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It’s Time To Gear Up For Mobilization

Last week, Alaska Air Group posted another record quarterly profit for the first quarter of 2014. Quarter after quarter, the Company has been making money hand over fist.  Meanwhile, our Flight Attendants have been in contract negotiations for over 2 years. We have yet to be presented with a contract that recognizes our contributions to the award-winning customer service and record profits that Alaska Airlines continues to receive and the record profits that the company continues to earn.

The time has come to show management that we stand together in our desire to achieve a contract that acknowledges our contributions to a wildly successful company.  Our Mobilization Committee needs you to help demonstrate our solidarity to management by becoming a Mobilization Volunteer.  Mobilization Volunteers will show management that we’re serious about negotiating an industry-leading contract by participating in solidarity activities. The Mobilization Committee will also be facilitating active communication between Flight Attendants and the Negotiating Committee.

Mobilization Training events are being held in all bases the week of May 12.  By attending a single two-hour session, you’ll be empowered with knowledge about how you can help the Negotiating Committee send management a unified message—we are Five Bases, Standing Strong!

Read more about the Mobilization Committee at alaskamec.org/mobilization.  Ready to gear up and make a difference?  Sign up to attend a Mobilization Training session at alaskamec.org/mobilization/training.

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Negotiations Update May 2, 2014 – National Mediation Board Cancels May Negotiations

Dear Flight Attendants,

A short time ago, the National Mediation Board (NMB) officially notified the AFA and management negotiating teams that it has delayed our return to mediation until July by canceling the negotiations session scheduled for the week of May 12th.

Once in mediation, the NMB has control over our meeting schedule and they have the authority to decide that a mediation session should be canceled.

Do we agree with this decision?  No!  We would always be ready to meet and make progress in our quest for a new contract.  We have expressed our frustration that there is no available meeting date in June. Despite our protests, mediation will resume in late July.

Even if we wanted to meet earlier than July, AFA and management do not believe it is in the best interest of either party to proceed without the sanction of the NMB.  However, as a show of good faith management has agreed to absorb AFA’s costs resulting from the relatively last-minute cancellation.

Given that we have no choice, AFA will make good use of the downtime.  We have already established meeting dates for our own internal review of the negotiations survey.  Additionally, we will hold a joint AFA negotiations training with the Negotiating Committee and the Master Executive Council (MEC) leadership.  AFA International trainers, legal staff and department heads will also participate in the training.

While this is an unfortunate delay, we are determined to take advantage of the situation and use it to prepare for the next session and demonstrate to the NMB–and management–just how serious we are about getting back to the table and fighting for the contract that we all deserve.

Our sincere thanks to management for covering the cancellation fees.  The parties are looking forward to getting back to the table the week of July 21st.

In solidarity,

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

Your Negotiating Committee–MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones and Christina Frees

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Negotiations Update April 30, 2014 – Second Round of Survey Email Invitations Sent

Dear Flight Attendants,

The online portion to the follow up AFA negotiations survey by Hart Research Associates will remain open through Sunday, May 4, 2014.  As a reminder, your AFA leadership is currently at the 42nd Annual AFA-CWA Board of Directors meeting in Orlando.  We are responding to all inquiries during breaks between meetings and thank you for your patience.

A second round of email invitations containing individualized links to the online survey were sent a short time ago by Hart Research Associates.  Check your spam/junk folder in case the invitation is there.

Important: Do not share your link with anybody or else others could take the survey on your behalf.  The email address used by Hart Research Associates for the invitations is FlightAttendantSurvey@hart-research.com.

If you have NOT received a survey or if you completed the phone survey AND received an email invitation, contact FlightAttendantSurvey@hart-research.com and request an email invitation. Provide your first and last name and your PeopleSoft number. 

(We are using PeopleSoft numbers as identifiers and did not provide Arctic numbers due to privacy and security concerns.  Your PeopleSoft number can be found on the Inflight webpage on the upper left hand corner.)

It is extremely important that your voice be heard. Make sure to complete the survey!

In solidarity,

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

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

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AFA International Officer Election Results

Dear Flight Attendants,

Your AFA leadership is continuing to represent you today and conduct the business of the union at the AFA Board of Directors Meeting in Orlando, Florida.  Yesterday, elections for the three AFA International Officer positions were conducted as part of the meeting.  Below you’ll find a press release from AFA International regarding the results of the election.  The Master Executive Council (MEC) would like to congratulate new International President Sara Nelson, International Vice President Deb Sutor, and International Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Creighan.

