for coordinating mobilization activities across all six bases during our upcoming contract negotiations. Our MEC would like to thank the candidates who demonstrated willingness to represent our Flight Attendants.  After thorough deliberation, the voting members of your MEC, consisting of the six directly-elected LEC Presidents, have appointed a candidate to the position. 

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Management’s Violation of CBA Section 10.J.8

Our MEC is extremely frustrated by management’s violation of section 10.J.8 of our collective bargaining agreement through their failure to post bid awards by the 13th of the month at 9 AM Pacific time. The issue is being discussed by the MEC and we are preparing to file a contractual grievance on behalf of all Flight Attendants. Please note that there is no need to file a ticket through the AFA Alaska Support Center as any action taken under the contractual grievance process will be on behalf of our entire workgroup. We will be publishing a more in-depth communication on the issue later today.

Next Week’s Events

Monday, April 18AFA Presentation to Initial Training Class 2022-06
Tuesday, April 19SEA Base Safety Meeting
Tuesday, April 19 – Wednesday, April 20 Negotiating Committee Training
Thursday, April 21Council 19 (SEA) Local Council Meeting
Thursday, April 21Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

See the MEC Event Calendar >

April 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
  • As part of the meeting, the MEC met with members of inflight, labor relations, and executive management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.
  • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 24.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

The April 2022 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13.  The meeting consisted of updates provided by 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. 

MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson Interviews

Part of Tuesday was spent interviewing candidates for the MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson position who will be responsible for coordinating mobilization activities across all six bases during upcoming contract negotiations.  Our MEC would like to thank all of the candidates who expressed a willingness to serve and interviewed for the positions.  We’ll have more information tomorrow morning about the outcome of the interviews.

Meeting with Management

As part of most Regular MEC Meetings, our MEC meets with management to review current issues and challenges that Flight Attendants are facing.  Attendees from management this month included EVP & COO Constance von Muehlen, Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Denia Pisia, Vice President of Labor Relations Jenny Wetzel, and Director of Payroll Leah Ables.

Some of the topics that were discussed include:

  • Leave and absence management issues.  The approval process has been slow and employees have not been receiving timely responses to inquiries and requests.
  • PBS bid award delays and frustration surrounding management errors (note: the discussion with management took place before the bid award publishing deadline and a contractual violation had not occurred yet).
  • April OPR goals and management’s claim that inflight did not meet the safety goal due to a partial slide event.  Based on information published on Alaska’s World, inflight did meet the goal as there is no stipulation that a slide event causes the goal to be missed.  Our MEC has requested that management pay out according to the goals that they published.
  • Pilot staffing and associated flight cancellations.  Management has indicated they plan to make schedule adjustments in May based on the amount of flying remaining in open time after pilot bidding is complete.
  • Excessive use of reassignments by Crew Scheduling and frustration that Flight Attendants have an expectation to work the trips they bid/picked up when they come to work.
  • Spring incentive premium and feedback received from Flight Attendants about how the incentive was constructed.  There is significant dissatisfaction about vacation pay being excluded from Worked TFP and the high threshold necessary to receive the incentive payout.  
  • Pairing construction and cost analysis.  AFA has a long-standing request that management analyze pairings after the bid period is complete to determine what pairings actually end up costing the company.  This data could potentially be used to support changes in pairing construction to reduce undesirable trips that end up costing the company more money in the long run.
  • Company marketing activities on social media, particularly on TikTok.  Looking for answers from management as to what the intent of the content is and who it is being marketed toward. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please reach out to your LEC President.

Delayed Publication of May 2022 Bid Awards

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Like all of you, the MEC is extremely frustrated by management’s unacceptable violation of Section 10.J.8 of our collective bargaining agreement through their failure to post May 2022 bid awards on time. We will file a contractual grievance on behalf of all Flight Attendants for this violation, so please note there is no need to file a ticket through the AFA Alaska Support Center. We hear you loud and clear: You want transparency and accountability from management, and you expect AFA leadership to do everything in our power to make that happen on your behalf.

Management has already acknowledged “administrative error,” but this does not go far enough. Consequently, we have communicated your expectations that management transparently communicates additional details and management’s actions in response, including how responsible parties will be held accountable and what is being done to prevent a recurrence. The MEC has also requested Labor Relations to engage with us at the earliest possible opportunity regarding an appropriate and mutually acceptable remedy for the contractual violation.

What is a potential remedy? There is no identifiable loss of pay because of the contract violation, so there is no contractual basis to seek compensation or any other alternative remedy via arbitration. The best outcome we could achieve via a favorable arbitration ruling would be for management to cease and desist (i.e., not violate the contract provision going forward). However, management has already agreed there was a contract violation and signaled to AFA there is no intent for future violations.

Although management is neither obligated to pay anything for the inconvenience, nor would an arbitrator compel management to do so, nothing prevents the parties from mutually agreeing to compensation or some other compensatory-like remedy. AFA has expressed our desire to management to settle this dispute by negotiating such a remedy, so it’s their move next.

AFA News in Review – September 19, 2025

In This Edition Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month Originally posted September 15, 2025 Join us in celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, a time dedicated to honoring the vibrant cultures and significant contributions of Hispanic-Latinx Americans. Discover the history, participate in special events, and grab your commemorative Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month AFA Pin […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the first group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have […]

Election Notice: Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Officer Elections

The term of office for our current Alaska + Hawaiian Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers will conclude on December 31, 2025. The voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) will elect new MEC Officers at the November Regular MEC meeting. This communication serves as notice of the election in accordance with the MEC Policy and Procedure Manual. […]

SEA Domicile Negotiations – September 2025 Update #2

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants Negotiations Update Our SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee met with the company on September 11 to review their response to our September 5 proposal.  We feel that it is important to acknowledge the challenges within our company as Alaska management is struggling to understand our Collective Bargaining Agreement […]

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