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Negotiations Update April 30, 2014 – Second Round of Survey Email Invitations Sent

Dear Flight Attendants,

The online portion to the follow up AFA negotiations survey by Hart Research Associates will remain open through Sunday, May 4, 2014.  As a reminder, your AFA leadership is currently at the 42nd Annual AFA-CWA Board of Directors meeting in Orlando.  We are responding to all inquiries during breaks between meetings and thank you for your patience.

A second round of email invitations containing individualized links to the online survey were sent a short time ago by Hart Research Associates.  Check your spam/junk folder in case the invitation is there.

Important: Do not share your link with anybody or else others could take the survey on your behalf.  The email address used by Hart Research Associates for the invitations is FlightAttendantSurvey@hart-research.com.

If you have NOT received a survey or if you completed the phone survey AND received an email invitation, contact FlightAttendantSurvey@hart-research.com and request an email invitation. Provide your first and last name and your PeopleSoft number. 

(We are using PeopleSoft numbers as identifiers and did not provide Arctic numbers due to privacy and security concerns.  Your PeopleSoft number can be found on the Inflight webpage on the upper left hand corner.)

It is extremely important that your voice be heard. Make sure to complete the survey!

In solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow; and

Your Negotiating Committee—MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

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Negotiations Survey Update

Dear Flight Attendants,

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) along with many of you are extremely frustrated with the challenges we’re experiencing regarding the email survey invitations from Hart Research Associates.  The good news is, for most who have taken the survey, we have received feedback that it is comprehensive and worthwhile.  It is extremely important to the MEC that all Flight Attendants have a reasonable opportunity to take the survey.  We have been in contact with Hart Research Associates and have jointly agreed to extend the survey.  The survey will not close until the MEC is satisfied that all Flight Attendants who wish to take the survey have had the opportunity to do so.

As a reminder, your AFA leadership is currently participating in the AFA Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting in Orlando, FL.  As part of our representational duties, the BOD meetings are scheduled from 9 AM to 9:30 PM each day through Wednesday evening.  We are working through the survey challenges as quickly as possible given the time constraints and the necessary coordination with our survey vendor Hart Research Associates.

We wish we had the answers as to why some Flight Attendants have not received their survey invitation.  Emails are being sent directly by Hart Research Associates and although an address list was provided by the MEC to Hart, the AFA email system is not being used to send the invitations.  At this time, we do not know why some people have received the invitations while others have not.

If you have not received the survey invitation and have not yet provided your contact information to survey@alaskamec.org, please do so as soon as possible.  If you have already reached out to survey@alaskamec.org, please be patient as your contact information has been forwarded to Hart Research Associates and they will be following up.  We know some of you have been waiting several days for contact.

It is important that you wait to receive your own personalized invitation to the survey as it contains a link that is unique to you.  If you use the link that is associated with another Flight Attendant’s email invitation, your response will overwrite any previous responses tied to that link.

More information will be communicated as it becomes known.  Rest assured that the survey will remain open for responses until the MEC directs Hart Research Associates is directed otherwise.

In Solidarity,

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

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MEC Update April 28, 2014 – New AFA-CWA Council 15, San Diego

Dear Flight Attendants,

Congratulations to all for reaching another milestone in our continued growth! Earlier yesterday during the Executive Board of Directors (XBOD) meeting in Orlando, Master Executive Council (MEC) President Jeffrey Peterson petitioned the XBOD to have the San Diego domicile represented by its own council. This resolution was brought forward on behalf of the Alaska MEC and pursuant to Article III.A of the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws (C&B). The XBOD unanimously approved the creation of Council 15 San Diego, which will be effective on June 1, 2014.

