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AFA Now Represents Virgin America Flight Attendants

AFA confirmed as the collective-bargaining representative for Virgin America Flight Attendants

The National Mediation Board (NMB) has confirmed AFA as the collective-bargaining representative for Virgin America InFlight Teammates (ITMs).* Effective immediately, AFA takes over representation of Virgin America Flight Attendants from our sisters and brothers in the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). We are the first union to achieve consolidated representation in the merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America.

* Going forward, AFA will refer to Virgin America ITMs as “Flight Attendants” unless there is a need to distinguish between the two. This is in order to maintain consistency in the AFA family of over 50,000 Flight Attendants at 20 carriers.

Transitional Local Council 35 Virgin America Officers to be appointed very soon

The Master Executive Council (MEC) expects AFA International President Sara Nelson to appoint a Transitional President and Secretary for the newly formed AFA Transitional Local Council 35 Virgin America SFO-JFK-LAX very soon. Pursuant to the AFA Constitution & Bylaws Article III.A.2 [Local Councils and Local Executive Councils: Establishment of Transitional Local Councils for Newly Organized Carriers], President Nelson has been soliciting input from VX F/As for names of potential appointees. The deadline for submitting potential appointees ended this past Wednesday, April 11, 2017.

Each potential appointee must have received a minimum of two recommendations and signed a commitment to serve. (The commitment to serve statement was included in a linked electronic recommendation form that was distributed to Virgin America F/As via company email.) The appointed Transitional Officers will serve as Council 35 leadership for a period of approximately four to six months until elections can be held to fill those positions.

Click here for more information >

Compensation

AFA is aware that non-represented employees at Virgin America typically receive wage increases around this time of year. We are very concerned that VX Flight Attendants have not received a wage increase in several years, which currently places VX F/A pay at the bottom of the industry. Consequently, AFA and Alaska Airlines management have agreed to meet in order to discuss this subject at our earliest opportunity. Once appointed, the AFA Transitional Local Council 35 President will also represent VX F/As in those discussions.

Virgin America Flight Attendants: Sign Up to Get Involved!

Involvement is one of the key hallmarks of AFA.  As a member-driven Union, the more people who get involved, the better off we are. We are “Stronger Together, Better Together.” If any Virgin America (VX) Flight Attendants are interested in getting involved in AFA and Council 35, we want to know!  If you are a VX F/A, please take a few moments to complete the volunteer interest form, and let us know how you might be interested in getting involved.

Click here to access the Council 35 Involvement Interest Form (Virgin America only) >>

Vacancies for two Virgin America Merger Representatives and one Joint Negotiating Committee member will be posted soon

In the coming weeks, the Master Executive Council will be soliciting applications from Virgin America Flight Attendants to fill vacancies for two Merger Representatives to serve in the Seniority Merger Integration Committee and for one Joint Negotiating Committee member. The MEC will review applications and interview final candidates prior to filling vacancies.

 

For additional information regarding the duties of a Merger Representative in the Seniority Merger Integration Committee, click here >

 

For additional information regarding the duties of a Joint Negotiating Committee member, click here >

 

If you have any further questions, contact your LEC president; Virgin America F/As may email vx@afaalaska.org.

 

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Custom Uniform Safety Standards

Alaska Air Group management has been working with operational leaders, third-party safety consultants, labor leaders, workgroup and union representatives, and the uniform supplier (to be announced later) in order to develop a new safety standard for the upcoming custom uniform program. AFA is very pleased to report that management has made a commitment to certify the primary uniform pieces in the custom uniform to an industry-leading safety standard: the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®. (OEKO-TEX® is pronounced “eco tex” like “eco” in “eco-friendly” and “tex” like the first syllable in “Texas”.)

There may be a need and/or desire to source non-custom pieces from a third-party vendor in some instances, in which case the Company will first seek suppliers that adhere to the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) Restricted Substance List (RSL) or another safety standard of equal caliber. Based on all the information we have been given so far, AFA anticipates that the Flight Attendant custom uniform will be composed almost exclusively of pieces certified to the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®.

AFA and Alaska Airlines management had originally discussed the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX® during our investigations into textile sourcing and manufacturing safety resulting from Flight Attendant health concerns with the TwinHill uniform. AFA pushed for adopting the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®, but management deemed the standard as too expensive to achieve at that time. By partnering with the custom uniform supplier, Alaska Airlines is now able to implement this robust safety standard more cost effectively than was previously possible.

Even with the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification, it is impossible to guarantee that all Flight Attendants will remain free from reactions to the custom uniform pieces. In fact, research indicates it is likely that five to ten percent will experience some form of dermal reaction as a result of cutting over to new uniform pieces. However, AFA appreciates that management has taken proactive steps to improve the safety of our uniforms and reduce the possibility of more serious health effects by adopting the Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX® and the AAFA RSL into our custom uniform program.

