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Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council

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Upcoming AFA Board of Directors Meeting

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers, Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents, and many other LEC Officers and Committee Chairs will be attending the 44th Annual AFA Board of Directors (BOD) meeting being held next week in Atlanta, Georgia.  This annual meeting is where AFA conducts the business of our union at the international level.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, May 21

Regular MEC Meeting

Sunday, May 22

Executive Board Meeting (MEC Presidents from each airline)

Monday, May 23

Board of Directors Meeting
Equality March to Center for Civil and Human Rights
Bridge The Gap Campaign Picketing

Tuesday, May 24

Board of Directors Meeting continues

Wednesday, May 25

Special MEC Meeting

BOD Meeting Agenda Items

Your LEC President represents you and the other members of your Local Council on the Board of Directors and will be casting votes on your behalf at the BOD meeting.  Your MEC Officers serve in an ex-officio capacity on the BOD but do not have voting privileges.

A total of 14 advance agenda items were submitted for consideration by the Board at this meeting. Each LEC held a Local Council meeting over the past several weeks to discuss these agenda items and gain your feedback.  You can find a list of these agenda items and complete language at http://afa-bod.org/index-of-agenda-items.

MEC Meetings

In conjunction with the BOD meeting, two MEC meetings will also be conducted; the regular May MEC meeting being held on Saturday, May 21 and a special MEC meeting on Wednesday, May 25.  The purpose of the special MEC meeting with International President Sara Nelson, the International Officers and certain members of AFA staff is to discuss the proposed merger of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America in accordance with section X.B.5 of the AFA International Policy Manual.

Equality March and Bridge the Gap Picketing

As part of the BOD meeting, AFA leaders will be participating in an equality march from the meeting site to the Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta.  Once there, a picketing activity will be conducted to support the Bridge the Gap campaign. Bridge the Gap is an AFA International campaign designed to build public awareness of the disparate treatment of Flight Attendants at regional carriers.  Despite flying under the same airline name as their mainline counterparts, Flight Attendants at regional airlines are often paid substantially less and suffer from longer duty days, less crew rest, and a host of other work rules that lag behind the industry.  You can find more information about the Bridge the Gap campaign at http://www.afacwa.org/bridge_the_gap.

Questions?

If you have any questions or thoughts about the BOD meeting or any of the submitted agenda items, please contact your LEC President.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and LEC Presidents-Elect Timothy Green and Brice McGee

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Your Best AFA Resource: Your Local Council

Our union is built on a strong foundation that starts in your base at your Local Council.  Within your Local Council, you directly elect the officers who serve you and represent you at all levels of AFA.  Those same officers, along with your appointed committee members and chairs, are also your best point of contact when you need AFA support.

Whether you need a question answered, information clarified, or have a pressing situation that you need help with, these AFA leaders and representatives stand ready to assist you.  Here are some tips to get help when you need it:

Have a specific question?  Start with your Local Committees.

Local Committees are made up of fellow Flight Attendants from your base that specialize in helping you with specific areas of importance.  They are an expert, a resource, and a voice in the work of their committee.  You can contact the committee chair or any member of the committee for help.

AFA Committees

Want to know more about what each committee does?  Visit http://afaalaska.org/committees and click on the committee you’d like to know more about!

Bigger issue?  Your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers are here to help!

If you don’t know which committee to contact or you have a concern that is outside the scope of the committees, the place to go for help is one of your LEC Officers.  Your LEC Officers are fellow Flight Attendants from your base who are directly elected to represent you.  When you think, “I need help from the Union,” your next step should be to contact one of your LEC Officers!

Officer Contacts

What about the Master Executive Council (MEC)?

The MEC Officers and Committee Chairs work behind the scenes to address issues that are affecting multiple bases or all Flight Attendants.  As a coordinating group, the MEC takes direction from the LEC Officers or Local Committees.  When you need help, you should contact your directly elected LEC Officers; they will first work to resolve issues locally and then elevate things to the MEC-level for resolution as appropriate.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Local Council for assistance or clarification.

In Solidarity,

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

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Council 19 July 22 Mobilization Event- Reminder!

We want to remind you of the upcoming July 22 RED HOT MOBILIZATION event at SEA-TAC airport!

We will be handing out the new RED HOT BLING!

When: July 22, 2014

Where: Meet in the Central Annex Room, Mezzanine Level of the airport

Time:  5 am to 9 am; 11 am to 4 pm; and 5 pm to 10 pm.

Parking is paid if you park on levels 3, 5, 6, 7 and stop by the Central Annex Room for a parking ticket from 5am-5pm.

We will also have refreshments available!

This event allows Flight Attendants with children and/or who are on a leave of absence a chance to participate!

This is a system wide Mobilization event and if you cannot attend in Seattle try to attend in any of our bases:

Anchorage: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Portland:  5:30 to 8:00 am and 8:00 to 10:30 am
Los Angeles:  5 to 8:30 am, 8:30 am to Noon and 1 to 4:30 pm
San Diego:  8 am to 11:30 am

Questions? Email Seattle LEC Mobilization Chair, Krystle Cook:

kcook907@gmail.com

Five Bases Standing Strong!

