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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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[AS] Introducing the Next MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

At our monthly meeting held yesterday, your Master Executive Council (MEC) interviewed candidates for the position of MEC Scheduling Committee chairperson. Former Chairperson Zac Weeks recently vacated that position to successfully pursue an opportunity in Alaska Airlines management as the duty manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling. Two candidates interviewed for the position (one Seattle-based Flight Attendant and one Los Angeles-based Flight Attendant). The MEC thanks the candidates for stepping forward in the spirit of Union service. The MEC has appointed Jake Jones as MEC Scheduling Committee chairperson.

About Jake

Jake Jones is currently serving a third term as vice president of AFA-CWA Council 19 Seattle. Jake is a Seattle-based Flight Attendant and joined the company in 2006.  He holds an AA in Business Administration and Management. Prior to working for Alaska Airlines, he was in the banking industry for seven years.

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 Council 35 (Pre-Merger VX JFK/LAX/SFO) Election Results

The following AFA Flight Attendants were elected to Local Council officer positions:

Local Council President: Melissa Osborne
Local Council Secretary: Jamie Cogen

View the certified election results here

These officers will serve a term of office starting immediately and concluding on June 30, 2019.  Should a joint collective bargaining agreement be ratified before that date, the election process to form a full Local Executive Council (LEC) would be triggered with 30 days of ratification (AFA Constitution & Bylaws Article III.A.2.d).

The Master Executive Council (MEC) congratulates the newly elected officers and we sincerely thank all those who stepped forward to run in the election.  The MEC would also like to offer a special thanks to outgoing Local Council Secretary James Ikehara for stepping up and helping to provide immediate representation upon the formation of Council 35.

In Solidarity,

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

[VX] Virgin America Flight Attendant Trial Commuter Policy Survey

This message is for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

AFA and the Virgin America (VX) leadership team (management) have agreed to test a commuter policy for VX Flight Attendants. The trial commuter policy is paired with a third Short Call Reserve (SCR) reserve availability period for the duration of the Commuter Policy and a sunset clause for the Stuff Happens Pass (SHP) if the Commuter Policy is extended beyond the four-month trial period of October 2017 through January 2018. (A sunset clause for the SHP means the SHP would be phased out if the Commuter Policy extends beyond January 2017.) See the VX F/A Commuter Policy LOA Final Draft for details.

Prior to implementing the trial commuter policy, AFA is polling the Virgin America Flight Attendants to determine if there is sufficient interest in proceeding with such a test. For security reasons, the survey link will be included only in the emailed version of this communication and distributed to personal email addresses on file in the AFA Newsletter Sending System. The survey link will not be available on the afaalaska.org website nor on social media, and AFA requests that you do not repost the link.

The survey is now open to VX F/As only and will close on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, at 9am Pacific Time.

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

If AFA goes forward with the trial, we will again poll the VX F/As in November to gauge membership satisfaction with the trial and interest in continuing the Commuter Policy beyond January 2017. AFA will then have an opportunity to end or extend the trial depending on the survey results.

If you have any questions or if you need the survey link sent to you, email your Local Council 35 officers or the Joint Negotiating Committee from a personal email address. If you are requesting a survey link, please provide the following for verification purposes: your name, employee number and current domicile.

In Solidarity,

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

[VX] Proposed Virgin America Flight Attendant Commuter Policy Letter of Agreement

This message is for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

As previously reported, AFA and the Virgin America (VX) leadership team (management) have agreed to test a commuter policy for VX Flight Attendants. It took a little longer than anticipated for the parties to finalize the proposed letter of agreement (LOA), so AFA apologizes for the slight delay.

Prior to implementing the trial commuter policy, AFA will be polling the Virgin America Flight Attendants to determine if there is sufficient interest in proceeding with such a test. Realistically, AFA now anticipates that poll to be released early next week. In the meantime, AFA is publishing the final draft of the proposed Commuter Policy LOA for your review.

AFA VX F/A Commuter Policy LOA FINAL DRAFT (August 2017) >

If you have any questions, contact your Local Council 35 officers or the Joint Negotiating Committee. Be on the lookout for the membership poll regarding implementation of the trial commuter policy early next week!

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 Alaska MEC Administrative Office Moves to a New Location

The AFA Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council (MEC) administrative office moved to a new location this week after a whirlwind of packing. The prior location in the Alaska Airlines Flight Operations and Training Center in Seattle is being repurposed for additional training facilities as a result of the merger, so AFA was relocated in order to make room. We are extremely grateful to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou for coordinating the move on relatively short notice.

The new office location is at the SeaTac Office Center (“STOC”), 18000 International Blvd, Seattle, WA 98188. We are in the south tower—the same building as the 13 Coins restaurant and the administrative offices of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Alaska Airlines MEC. The exact suite address is still being worked out with building management, but in the meantime you can find us on the 11th floor in suite 1103. Once AFA receives confirmation of the official new address, we will update the AFA Alaska website and the membership release footer accordingly.

The MEC thanks you in advance for your understanding as we work through settling into the new office.

In Solidarity,

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

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, August 13, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), Diana Berni (PDX),  Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – August 2026

On Monday, August 10, our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met remotely 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), Brian Sherill (LAX pmAS), Kanani Vallot (SAN), and Matt […]

787-9 Inflight Service Grievance: Protecting Our Contract and Standards

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants For decades, Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants have defined the Spirit of Aloha. We take pride in delivering world-class service, but management’s current Boeing 787-9 service model is threatening that legacy. It isn’t just inefficient—it’s an unsustainable pace that undermines the quality our passengers expect and the professional […]

Pre-Merger Alaska Reserve Webinar Video and Q&A Recap – August 6, 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Thank you to everyone who joined our first pre-merger Alaska Reserve Webinar! We created this interactive session to share practical contract tips and help you feel more confident about reserve life. You can now watch the recording on our YouTube channel using the link below. Please note that […]

Wrapping Up Membership Engagement Focus Month: Stronger Together

July was a remarkable month for our Membership Engagement Committee. We set out with a clear purpose: to bring our Flight Attendant community closer together, share valuable resources, and build authentic connections throughout our system. Over the past four weeks, we explored what it means to be engaged in our AFA family. We kicked things […]

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