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End of Year Reminders 2015

December 16, 2015 16:15

As we approach the end of 2015, the Master Executive Council (MEC) wants to remind you of a few important items. But first we want to thank all of you for your professionalism and support this past year. We are truly honored to represent the best Flight Attendants in the industry!

AFA EAP

Alaska Flight Attendants are the best in the industry and this is due, in part, to our amazing Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee! EAP is always available to assist and support you. As we approach the holiday season our jobs become much more difficult and we are away from our families. EAP peers help FAs assess their expectations, troubles, health issues and commitments. Re-evaluating commitments and expectations will help to make the holiday season more manageable and enjoyable. AFA EAP’s greatest tool is the ability to listen, calming the presenting issue. Referring to professional resources appropriate when the FA is unable to find resolution.

You can find EAP contact information here: http://afaalaska.org/eap.

Employee Choice Travel Credits

Please remember that you need to convert any remaining Employee Choice Travel Credits by December 31, 2015. Once you convert the credits you have three months to travel or make changes to those credits. These credits do not roll over! You will find your Employee Choice Travel Credits in your Paperless Employee Travel (PET) account.

Uniform Allotments

Allotment #3 from late 2013 will expire on December 31^st. Allotment #2 from January 2015 and allotment #1 from July 2015 will rollover into 2016 and expire after next December. If you have used up all other allotments, they will not be numbered separately in the uniform allotment look-up function.

Taxes and shipping will be covered once the new Land’s End portal is up and running, which is scheduled to debut on December 17^th. Multiple allotments will be combined into one allotment at that time as well. True blue/China blue items are being discontinued in the uniform program as of April 1, 2016. You will receive an additional allocation on December 17^th for any True blue/China blue items purchased in 2015 and that allocation will expire on September 30, 2015.

You can find the link to Land’s End on your World of Inflight FA homepage under the pictures. Make sure you copy your People Soft (PS) number from your homepage, as you will need this number to access the allotment link on the Land’s End homepage and to place uniform orders. If you have questions you can contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) Uniform Committee.

Changes to Occufit Solutions Compression Hose/Stockings

Beginning January 1, 2016, there is a change to the current coverage of non-medical (low-grade) compression hose/stockings. On this date, low-grade compression hose/stockings are no longer covered under the health plan–even if the employee has a prescription for them. Employees can still use their FSA/HSA dollars if they have a prescription from their healthcare provider. Medical-grade compression stockings will continue to be covered on the health plan, assuming they are medically necessary and prescribed.

If you have any questions about your FSA/HSA accounts please refer to the 2016 Employees Medical Handbook (Alaskasworld (log in required) –> Benefits/Pay –> Health Care and Total Rewards –> Health and Insurance –> Your Employee Handbook [under “Quick Links”]); or you can contact Premera for the information.

Questions About Your Christmas / News Year’s Day Trip?

Remember: if you have scheduling questions make sure you contact your LEC Scheduling Committee. You can also find the electronic version of the contract on your IMD and on the web at http://afaalaska.org/contract.

Year End Record Improvement: Section 32.G.4

Please note there is a change to the year-end record improvement application:

At the end of each calendar year, any Flight Attendant who has achieved a minimum of four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP including vacation/Longevity PTO and who has four (4) or fewer points and did not accumulate // any point(s) since November 1^st of that year, will have her/his record reduced to zero (0) points. In no circumstances will a Flight Attendant receive more than eighty (80.0) unpaid TFP credit toward the four-hundred eighty (480.0) TFP threshold calculation for purposes of this provision. Unpaid TFP credit will be applied and/or the look back period will be modified consistent with Sections 15.M. [Leaves with Coordination…] and 15.N. [Unpaid Leaves…], as applicable.

It usually takes a few weeks into January for the year-end record improvement adjustment to occur.

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We wish everyone a safe and happy winter holiday season and a Merry Christmas!

In solidarity,

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

Date of Signing Raises on December 17, 2015!

