Latest News – Page 241

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study Survey

February 25, 2015 20:00

Researchers from Harvard University are continuing their study of Flight Attendant health and need your help in collecting information. You’ll find a letter below regarding the study and what you can do to help. Your participation matters; please take a moment to take the survey now if you haven’t already.

In Solidarity,

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

Dear Flight Attendant,

We keep climbing, but we are only 50% towards our goal for participation, so we extended our deadline to March 8th. Get your survey completed by 3/8/15 11:59 PM PST and you will automatically be entered into a raffle for an Apple Watch. We need YOU! We’ve doubled our numbers in the last few days, so we know you can do it.

Our results will only be as strong as our participation. The more flight attendants who tell us about their health, the better our knowledge will be. Have you retired or changed jobs? Have you participated in other flight attendant studies? Have you started the survey, but haven’t had time to complete it? Do you only have time to take it on your phone or tablet? Great, you’re still eligible to participate—the only requirement for participation is that you worked as a flight attendant in the past.

Take 15 to 20 minutes of your time to inform our understanding of flight attendant health for YEARS to come. Join us at Harvard University School of Public Health by

Following this link to the Survey: www.fahealth.org/harvard-study

Also, please let your friends know that ALL flight attendants are welcome to participate. We’ve heard some flight attendants have not received an email from us or maybe our email was caught in spam, so please spread the word that ANY former or current flight attendant can take the survey at www.fahealth.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. Eileen McNeely, Principal Investigator, Flight Attendant Health Study
Dr. Sara Gale, Project Manager, Flight Attendant Health Study

Harvard School of Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Research
Landmark Center, Room 3-098
401 Park Drive, P.O. Box 15697
Boston, MA 02115 617-384-8861
www.fahealth.org

An Introduction to the Scheduling Committee

February 24, 2015 08:00

With the recent ratification of our new contract, your Master Executive Council (MEC) has started the process of forming a Scheduling Committee as outlined in section 27.P.2. Many other carriers, both AFA and non-AFA, have a Scheduling Committee responsible for reviewing and discussing scheduling concerns with management. The Scheduling Committee will ensure that our Flight Attendants have strong representation when it comes to any scheduling-related concerns.

The Committee Structure

At Your Base (LEC Level)

Within each domicile, the Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers will be responsible for appointing a Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson and Committee Members. Your Local Scheduling Committee will be responsible for collecting and researching concerns related to scheduling, hours of service, and trading. They will work with management to resolve concerns and potential contractual violations presented by Flight Attendants. In addition, local committees will gather feedback regarding bidding and pairing construction from Flight Attendants and share this information with the PBS and Pairing Construction Subcommittees.

At the Airline (MEC Level)

The MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson will coordinate the activities of the Local Scheduling Committees across the airline. The MEC Chairperson is responsible for supporting the Local Committee Chairperson and Local Committee Members in their interactions with management and providing any necessary resources. In addition, the MEC Chairperson will coordinate and lead the Scheduling Review Board, a meeting between AFA and management to be held every two weeks to address and resolve scheduling related issues before referring them to the grievance process.

PBS and Pairings

The Scheduling Committee also contains the PBS Subcommittee and Pairing Construction Subcommittee. The two subcommittees, each led by an MEC Vice Chairperson, represent Flight Attendant interests in their areas of expertise. Each Local Scheduling Committee will work closely with the subcommittees to share Flight Attendant feedback and help improve these systems and our quality of life.

Who Will I Contact?

Once appointed by your LEC Officers, your Local Scheduling Committee will be your point of contact for any concerns you have. Each Local Scheduling Chairperson and Committee Member will help Flight Attendants to address and resolve concerns or potential contractual violations. Contact information will be posted at http://afaalaska.org/scheduling after committee appointments have been made.

Scheduling Committee Communication Flow

How Do I Get Involved?

Local Scheduling Committees will soon be formed in each base. Within each base, the LEC Officers will appoint a Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson and Committee Members. If you’re interested in serving on the Scheduling Committee, please contact your LEC President. You can find contact information at http://afaalaska.org/locals, then by clicking on the link for your base.

In Solidarity,

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

Introducing the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

February 13, 2015 12:00

At a meeting held earlier this week, your Master Executive Council (MEC) interviewed candidates for the position of MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson. In total, six candidates interviewed for the position (five Seattle-based Flight Attendants and one Anchorage-based Flight Attendant). The MEC would like to thank those candidates for stepping forward in the spirit of Union service. After much discussion, the MEC has appointed Jake Jones to the position.

