Dear Alaska Flight Attendants,

Your Alaska EAP committee would like to share the following important information with you concerning the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program, FADAP.  Also, please read the following information about the Employee Assistance Fund, EAF.

National Recovery Month

           For the 24th year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is proud to sponsor National Recovery Month (Recovery Month).  This year’s theme is “Pathways to Wellness”, which encourages us to walk along side family, friends and neighbors who are struggling to break free of addiction.

This long-standing observance spreads the message that prevention works, treatment is effective and people recover from mental and/or substance use disorders. September is National Recovery Month and a wonderful opportunity to highlight recovery.

SAMHSA has developed a Toolkit to help you plan events for National Recovery Month to increase awareness of the power of recovery. This kit assists in planning Recovery Month events and has resources to distribute in communities and during local events that support people with substance use disorders and mental illness.

To find an event in your area go the SAMSHA webpage

http://www.recoverymonth.gov/Community-Events/Find-an-Event.aspx

FADAP- Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program

            FADAP is a substance-abuse prevention program, created and promoted for and by the flight attendant profession and funded by the FAA. FADAP’s mission is to support a culture of safety which will be able to assist flight attendants in meeting their personal and professional goals through substance-abuse awareness, combined with self and peer referrals for assistance, and the implementation of a flight-attendant-specific recovery support system.

The advancement of the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program has been endorsed by your flight attendant peers and managers from 25 carriers during a March 2009 “Return to Cabin” Summit This year members of the MEC, along with Alaska Management are attending the 3^rd Annual FADAP conference in Maryland Oct 1-3. AFA is seeking a “return to the cabin” program for our Flight Attendants at Alaska Airlines and has been working hard to promote this program. Andy Schneider is among the guest on the panel at this year’s FADAP conference.

For more information on FADAP please visit the website: http://www.fadap.org/

FADAP Mentor Program

Are you interested in the FADAP Mentor program? The FADAP mentor program is open to flight attendants who have at least two years of active recovery.  FADAP mentors are available to assist & support flight attendants in new recovery and/or returning from initial inpatient treatment. Periodically, FADAP mentors also play a role in developing and advancing specific recovery programs available through FADAP. Alaska Airlines was the first to initiate the FADAP Mentor Program, which now has been extended to other carriers. We currently have FADAP mentors in SEA, PDX & LAX (most residing in SEA). FADAP mentors also play a role in assisting and supporting each other as a group.

 Interested flight attendants can contact:

Deb McCormick, FADAP Coordinator, 401-225-1459 or email dmccormick@fadap.org.

 For more information, flight attendants can visit http://www.fadap.org.

 EAF- Employee Assistance Fund

          It has been brought to the attention of your AFA leadership that some members believe EAF is sponsored by AFA, leading to the misconception that AFA has a say in whom is eligible for funding.  We would like to clarify that AFA supports EAF but is not a sponsor.   Therefore AFA has no involvement in the decision making or approval process for providing assistance to those requesting it.

The Employee Assistance Fund was conceived in 1992 by Alaska Airlines Captain Al Brunelle. Al wanted to help fellow employees who may be suffering financial hardship due to a medical or catastrophic event.

The Fund is not a part of the Alaska Airlines Company or Air Group. It is a separate, non-profit organization made up of employees who volunteer to serve on the Board of Directors, representing all divisions of Alaska Airlines.

The goal is for every Alaska Airlines employee to donate $1 per paycheck. 100% of all contributions go towards assisting fellow employees at Alaska Airlines. The EAF is a 501(c)3, charitable organization and all contributions are tax-deductible.

All employees are eligible to apply, whether or not they donate to the EAF. Applications are strictly confidential. Assistance granted is a gift, not a loan and is not required to be repaid.

Last year, about 30 percent of employees gave to the EAF through payroll deduction. The EAF raised approximately $286,000, which was used to help about 73 employees pay their mortgages, COBRA insurance, car payments and insurance, and medical and grocery bills while they recovered from injury or illness.

Besides payroll deductions, we have several fundraising events: EAF Online Auction in Oct/Nov, the Golf Tournament in Aug, and the Left on Board (LOB) sale. Many employees have also undertaken their own projects to raise money for the EAF. One such activity is the Gold Coast Center piñata auction, held in early May each year. We have also had a pilot design study cards to sell with the proceeds donated to the EAF, and many others have done charity hikes/swims/runs; with all proceeds going directly to the EAF.