Based on behind the scenes progress so far, we are very hopeful the custom uniform program will be well received and the cutover in 2019 will go as smoothly as possible.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee; AFA Uniform Committee Chairperson Bob Moore; and AFA ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple

Issues Accessing JCA Using Windows 10

AFA has been made aware of a technical glitch that is creating issues accessing JCA on computers running the Windows 10 operating system. If you are using a computer running Windows 10, only Internet Explorer will currently allow access to JCA—no other browsers will allow access to the system due to the glitch.

The browser icon on the desktop (the blue “E”) is the Windows Edge browser, one of the browsers that is not working.  Use the search field found in the menu bar or start menu to search for and open Internet Explorer.

Alaska Airlines IT has been advised of the issue and is working to restore normal access.  There is currently no ETA on a fix to the system.

Access to JCA using Apple operating systems (including the IMD) is unaffected.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

AFA Council 19 (SEA) and 39 (PDX) Election Results

The following AFA Flight Attendants were elected to a Local Executive Council (LEC) term of office beginning July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2020. Certified election results are posted on the AFA-CWA Elections website.

Council 19 Seattle

LEC President: Terry Taylor

LEC Vice President: Jake Jones

LEC Secretary: Adam Clarey

Council Representatives: Megan Brown, Melinda Jorge

View the certified election results here

Council 39 Portland

LEC President: Mario De’Medici

LEC Vice President: Krystle Berry

LEC Secretary: Len Sousa

View the certified election results here

The Master Executive Council (MEC) congratulates the officers-elect and we sincerely thank all those who stepped forward to run in the election.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Virgin America ITMs: Ready to Get Involved?

We are anticipating that the National Mediation Board (NMB) will rule this week that AFA is the collective bargaining representative for Virgin America ITMs.  In anticipation of this ruling, the process of getting an AFA Local Council established and set up for Virgin America ITMs is already underway.  AFA Council 35 will be made up of all Virgin America ITMs based at JFK, LAX, and SFO and will be a part of the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council.

Transitional Local Council Officer Appointments

Transitional Local Council Officers for Council 35, both a President and a Secretary, will be appointed by the AFA International Officers soon after the NMB issues its determination that AFA is the collective bargaining representative.  Transitional Officers will serve for a period of approximately four to six months until elections can be held to fill those positions.

If you haven’t already shared your feedback regarding who you would like to serve in these appointed positions, please do so by completing the online form (link provided by email).   Just a reminder that the feedback period will close on Wednesday, April 11.

Sign Up to Get Involved! 

Involvement is one of the key hallmarks of AFA.  As a member-driven Union, the more people get involved, the better your Local Council and our Union will function.  If you’re interested in getting involved in AFA and Council 35, we want to know!  Please take a few moments to complete the volunteer interest form and let us know how you might be interested in getting involved.

Click here to access the Council 35 Involvement Interest Form >>

Questions?

If you have any questions, please send an email to vx@afaalaska.org.

 

In Solidarity,

Your AFA Alaska MEC Executive Officers – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer and Linda Christou

Behind the Scenes: What Goes Into Bringing Our MEC Town Halls to Life

Since launching our MEC Town Halls in March, we’ve focused on making these sessions a clear and effective way to connect with everyone. In June, we adjusted our approach to a more dynamic, interview-based, and conversational format to make these sessions even more engaging. But what does it take to move from an initial concept […]

Go In-Depth with Our AFA Membership Engagement Committee Chairperson

Building on the momentum of our Membership Engagement Committee introduction video and this week’s look at the committee’s history, we’re excited to introduce the next feature of our July Committee Focus Month. Today, we’re launching an in-depth interview that offers an inside look at the mission and people powering the Membership Engagement Committee. What You’ll […]

Register Now: Reserve Webinar – Thursday, August 6

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants As a follow-up to our June 23 save-the-date announcement, we’re excited to share full details and open registration for our August pre-merger Alaska Reserve Webinar! If you’ve ever wondered, “Can they do that?” when Crew Scheduling calls with a reserve assignment or schedule change—whether you’re a Reserve Flight […]

AFA Committee Focus Month: Membership Engagement

July marks our latest AFA Committee Focus Month, and we’re excited to spotlight our Membership Engagement Committee. In May, we kicked off this initiative by showcasing the exceptional work of our EAP/Professional Standards Committee—illustrating how our committees serve and support us every day. Our Membership Engagement Committee is here to make sure every Member feels genuinely […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 16 – July 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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