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Election Notice: MEC Officer Candidates

As previously communicated, the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) will conduct an election for MEC Officers at the upcoming regular November MEC meeting.  Elections will be held on the first day of the meeting which is scheduled to begin on November 1, 2022.  This notice, communicating a list of eligible candidates for MEC office, is being provided in accordance with Article III.C.3 of the MEC Policy and Procedure Manual.

Eligible Candidates

The following Flight Attendants have met the requirements outlined in Article III.C of the MEC Policy and Procedure Manual and are considered eligible candidates for MEC office:

MEC President

Jeffrey Peterson (view resume | view willingness-to-serve statement)

MEC Vice President

Brian Palmer (view resume | view willingness-to-serve statement)

MEC Secretary-Treasurer

Linda Christou (view resume | view willingness-to-serve statement)
Melissa Osborne (view resume | view willingness-to-serve statement)

Questions?

If you have any questions about MEC Officer elections, please contact your LEC President.

October 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, October 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 payroll management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.
  • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 2.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

The October 2022 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, October 11.  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 Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Director of Crew Planning Mike Ostler, and Director of Payroll Leah Ables.

Some of the topics that were discussed include:

  • Domicile staffing & upcoming growth.  Our MEC once again advocated that upcoming staffing growth be distributed proportionally among all domiciles.  This is a continued reiteration of the message that our MEC sent to management in the Proportional Domicile Staffing letter in August. 
  • Staffing adjustment leaves & KCM eligibility.  Request that management continue to allow Flight Attendants access to KCM while on staffing adjustment leaves to the extent allowed by TSA policy.  Management agreed to work with other departments to establish a process when future staffing adjustment leaves are offered.
  • California meal and rest break laws.  Our MEC 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 indicated they are continuing to lobby for a legislative resolution and did not have any further updates to offer.  
  • Employee parking lot bussing concerns.  Our MEC shared reports of overcrowding, lack of adequate space for luggage, chaotic boarding, and other safety issues that are ongoing with employee parking lot busses in multiple Flight Attendant domiciles.  These issues need to be addressed and resolved as soon as possible.

Upcoming MEC Officer Elections

As previously communicated, elections for Alaska MEC Officers will be held at the regular November MEC meeting on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.  The voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) will elect an MEC President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer for a three year term that begins on January 1, 2023.  For more information about MEC Officer elections, click here.

Questions?

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

MEC Committee Chairperson & Appointed Position Interviews

Master Executive Council (MEC)

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 will end 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.

During this review process, the MEC will be interviewing for the following MEC-level chairperson positions:

  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson
  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Vice Chairperson
  • Benefits Committee Chairperson
  • Communications Committee Chairperson
  • EAP Committee Chairperson
  • EAP Committee Vice Chairperson
  • Government Affairs Committee Chairperson
  • Grievance Committee Chairperson
  • Hotel Committee Chairperson
  • Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson
  • Human Rights Committee Chairperson
  • Inflight Service Committee Chairperson
  • Inflight Training Committee Chairperson
  • Reserve Committee Chairperson
  • Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson – New Hire & Probation
  • Retirement Committee Chairperson
  • Scheduling Committee Chairperson
  • Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson – PBS 
  • Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson – Pairing Construction
  • Uniform Committee Chairperson

Additionally, interviews will also be held for the following MEC-level appointed positions:

  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee – Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Primary Representative
  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee – Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Alternate Representative
  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee – Fatigue Review Board (FRB) Primary Representative
  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee – Fatigue Review Board (FRB) Alternate Representative
  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee – Line Observation Safety Audit (LOSA) Representative
  • Grievance Committee Assistant
  • Grievance Committee – Payroll Representative
  • Inflight Training Committee Member (3 positions)
  • Scheduling Committee – PBS Subcommittee Member (3 positions)
  • Scheduling Committee – Fatigue Review Board (FRB) Primary Representative
  • Scheduling Committee – Fatigue Review Board (FRB) Alternate Representative

General Qualifications

The following qualifications apply to all MEC-level Chairperson positions:

  • Previous experience as a Committee Member or Chairperson preferred (required for EAP).
  • Previous committee-specific training preferred (required for EAP).
  • Ability to attend meetings as required (primarily by videoconference and occasionally in-person).
  • Strong computer skills. Good working knowledge of Inflight Mobile Device, Google Workspace (email, calendar, and other software), and Microsoft Office.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write membership communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, prepare reports, and plan meetings agendas and take minutes.
  • Ability to meet deadlines, delegate responsibilities, and follow up on assigned tasks.

The following qualifications apply to all Inflight Training Committee positions:

  • Current Inflight Instructor who is regularly assigned to Inflight Training Department responsibilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Information about the duties and responsibilities of each specific committee can be found in article VII of the MEC Policy and Procedure Manual, which can be accessed by clicking here.  Additional information about MEC Committee Chairperson duties and responsibilities can be found in this document. 

