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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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AFA Alaska News in Review – March 21, 2025

In This Edition

Upcoming AFA Alaska Phone and Email Outages

Originally posted March 18, 2025

We’re working to combine some communication systems with AFA Hawaiian this week, which will result in some disruptions. Starting March 18 at 5 PM PT, AFA Alaska phone lines will be offline until early next week. Email systems will also be unavailable from March 21 at 5 PM PT until March 24. During this time, use alternative contact methods like direct phone numbers from the AFA Alaska website for LEC Officers and Committees.

Read More >

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2025 

Originally posted March 19, 2025

Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, March 13, to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants. The Committee also met with management to review specific concerns that Flight Attendants brought forward. Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, clarify contractual language, or help resolve reserve-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Read More >

Joint Contract Negotiations Begin

Originally posted March 21, 2025

Our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has started negotiations for the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) that will cover both Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants. Initial discussions focused on less controversial sections, with tentative agreements reached on several areas. To make sure everyone’s voice is heard, we’ll be sending out surveys to gather Member feedback on targeted issues as the process moves along.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Monday, March 24Council 15 (SAN) and Council 18 (LAX) Local Council Meeting
Tuesday, March 25Monthly Scheduling Committee Meeting (pmAS)
Thursday, March 27Council 43 (HNL) Local Council Meeting
Thursday, March 27Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) (pmAS)

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

Joint Contract Negotiations Begin

Our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has completed the first week of negotiations for our Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA). 

Normally, this update would have been published sooner; however, a lot has been happening at both Alaska and Hawaiian:

  • February 28: AFA Alaska TA2 was ratified for the Alaska Flight Attendant Contract
  • March 1: Merged Alaska + Hawaiian Master Executive Councils (MEC) officers’ term began 
  • March 3 and 4: JNC Negotiations Training
  • March 4-6, 10, 11, 13, 17: JNC Negotiations planning meetings took place
  • March 11: AFA Hawaiian reached TA on Contract Extension
  • March 18: JCBA Negotiations began
Our Joint Negotiating Committee is (L-R): Jeff Fuke, Paula Mastrangelo, Tim Green, Heather Reier, Virginia Fritz, and Martin Gusman

With the MECs of both carriers merged, we were now able to begin JCBA negotiations. This JCBA bargaining is unique as we merge two strong and complex contracts on the heels of negotiating successor contracts to both the Hawaiian and Alaska Contracts. As a result, our opening proposals in joint contract negotiations were broad and brief. Key highlights of our Opening Proposal:

  • Each contract section will be addressed individually.
  • The Alaska CBA will be used as a basis for language purposes.
  • Our commitment is to combine the best of both contracts. 
  • We will be seeking improvements over the current contract provisions.
  • Big decisions like TFP vs Block Pay, Open Time systems, etc., will be decided downline after surveying members and consulting with the MEC.

For our first session, we focused on the less controversial sections and passed proposals on the following: 

  • Non-Discrimination
  • Purpose of Agreement
  • Savings Clause
  • Status of Agreement
  • Probation Period
  • Seniority
  • Grievance Procedures
  • System Board of Adjustment
  • Association Security
  • Training
  • Leaves of Absence

Tentative Agreements were reached on the following sections:

  • Non-Discrimination
  • Purpose of Agreement
  • Savings Clause
  • Status of Agreement
  • Probation Period
  • Association Security
  • Medical Examinations

As we move forward, the JNC will normally meet with management for one session per month. Your input will be crucial as the JNC pinpoints the most beneficial language from our two contracts. Our plan involves consulting with our MEC and the relevant Alaska and Hawaiian AFA committee chairs. This will ensure the JNC possesses the necessary working knowledge to fully understand each contractual provision. Then, we will develop section-specific Member surveys to determine our negotiating priorities. 

The JNC will be conducting several membership surveys throughout JCBA negotiations that target specific areas of the contract. This will give you the opportunity to provide us with the most current feedback on many key contractual sections, including:

  • Reserve 
  • Pick Ups, Drops, Trades, and Exchanges / Exchange of Sequences 
  • Scheduling / Hours of Service 
  • Sick Leave 
  • Vacation 
  • Commuter Policy
  • TFP/Block Hours

Our first Survey about the Commuter Policy is currently being developed and will be sent out in the near future. Please anticipate these surveys throughout negotiations as we approach key sections.  

We value your feedback as we work together to create the best possible contract for our combined group. Please reach out to us with any questions or ideas you may have so that we can ensure we leave no ideas on the table.

In Solidarity,

Your Joint Negotiating Committee – Tim Green, Martin Gusman, Jeff Fuke, Virginia Fritz, Heather Reier, and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

  • Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, March 13, to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • The Committee also met with management to review specific concerns that Flight Attendants brought forward.
  • Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, clarify contractual language, or help resolve reserve-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

On Thursday, March 13, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Brandi Urban (ANC), Conner Gallagher (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present was MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton and MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation Jarod McNeill.

The committee met with the Interim Managing Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling & Inflight Operations (South) Sara Cook and Manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling Goose Hlaingmyint.

The committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 19

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several items during both internal AFA-only discussions and meetings with management. Some of the topics discussed include:

  • Plans for the initial training classes for the remainder of the year. Management has canceled Class 6 this year; however, they still plan to hire more Flight Attendants. The number of classes and the specific number of students in each class will depend on the delivery of new aircraft. Class 2 is scheduled to be online on April 1, and Class 3 will be online on May 1.
  • Staffing within Crew Scheduling: six new schedulers have been hired and are currently in training, bringing the total number of crew schedulers to 49.
  • A review of reserve utilization statistics shows approximately 87.1% utilization across all bases. Reserve coverage is expected to be around 18% in all bases, except for Seattle, where it is anticipated to be about 20% for Q2.
  • A discussion about new contractual provisions and their implications for reserve Flight Attendants.
  • Ongoing concerns regarding no-shows due to issues with cell phone providers and cell service. Please report these issues through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center so AFA representatives can follow up with management.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Developing Additional Tools & Resources for Reserve Flight Attendants. Working to update Reserve 101 & the Reserve survival guide with new CBA provisions.
  2. Assisting Probationary Flight Attendants Through the Reserve Buddy Program. Answering questions from and providing support to probationary Flight Attendants through an expanded AFA Reserve Buddy program. Also, developing a checklist of common topics that new hire Flight Attendants need assistance with within the first 30 days after graduation.
  3. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns. Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring that management complies with our contract.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Reserve Committee is your voice to management. You can open a support request on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or contact us directly using the information on the Reserve Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Upcoming AFA Alaska Phone and Email Outages

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

As we move forward with merging the Alaska and Hawaiian Master Executive Councils (MECs), we want to inform you about some changes happening this week that may affect your ability to contact AFA Representatives. Some of the communication systems we use at AFA Alaska, including our email and phone systems, will be combined with those used by AFA Hawaiian. During this transition, you may need to use alternative methods to reach an AFA Representative.

Phone System Outage

Starting tonight, March 18, at 5 PM PT, AFA phone lines—such as the main AFA Alaska number, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) line, and the Air Quality hotline—will be temporarily unavailable. We expect these services to be offline until early next week. In the meantime, if you need to reach someone, here are some alternatives:

  • You can contact Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers using their direct phone numbers on our website.
  • For EAP or Professional Standards assistance, please refer to the Committee Member or Chairperson phone numbers on your Local Committee page or call AFA International EAP at (800) 424-2406 to be routed to an on-call EAP Representative.
  • The Air Quality Reporting Hotline will be available at (503) 358-3436.

Email System Outage

Additionally, starting at 5 PM PT on Friday, March 21, our AFA Alaska email systems will also be offline until Monday morning, March 24. During this time, AFA Representatives won’t be reachable via their AFA Alaska email addresses and won’t be able to view or respond to tickets submitted through the AFA Online Support Center. However, you can still contact AFA Representatives directly by phone using the numbers listed on your Local Committee page.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate this transition. Merging our AFA systems is an important step towards better communication and efficiency, which will help us serve our combined group of Flight Attendants more effectively.

AFA Alaska News in Review – March 14, 2025

In This Edition

Contract Implementation Update

Originally posted March 12, 2025

The original implementation timeline, which only included provisions with agreed-upon implementation dates, was published prior to ratification. Several items needed additional discussion and/or programming before determining a projected date.

Read More >

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – March 2025

Originally posted March 13, 2025

On March 10, our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to protect and improve the quality of hotel accommodations and ground transportation providers for Flight Attendants. The Committee met with management to discuss current trends and concerns regarding layover hotels and transportation. If you encounter problems or have positive feedback about hotels or transportation, please report it through the feedback function in the MyCrewCare app. Your feedback is crucial as it provides the Committee with essential data to support keeping high-quality hotels and push for change when conditions are unacceptable.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, March 18 – Thursday, March 20Joint Contract Negotiations
Wednesday, March 19United AFA Day of Action Informational Picketing
Thursday, March 20ANC Base Safety Meeting
Friday, March 21Council 35 (SFO) Local Council Meeting

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

SEA Domicile Negotiations Update – February 2026

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants SEA Domicile May Vacancy Posting The company has posted vacancies for the SEA domicile. There are 121 permanent vacancies available, effective May 1, 2026 for the May bid month. Bids will close at 11:59 PM HT on Monday, February 16. Awards will be posted by 12:00 PM […]

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

On Wednesday, January 28, our AFA Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), David Lake (SEA), Kalin Lackey (PDX), Brad Young (SFO & MEC ASHSC Vice […]

AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall: Join Us Tuesday, March 3

This is your opportunity to connect, share, and be heard! Join us at an AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall on Tuesday, March 3. Get the latest AFA news and connect directly with our MEC Officers. Bring your questions—this is your chance to get answers directly from AFA Representatives. The Details What: AFA Alaska + […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, January 27, 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 Heather Reier (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

Celebrating Black History Month

February 1 marks the start of Black History Month in the United States—a vibrant celebration with roots dating back to 1925, when acclaimed historian Carter G. Woodson first introduced “Negro History Week” to highlight the remarkable achievements of Black individuals. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded it to Black History Month, calling on all […]

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