December 2021 MEC Meeting Recap

December 8, 2021 17:00

December 2021 MEC Meeting Recap

Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson

Just wrapped up chairing our monthly MEC meeting yesterday and today.

As usual, your AFA committee chairs and reps provided written reports to the MEC about the latest developments in their areas, and we received live briefings regarding dispute resolution & grievances, scheduling, FA pay, and fatigue. Lots going on out there!

Meeting w/ COO + Inflight + Labor Relations + FA Crew Pay

Notable topics discussed:

Recent leadership change and the path forward
Acting on FA feedback – Management to communicate administrative details to FAs as soon as possible in the next bulletin
- 1.5x pay for all  DHD conversions (i.e., including unscheduled DHD conversions) November 1, 2021 – January 2, 2022 – There is no mechanism in Crew Access to track all conversions, so FAs must manually submit in Rainmaker. (November flight activity will process soon, so please submit ASAP if you want November conversions to be paid in December!)
- Forgiving attendance points for all FA COVID+ absences (i.e., up to 10-day Single Continuous Occurrence substantiated by a positive COVID test that includes the FA’s name, testing facility and date) – Use the COVID+/Vaccine Reaction Points Forgiveness Form (AAG SSO required: Inflight –> Admin –> Performance –> COVID+/Vaccine Reaction Points Forgiveness Form)
- Removing time restrictions for submissions of the COVID+/Vaccine Reaction Points Forgiveness Form (i.e., no longer a requirement to submit by the end of the next sequence and retroactive 18 months) – Management is researching whether records for previous timeliness denials can be used to retroactively approve.
Q4 Computer Based Training (CBT) aka Annual Compliance Training (ACT) – Due December 31^st. More than 3000 FAs have not yet completed this.
Existing inflight service and pending additional offerings – FAs are exhausted, frustrated, and anxious. Due to pandemic-related concerns, they do not want to be out in the cabin more right now. There is no room for trash. In the MEC’s opinion, Alaska FAs will grow even more upset and mobilized unless management provides additional relief.

I hope you found this recap timely and informative.

In Solidarity,
Jeff

Inflight Leadership Change and the Path Forward

December 6, 2021 12:10

Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson

Now that is has been officially announced that Travis will be stepping away as leader of the Inflight division, I thought Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants might want to hear from their MEC president.

I may not always be at liberty to communicate the details of every conversation advocating on your behalf that I have with executive management, but I would like to assure you that those conversations occur regularly and will continue as such. On that note, I have been in communication with Ben, Constance, and Travis, and it is clear that the decision was not made lightly. It is gratifying to see management be so responsive to our concerns.

Although the leadership change introduces additional uncertainty within Inflight, at least in the near term, it also offers potential opportunity for improvement. It will be interesting to see how this all works out—especially with negotiations less than a year away!

/jeff

AFA Alaska News in Review – December 3, 2021

December 3, 2021 12:00

In This Edition

Messages From the MEC President
Introducing AFA Alaska News Now
Next Week: Committee Meetings with Management
REMINDER: Uniform Allotments Expire December 31

Messages From the MEC President

Thankful On This Thanksgiving Day 2021 (November 25, 2021)
Flight Attendant Low Morale (December 1, 2021)

Introducing AFA Alaska News Now

Originally posted November 30, 2021

We’re looking to improve the way we communicate using more frequent updates that are more concise and to-the-point. AFA Alaska News Now posts will be made throughout the week and posted to the AFA Alaska website and AFA Alaska social media channels. Prefer to receive news by email? AFA Alaska News in Review email updates will still be sent out regularly with a summary of AFA Alaska News Now articles that have been posted recently.

Read More >

Next Week: Committee Meetings with Management

Originally posted December 2, 2021

Several AFA committees will meet with management next week for regularly scheduled discussions of issues currently impacting Flight Attendants. Each AFA Local Council/base sends a representative to committee meetings to ensure that the voices of all Flight Attendants are heard. If you have concerns or items that you would like to see brought forward, please reach out to your respective Local Committee Chairperson prior to the meeting.

Read More >

REMINDER: Uniform Allotments Expire December 31

Originally posted December 2, 2021

Uniform allotments from the initial rollout of the Unisync uniform and the contractual allotment received in 2020 will expire on December 31, 2021. If you order new items, be sure to try them on right away to make sure they fit properly. Try to make any returns as soon as possible since you won’t receive a credit to your allotment until Unisync processes the return. If you have Unisync uniform pieces that are worn out and need to be repaired or replaced, the Company will do so for free. Get in touch with your supervisor for help.

Read More >

REMINDER: Uniform Allotments Expire December 31

December 2, 2021 15:00

Uniform Committee

Uniform allotments from the initial rollout of the Unisync uniform and the contractual allotment received in 2020 will expire on December 31, 2021.
If you order new items, be sure to try them on right away to make sure they fit properly. Try to make any returns as soon as possible since you won’t receive a credit to your allotment until Unisync processes the return.
If you have Unisync uniform pieces that are worn out and need to be repaired or replaced, the Company will do so for free. Get in touch with your supervisor for help.

Any uniform allotment that you have remaining from the initial purchase of the Unisync uniform or subsequent contractual allotment will expire on December 31, 2021. Any amount remaining in your allotment after December 31 will be returned to the company and does not roll over. All Flight Attendants will receive a new contractual uniform allotment of $700 on January 1, 2022 that can be used throughout 2022 and 2023 (CBA section 13.D.1).

When You Receive Your Items, Try Them on Right Away

If you order new pieces, we recommend that you try them on right away to ensure that the sizing is correct. If you need to return items and order new ones, options might be limited if stock becomes depleted and pieces are backordered. As a reminder, you have 90 days to return an item from the date you receive it (CBA addendum to section 13, #2)

Worn Out Uniform Pieces? The Company Will Repair or Replace Them For Free

Under our CBA, the Company is required to repair or replace any basic uniform pieces that are worn out due to normal use or any manufacturer’s defect. There is no charge to your allotment to exercise this contractual provision. Contact your supervisor if you need to make arrangements to have any worn uniform pieces repaired or replaced (CBA section 13.C.2).

Questions?

Your Local Uniform Committee is available to answer questions that you have or provide assistance. Find our contact information on the Uniform Committee page of afaalaska.org.

Next Week: Committee Meetings with Management

December 2, 2021 09:00

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Several AFA committees will meet with management next week for regularly scheduled discussions of issues currently impacting Flight Attendants.
Each AFA Local Council/base sends a representative to committee meetings to ensure that the voices of all Flight Attendants are heard.
If you have concerns or items that you would like to see brought forward, please reach out to your respective Local Committee Chairperson prior to the meeting.

Most AFA committees hold meetings with management on a regular basis as a part of their advocacy work on behalf of our Flight Attendants. These meetings are an opportunity for our Committee Members to bring concerns and issues forward and push for improvements to our workplace. Representing you at these meetings is your Local Committee Chairperson (sometimes another Local Committee Member or LEC Officer may fill in), who is your voice to management on matters related to the committee.

Next week, several committee meetings are scheduled to take place with management. They include:

Human Rights Committee on Monday, December 6
Retirement Committee on Tuesday, December 7
Reserve Committee on Thursday, December 9
Hotel Committee on Thursday, December 9
Inflight Service Committee on Friday, December 10

If there are items that you would like to see any of these committees bring forward to management at their upcoming meeting, please let your Local Committee Chairperson know. Click below for contact information.

Human Rights Committee

Retirement Committee

Reserve Committee

Hotel Committee

Inflight Service Committee