In Solidarity,

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

 

For Immediate Release

Contact: Corey Caldwell 202-550-5520

FLIGHT ATTENDANT UNION ELECTS NEW LEADERSHIP

Orlando, FL – The highest governing body of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), the Board of Directors, today elected new officers to lead the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. The Board of Directors voted for Sara Nelson as AFA International President, Debora Sutor as International Vice President and re-elected Kevin Creighan for his third term as International Secretary-Treasurer.

President-elect Sara Nelson is an 18-year United Airlines Flight Attendant and has served as International Vice President since 2011. Nelson vowed to continue to unite Flight Attendants to fight for equality for all and build power at the negotiating table in order to advance the Flight Attendant career.

Vice President-elect Debora Sutor is a 25-year Envoy Air Flight Attendant who has extensive experience and has served on numerous AFA committees and held various leadership positions throughout her career. Committed to furthering AFA’s mission for economic and social justice for all Flight Attendants, Sutor will help maintain AFA as a strong voice for the profession.

International Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Creighan has served in that office since 2005. Creighan is uniquely qualified to best meet members needs based on his extensive experience as a United Flight Attendant, Local Council President and International Officer.

The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 68 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.

Negotiations Survey Update

Dear Flight Attendants,

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) along with many of you are extremely frustrated with the challenges we’re experiencing regarding the email survey invitations from Hart Research Associates.  The good news is, for most who have taken the survey, we have received feedback that it is comprehensive and worthwhile.  It is extremely important to the MEC that all Flight Attendants have a reasonable opportunity to take the survey.  We have been in contact with Hart Research Associates and have jointly agreed to extend the survey.  The survey will not close until the MEC is satisfied that all Flight Attendants who wish to take the survey have had the opportunity to do so.

As a reminder, your AFA leadership is currently participating in the AFA Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting in Orlando, FL.  As part of our representational duties, the BOD meetings are scheduled from 9 AM to 9:30 PM each day through Wednesday evening.  We are working through the survey challenges as quickly as possible given the time constraints and the necessary coordination with our survey vendor Hart Research Associates.

We wish we had the answers as to why some Flight Attendants have not received their survey invitation.  Emails are being sent directly by Hart Research Associates and although an address list was provided by the MEC to Hart, the AFA email system is not being used to send the invitations.  At this time, we do not know why some people have received the invitations while others have not.

If you have not received the survey invitation and have not yet provided your contact information to survey@alaskamec.org, please do so as soon as possible.  If you have already reached out to survey@alaskamec.org, please be patient as your contact information has been forwarded to Hart Research Associates and they will be following up.  We know some of you have been waiting several days for contact.

It is important that you wait to receive your own personalized invitation to the survey as it contains a link that is unique to you.  If you use the link that is associated with another Flight Attendant’s email invitation, your response will overwrite any previous responses tied to that link.

More information will be communicated as it becomes known.  Rest assured that the survey will remain open for responses until the MEC directs Hart Research Associates is directed otherwise.

In Solidarity,

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

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Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, October 28, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), […]

Sick Leave Survey Now Open

Your Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) prioritizes your health and well-being and seeks to understand which aspects of our paid sick leave policy matter most to you. We encourage you to participate in the survey, which is open until Tuesday, November 11 at Noon PT, to ensure your voice is heard in shaping our support for your healthcare needs.

SEA Domicile Negotiations – October 2025 Update #2

This session was marked by the Negotiating Committee’s strong advocacy for protections and enhancements that would support the Seattle base as a viable option for transferring Flight Attendants. With insights from Ryan St. John, the Vice President of Finance, Planning, and Investor Relations for Alaska Airlines, the Negotiating Committee highlighted the necessity of combining data-driven strategies with hands-on experience and sufficient resources for long-term success.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 8 – October 2025

During our recent negotiations, the Joint Negotiation Committee focused on key sections, particularly reaching a Tentative Agreement on Lodging and Transportation, which improves food availability and transportation safety. We also engaged with Council 19 to clarify negotiation processes and differences between contracts. Stay tuned for our upcoming session with management from November 18 to 20.

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives for the upcoming MEC Officer term. They’ll begin transitioning into their roles over the next few months and officially start their terms on January 1, 2026. Below, you’ll find brief biographies that […]

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