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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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AFA Scholarship Fund

Dear Flight Attendants:

Each year, the Association of Flight Attendants Scholarship Fund awards a scholarship to a dependent of an active AFA member in good standing who is seeking to further her/his education at an accredited college or university.  The recipient of this scholarship will receive the cost of tuition, room, board and reasonable book expense, up to a maximum of $5,000 for one year.  Any recipient may reapply for this scholarship each year until graduation up to a maximum of four years.

More information about the scholarship fund including the required application form and instructions are available from the AFA International website at http://www.afacwa.org/scholarships. The postmark deadline for applications for this year’s scholarship is April 10.

The CWA Joe Beirne Foundation Scholarship is also available to dependents of AFA-CWA members.  Information and the application form for this scholarship can be found on the CWA website at http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/beirne.  The deadline for this year’s Beirne Scholarship is April 30.

Any questions regarding the AFA Scholarship Fund can be directed to your LEC Officers.  Contact information for your LEC Officers can be found on alaskamec.org then by selecting your base from the local council menu.

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

New Master Executive Council Safety, Health, & Security Committee Chairperson

Please join us in welcoming Seth Heiple to the position of Master Executive Council (MEC) chairperson of the Safety, Health, & Security Committee (SHSC), effective March 1.  As MEC chairperson, Seth will be responsible for working with the Local SHSC Chairs in each base to coordinate the activities of the SHSC for all Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants.

Seth joined Alaska Airlines as a Flight Attendant at the beginning of 2008.  While at Alaska he has served on both the Inflight Service Committee and the SHSC and worked with the F/A team that developed the “D Check” program.  Before joining Alaska Seth worked as a F/A for Northwest Airlines for close to 10 years, five of which he had the additional responsibilities of being an international purser.  Seth graduated from George Fox University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Economics.  He is pleased to have the opportunity to serve as the MEC SHSC chair and support the Committee’s efforts to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for F/As and cabin environment for our passengers.

The MEC would also like to thank current MEC SHSC Chairperson Barb Moynier for her hard work and accomplishments over the past several years that she has held the position.  Barb has been a tireless advocate for our Flight Attendants and her efforts are greatly and sincerely appreciated.

The Safety, Health, & Security Committee (SHSC) is responsible for working with management on matters pertaining to cabin and Flight Attendant safety and health.  Contact information for each Local SHSC can be found at alaskamec.org, then by selecting your base from the Local Council menu.

In Solidarity,

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

 

 

MEC Negotiations Update February 21, 2014: Five Bases Standing Strong!

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

You have spoken with a clear and unified vote: The Tentative Agreement (TA) was not sufficient and must be improved. An overwhelming majority of you voted to send a strong message to management that the offer did not measure up. The results from each base were nearly identical, so once again we prove that we are “Five Bases, One Voice.”

 

The Master Executive Council (MEC) and Negotiating Committee thank each and every one of you for your vote. Additional kudos to those who were able to make one of the 17 morning and afternoon roadshows around the system—34 sessions in all! You answered the call for a substantial turnout and your participation was commendable. Nearly 90% of you took part in determining our future! The result was unambiguous with approximately 30% “for” and 70% “against” the TA.

 

 

Voting Results by base below:

 

 

 

ALASKA 2014 TA Vote Count

 

 

 

 

 

Response Count              Voted %           Participated           Eligible      Participation %

 

SEA FOR 448                       28.32%                  1582                               1777                 89.03% 

 

AGAINST 1134                     71.68% 

 

 

 

ANC FOR 87                          34.66%                 251                                288                87.15%

 

AGAINST 164                         65.34%

 

 

 

PDX FOR 101                         29.62%                  341                                374                91.18%

 

AGAINST 240                       70.38%

 

 

 

LAX/SAN FOR 188              34.18%                  550                                661               90.02%

 

AGAINST 362                       65.82%

 

 

 

_______________________________________________

 

ALL FAs

 

FOR 824                                  30%

 

AGAINST1900                     70%

 

 

 

TOTAL VOTES 2724

 

 

 

We should not dwell on who voted “no,” and who voted “yes,” but rather we must advance unified. Now that the decision has been made, we all have a lot of hard work ahead of us. In the coming months, AFA will prepare to return to mediation under the direction of the National Mediation Board (NMB). In the near future you will be called upon to participate in activities which will demonstrate our resolve. When we go back to the table and management looks across the table, they must see all 3,200 of us sitting there in solidarity!