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss for each position will be discussed during each interview.  All positions operate in accordance with AFA’s spirit of volunteerism.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews of eligible candidates during a special MEC meeting from November 29 through December 1, 2022.  If you’re interested in interviewing, plan to bid around these dates or adjust your schedule accordingly to accommodate.  All interviews will be conducted using Google Meet videoconferencing.

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/xyvgfD9vzyJX5z8c6.  The deadline for submissions is 9 AM Pacific time on Saturday, November 19.  After the submission deadline, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact eligible candidates to arrange a specific interview time.

Please note that in order to submit an expression of interest, you must have a Google account.  If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free at https://accounts.google.com/signup.

Questions?

Any questions about MEC Committee Chairperson or MEC-level appointed position duties and responsibilities should be directed to MEC Vice President Brian Palmer at  mecvp@afaalaska.org.

ALPA Alaska Approves Tentative Agreement for Pilot Ratification

Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Alaska Airlines leadership recently announced they approved a tentative agreement (TA) with Alaska Airlines management for pilot ratification.

Click here for the Alaska Airlines Pilots TA Quick Guide (September 2022) >

At a quick glance, the TA contains impressive improvements to scope, compensation, work rules, hours of service, retirement, and other additional improvements.

Regardless of the outcome of the ratification vote, this TA raises the bar for Alaska Airlines pilots — and raises our expectations of Alaska Airlines management in Flight Attendant negotiations!

In Solidarity,

Jeff

September 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, September 13 and Wednesday, September 14 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
  • As part of the meeting, the MEC met with members of inflight and crew planning management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.
  • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 11 and Wednesday, October 12.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

The September 2022 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, September 13 and Wednesday, September 14.  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. 

Joining our Negotiating Committee for Opening of Contract Negotiations

Our MEC joined our Negotiating Committee for the opening of contract negotiations on Tuesday.  As a show of support, the MEC sat in as the Negotiating Committee and management exchanged opening proposals.  After the introductory portion, the MEC adjourned to continue the MEC Meeting and the Negotiating Committee proceeded with discussions at the bargaining table.  More information about this week’s contract negotiations will be posted on the Contract 2022 website after the session concludes.

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 Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Inflight Services Gloria Chow, Director of Inflight Training and Standards Thomas Kaminski, and Managing Director of Operations Staffing & Resource Management Brittany Audette.

Some of the topics that were discussed include:

  • Plans for changes to Initial Training.  Management provided an extensive update on Initial Training and the classes held so far this year.  They also shared plans for changes to the Initial Training program for upcoming classes, including the reintroduction of service flights.  
  • Plans for 2023 Recurrent Training.  Management also shared plans for the 2023 Recurrent Training (RT) program.  RT 2023 will include a return to two full days of classroom training.
  • Domicile staffing & base transfers.  Management indicated that they plan to grant additional Flight Attendant domicile transfers over the next several months and will be working to clear the base transfer waiting lists.
  • Quality of pairings.  Our MEC once again shared that Flight Attendants are looking for improvements to pairing quality.  In particular, there are concerns with changes made to the schedule by network planning that affect the ability of Flight Attendants to achieve desired productivity and additional commutability concerns.
  • Concerns with the current absence management vendor.  Our AFA Benefits Committee and LEC Presidents have received reports that the company’s current absence management vendor is not responsive, has provided incorrect information, and has made errors that have impacted Flight Attendants.
  • CARE Retreat concerns.  Our MEC shared some specific concerns about the CARE Retreat, including issues with some Flight Attendants not receiving pre-event communications and questions about how management plans to address possible environmental allergies that some people may have to some of the items being given to attendees.
  • Drug testing policies and procedures.  Our MEC brought concerns forward about possible discrepancies in how random DOT drug tests were being conducted and asked for clarification about the procedure.

MEC Policy & Procedure Manual Amendment

This month, our MEC took action on one agenda item for amendment of the MEC Policy & Procedure Manual.  The agenda item incorporates new language establishing structure within the Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) to support the new Inflight Line Observation Safety Audit (LOSA) program. This agenda item has been incorporated into the manual and posted to the AFA Alaska website.

Questions?

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

Refreshed Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) Distribution

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Management has recently informed our Master Executive Council (MEC) that they are distributing new Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants with devices nearing the end of their lifecycle. The specific schedule for this distribution will be communicated by management separately. Flight Attendants with the oldest devices […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, September 23, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters 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), […]

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the first 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 […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025

On Thursday, September 18, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing efforts to represent our Flight Attendants and advocate for improvements in our workplace. Although our Inflight Service Committee has now merged, meetings with management continue to focus primarily on the Alaska or Hawaiian brands individually. This particular meeting was centered […]

Vacation Survey Closing Soon

There’s just 1 DAY LEFT to complete the crucial vacation survey that will help shape future provisions—your insights are essential for advocating the best outcomes for all Flight Attendants. The survey is currently open and will remain available until Wednesday, September 24 at 12 PM PT.

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