December 14, 2015 05:00

The Master Executive Council (MEC) and your Contract Committee is excited to point out that on December 17, 2015, a date of signing raise is in effect.

CBA Section 21.A., states:

STEP RATES OF PAY

Flight Attendants will be compensated on the basis of the appropriate step rate as follows:

Step DOS DOS +1 DOS +2 DOS +3 DOS +4

DOH* $21.31 $21.63 $21.95 $22.28 $22.62

Step 1 $24.16 $24.52 $24.89 $25.26 $25.64

Step 2 $25.35 $25.73 $26.12 $26.51 $26.91

Step 3 $27.53 $27.94 $28.36 $28.79 $29.22

Step 4 $28.75 $29.18 $29.62 $30.06 $30.51

Step 5 $32.40 $32.89 $33.38 $33.88 $34.39

Step 6 $35.56 $36.09 $36.63 $37.18 $37.74

Step 7 $36.70 $37.25 $37.81 $38.38 $38.95

Step 8 $37.71 $38.28 $38.85 $39.43 $40.02

Step 9 $39.12 $39.71 $40.30 $40.91 $41.52

Step 10 $42.00 $42.63 $43.27 $43.92 $44.58

Step 11 $44.82 $45.49 $46.17 $46.87 $47.57

Step 12 $48.78 $49.51 $50.25 $51.01 $51.77

Step 13 $49.69 $50.43 $51.19 $51.96 $52.74

Step 14 $50.59 $51.35 $52.12 $52.90 $53.70

Step 15 $51.50 $52.27 $53.06 $53.85 $54.66

If you look under your applicable step rate and then look over to DOS+1 that will your new rate of pay as of December 17, 2015. This is a raise in addition to your anniversary step increase and longevity premium, if applicable.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

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

Your Contract Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

Join the “GIVE TEN, GET TEN” Campaign to Combat Toxic Oil Fumes Onboard

December 10, 2015 17:00

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) encourages you to GIVE TEN dollars to this important cause, and GET TEN friends to do the same in order to combat toxic oil fumes onboard.

Ever smelled dirty socks onboard? A dirty socks smell in the cabin could be engine oil fumes in the ventilation air. You read that right: the air that comes through the cabin and flight deck vents is first compressed in the engines, and it isn’t filtered before you breathe it on all aircraft except for the Boeing 787. AFA regularly receives reports from members who report dirty socks or musty fumes in the cabin supply air. This exposure can result in problems with memory, balance, speech and other long-lasting symptoms. Nobody thinks it will happen to her or him until it does.

As things stand, flight attendants often have difficulty accessing the aircraft maintenance records—if at all—in order to prove that oil contaminated the cabin air. Even when maintenance records are accessed, it can be very challenging to verify after the incident that oil contaminated the cabin air. Additionally, there is no current blood test specific to these fumes. Consequently, airlines often say that “nothing was wrong” and that crews are just imagining their disabling symptoms.

Fortunately, a dedicated research team at the University of Washington is developing a blood test specific to the aviation engine oil. KOMO News ran an article back in September “UW creating test to measure toxic exposure in airplane cabins” in which AFA International President Sara Nelson was quoted. You may be interested to know that Council 19 Seattle and your MEC coordinated to donate $5000 to UW’s Dr. Clem Furlong and his team this past fiscal year.

You can help the effort by visiting GIVE TEN, GET TEN. The GIVE TEN, GET TEN campaign is overseen by Clean Up Cabin Air, which is a group that as of this writing is in the final stages of becoming a non-profit organization. Clean Up Cabin Air is led by volunteer flight attendants—including some of our very own (who wish to remain anonymous)—and their supporters.

