AFA Alaska

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
You are here: Home / Archives for Master Executive Council (MEC)

Operational Safety Debriefs

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • AFA and management recently agreed to a defined process for when a debrief meeting with management needs to be conducted following an operational safety event.
  • The agreement ensures protections for Flight Attendants while guaranteeing pay, duty day limitations, and AFA representation.
  • Details can be found in the Operational Safety Debriefs Letter of Agreement (LOA).

In 2019, AFA filed grievance number 36-99-2-170-19, which alleged management’s violation of section 19.A of the collective bargaining agreement. The violation was related to an incident where management conducted a debrief meeting with Flight Attendants while they were still on duty following a slide deployment incident. As there was no contractual basis for management to conduct a meeting to investigate a work-related event with Flight Attendants outside of the procedures outlined in 19.A, the grievance alleged that contractual rights to AFA representation and investigatory meeting pay were violated.

The grievance was denied by management and subsequently scheduled for arbitration in June 2020. As the arbitration date approached, management indicated they were interested in settling the grievance in lieu of arbitration. Discussions between AFA and management ensued and a settlement-in-concept was reached, which the MEC approved at the time.

Following the conceptual agreement, AFA proposed a letter of agreement (LOA) that codified the settlement in detail. Unfortunately, turnover in a number of key management positions resulted in setbacks as new managers needed to brought up to speed with the history of the settlement and background of what had been discussed. To compound the situation, the aircraft evacuation of flight 751 in Seattle on August 23, 2021 revealed some unforeseen issues with the debrief process that required further discussion and incorporation into the proposed settlement.

Operational Safety Debriefs Letter of Agreement (LOA)

AFA and management were recently able to reach consensus on the details of the LOA, which serves as final settlement of the original grievance.  AFA LOA 2023-01-17 (Operational Safety Debriefs) establishes a process for management to speak directly to Flight Attendants who have been involved in a significant safety-related event while providing benefits and protections to Flight Attendants, including:

  • Minimum pay of 4 TFP for participating in an Operational Safety Debrief, in addition to any Minimum Pay Rules and pay protection due. 
  • Limitations on how long Operational Safety Debriefs are, when they must begin, and maximum duty day.
  • Guarantee that any conversations are non-disciplinary in nature and any information obtained cannot be used in disciplinary actions (including protections under ASAP if an ASAP report is filed timely).
  • The right to AFA representation and involvement in conversations.
  • An established process to handle any follow-up training.

For complete details, please click here to view the complete LOA.  You can also find the LOA on your IMD in GoodReader in the ASFA Supplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement folder.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Operational Safety Debriefs LOA, please contact your LEC President.

January 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, January 10, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
  • Due to contract negotiations taking place at the same time as the meeting, our MEC did not meet with management as part of this month’s meeting.
  • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14, and Wednesday, February 15. Please don’t hesitate to contact your LEC President if you have any questions.

The January 2023 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, January 10.  The meeting consisted of updates from our MEC Officers, LEC Presidents, Grievance Committee, and Scheduling Committee.  Our MEC also reviewed written reports submitted by other AFA MEC Committee Chairpersons about their current programs of work. 

No Meeting With Management This Month

As part of most Regular MEC Meetings, our MEC meets with management to review current issues and challenges that Flight Attendants are facing. This month, contract negotiations took place at the same time as the MEC Meeting. As most key management personnel from inflight and labor relations were at the bargaining table with our AFA Negotiating Committee, they could not meet simultaneously with our MEC. Several other meetings, including the bi-weekly Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Meeting, are still scheduled to take place with management to ensure issues are addressed promptly.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please reach out to your LEC President.

iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Device Distribution

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Management will begin issuing new iPhone 13 IMDs next week to Flight Attendants who currently have an iPhone 7 or 8 Plus IMD.
  • Flight Attendants will be paid 0.5 TFP for picking up the new device and performing the necessary setup tasks.
  • If you’re not scheduled to work during the distribution period in your base, other pickup options, including direct shipping to the address of your choice at no cost to you, will be available.

Management recently notified AFA that they plan to begin distributing new iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants who are currently issued iPhone 7 or 8 Plus devices.  Distribution will take place in one base at a time over approximately six weeks.  The specific schedule will be communicated by management separately.  Flight Attendants who were hired in 2022 or have already been issued an iPhone 13 IMD will continue using their current device.

iPhone 13 IMD Distribution Letter of Agreement (LOA)

In anticipation of the distribution of new iPhone 13 IMDs, AFA and management have entered into a letter of agreement (LOA), further clarifying the process.  AFA LOA 2023-01-09 (Distribution of iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices to Flight Attendants Currently Issued an iPhone 7 or 8 Plus) provides benefits and protections to Flight Attendants, including:

  • Pay of 0.5 TFP for picking up the device and performing the necessary setup tasks (automatically paid on the April 20th paycheck).
  • Flexible pick-up options if not scheduled to work during the designated distribution period, including the option to have the device shipped to the address of your choice at no cost.
  • Specific limitations regarding what tasks Flight Attendants will be required to perform to set the device up.
  • A defined process (with the potential for additional compensation) to handle instances where Flight Attendants have to perform work over and above the limited setup tasks or standard maintenance requirements to make the IMD ready-to-use.

