Latest News – Page 214

AFA Objects to January 30th Jeppesen Crew Exchange Cutover

January 19, 2017 18:00

Alaska Airlines management is a “go” to implement the new crew tracking system on January 30th

Alaska Airlines management held a “Go/No-Go” meeting earlier today to determine whether or not the new crew tracking system will be implemented on January 30^th. Stakeholders from multiple divisions and labor groups indicated if they were “go” or “no-go” for cutover. Unfortunately, management made the decision to proceed with implementation despite AFA’s objections. This means eMaestro will be turned off at 8pm Pacific Time on January 30^th for up to 78 hours in order to be replaced by Jeppesen Crew Exchange (JCE).

AFA recommended “no-go”

Master Executive Council (MEC) Scheduling Chairperson Jake Jones recommended “no-go” on behalf of AFA:

AFA does not support the implementation of a product that does not meet our current user functionality or better and is not contractually compliant with our 2014 agreement. While we appreciate the dedication and hard work of Alaska management and Jeppesen, we represent the contractual compliance of our collective bargaining agreement for nearly 4000 flight attendants. We still have a lot of work ahead to meet the minimum requirements AFA needs in order to support implementing the product.

Inflight executive management recommended “go” despite concerns within the division

Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Kieran Whitney recommended “no-go” based on concerns the system has not received enough testing to ensure acceptable functionality—particularly with regard to Open Time trading. The manager of Inflight Crew Pay also expressed concern, citing that there are 25 identified bugs and no additional automation with the new payroll system; however, ultimately she recommended “go.” Despite these concerns within her own division, Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider recommended “go.”

Inflight executive management’s explanation

When AFA asked Andy for an explanation, she wrote:

I truly understand the on-going concerns held by both AFA and Kieran. I based my “Go” decision on a few key pieces of information. First, Jeppesen (the company responsible for the system) has committed to us that all critical system issues will be fully addressed before January 30^th. Secondly, at the beginning of this project AFA comprised a list of must-have issues and all of these have been successfully addressed. I would like to make it clear that if critical items are not corrected by the 30^th or any new critical issues are identified then we will certainly reevaluate.

While any launch of this scale has some level of risk, I feel strongly that we are at greater risk every day we remain on eMaestro. I do not doubt that this transition will have its bumps and I thank you in advance for your patience. I’m confident that the new system will be a great improvement for all of our Flight Attendants. Based on everything I heard from our IT team, system engineers, Flt Ops partners and project team members, I am optimistic that we will be ready to deliver a new, mobile and modern system to our Flight Attendants on January 30^th.

AFA’s rebuttal

While it is true that all “must-have” issues brought forward by AFA have been addressed, JCE currently lacks many “extremely desirable to have” items. Despite many months of best effort by the Scheduling Committee to help debug JCE, in AFA’s opinion there was not enough time to adequately test a final version prior to the decision date. Consequently, the AFA Scheduling Committee and the MEC are gravely concerned about the JCE cutover—not only with regard to Flight Attendant perception and satisfaction but with overall system functionality as well. We all agree that eMaestro needs to be replaced, but AFA strongly believes the new system needs to be put through additional development and testing prior to live launch.

What now?

AFA recommends Flight Attendants prepare themselves for the inevitable. The next MEC membership release to be published tomorrow will address how to get ready for the January 30^thcutover. We also have an update regarding the upcoming trip-trading freeze (see “Trip Trading Freeze Part 1” and “Trip Trading Freeze Part 2”) and the associated contractual grievance. In the meantime, be assured that AFA will actively monitor the cutover and is prepared to take appropriate action should any contractual obligations not be fulfilled.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams

AFA News Digest – January 19, 2017

January 19, 2017 05:00

Union Plus scholarship deadline – January 31, 2017

This is a reminder that the deadline for the Union Plus scholarships is on January 31, 2017

Union Plus provides comprehensive information for the college-bound individual as well as a suite of scholarships (https://www.unionplus.org/college-education-financing). One additional “click” brings up the scholarship applications that may be submitted online by the deadline of January 31, 201 7.

A unique aspect of the Union Plus Scholarships is that they are open to current and retired members, spouses, and dependent children.

Women’s March on Washington

AFA and CWA are participating in the Women’s March on Washington on January 21. This will be an historic event that raises the issues that our union has championed for decades: equality for all, economic equality for women and justice in the workplace. It is an opportunity to shine the light on the importance of the labor movement for our role in supporting democracy, organizing to improve conditions at work and empowering women and others to use the power of the collective to address issues that would otherwise be suppressed without our unions. Our messages will be:

U.S. Aviation Workers Sue Obama Administration to Reverse DOT’s Norwegian Air International Decision

Organizations representing more than 100,000 aviation workers filed a petition on January 12, 2017, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as a first step in a drive to overturn the Obama administration’s decision to permit Norwegian Air International (NAI) to fly to and from the United States under a business plan that runs counter to U.S. Open Skies agreements and threatens U.S. jobs.

