AFA Alaska

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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Put On Your Pin!

The AFA pin is a symbol of unity and solidarity that is proudly worn by all AFA-member Flight Attendants across the industry.  It represents the long history of the struggles and achievements made by our founders and those who have come before us.  Wearing your AFA pin is a great way to show your continued support for the work being done by our Union to advocate for and advance our profession.

Switch Out Your Red Pin For A White One

During contract negotiations, the Master Executive Council (MEC) changed the official AFA pin at Alaska Airlines to a red version to symbolize our solidarity and resolve for a contract.  Now that negotiations have concluded and a ratified agreement is in place, it’s time to switch back to the classic white AFA pin.  If you’re still wearing a red AFA pin, the time has come to retire it from wear, as it is no longer the official AFA pin for Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants.

Where Do I Get A Pin?

If you don’t have a white AFA pin already, email your LEC Officers at the address below and let them know that you want to put on your pin!

ANC – anc@afaalaska.org | LAX – lax@afaalaska.org | PDX – pdx@afaalaska.org
SAN – san@afaalaska.org | SEA – sea@afaalaska.org

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

AFA Alaska Logo No Tag

On The Watch Against Bed Bugs

Along with the warm weather throughout our route network comes an increase in bugs that we see at our layover hotels. One very particular type of bug that we should all be very concerned about is the bed bug.

No matter whether you’re on a layover, overnighting for training, or on a personal vacation, it’s always a best practice to inspect your room for signs of bed bugs as soon as you get to your room. Despite their name, bed bugs do not live in bed—they only eat there. During the day they hide in cracks and crevices (the size of a credit card or less) of furniture. Adult bugs are about the size of an apple seed and are visible to the naked eye.

First Things First–Check Your Room

  • Pull back a sheet corner on the bed and check for signs of bugs. Look for brown/black dot stains on the mattress and possibly molted bed bug skins
  • Check the areas where the mattress rests on the box spring, inside any folds or under buttons or piping
  • Take a close look at the headboard, picture frames and nightstands for any sign of hiding bugs
  • Check in books or hotel literature around the bed. Bed bugs have been found on index tabs in the in-room bible.
  • Bed bugs can also be detected by their characteristic smell of rotting raspberries

Help, I Found Bed Bugs In My Room!

If you find bed bugs upon check in or at any time during your stay, notify the front desk staff immediately and move to another room. Report the incident on a Flight Attendant Incident Report and fill out a report on CrewCare (http://www.alaskaaircrew.com). CrewCare reports are forwarded to management and your AFA Hotel Committee Members.

More About Bed Bugs

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has some great resources and information about bed bugs available at http://www2.epa.gov/bedbugs.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt, MEC Hotel Committee Chairperson Laura Hinojosa and MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Chairperson Seth Heiple

AFA Alaska

401(k) Contribution for the Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP)

Management and AFA Making Progress on Disputes Related to the Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP)

Alaska Airlines management and AFA have been in discussions regarding several disputes associated with the Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP) (see also the June 12th “Where is the Printed Contract?” and/or the “Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP) Update – April 24, 2015” for more background). After months of back and forth, the parties are now making swift progress towards resolving those disputes.

One aspect of the QPP dispute is in relation to 401(k) contributions

One aspect of the QPP dispute is in relation to 401(k) contributions. At one point management held the position that QPP was not eligible earning for 401(k). We are pleased to report that going forward management has agreed all QPP payouts will be considered eligible earnings for 401(k).

Today’s paycheck contains a make-whole contribution to 401(k) based on Q1 QPP

AFA received “notice” only this morning that the June 19th (today’s) paycheck contains an additional make-whole contribution to 401(k) for those who received the QPP from the first quarter (Q1) (paid on May 5th). That means any Flight Attendant who achieved the Q1 QPP of $500 received an additional pre-tax contribution to 401(k) of $35 on top of your normal 401(k) contribution on today’s paycheck. (This is assuming you are contributing 7% of your earnings to 401(k), which you all should be doing with few exceptions!) You should have also received an additional $35 Company match on top of the normal Company match. In other words, your total 401(k) contribution will be proportionately higher on this check than usual. This is a really good thing—except for the lack of notice!

Roth 401(k) tax implications

For those of you who participate in the Roth 401(k) option, additional funds were withheld for taxes on your portion of the Roth 401(k) contribution at your personal tax rate. On an additional $35 contribution, that would translate to as much as $9 or so more than your usual withholdings based on the higher income tax brackets.

Normal 401(k) contributions on QPP earnings will be paid in Q2 going forward

Beginning with the second quarter QPP payout (Q2 = April, May, June) on August 5th, 401(k) contributions based on QPP earnings will be made normally.

* * *

AFA would have passed this information along to you sooner had we been provided sufficient notice. We will continue to update you on any developments with the QPP disputes as we resolve them.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Grievance chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl

MEC 5B Logo

Bridge The Gap

The following is a message about Bridge The Gap, an AFA campaign to help bring equal treatment by management to all Flight Attendants across the industry. Bridge the Gap is a campaign for all Flight Attendants, working to improve pay and working conditions across the entire industry. For more information, follow #BridgeTheGap on Twitter or visit http://www.afacwa.org/bridge_the_gap.

Note from your Master Executive Council (MEC): AFA Alaska supports equal pay, benefits and working conditions for Flight Attendants at our sister carrier Horizon Air—as well as for all regional Flight Attendants throughout the industry. As a point of clarification, Alaska Air Group has never declared bankruptcy nor has been required to restructure or reorganize like most other mainline carriers have in the past decade or so.

Wherever any Flight Attendant is discriminated against, it affects our entire profession.  We all want higher pay, better reBridging-the-Gap-art-v2st and work rules, affordable health care and a reasonable retirement.

Mainline management throughout the industry, who slashed pay and benefits through bankruptcy, are now using their post-merger consolidation to pit workers against each other.

Management throughout the industry has transferred routes to regional airlines and with it Flight Attendant jobs move to a structure with 45% less pay and benefits where we serve the same passengers paying the same ticket price to travel those routes.

And, there’s so much more than wages at stake, such as fighting fatigue. We all need adequate work rules to perform as aviation’s first responders.

Discrimination only exists if we fail to act when we think it doesn’t affect us individually. We must work together in solidarity to support each other and end discrimination that will undercut our careers. Equal pay for equal work – we will all do better together.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

AFA Alaska

The Dues Pie Chart — Where Do My Dues Go?

Note from your Master Executive Council (MEC): The AFA International office prepared this information as a resource for flight attendants. You can find a pdf version of this article here and the dues pie chart here.

The Dues Pie Chart — Where Do My Dues Go?

The Dues Pie Chart depicts where all funds at AFA are budgeted. About 80% of dues dollars are directly allocated to fund the work at each airline, e.g. Local Councils, Master Executive Councils, Negotiations, and System Board. The remaining budgets at the International Office support Government Affairs, Air Safety, EAP, and Communications Departments, each of which provides expert services that are Flight Attendant focused and provide resources for the local leaders and committees of Flight Attendants at each airline. 100% of our dues dollars are allocated to priorities that provide Flight Attendant representation.

 

There are four distinct areas where dues money is spent:

 

1. Local and Airline-specific

 

Each base has a Local Executive Council (LEC) with elected Officers who provide direct representation and deal with local grievances and other issues. These Local Officers will answer your phone calls and make sure member interests are represented in front of management. For example, in the event of discipline or a contract violation, Local Officers will address the issue where it happened and work to get swift resolution. Additionally, elected Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers provide representation at the corporate level. At both the LEC and MEC, there are committees that solve problems in areas such as safety, schedules, hotels, grievances, etc. These committees also enforce the contract specific to their area of expertise, produce newsletters, and participate in union meetings. The role of your LEC and MEC Officers and committee representatives at each airline is to ensure you are represented by Flight Attendants who know your job because they share it with you at your airline. AFA promotes this autonomy at each airline where your representatives, assisted by experts, negotiate with management and develop and maintain the relationship between airline management and the Union.

 

2. Negotiations

 

Bargaining for pay and working conditions is one of the core representation activities performed by the Union. We start with a membership survey, schedule meetings with management, conduct caucuses with the committee, develop contractual language, support membership engagement and information programs, and we work with AFA-CWA professional negotiators throughout the process including all direct negotiations/mediation with management. The end result is improved contractual language with higher pay, better working conditions, and improved benefits.

 

3. System Board (Grievances)

 

The first step in any grievance is to try to resolve the matter locally. Some airlines have negotiated an alternative dispute process for a faster, collaborative resolution. If that fails, then the final stage for resolution, whether disciplinary or contractual, is an appeal to a neutral arbitrator. An AFA-CWA attorney will work with our Grievance Committee to present our case to the neutral arbitrator. We defend the contracts we negotiate.

 

4. International Office Support

 

While your LEC is the face of the Union to local management and the MEC to corporate management, the International Office is the public persona and brand of the Union. Our presence and name recognition can legislate or improve federal regulations, remove obstacles from the bargaining table, better our position in negotiations and improve our experience on the job across the profession. The International Office maintains the professional staff of attorneys, negotiators, and other personnel that provide administration, accounting and membership services to members and elected leaders. We all work together to support the programs that encompass our profession.

 

Questions? Contact your Local Executive Council president here.

 

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

Pie Chart – 2015 – Where Do My Dues Go

Pie Chart – 2015 – MEC LEC SPLIT.FINAL

MEC 5B Logo

Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month

September 15 marks the start of Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month in the United States, a vibrant celebration dedicated to honoring the rich contributions and diverse cultures of Hispanic-Latinx Americans. Spanning a full month, this observance—also known as National Hispanic Heritage Month—has its roots in Hispanic Heritage Week, which was established by legislation signed into law by […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Monday, September 8, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in person in Seattle 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), Ila Christy (PDX), Hilary […]

We Will Never Forget – September 11, 2001

AFA Never Forget Website United Flight 175 Robert J. FangmanAmy N. JarretAmy R. KingKathryn LaBorieAlfred G. MarchandMichael C. TarrouAlicia N. TitusCaptain: Victor SaraciniFirst Officer: Michael HorrocksCustomer Service Representatives: Marianne MacFarlane and Jesus Sanchez United Flight 93 Lorraine G. BaySandra BradshawWanda A. GreenCeeCee LylesDeborah WelshCaptain: Jason DahlFirst Officer: Leroy Homer American Flight 11 Barbara AresteguiJeffrey CollmanSara […]

Vacation Survey Now Open

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants Your Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) is working diligently to understand and improve the vacation benefits for our Flight Attendants at Alaska and Hawaiian. Your input is essential in ensuring that the vacation provisions we adopt reflect your needs and preferences. To gather your perspectives, […]

SEA Domicile Negotiations – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants Negotiations Update The SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management.  The SEA NC met with management on September 3 to September 5 in Honolulu. At the negotiating table for this session were: Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants   […]

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