For complete details, please click here to view the complete LOA.  You can also find the LOA on your IMD in GoodReader in the ASFA Supplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement folder.

LAX Co-Terminal Support

Through the continued advocacy of the AFA Council 18 LEC Officers, management has also agreed to provide on-site IT support to distribute IMDs at each of the LAX co-terminals.  On-site support at the LAX co-terminals will take place in March, and specific dates will be published by management in advance.  LAX-based Flight Attendants who primarily fly out of co-terminals can also pick up their IMD at LAX or any other domicile during the scheduled distribution period or make alternate arrangements as outlined in the LOA.

Questions?

If you have questions about the iPhone 13 IMD Distribution LOA, please contact your LEC Officers.

MEC Committee Position Election Results

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Last week, the MEC held a Special MEC Meeting for the purpose of interviewing candidates and conducting elections for MEC Committee positions.  We would like to thank everyone who expressed interest in the positions and a willingness to serve.  After careful consideration and much deliberation, the six directly elected Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents have elected the following Flight Attendants to MEC Committee positions:

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee

ChairpersonSeth Heiple
Vice ChairpersonBrad Young
Air Quality RepresentativeYvette Satterlee
LOSA RepresentativeDavid Lake
ASAP Primary RepresentativeBrad Young
ASAP Alternate RepresentativeRonda Ruderman
FRB Primary RepresentativeBrad Young

Benefits Committee

ChairpersonTerry Taylor

Communications Committee

ContributorJustin Wetherell

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

ChairpersonElizabeth Dillon
Vice ChairpersonLisa Haugen

Grievance Committee

ChairpersonStephanie Adams
AssistantBianca Dew
Payroll RepresentativeKiara O’Bryant

Government Affairs Committee

ChairpersonMartin Monteblanco

Hotel Committee

ChairpersonJames Bozanich

Human Rights Committee

ChairpersonChip Hestle

Inflight Service Committee

ChairpersonStephanie Garnett

Inflight Training Committee

ChairpersonMegan Brown
Committee MemberJustin Wetherell
Committee MemberJames Bozanich
Committee MemberLyn Montague
Committee MemberTaylor Opitz

Reserve Committee

ChairpersonJulie Thornton
Vice Chairperson—New Hire & ProbationJarod McNeill

Retirement Committee

ChairpersonTerry Taylor

Scheduling Committee

ChairpersonJake Jones
Vice Chairperson—Pairing ConstructionKaren Ferrell
Vice Chairperson—Preferential Bidding System (PBS)Virginia Fritz
PBS Subcommittee MemberAdam Clarey
PBS Subcommittee MemberMelodie Anderes
PBS Subcommittee MemberKrystal Kehrli
FRB Primary RepresentativeBianca Dew
FRB Alternate RepresentativeKiara O’Bryant

Uniform Committee

ChairpersonKiara O’Bryant

All appointments are effective January 1, 2023.  Terms of appointment coincide with those of the MEC Officers, concluding on December 31, 2025.

Response to the November 18th Inflight Town Hall Webcast

California meal & rest breaks

Management’s continued scare tactics and speculative “what-if’s” as put forward during the Inflight Town Hall webcast today regarding California meal & rest breaks are unnecessary and extremely disappointing. Although it is true there are some challenging aspects of compliance with California meal & rest break laws for commercial aviation, AFA International continues to partner with Alaska Airlines management, other labor groups and the wider aviation industry to achieve a legislative fix. Alaska Airlines management, if you want AFA’s continued partnership on this issue, then maybe you can lay off the specific gloom and doom scenarios for now?

From our perspective, management is nowhere near implementing the following for California-based Flight Attendants: clocking in and out during a duty period, attesting to meal & rest break opportunities, restricting 4k flying, or downsizing or closing California domiciles. Remember earlier this year when management was adamant that they would have to take drastic efforts in response to Bernstein v. Virgin America? It’s been mostly crickets since then. Meanwhile, staffing has started to increase in California – and other carriers have yet to make any discernible changes to their operations.

Management is unnecessarily freaking you out – don’t fall for it!

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 […]

Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives

We’re excited to introduce our next group of newly elected merged MEC Committee Chairpersons, who will begin their roles on November 1. These leaders are dedicated to representing the interests of our Flight Attendants as they coordinate activities across the merged committees of both airlines. They’ll work closely with the Local Committee Chairpersons from all […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

On Monday, October 13, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in person in Seattle to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Chris Cardenas (LAX), and Kanani Vallot […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have been elected: MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee […]

Recent Posts

News By Month

News By Category

AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Committee Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
Sign Up for Emails
Sign Up for Text Updates