AFA Listening Tour

Our union is not an institution. It’s you and me and all of aviation’s first responders. To ensure our union is reflecting the needs and hopes of Flight Attendants today, we are launching an AFA Listening Tour with Local, Master Executive Council and International Officers. We want to hear from you!

Our first meeting will take place on February 16, 2017 in Los Angeles where we have Local Councils at Compass, Hawaiian, Alaska and United.

We will schedule additional meetings in a location near you.

If you have any questions, contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) president.

In Solidarity,

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

Benefits Committee News

January 18, 2017 05:00

In This Edition

Leave of Absence Insurance Changes
Understanding your Health Savings Account (HSA) and your Limited Use Healthcare (FSAEE) account.
How to Get Benefits Help

Leave of Absence Insurance Changes

If you are planning to take a health-related leave of absence, please be advised that management is changing the way health care premiums will be handled. The process for paying for continuing health care coverage while on such a paid leave of absence will be changing. We have been advised that leaves will be coded differently in PeopleSoft in the future. This change in coding will mean that health benefit premiums will no longer automatically be deducted from your paycheck EVEN IF you are coordinating.

If you are coordinating sick leave, vacation or PTO with Short Term Disability or California State Disability, management considers these to be a paid leave. Under this new policy, you will receive a letter from Cobra Management Services (CMS) with instructions for paying the employee portion of your health benefits premium each month. Once you have been on a Worker’s Compensation leave of absence for twelve weeks, and begin coordinating sick leave, vacation or PTO with Worker’s Compensation time loss payments, the process will be the same.

This does NOT mean that you are being required to pay for COBRA coverage under this coding change, but you will have to self-pay the employee premium directly to CMS. It is very important that the premiums be paid on time, or health benefits will end.

If you are already on a leave of absence and are coordinating to keep health benefits in place, we suggest that you double-check your paychecks each month to be sure that premiums have been deducted. If not, contact your leave coordinator immediately.

Understanding your Health Savings Account (HSA) and Your Limited Use Healthcare (FSAEE) Account

The high deductible PPO comes with a prefunded health savings account (HSA) that was funded on January 1, 2017 with $1000 from Alaska Airlines (and a portion of your designated contributions). Your FSAEE should be completely funded at this time.

Both of these accounts are managed with your Premera Healthcare Payment card. When you use this card, vision and dental will withdraw from the FSAEE contributions and medical expenses will withdraw from the HSA. Under our plan, you can roll over $500 each year to the FSAEE while roll over to the HSA is currently unlimited. This means that your HSA dollars can be used to pay for medical cost after you separate from the company.

This healthcare payment card is used like a credit card and should be treated as such.

You can learn more about these two accounts, your balances, payments and what both accounts can be used for at: www.premera.com. After logging in, proceed to Member > Member Services > My Account > Personal Funding Account > Manage Your Account (shows balances, how much you can contribute each year, payments, etc.) You will also find a Help and Tools tab here for qualified medical expenses and FAQs.

How to Get Benefits Help

Your Local Benefits Committee is available to assist you. You can find contact information at http://afaalaska.org/benefits.

In Solidarity,

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

Premium Class

January 6, 2017 18:00

The implementation of Premium Class service has led to several concerns from AFA members that the Master Executive Council (MEC) would like to address.

Selling upgrades in-flight

AFA has been in contact with the union representing the Customer Service Agents and Reservations Agents, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), regarding the selling of upgrades in-flight. AFA and IAM are in mutual agreement there is no scope of agreement violation in our respective contracts as long as Flight Attendants sell the Premium Class upgrades in-flight. Please do not sell any Premium Class upgrades while on the ground. Although selling Premium Class upgrades in-flight is not a contractual violation, AFA will definitely remember these additional duties the next time we’re at the bargaining table!

Premium Class training

Did you know there is required computer based training (CBT) for the new Premium Class service? If not, you are in good company because this is a surprise to many. Although there have been a few references to the training in various management communications since it was first mentioned in the Inflight Bulletin Bundle (IBB) posted on December, 14, 2016, the actual notice of the training being required and paid has not been adequate in AFA’s opinion.

According to the IBB, training may be completed via the Premium Class app on your Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) or on a computer by going to aspremiumclass.com. Management states the paid training must be completed by Wednesday, January 18, 2017, which is a deadline that AFA is disputing. The training will be paid at 1.0 TFP pursuant to §30.C.4.

More than four upgrades?

As of this writing, management has yet to provide guidance in a situation in which more than four customers wish to move to Premium Class. AFA has requested management to provide direction on this issue.