From the GIVE TEN, GET TEN campaign page:

“A single person’s TEN DOLLARS won’t fund anything, but our GOAL is to bring ENOUGH people onboard that ENOUGH ten dollar donations are received, that the research will be a success, for the good of crews everywhere. So please, GIVE TEN, GET TEN, and encourage your flying partners, family, friends, people you don’t even like, your dog, your barista, the guy who fixes your car, anyone and everyone, to do the same…

Don’t leave the page until you have given $10 and sent the link to ten people!“

All flight attendants and pilots need this blood test to be available, so the MEC is encouraging everybody to GIVE TEN, GET TEN. As an added incentive and in keeping with the GIVE TEN theme, AFA Alaska will automatically match each member’s donation dollar for dollar up to a maximum of $10,000 total donation. We will work directly with Clean Up Cabin Air to make that happen—no need for you to do anything!

If you are exposed to oil fumes onboard, then you need to be able to prove it. All of us need the industry to feel more motivated to clean up the cabin air!

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Air Quality Chairperson Karyn Kobe; and AFA-CWA Air Safety, Health and Security Department Industrial Hygienist Judith Anderson

Contaminated Cabin Air: Know What To Do

December 4, 2015 05:00

Under normal circumstances, we don’t give the air we breathe onboard the aircraft a second thought. As we’re all taught in initial training, cabin air is bleed air that is taken in through the aircraft engines then cooled and pressurized to make it usable. As with any piece of mechanical equipment, there’s always a possibility of malfunction. As a part of the engines, a malfunction in the cabin air system has the possibility of introducing oil, hydraulic fluid, or other materials into the cabin.

What to do if You Think You’ve Been Exposed to Contaminated Air

Being prepared and knowing what to do in the event of an air quality exposure incident can help you and your crew to the help you need as quickly as possible. Here’s what to do:

1. Identify the Situation

If you encounter unusual fumes (odors), smoke, or haze:

Quickly rule out in-cabin items (e.g. burning food, oven residue, etc.)
Report the situation to the pilots immediately. If the source is the air from the vents in the cabin, there is the possibility of oil/hydraulic fluid contamination.
If no passengers are on board, step off the aircraft, especially if maintenance boards to test systems
Avoid breathing fumes coming from vents

2. Get Help if Sick

If in the air, notify the pilots to call MedLink
If still at the gate, ask the CSA to call paramedics. Deplane if possible.
Seek medical attention as soon as possible. Most tests that detect exposure are time sensitive; even a few hours can make a difference. Your symptoms can persist, worsen, or return after another incident.
Call AFA for help

[su_panel background=”#ffffff” color=”#000000″ border=”3px solid #3399cc” radius=”1″]

Call First

Karyn Kobe, Air Quality Chairperson
(206) 457-2010, Extension 1101

Backup

Seth Heiple, ASHSC Chairperson
(206) 457-2010, Extension 1100

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Print and begin completing the AFA exposure checklist
Review the AFA International Air Quality website

3. Report & Document

File an I-21 (employee injury report) and ASAP report with the company
Keep printed copies of each report for your records
Send a copy of the completed I-21 form to airquality@afaalaska.org
Ask supervisor to complete their Alaska Airlines air quality checklist with you
If sick, file a worker’s compensation claim and see a doctor as quickly as possible. Claims do not start until you see a doctor.
Keep a symptom diary and document everything with a doctor

Keep This Information With You In Case You Need it

Get Your New Quick Reference Card

New air quality exposure quick reference cards have been printed and will soon be available in your base. These cards replace all old versions of the air quality cards (gold or blue lanyard cards or old black and white folded paper card). When you pick up your new card, please discard any old cards that you have and replace them with the new one. This card fold up to the size of a credit card and will fit easily inside a plastic badge holder or in your purse or wallet. On the card, you’ll find information that you’ll need in the event of an air quality exposure incident as well as links to online AFA resources and contact information for AFA representatives who can assist you.

Print Your Own Quick Reference Card

You can download and print a quick reference card at any time by clicking this link.

Find it on the AFA Alaska Website

This information is also available on a dedicated page of the AFA Alaska website at: http://afaalaska.org/ashsc/airquality/checklist.