 

In the coming weeks, your AFA leadership and negotiators will take time to review the process, reassess bargaining objectives and communication strategy. We have already started that work with a MEC meeting that wrapped up yesterday. Your Local Executive Council (LEC) presidents have very much appreciated the emails and phone calls offering feedback and suggestions as we move forward through this process. The MEC will be meeting with the Negotiating Committee on March 3 to continue discussions and cement plans.

 

A new negotiations survey will be put out to the group in a few weeks. We are also exploring the use of professional pollsters in conjunction with the regular survey to ensure the most accurate result possible. It is critical that everybody take the time to complete the negotiations survey because this will be used as our guide for representing the objectives of the entire membership. In the meantime, we are asking Flight Attendants to not engage in discussions with management regarding individual bargaining objectives.

 

Through your vote you have spoken loud and clear, and AFA is committed to taking your message to the bargaining table! Together, we can show management we are “Five Bases Standing Strong!”

 

In Solidarity,

 

 

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

“Five Bases Standing Strong”

Tentative Agreement Voting Results

Dear Flight Attendants:

Polls closed today at 12 PM PST for voting on the Tentative Agreement (TA) reached by the Negotiating Committee on December 12, 2013.  The results of the vote are as follows:

Voting FOR the agreement 824 30%
Voting AGAINST the agreement 1900 70%
Total Votes 2724 100%
Participation Rate of Eligible Voters 89.3%

As indicated above, the TA has failed.

What’s Next?

More than ever, this is a time for all of us to come together and stand united.  You have spoken through your votes and the Negotiating Committee is prepared to go back to the table and send management a message that we demand more improvements!

Prior to the Negotiating Committee going back to the table, a new survey will be sent out to you to help the Committee to determine what areas of importance need more attention and focus.  You can expect to see an invitation to participate in the survey in your email within the next several weeks.  If you are receiving this email, we already have your email address on file for your survey invitation.  Please ensure that info@alaskamec.org is in your address book to prevent any potential spam filtering or bounce back from our email servers.

In Solidarity,

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

Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

References

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants Reject Tentative Agreement, Demand Improvements

 

Washington, DC – Flight Attendants at Alaska Airlines, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), today voted down a tentative agreement with management. Through the vote, Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants sent a strong message to management that they expect more for their award-winning contributions to the airline.

“Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants have collectively declared today that management’s proposal fails to address the needs of Flight Attendants and does not reflect our true worth. We remain unified as a group and focused on our future. Through tireless effort, we have helped create a successful strategy that has resulted in increased profits for our airline. It is well past time for management to hear us and negotiate an agreement that meets the priorities set by Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants and that can be ratified,” said Jeffrey Peterson, AFA President at Alaska Airlines.

Negotiations began two years ago and, in May 2013, AFA filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board. During negotiations, Alaska Airlines earned record-breaking profits and continued to earn top awards and accolades for customer satisfaction with the assistance of the Flight Attendants. Next, AFA will re-survey the over 3,100 Flight Attendants to determine their top priorities.  The National Mediation Board retains oversight of future negotiations.

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.

References

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 12 – February 2026

During this negotiation session, we made progress on Sections 15 (Leaves of Absence) and 22 (Expenses). The JNC advocated for positive developments from the Hawaiian CBA to strengthen our proposals. We also introduced our initial proposal for Section 28 (Domiciles) and remain committed to meaningful improvements in all areas of discussion.

Reminder: Don’t Miss Next Week’s MEC Town Hall!

Mark your calendar—Tuesday, March 3, is almost here! There’s still time to register for our Alaska + Hawaiian Town Hall and hear directly from your MEC Officers: MEC President Tim Green, MEC Vice President Brice McGee, and MEC Secretary-Treasurer Paul Ikioka. Join us for the latest updates and get answers to your questions. The Details What […]

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, February 19, our AFA Local Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), Bob Moore (PDX), Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather Holmes […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – February 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, February 24, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Russel Rivinius (PDX), […]

Important Update: Irregular Operations Due to Civil Unrest In Mexico

In response to the significant operational disruptions caused by the civil unrest affecting cities throughout Mexico, particularly Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Guadalajara (GDL), and Manzanillo (ZLO), management continues to operate under an Irregular Operations (IROPS) situation. Our MEC and Committees are actively monitoring the situation and working with management to support our Flight Attendants. Management has […]

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