Alcohol control procedures

Flight Attendants have asked AFA to seek guidance from management with regard to alcohol control procedures in Premium Class. This is the information we have received from management so far:

All Premium Class (PC) customers receive an alcoholic beverage if they want, including non-revenue. The customer must meet the usual alcohol service protocol according to the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM).
PC customers receive up to two drinks per cart if requested (F/As should not offer two).
PC customers may request and be served alcohol in addition to the standard service(s) as long as they do not appear to be intoxicated or in danger of becoming so. [Note: There appears to be conflict between emailed policy clarifications issued by management and the guidance stated in our Emergency Interim Bulletins (EIBs) with regard to how much complementary alcohol is provided in addition to the cart service(s). Do we only serve complementary alcoholic beverages during cart service or do we provide them on request as well? AFA would like management to clarify the policy.]

Important: Report all alcohol-related incidents; include the customer’s seat number and class of service in the report so that we may identify any trends related to PC. In addition, document concerns related to selling upgrades in-flight, more than four upgrade requests at a time and incorrect catering.

We thank all of you who have alerted us to the concerns with new Premium Class service. There appears to be several questions left for management to answer regarding Premium Class. AFA will continue to pressure management to provide Flight Attendants with sufficient supplies and accurate information to ensure that you have the resources you need.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC Inflight Service Committee Chairperson Stephanie Garnett; and MEC Air, Safety Health and Security Committee Chairperson Seth Heiple

MEC Committee Chairperson Interviews

January 4, 2017 10:00

Updated 02/07/2017

As previously announced on December 9, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the majority of the MEC Committee Chairperson positions in early 2017.

All Candidates Advanced to Final Interviews

As part of the interview process, a series of screening interviews were scheduled to occur on January 4 by videoconference. The purpose of the screening interviews was to narrow each position to two finalist candidates who would be invited to interview with the MEC in person at the February MEC Meeting. Since only a few positions yielded more than two candidates, the MEC has decided to bypass the screening interviews and advance all candidates to an in-person interview at the February MEC Meeting.

More Information About the Candidates

Below is a list of candidates for each position. For positions with more than one candidate, resumes for those candidates who have opted in may be viewed below.

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson

Seth Heiple

Benefits Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

EAP Chairpersons (2 positions)

Elizabeth Dillon

Jeanne McCleave

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Laura Hinojosa

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Jodi Snow (click here to view resume)

Dori Marron (click here to view resume)

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Jarod McNeill

Retirement Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Jake Jones (click here to view resume)

Erik Velez (click here to view resume)

Zac Weeks (click here to view resume)

Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson (PBS Subcommittee Chairperson)

Stephen Poynter (click here to view resume)

~~Shawn Grill~~ (withdrawn 02/03/17)

PBS Subcommittee Member

Rebecca Asbell (click here to view resume)

Adam Clarey (click here to view resume)

Sheri Rochel (click here to view resume) (clarified intent to be considered for Subcommittee Member position instead of Chairperson, 02/07/2017)

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Bob Moore

Special Consideration for MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

In accordance with §27.P.2.c.1 of the collective bargaining agreement, the MEC will be soliciting input from Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider regarding the selection of the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson position. Though Andy is contractually entitled to provide feedback, final selection will be made by the voting members of the MEC.

Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback about the candidates or the MEC Committee Chairperson interview process, please contact your LEC President. You may contact your LEC President by email at:

ANC Council 30 President Lisa Pinkston – lisa.pinkston@afaalaska.org

SEA Council 19 President Laura Masserant – laura.masserant@afaalaska.org

PDX Council 39 President Cathy Gwynn – cathy.gwynn@afaalaska.org

LAX Council 18 President Tim Green – timothy.green@afaalaska.org

SAN Council 15 President Brice McGee – brice.mcgee@afaalaska.org

In Solidarity,

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

Alaska Airlines management is a “go” to implement the new crew tracking system on January 30th

AFA recommended “no-go”

Inflight executive management recommended “go” despite concerns within the division

Inflight executive management’s explanation

AFA’s rebuttal

What now?

Union Plus scholarship deadline – January 31, 2017

Women’s March on Washington

U.S. Aviation Workers Sue Obama Administration to Reverse DOT’s Norwegian Air International Decision

AFA Listening Tour

In This Edition

Leave of Absence Insurance Changes

Understanding your Health Savings Account (HSA) and Your Limited Use Healthcare (FSAEE) Account

How to Get Benefits Help

Selling upgrades in-flight

Premium Class training

More than four upgrades?

Alcohol control procedures

All Candidates Advanced to Final Interviews

More Information About the Candidates

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson

Benefits Committee Chairperson

EAP Chairpersons (2 positions)

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Retirement Committee Chairperson

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson (PBS Subcommittee Chairperson)

PBS Subcommittee Member

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Special Consideration for MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Feedback

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