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Human Rights Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2021

Human Rights Committee

  • Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Monday, December 6 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
  • The Committee was scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled the joint portion of the meeting with short notice due to the inflight management changes that took place at about the same time.  Management rescheduled the meeting to take place on January 11, 2022.
  • If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!

On Monday, December 6, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community.  Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), Louise Borras (LAX), and Erika Daniel (SAN).  Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer.  The committee was also scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled with short notice due to Travis’ departure from the inflight division that occurred at the same time. 

Topics of Discussion

Despite the fact that management was unable to participate, the committee still had the opportunity to provide updates, share concerns, and determine priorities for the ongoing work of the committee.  Some of the things the committee discussed include:

  • Concerns about low morale within our work group and the MEC’s continued work to have management adequately address the issue.
  • How to address situations when another employee uses terminology or language that is discriminatory in nature, including having another person present as an additional set of eyes and ears if the situation warrants it.
  • Using AFA Professional Standards as a resource to address concerns or conflicts between co-workers (including conflicts with Pilots).
  • Upcoming new AFA diversity pins celebrating Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American heritage months.

The committee was able to reschedule the meeting with management for Tuesday, January 11, 2022.  

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Developing a Membership Survey.  Creating a membership survey to determine what Flight Attendants would like to see our Human Rights Committee address and prioritize going forward.
  2. Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs).  Working to establish relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
  3. Providing Support For Upcoming Negotiations.  Finding opportunities to build our collective power in upcoming negotiations through support of our Mobilization Committee. 

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 Human Rights Committee is your voice to management.  You can find our contact information on the Human Rights Committee page of the AFA Alaska website. 

December 2021 MEC Meeting Recap

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 31st. 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

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

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

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

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.

Save the Date: Reserve Webinar – Thursday, August 6

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Pre-merger Alaska Reserve Flight Attendants: Have you ever had Crew Scheduling call you with a change to your assignment and wondered, “Can they do that?” Lineholders, have you flown with a Reserve Flight Attendant and found yourself asking the same question? You’re not alone! Our Reserve Committee […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – June 2026

On Monday, June 8, our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in-person 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 pmAS), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Le’a Tupola (LAX/SEA pmHA), Brian Sherill (LAX pmAS), and […]

MEC Town Hall Video and Q&A Recap – June 8, 2026

Whether you joined us live or are looking to watch on your own schedule, we’re excited to share the full recording of our June 8 MEC Town Hall! Catch up on the discussions and hear directly from our MEC Officers and AFA panelists—now available to you anytime on the AFA Alaska + Hawaiian YouTube channel […]

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, June 4, representatives from our pre-merger Alaska AFA Reserve Committee met to discuss ongoing work advocating for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Conner Gallager (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Kanako Yamada (LAX), Adrian Alcantara (SAN), and MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 15 – June 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.

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