About Jake

Jake Jones is currently serving a second term as vice president of AFA-CWA Council 19 Seattle. Jake is a Seattle-based Flight Attendant and joined the company in 2006. Recently, he served as a Negotiating Committee Member for the past three years on our new collective bargaining agreement. He holds an AA in Business Administration and Management. Prior to working for Alaska Airlines, he was in the banking industry for seven years. His partner Jeff is an Alaska CSA and they live in Auburn, WA with their two dogs Shanti and Houston.

Local Scheduling Committees Forming Soon

More opportunities for involvement are coming up, as Local Scheduling Committees will be forming soon within each domicile. If you are interested in serving on the Local Scheduling Committee, contact your LEC President. You can find contact information for your LEC President through the Local Councils page of the AFA Alaska website at http://afaalaska.org/locals.

In Solidarity,

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

Profitability Bonus (aka “COLA”) to be paid out tomorrow

February 12, 2015 19:07

The good news and the bad news…

The Profitability Bonus (aka Cost of Living Adjustment, or “COLA”) will be paid out to eligible flight attendants tomorrow, Friday, February 13^th. The COLA is usually paid on April 20^th but at the request of AFA the Company has been kind enough to pay early this year. The good news is that it will be early. The bad news is the COLA is lower than years past despite very high profitability. This is due to an extremely low change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers’ (CPI-U) between December 2013 and December 2014.

COLA formula and contractual language

The formula for the COLA is found in 21.P of the former Collective Bargaining Agreement:

21.P. Any Flight Attendant who is at the highest step of the pay scale as of January 1 will be eligible for a profitability bonus, based on the profitability of Alaska Airlines during the ensuing calendar year as follows:

Operating Profit Margin Bonus Percentage

Less than 3%: 0

3.0 – 6.0%: 20% of COLA

6.01 – 8.0%: 30% of COLA

8.01 – 10.0%: 50% of COLA

10.01 – 12.0%: 70% of COLA

Over 12.01%: 100% of COLA

As used herein:

COLA shall be the percentage change (of not less than zero) in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers’, U.S., published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, comparing statistics for December in the year for which the profitability bonus is earned with statistics for December in the previous year.

The Company’s operating Profit Margin shall be defined as Operating Profits divided by Operating Revenues. All figures shall be audited figures of Alaska Airlines, Inc., which are publicly reported pursuant to S.E.C. reporting requirements, for the calendar year for which the profitability bonus is earned. The Association shall have the right to verify such numbers to the extent that any such information would be available to shareholders of the Company. Calculations shall be based on the operating results of Alaska Airlines only, excluding the results from any subsidiary, parent, or affiliated company. The profitability bonus will be based on all TFP flown or credited during the calendar year, multiplied by the step rate in Section 21 A, multiplied by the Bonus Percentage described above.

The profitability bonus will be paid in April of the following year.

Operating profit margin was high but change in CPI-U was low

Operating profit margin was 18.6% but the change in CPI-U December 2013 to December 2014 was only 0.32%. Falling fuel prices largely drove this statistic lower than in past years. Based on the contractual calculation, eligible flight attendants will receive 100% of the COLA: 0.32% of $46.48 (the old top of scale Step rate) or approximately $0.15 (15 cents) per TFP flown or credited in 2014. Only flight attendants who were at the top of scale Step 17 on January 1, 2014, are eligible for the COLA.

Longevity Premium replaces COLA in the new Contract

Longevity Premium in the new Contract replaces the COLA. Longevity Premium is a minimum of $1 per Worked TFP (exclusive of sick leave and vacation/Longevity PTO) for flight attendants who have completed at least 16 years of occupational service. Because Longevity Premium is not dependent on the Company’s profitability or the federal CPI-U statistics, AFA strongly believes this is a more consistently favorable provision than the COLA.

Travel While on a Medical, Maternity, or Workers’ Compensation Leave of Absence

February 10, 2015 17:00

Our contract provides the ability to use on-line travel benefits while on a medical, maternity, or Workers’ Compensation leave of absence. In order to use these travel benefits, you’re required to provide a doctor’s release that states that travel will not adversely affect your ability to return to active service. This requirement is spelled out in section 15.J.1 of the contract:

A Flight Attendant on a leave of absence who wishes to secure on-line travel passes will coordinate such travel through Inflight management. In the case of a medical, maternity or Workers’ Compensation leave s/he must provide a doctors release specifying such travel will not adversely affect the Flight Attendant’s ability to return to active service.

Due to the contractual requirement that you provide a doctor’s release in these instances, AFA recommends that you obtain a doctor’s release to travel when you go out on any of these types of leave if you intend to use your travel benefits and your doctor is comfortable providing such a release.

For more information about this requirement or travel while on a leave of absence, please contact your Local Benefits Committee or one of your LEC Officers. You can find contact information at afaalaska.org/benefits.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Benefits Committee Chairperson Terry Taylor

Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study Survey

An Introduction to the Scheduling Committee