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Seniority Merger Update – October 27, 2017

The seniority merger process is well underway.  By now, you should have received your Seniority Verification Letter (SVL) at your home address.

If you did not receive it, you may request that a duplicate be sent to you by email.  To do so, send your request to the following email address: seniority@afacwa.org.  Your request must include your Name, Employee Number, Council/Base, and your Email Address.

To help explain where we are in the seniority merger process, we have included a timeline of events.  Note that the next date is November 24, the due date to notify us of any inaccuracies.  That is followed in January 2018, when we will work on the credit for training days and how to resolve same-day seniority dates.

Timeline of Events

Click to enlarge

May 22, 2017 AFA named as union for VX.  Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) Reps named for both AS & VX
July 19, 2017 SMIC kickoff training at AFA HQ in DC. Request sent to AS HQ for necessary employment data for AS & VX FAs
September 29, 2017 AS HQ provided AS & VX seniority lists that included seniority dates and dates of birth
October 10, 2017 Seniority Verification Letter (SVL) mailed to all FAs home address to confirm pre-merger seniority bidding date and birthdate
November 24, 2017 Deadline to respond to SVL, if inaccuracies exist.
January 2018 SMIC works to resolve any issues with pre-merger seniority bidding date and/or birthdate
January 2018 SMIC determines adjustments for initial training days and method for integrating same day seniority dates
January 2018 SMIC merges AS & VX seniority bidding list and publishes methodology used to merge of the joint list
Future Single Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified and final seniority bidding list published

As we move through the process, we will provide additional updates.

In Solidarity,

Your Seniority Merger Integration Committee – Sandra Morrow (AS), Rolando Teran (VX), Lynne Voigtsberger (VX) and Marie Maxwell (AS)

[AS] Vacation Open Time Trading Will Now Open Tonight

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

After working to create a technical fix for the vacation trading system, management has advised us that they will be opening vacation open time trading tonight, Thursday, October 26.  Each base will open in hourly increments as shown below.

SAN 7 PM
PDX 8 PM
ANC 9 PM Pacific (8 PM ANC local time)
LAX 10 PM
SEA 11 PM

Further Conversation with Management to Be Had

Your AFA leadership is extremely disappointed and frustrated with the IT failure surrounding the delay in the start vacation open time trading. This is yet another occurrence in a long list of IT-related issues that continue to plague various company-related systems and negatively impact Flight Attendant quality of life.  We plan to have further discussion with management regarding this situation soon and will provide an update after that conversation has taken place.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

[AS] Annual Benefits Enrollment

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

Annual Enrollment is the time to review your benefits and make changes if desired for the upcoming plan year. Annual enrollment began today (10/23/17) and ends 11/13/17.

Optional ADD, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability may be selected during Open Enrollment, to take effect 01/01/2018.

A few highlights for 2018 include:

  • Added coverage for medical treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) to both Premera Plans
  • Optional Group Legal and Identity Theft insurance available
  • Massage Therapy Benefit added to Consumer Choice PPO ONLY (High deductible plan) – 12 visits/ year

Additional optional Accidental Death and Dismemberment (ADD) insurance, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability (STD) benefits may be selected during Annual Enrollment, to take effect 01/01/2018. As a reminder, Short Term Disability payments are offset by an employee’s Social Security payments. If you are collecting your own Social Security, it may not make sense to select or continue with STD.

If you are planning to start a family in 2018, Open Enrollment will allow you select an extra 20% of Short Term Disability coverage, which will go into effect January 1, 2018. If you are currently pregnant, the additional income replacement will not apply to this maternity leave.

Remember, Travel Benefits Changes occur separately, not during Annual Enrollment.

If you need assistance or have questions, contact a Benefits Committee member for your base. You can also contact the Alaska Air Group Benefits Center with questions, at 1-844-231-3476.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

AFA Disaster Relief Fund – California Wildfires (Sonoma County)

The AFA Disaster Relief Fund is now open given the Presidential major disaster declaration, and individual assistance has been designated for Sonoma County.

We know that disasters can change lives forever. While we can’t stop destructive events from happening, we can, as a Union, assist our members with their recovery. AFA established the Disaster Relief Fund after September 11th to assist our members whose lives were placed in harms way. AFA members and retirees, whose primary residence is in the counties listed at www.afacwa.org/drf are eligible for $200.00 from the AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund. It is a gift made possible by the generosity of your fellow union sisters and brothers with AFA.

If you would like to apply for AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Funds, visit www.afacwa.org/drf and download the Disaster Relief Fund Application. There are multiple ways of submitting your application including:

  • Fax it to the International AFA EAP Department at 202-434-1411
  • Mail it to AFA-CWA EAP Department, 6th Floor, 501 Third Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001-2797.
  • Email the application information to lfoster@afanet.org
  • Phone in the necessary information to 1-800-424-2406.

If you wish to make a contribution either by check or electronic payment, please visit www.afacwa.org/drf for more information on donating.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Flight Attendant Preliminary Seniority Lists

The following preliminary seniority lists were received from the Company and were used by the Seniority Merger Integration Committee to generate the Seniority Verification Letters (SVL) mailed on October 10, 2017. Posting of these lists satisfy the requirements of Section X.C.2.d of the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws.

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Preliminary Seniority List > (password protected)

Virgin America Flight Attendant Preliminary Seniority List > (password protected)

(Password is located here in the emailed version of this communication.)

Due to the sensitive nature of this information, both lists are password protected. Please do not share or repost the password.

If you have any questions, contact the Seniority Merger Integration Committee at seniority@afacwa.org.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Your Seniority Merger Integration Committee – Sandra Morrow, Rolando Teran, Lynne Voigtsberger and Marie Maxwell

Struggling With A Coworker? Consider AFA Professional Standards.

We all know flying can be demanding—long days, irregular hours, and fatigue are part of the job. It’s natural for tensions to rise. Before you head to management or vent on social media, consider Professional Standards. In this video, Ava McWilliams-Ellington, pre-merger Alaska LAX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Chairperson, shares how Professional Standards provides a confidential, […]

Crew Meal Survey Closing Soon

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants Our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) is committed to prioritizing your nutrition during the work day through our crew meal provisions. We are eager to hear your thoughts on which elements of crew meals are most meaningful to you, as we continue to advocate for […]

Council 43 (HNL) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 12 PM PT today for the election of Council 43 LEC Officers, representing Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants based in Honolulu. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Kela Chong IVLEC Vice President: Martin GusmanLEC Secretary: Soon Kim View the certified election results here >> These newly elected […]

Council 39 (PDX) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 11 AM PT today for the election of Council 39 LEC Officers, representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in Portland. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Krystle Shae BerryLEC Vice President: Melodie AnderesLEC Secretary: Kevin Sharp View the certified election results here >> These newly elected […]

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