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Recycle Your Red Pins and Join Flight Attendants at the New United for a Day of Action July 16th!

July 10, 2015 05:00

The Continental, Continental Micronesia and United Master Executive Councils in conjunction with the United Joint Negotiating Committee have authorized their Flight Attendants to switch from white to red AFA pins in response to the lack of progress in their contract negotiations. You can check out all the details about their negotiations at ourcontract.org.

With around 20,000 Flight Attendants, it is very challenging to come up with that many red pins. The New United (CAL, CAL Micronesia, UAL) is asking for AFA Alaska to help out their efforts by recycling our red pins. If you have any extras, please leave them in one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers’ mail files the very next time you are coming through your base so we can re-gift the red pins as soon as possible.

The New United is also planning a Day of Action on July 16^th at airports throughout the combined Continental, Continental Micronesia and United system. Your colleagues at those carriers would be delighted to have any Flight Attendants from AFA Alaska attend an event at a convenient location (e.g. at a domicile or while on a layover) as a show of solidarity. You cannot wear your Flight Attendant uniform but if you still have a red t-shirt from the second round of our negotiations, you are welcome to wear the shirt to the event. You can find more information about the events here.

In Solidarity,

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

Put On Your Pin!

July 1, 2015 20:00

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

On The Watch Against Bed Bugs

June 26, 2015 20:00

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)

June 19, 2015 12:00

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 12^th “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 19^th (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 5^th). 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 5^th, 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

Bridge The Gap

June 16, 2015 19:00

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 re Bridging-the-Gap-art-v2 st 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

Recycle Your Red Pins and Join Flight Attendants at the New United for a Day of Action July 16th!