Master Executive Council (MEC)

• Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, August 8 and Wednesday, August 9, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
• The MEC was scheduled to meet with management to discuss issues affecting our work group, but the meeting was canceled by our MEC due to a lack of availability by many key management participants.
• The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 18 and Tuesday, September 19.

The August 2023 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, August 8 and Wednesday, August 9.  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. 

Mobilization and Solidarity Activities

A large part of the meeting focused on discussing mobilization efforts for the upcoming Day of Solidarity informational picketing on August 15. Progress updates were given on logistics and planning for the events.

Meeting with Management Canceled

During most regular MEC meetings, we meet with management to review the challenges faced by Flight Attendants. Unfortunately, many key management participants were unavailable or did not respond to the meeting invitation from AFA this month. As a result, our MEC canceled the meeting as it would not have been productive without key decision-makers present to discuss concerns and work toward solutions.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please get in touch with your LEC President.

Master Executive Council (MEC)

• Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Monday, June 26, and Tuesday, June 27, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
• The MEC also met with executive management and a group of union leaders from other company workgroups to receive updates and discuss concerns affecting employees company-wide.
• The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 8, and Wednesday, August 9.

The June 2023 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Monday, June 26, and Tuesday, June 27. 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. Council 19 (SEA) LEC President-elect Paula Isla-McGill joined the MEC for the meeting in preparation for the upcoming officer transition.

It’s Going To Be A Red Hot Summer!

On Monday afternoon, our MEC met with our Negotiating Committee and MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson to discuss the next steps after last week’s negotiation session with management. Following the discussion, the first part of our Red Hot Summer campaign was put into motion. The distribution of red AFA pins will soon be underway, and more activities are planned to let management know that we stand behind our Negotiating Committee as they go back to the table to negotiate the industry-leading contract we deserve! 

More information about the Red Hot Summer campaign can be found on the Contract 2022 website.

Meeting with Management

As part of this meeting, the MEC met with company executive management and a group of union leaders from the other union-represented workgroups within the company. The intent of these meetings, usually held once per quarter, is to receive updates from management and allow for a broader discussion of issues and concerns facing all company employees.

Our MEC came to the meeting with a full display of solidarity, dressed in red with red AFA pins on. MEC President Jeffrey Peterson offered a statement on behalf of our MEC that management must do better and provide our Negotiating Committee with an industry-leading contractual proposal that recognizes the contributions of our Flight Attendants to the company’s success. Flight Attendants will accept nothing less!

System Board of Adjustment Interviews

Our MEC spent part of Tuesday interviewing candidates for the System Board of Adjustment position that was previously posted in April. Members of the System Board of Adjustment are responsible for arbitrating any disputes or grievances that may arise under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Alaska Airlines and its Flight Attendants. Our MEC would like to thank all of the candidates who expressed a willingness to serve and interviewed for the positions.

After extensive discussion and thorough consideration, the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) have re-appointed Rene Celestin to the position. Rene’s term of appointment will begin on July 1, 2023 and conclude on June 30, 2025.

Action on Agenda Items

The MEC took action on two agenda items that were submitted in advance of the meeting.

• A proposed update to the Line Observation Safety Audit (LOSA) letter of agreement was approved. The letter of agreement will now be sent out for signing by representatives from AFA and management.
• A resolution in support of negotiations was unanimously adopted. The resolution changed the color of the official AFA pin at Alaska Airlines to red.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please get in touch with your LEC President.

Master Executive Council (MEC)

• Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, May 9, 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 Monday, June 26, and Tuesday, June 27. Please don’t hesitate to contact your LEC President if you have any questions.

On Tuesday, May 9, the Regular MEC Meeting for May 2023 was held as scheduled. Our MEC Officers, LEC Presidents, Grievance Committee, and Scheduling Committee provided updates on their respective areas. Furthermore, the MEC reviewed written reports from other AFA MEC Committee Chairpersons regarding their current work. 

No Meeting With Management This Month

Usually, our MEC meets with management during these meetings to discuss current issues and challenges that Flight Attendants face. However, this month, contract negotiations happened at the same time as the MEC Meeting. As a result, most key management personnel from inflight and labor relations were unavailable to meet with our MEC. Despite this, other meetings, such as the bi-weekly Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Meeting, are scheduled with management to address any other issues that come up promptly.

Questions?

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

Master Executive Council (MEC)

• Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, April 11, 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 labor relations management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.
• The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 9. Please don’t hesitate to contact your LEC President if you have any questions.

The April 2023 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, April 11.  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. 

Meeting with Management

As part of most Regular MEC Meetings, our MEC meets with management to review the current issues and challenges that Flight Attendants face.  Attendees from management this month included Managing Director of Inflight Services Gloria Chow, Director of Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Managing Director of Operation Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Mike Ostler, Director of Payroll Leah Ables, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, and Senior Labor Relations Program Manager Mike Link.

Some of the topics discussed include:

• Operational safety debriefs letter of agreement (LOA) implementation challenges. Management appears to lack alignment regarding how the recently signed operational safety debrief LOA provisions are to be implemented. Additional guidance is needed regarding who in management is specifically responsible for what when an operational debrief becomes necessary. Management agreed to work on developing additional guidance and will meet with AFA Representatives to review and implement it.
• Ongoing issues with non-rev travel. Our MEC and numerous Flight Attendants have brought forward issues surrounding inconsistency with how non-rev travelers are cleared from the priority list on the day of travel. In addition, there have been reports of a perceived lack of coordination and communication with how aircraft weight and balance is calculated, resulting in non-revs being unnecessarily left behind. These issues have been reported to different members of management in various departments, and despite promises to investigate, our MEC continues to receive reports, and there appears to be no noticeable action being taken to address the concerns.
• Continuing issues with transition to new leave/absence management vendor. Numerous employee reports have revealed that management’s transition to a new vendor for leave and absence management has been full of issues. Employees have reported not being paid correctly, a lack of responsiveness from the vendor, and other issues. Management indicated they would escalate the matter to Human Resources to determine what action is being taken to address the problems.
• Flight Attendant hiring and initial training. Management shared updates about the anticipated number of initial training classes this year and adjustments to hiring projections. 
• Recurrent training (RT). Management is evaluating when Airbus drills will be removed from RT based on the fleet retirement schedule. Planning is also underway for the 2024 RT curriculum.
• Distribution of iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs). Management continues distributing iPhone 13 IMDs to Flight Attendants with iPhone 7 or 8 Plus IMDs. Currently, over 1000 Flight Attendants still need to be issued new devices. Base management will contact those Flight Attendants by company email to offer a reminder and share options on how new IMDs can be picked up. (Note: to view the iPhone 13 IMD distribution LOA, click here).
• Staffing adjustment leaves & KCM eligibility.  Update on previous request from AFA that management continue to allow Flight Attendants access to KCM while on staffing adjustment leaves to the extent TSA policy allows.  Management indicated they are making progress and are working to make sure the process covers all foreseeable scenarios while being compliant with TSA requirements.
• Pairing construction and 4-position pairings. Management is continuing to analyze the possibility of building 4-position (A/B/C/D) pairings versus the current practice of building separate 3-position (A/B/C) and 1-positon (D) pairings. They are analyzing the cost-effectiveness of the change and evaluating possible impacts on pairing quality. This work is ongoing.

Action on Agenda Items

The MEC took action on one agenda item that was submitted in advance of the meeting.

• The proposed annual budget of the AFA Alaska MEC was adopted as proposed. The MEC budget is based on the allocation of funding provided to our MEC from our monthly dues.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please get in touch with your LEC President.