From the AFA Alaska mobile website or web app, a quick link is located on the main page of the site. For instructions on how to save the AFA Alaska web app as a desktop icon on your IMD or personal Apple device, click here.

If you have questions, please contact your Local Air Safety, Health, and Security (ASHSC) Committee.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt, Air Quality Chairperson Karyn Kobe and MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple

Staffing Adjustment Leave of Absence Health Benefits Coverage and Vacation Accrual

December 3, 2015 17:00

There is some confusion regarding continuation of health benefits coverage and vacation accrual while on a Staffing Adjustment Leave of Absence (or “Staffing Leave”/”Staffing Adjustment Leave” for ease of reference). Hopefully this will answer some of the questions that have been raised.

Continuation of heath benefits coverage

As stated in the Informational Bulletins that are posted when Staffing Adjustment Leaves are offered, health benefits coverage will end on the first day of an awarded Staffing Leave—with an exception. If a F/A has a trip that overlaps from the prior month to the awarded leave month, the Staffing Leave begins on the first day following the overlap. This means your pairing must have some duty that touches the awarded leave month. (However, keep in mind that in order to not have your vacation accrual reduced by 1/12 you must have some paid time in the leave month. That requires duty beginning after midnight in the leave month rather than duty simply touching the leave month.)

For example, if a trip begins on the final day of the prior bid month, and overlaps into the second day of the leave month, the leave would officially begin on third of the month. Since the overlap would result in Worked TFP during the month of the staffing leave, health benefits coverage would continue throughout the remainder of the month.

If no overlap trip exists, health benefits coverage will lapse on the first of the month and a COBRA packet will be sent. There are several options in this case:

Complete the COBRA paperwork and submit it along with the appropriate payment to continue health care coverage.

If the leave is only one month, complete the COBRA paperwork and mail it in promptly. If health care expenditures during the leave are less than the amount of the COBRA payment, there is no need to pay the payment.

Secure other coverage in the marketplace, or through a convenient union supported health care portal such as Working America Health Care (a joint partnership between Working America and Union Plus); their phone number for AFA members is 866-961-3297.

If you have other coverage, there is no need to complete the COBRA paperwork.

If you have Recurrent Training or other Company required training during a Staffing Adjustment LOA, your health care coverage will re-start on the first day of training and continue through the end of the bid month.

We have been told that if the leave is 30 days or more, it will be necessary to call the Benefits Portal number (AON) when you return to work in order to restart your health care benefits. This is a fairly new procedure.

Vacation accrual

Vacation accrues each month that a F/A has paid TFP for that month. If there is no pay for the month, vacation accrual is reduced by one-twelfth (1/12).

If there is an overlapping trip, vacation will accrue during the leave month.

Scheduled vacation during a leave of absence is not automatically paid, and does not automatically result in vacation accrual for the following year. For vacation during a Staffing Adjustment Leave of Absence, there are two options:

Vacation days can be manually traded to later available days. First it is necessary to find available open vacation time, and then call Crew Administration to request the trade to be processed due to the leave status.

You may request that any of your awarded vacation days be paid to you on either the fifth (5^th) or twentieth (20^th) paycheck while you are on a Staffing Adjustment Leave. The request must be made no later than seven days prior to the selected pay date. If you have requested that you receive vacation pay during the month of the Staffing Adjustment Leave, this will prevent your vacation accrual from being reduced by 1/12 for that month.

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Questions? Contact one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers (ANC 30 | SEA 19 | PDX 39 | LAX 18 | SAN 15).

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Benefits & Retirement Chairperson Terry Taylor

End of Year Reminders 2015

AFA EAP

Employee Choice Travel Credits

Uniform Allotments

Changes to Occufit Solutions Compression Hose/Stockings

Questions About Your Christmas / News Year’s Day Trip?

Year End Record Improvement: Section 32.G.4

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Date of Signing Raises on December 17, 2015!

Join the “GIVE TEN, GET TEN” Campaign to Combat Toxic Oil Fumes Onboard

Contaminated Cabin Air: Know What To Do