The Mission of The Employee Assistance Fund, as a non-profit organization, is to provide financial support to qualifying Alaska Airlines employees who need assistance due to catastrophic or medical reasons. For more information on the EAP program please visit this website: www.alaskaeaf.com

You can also contact Flight Attendant Tobe VanOs:

Tjvanos3@gmail.com

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

Dear Flight Attendants,

Your AFA leadership will take this opportunity to respond to the August 20^th intranet message from Alaska Airlines Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider and Vice President of Customer Service – Airports and Cargo Jeff Butler regarding the Company’s most recent uniform testing (“New Uniform Testing”). For your information, AFA was not involved in the testing process referred to in the email. Nor were we involved in selecting toxicologist Bruce Kelman. Consequently, we would encourage you to contact Andy directly with your questions and concerns since she is your best source for clarification.

With regard to Bruce Kelman’s credentials, many of you have expressed concern that he is not a medical doctor. That is correct. He is a certified toxicologist and has a PhD in that discipline but he is not a physician. Andy’s suggestion that you contact Dr. Kelman for a second opinion has proven to be a bit troublesome for many of you as well. Since he is not a treating physician, AFA would encourage you to contact a specialist with a MD regarding your health concerns. However, if you would like to discuss the testing methods used or the conclusions reached by Dr. Kelman during this latest round of laboratory testing, then he could certainly speak to those issues.

We are providing you with an updated Uniform Reaction Database and Uniform Reaction Statistics (see the links below), which indicate approximately twenty five percent (25%) of our membership have reported an adverse reaction to the TwinHill uniform. Fortunately, we are just a few months away from a complete change over to the new Land’s End Business Outfitters (LEBO) interim uniform. In the meantime if you feel you are experiencing a reaction to the TwinHill uniform, please follow the guidelines in the attached document, “Your Uniform, Your Health” (also linked below).

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

“Five Bases, One Voice”

alaskamec.org

References:

AFA Uniform Database Membership Copy 2013-08

AFA Uniform Stats Membership Copy 2013-08

Your Uniform Your Health 2013-09

Dear Alaska Flight Attendants,

Welcome to Fall!

Next week our AFA Negotiation Committee will be in our Nation’s Capital for the next Mediation session. The team is working hard to wrap up the final sections of the TA and while they are in these mediation sessions they feel your support and are energized by the comments that come in!

If you have a comment for the team we encourage you to fill out a VOICE comment card, share your thoughts with a VOICE Committee member, or contact your Local President.  The LEC Presidents would like to ask that you write comments in a respectful manner. We understand that you are passionate and have valid comments to share! If you feel like you need to vent about the process please contact your Local President. The negotiation committee is working under the direction of the LEC Ps and we can address your concerns and help you understand the thoughts behind the issue.

Also, once the TA is complete the LEC Presidents will review the TA and vote to accept or deny the TA, so it is important that we understand concerns prior to this vote. If accepted, the TA is presented to the Flight Attendants and the Negotiation Committee sets a schedule for road shows around the system. The Negotiation Committee, your Local Officers, and members of the MEC attend road shows in each base to review the TA and answer any questions that members have. After the road shows are complete a date for voting on the TA is set.

Remember, you can easily access your Local President by using the online contact form on the website: http://alaskamec.org/contact-us/

With the onset of fall the MEC would like to remind you of a few important events!

1.     Have you checked your TFP calculator? Do you know how to understand your TFP calculations? In order to retain insurance benefits in 2014 a total of 480 tfp must be completed by the end of the year. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact your payroll analyst:

Brenna Bell (FA last name A-E) 206-392-6135

Lois Overman (FA last name F-K) 206-392-6132

Debbie Bakke (FA last name L-Ri) 206-392-6139

Tuyet Le (FA last name Ro-Z) 206-391-6133

2.     VACATION BIDDING begins September 9^th! Don’t forget to bid! If you have questions on bidding for vacation contact any of your Local Officers or your benefits analyst.

3.     Open Enrollment- coming in October/November. This is the time to make changes to your health care plan, review your 401(k) elections, add additional Short Term Disability coverage, and much more! You can get a head start on the process by reviewing the options available to you on Alaskasworld- www.alaskasworld.com/benefits

For a list of your current elections log on to Peoplesoft and click:

Benefits/Benefits Summary

4.     Year End Point Reduction! Starting November 1, 2013 if you have 4.0 points or less and you DO NOT accrue more than 1.0, on December 31, 2013 you can reduce your point total to ZERO. For more information on your points, point reductions, and general attendance questions check out Section 32, Attendance, of the contract!

www.alaskamec.org/contract

5.     Are you on a Leave of Absence? If so, please make sure that you are making your dues payment and staying current! You cannot vote on a TA if you are behind on your dues payments.  You can make payments on line at www.afanet.org

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow