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        You are here: Home / Archives for Master Executive Council (MEC)

        iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Device Distribution

        January 10, 2023 17:00

        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.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Contract, Grievance Committee, Inflight Service Committee, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: IMD, inflight mobile device

        MEC Committee Position Election Results

        December 5, 2022 09:00

        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.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Committees, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: committee elections, MEC Committee Chairperson, MEC Committee Vice Chairperson

        Response to the November 18th Inflight Town Hall Webcast

        November 18, 2022 12:00

        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!

        Filed Under: Message from the MEC President Tagged With: Bernstein, California meal & rest

        November 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

        November 3, 2022 17:00

        Master Executive Council (MEC)

        • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 2 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
        • As part of the meeting, the MEC met with members of inflight, crew planning, and payroll management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.
        • The MEC also conducted MEC Officer elections for the term scheduled to begin on January 1, 2023.

        The November 2022 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 2.  The meeting consisted of updates provided by 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. 

        Meeting with Management

        As part of most Regular MEC Meetings, our MEC meets with management to review current issues and challenges that Flight Attendants are facing.  Attendees from management this month included Vice President of Inflight Matt Prainito, Associate Vice President of Finance and Resource Planning Ryan St. John, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, and Director of Payroll Leah Ables.

        Some of the topics that were discussed include:

        • Pairing selection process.  Management indicated that they are open to greater collaboration with our AFA Pairing Construction Subcommittee in working to understand what is important to Flight Attendants when it comes to pairing quality.  An additional meeting between respective AFA and management representatives will be scheduled in the near future for further discussion.
        • NAVBLUE PBS performance concerns.  Flight Attendants are continuing to experience performance issues with NAVBLUE PBS.  Our AFA PBS Subcommittee, Scheduling Committee, and MEC have been bringing these issues forward continuously with every level of management and pushing for improvements and a resolution.  Management has in turn taken the issues to management at NAVBLUE and has escalated the issue to the executive level.  NAVBLUE indicates they are working to make improvements but our MEC is looking for tangible results to the ongoing problems.
        • Staffing and growth.  Management provided a review of staffing plans for next year.  The projections are constantly shifting based on anticipated aircraft deliveries and market conditions.  They are currently working to determine if staffing adjustment leaves will be offered in 2023.
        • Revised Initial Training program.  The Flight Attendant Initial Training program was recently increased in duration from 4 to 5 weeks.  Management reports that there has been a corresponding increase in student success rates.
        • IMD replacement project.  Our MEC shared Flight Attendant frustrations with the delay in replacing iPhone 8 IMDs.  The problem is compounded by a lack of replacement devices and accessories which is making it difficult for Flight Attendants to perform basic inflight service duties.  Management indicates that there are challenges in the supply chain and will follow up with more details as to when new devices can be expected.
        • California meal and rest break laws.  Our MEC again requested an update from management regarding their plan to comply with California meal and rest break laws in accordance with the decision in the Bernstein v. Virgin America case.  Management provided the same information that they did last month—they are continuing to lobby for a legislative resolution and did not have any further updates to offer.  

        MEC Officer Elections

        Elections for Alaska MEC Officers were conducted on first day of the meeting.  From among the eligible candidates, the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) elected an MEC President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer for a three year term that begins on January 1, 2023 and concludes on December 31, 2025.  The newly elected MEC Officers are:

        President: Jeffrey Peterson
        Vice President: Brian Palmer
        Secretary-Treasurer: Linda Christou

        For more information about the MEC Officer election results, click here.

        Upcoming MEC Committee Position Interviews & Elections

        In accordance with Article VI.C of the AFA Alaska MEC Policy and Procedure Manual, the term of appointment for the MEC Committee Chairpersons is concurrent with those of the MEC Officers.  As the current MEC Officer term ends on December 31, 2022, the MEC will be conducting a review of all MEC Committee Chairperson and other MEC-level appointed positions at a Special MEC Meeting to be held November 29 through December 1, 2022.

        If you’re interested in learning more about the upcoming interviews, click here.  To submit an expression of interest and resume for a position, click here.  The deadline for submissions is 9 AM Pacific time on Saturday, November 19.

        Questions?

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

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: MEC Meeting

        MEC Officer Election Results

        November 2, 2022 09:00

        Master Executive Council (MEC)

        As the term of office for the current MEC Officers will end on December 31, 2022, our Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted elections this week for the upcoming MEC Officer term.  In accordance with the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws, each of the six Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents is afforded one vote for each officer position.  The following AFA Flight Attendants were elected to Master Executive Council (MEC) Officer positions representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants:

        MEC President: Jeffrey Peterson
        MEC Vice President: Brian Palmer
        MEC Secretary-Treasurer: Linda Christou

        These officers will serve a term of office starting on January 1, 2023 and concluding on December 31, 2025.  More information about the duties and responsibilities of each officer position can be found in the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws and the AFA Alaska MEC Policy and Procedure Manual.

        Our Master Executive Council (MEC) congratulates the newly elected officers and we sincerely thank all those who stepped forward to run in the election.

        About Our MEC Officers

        Jeffrey Peterson

        Jeffrey Peterson grew up in Anchorage, AK, and graduated from A.J. Dimond High in south Anchorage.  Jeff achieved a Presidential Scholar Award in 1991 and went on to attain a BA in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.  Prior to becoming a Flight Attendant, he spent several years in hotel management working in San Diego and San Francisco for Marriott International and a Marriott hotels franchise company.  He started out his Flight Attendant career in 1999 in the Los Angeles domicile.  Jeff has also been based in Seattle and now San Diego.  He has served as AFA-CWA Alaska MEC President since July 1, 2011.  Jeff currently splits his time between working remotely out of his family’s condo in Puerto Vallarta and the AFA Alaska office in Seattle.

        Brian Palmer

        Brian started his career with Alaska Airlines as a Flight Attendant in 2006.  Initially based in Anchorage, he also spent time based in Los Angeles and Portland, and is currently based in Seattle.  Brian first became involved in AFA work in 2009 as a member of the Council 39 Portland Reserve Committee when he became frustrated with the quality of life that he and other reserve Flight Attendants were experiencing.  He later served as Council 39 Reserve Chairperson and LEC Vice President.  Brian was first elected MEC Vice President in January 2014 and is honored to have been reelected.

        Prior to his career as a Flight Attendant, Brian held various leadership positions in the hotel and retail banking industries.  He currently splits his time between the Philadelphia and Seattle areas.

        Linda Christou

        Linda has been with Alaska Airlines since 1980.  She started out as a Union volunteer and became more involved by joining the Council 19 Seattle Inflight Service Committee and was eventually appointed Local Chairperson of the committee. While serving on that committee, Linda had a desire to do more to help and subsequently ran for and was elected Council 19 LEC Secretary.  Linda served in that role, along with being a Grievance Representative, starting in July 2011.  She is very excited to continue serving as MEC Secretary-Treasurer and looks forward to serving all of our Members.

        Prior to being with Alaska, Linda attended Green River Community College and had an emphasis in Political Science which is what drew her to get involved with Union work.  Outside of work, Linda enjoys spinning and gardening.  She also enjoys cooking, entertaining, and collecting wine with her husband.  Linda also enjoys volunteer work, focusing on raising money for The Eluna Foundation, which is a foundation for children in distress.

        Filed Under: AFA News Now, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: election results, officer elections

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