Council 19 July 2014 Letter to the Members

Happy 4th of July!

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

Today marks the first day of the new election cycle for your AFA LEC Officers! For the past three years Jake, Linda, Tonnette and I have had the pleasure of serving as your LEC Officers. We jumped into our term with goals to increase communication, reinvigorate committees, and mentor Flight Attendants who are interested in AFA work. It has been hard work, but we have loved every minute of it!
I want to thank Tonnette for her unwavering help and dedication over the past three years. Although she has decided not to continue as an LEC Officer we have managed to convince her to stay on as our Seattle Communication Chair. Tonnette will also work with MEC Vice-President Brian Palmer on helping to manage social media. It is more important than ever that we stay connected with out members and Tonnette is going to be invaluable as our communication chair to help us fulfill this goal!
I am very excited to introduce your new SEA LEC Council Representatives: Stephanie Adams and Adam Clarey!
Hello Seattle Flight Attendants! My name is Stephanie Adams, and I am one of the new Council Representatives in Seattle. Also, I am going to assist flight attendants by doing grievance work. I have been with Alaska Airlines for 19 years, flying for 17 of those years. I am a licensed attorney in Washington, and hope I can put my good education to use!  I enjoy traveling and spending time with my two busy children.  I can be reached at msadams44@comcast.net and 206-852-4750.  I look forward to serving you.
Hello Seattle Flight Attendants- Thank you for electing me as your Council 19 Representative.  I grew up in the Seattle area, and have spent most of my life in the state of Washington.  I have been a Flight Attendant here at Alaska for over 10 years, spending the last 7 plus years here in Seattle.   I’ve been involved with AFA Leadership since 2011 as MEC VOICE and Mobilization Chair.  My previous career experience is in marketing and advertising.  In my down time I enjoy rooting for my favorite teams “Go Cougs and Sounders,” as well as numerous outdoor adventures such as surfing, camping, golfing, and hiking.  I’m excited to bring experience, leadership, and compassion to my role as your new Council 19 Representative. ~Adam Clarey
Stephanie and Adam both start their new terms already grievance trained! Your LEC Officers met in early June to start our transition and to get to know one another a little better. We have a great team in place and we are eager to have 5 grievance-trained officers to assist the Flight Attendants in Seattle.  Stephanie and Adam started their grievance training in June and will continue to sharpen their skills with our own AFA Alaska grievance training in August 7. Jake, Linda and I will have Stephanie and Adam assist us in disciplinary meetings, as note takers, to help them understand the process and continue their education. Within six months they will be able to start taking meetings on their own!
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RED HOT SUMMER MOBILIZATION ACTIVITES
I want to thank everyone who came out to the June Seattle Summer Strategy Session. We had a great turn out and even better conversation! We are going to use some of the ideas that came out of this session- stay tuned for your chance to participate in RED HOT Summer activities!
July 22 is the next RED HOT Summer Mobilization activity at the SEA-TAC airport and we have obtained 2 sky bridges for our mobilizers who cannot come thru security! Fore more information on how you can join the fun contact:
Krystle Cook: kcook907@gmail.com
As we move into the next mediation session it is imperative that we show our solidarity- WE ARE FIVE BASES STANDING STRONG! Wear your RED AFA pin! Wear your RED lanyard! New hire Flight Attendants- you are allowed to wear the RED AFA pin and we encourage you to do so! This is our official AFA Alaska pin!
Remember: stay informed and stay connected at: alaskamec.org
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Last week the MEC met with the Negotiating committee for a 2-day training. All of us had a chance to learn what it takes to negotiate at the table with a mock negotiation! I had Lisa Pinkston on my team and I was able to negotiate with Christina Frees on the management team. Let me tell you that both of these ladies have tenacity! I did not get a chance to work with Kristy, but from what I hear she also took the management team to task! Add Paula, Jeff and Jake into this mix and I am hear to tell you that this team is tough, united, and ready to rumble!
During last week the MEC and the Negotiating committee met with Ben Minicucci, Andy Schneider, Elizabeth Ryan, and Mike Link to discuss the executive summary from the Flight Attendant survey.  This summary was blasted to all the members last week and if you missed it you can find it at:
http://alaskamec.org/latest-news/negotiations-update-june-26-2014/
The team is flying to Washington DC next week for the first mediation session!
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SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS – 2014 ENROLLMENT

From July 14th—19th, National Group Protection (NGP) will be in the Seattle crew lounge to communicate the AFA supplemental benefit plans.

Please look for the benefit counselor during the on-site enrollment to enroll or make changes to your existing coverage.  Note that you can enroll in any of the crew lounges, not just your base location (call NGP for other enrollment dates/locations)

·       Accident Insurance
·       Critical Illness Coverage
·       Whole Life Insurance

There are some benefit enhancements/upgrades this year, so please take the time to sit down with a benefit counselor and review your options.  This is also an excellent time to make sure you have filed for your annual health screening benefits, which are part of the accident and critical illness benefit plans.

·       Supplemental – these plans supplement any existing coverage
·       Voluntary – members choose to participate
·       Limited Underwriting – no medical or physical exams required
·       Family Coverage – available with all of the plans
·       Portable – members can continue coverage if they leave the company
·       Payroll Deduction – premiums are paid through payroll deduction

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming enrollment, please contact National Group Protection (NGP) at 800-344-9016.
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Many of you have reached out to us to share your thoughts on negotiations and we continue to ask for your comments and thoughts! It’s important that we hear from you and stay connected to the issues that are important to you.
It is also very important that you reach out to your AFA committees for help with medical leaves, hotel issues, reserve concerns, and uniform issues. Your SEA LEC committee chairs volunteer many hours of their time for our benefit! But, they cannot address issues if they do not hear from you!
o   Benefits: Kathy O’Malley-  benefitsassist@hotmail.com
o   EAP: Lisa Haugen- SEAeap@alaskamec.org
o   Hotel: Jodi Snow-   mksnwfm@comcast.net
o   ISC: Linda Christou-  lschristou@comcast.net
o   Government Affairs: Bev Bullock-  blkbullock@gmail.com
o   Maternity Co Chair: Beth Hogger-  ltlkahuna@yahoo.com
o   Maternity Co Chair: Danni K Peterson-  dannipeterson252@gmail.com
o   SHSC: Susan Lee-  slee@alaskamec.org
o   Reserve: Erik Velez-   eriklvelez@gmail.com
o   Retirement: Tim Roddy-   timroddy@me.com
o   Uniform: Eric Tafoya-   erictafoya@hotmail.com

You can find a complete list of your Seattle AFA Committee members at:
http://alaskamec.org/council-19-committees/
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JA this weekend? At this point the company has no plans to JA. Flight Attendants have contacted me asking about this and I know this is a topic on social media. If there is a need to JA the company will reach out to AFA first and alert us. Once we hear this is a possibility we will communicate to you!
During this RED HOT Summer your Negotiating Committee and you MEC asks that you stay informed, stay connected, and show your solidarity! We are only as strong as our members and we need ALL of our members STANDING STRONG!

In solidarity,
Laura, Jake, Linda, Stephanie, and Adam
Laura Masserant, LEC President- laura.masserant@afaalaska.org- (360) 633-5905
Jake Jones, LEC Vice-President- jjones@alaskamec.org- (206) 617-7499
Linda Christou, LEC Secretary- lschristou@comcast.net- (206) 409-0354
Stephanie Adams, Council Representative- msadams44@comcast.net- (206) 852-4750
Adam Clarey, Council Representative- adamjclarey@gmail.com- (425) 269-3262

Tell Management: It’s Time To Make it Right!

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Master Executive Council (MEC) Our MEC will be approaching management this week to discuss a meaningful remedy to the recent bidding errors and delays. We have heard loud and clear that Flight Attendants expect that any remedy will include an element of compensation in order to hold management accountable. Stand in solidarity and support our […]

The Saga Continues: June 2022 Bid Awards Delayed

Due to hundreds of errors identified in the June bid packet, our MEC has insisted that management conduct a systemwide rebid. Management sent a communication by company email to all Flight Attendants earlier today with details on the new bidding timeline, which opened today at 9 AM PDT and will now close at 9 AM PDT on Monday, May 16. It is well past time for management to take ownership of their repeated errors, actually fix the problems, and honor our contract!

Upcoming 2022 AFA Board of Directors Meeting

Members of our Master Executive Council (MEC) and other AFA Representatives will be attending the AFA Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting later this week.  The BOD meeting is where business affecting all AFA airlines is conducted. Your LEC President is your representative at the BOD meeting and will be voting on your behalf regarding approval of the AFA International budget, proposed amendments to the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, and the election of AFA International Officers. If you have any questions about the BOD meeting, submitted agenda items, or international officer elections, please contact your LEC President.

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2022

Our AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, May 3 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to uniforms. The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are reporting related to uniform quality, wearability, and availability. If you are experiencing any issues with uniform quality or construction, please report the issues to Unisync as soon as possible.  Please include your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson on the email so they can help track any issues or trends that might be developing.   

Understanding Our Union: How AFA Works at Our Airline

Representation within our Union starts at the domicile level with your Local Council.  Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers are directly elected from among your fellow Flight Attendants who are members of the same Local Council. LEC Officers work to resolve concerns specific to Flight Attendants from your base with local management.  Your LEC President also represents your base at the airline level as a member of the Master Executive Council (MEC).  The LEC Presidents from all six bases together form our MEC, which works to coordinate the activities of our Union at the airline level.  They make decisions on our behalf and give direction to the MEC Officers, who represent the MEC to management.

December 2021 MEC Meeting Recap

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December 2021 MEC Meeting Recap Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson Just wrapped up chairing our monthly MEC meeting yesterday and today. As usual, your AFA committee chairs and reps provided written reports to the MEC about the latest developments in their areas, and we received live briefings regarding dispute resolution & grievances, scheduling, […]

Inflight Leadership Change and the Path Forward

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Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson Now that is has been officially announced that Travis will be stepping away as leader of the Inflight division, I thought Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants might want to hear from their MEC president. I may not always be at liberty to communicate the details of every conversation advocating […]

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