The appointed Local Council officers are:

President Stephen Couckuyt (spacak@gmail.com)

Stephen Couckuyt has been with Alaska Airlines one month shy of 19 years. He started as a Customer Service Agent (CSA) in Anchorage before joining Inflight one year later.  Stephen was Anchorage based  from 1996 to 2011, during which he helped establish the Anchorage local council (AFA-CWA Council 30).  First serving as Interim Vice President, followed by two terms as elected Vice President and one term as President. Stephen also served on the AFA-CWA International Political/Legislative Committee. In 2011, Stephen decided that after 46 years of living in Alaska that it was time for a change. He moved to Chicago, first transferring to PDX and then SEA. In September of 2013, Stephen transferred to and now resides in San Diego.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity of working with all of you in establishing a new AFA-CWA Local Council in San Diego . I am honored to be working with Melanie Buker,  Brice McGee and MEC Leadership on your behalf with the priority that your voices be heard and your concerns are addressed.“

Vice President Melanie Buker (melanie.buker@gmail.com)

Melanie started her flying career with Horizon Air in 1986, based in Boise, ID.  While at Horizon, she joined the Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP), which led her to join the AFA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at Alaska when hiring on in 2002. She was elected as the Council 30 Anchorage president in January of 2011.

“Union and volunteer work has always been important to me; I believe that you have to be the change that you want to see. I also know that there is a time and a place for everything and I hope that if the time is right, you also take on a roll within our local council…we need you!

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Flight Attendants here in San Diego that I have had the pleasure of working with, we seem to be a very diverse group and I look forward to meeting you all soon. I am honored to be working with Stephen and Brice; I have a lot of respect for both of them.”

Secretary Brice McGee (brice_mcgee@hotmail.com)

Brice is originally from Helena, MT. He started his flight attendant career 8 years ago in Los Angeles, transferring to Seattle and finally San Diego. He has been a commuter from Cancun Mexico for 7 years and is currently looking for a new home in the San Diego area or possibly Dallas, TX.  He has been active in various focus groups regarding scheduling, sick leave and flexibility.

“I am honored and excited to represent our San Diego base. I look forward to working with my friends Stephen and Melanie and I think we will make a great team and support system for the San Diego base.”

 

Council 15 will be in Election Category III per Article VIII.C.3 of the C&B, with appointed officers’ terms ending June 30, 2016. Elections will be held in spring 2016 for the next term beginning July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2019.

The MEC thanks the Council 18 Los Angeles leadership for setting a solid foundation of representation for the San Diego Flight Attendants. It is upon this foundation that the new Council 15 officers will build. Welcome Council 15 President Stephen Couckuyt, Vice President Melanie Buker and Secretary Brice McGee.

In solidarity,

Your MEC–Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and in-coming Council 15 President Stephen Couckuyt

Resources

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Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study

Dear Flight Attendants,

Researches from Harvard University have contacted us seeking assistance in finding Flight Attendants to participate in a health study to help better understand the health implications of our profession.  The researchers are ideally seeking candidates who, in addition to having a layover in Boston, will have approximately two weeks off during which the candidate is not planning to travel by air.  The two weeks off may occur either immediately prior to or following the Boston layover.  Having two weeks free of air travel is not a requirement of the study however and any Flight Attendant working a trip that includes a layover in Boston is encouraged to volunteer.  A letter from the Harvard researchers and information about how to participate can found by clicking here.

In Solidarity,

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

Resources

Negotiations Update April 22, 2014 – AFA Negotiations Phone Survey Begins

Dear Flight Attendants,

The follow up AFA negotiations survey by Hart Research Associates will begin this evening.  The first phase is a phone interview, which will be capped at a limited number of respondents.  Calls will begin at approximately 5pm PDT and will continue until 9pm PDT.  This will be repeated each evening for 4-5 days or until we have reached the cap–whichever occurs first.  Only Flight Attendants for which we have already received an updated phone number will be eligible to participate in the limited phone interviews.

Important: Interviewers from Hart Research Associates will display as “blocked” or “restricted” on caller ID.  Unfortunately there was no way around this.  You must be prepared to answer a blocked or restricted call between 5pm and 9pm PDT.  Hart will not leave a message and there is no call back number.  If you are not able to participate in the phone survey, you will have the opportunity to take the Internet survey which will be live after completion of phase one phone interviews.

April-May Negotiations Timeline*

* Dates are approximate.  Following Negotiating Committee appointments, negotiations training for the second round NC is anticipated sometime between the week of April 21 and the next mediation session on May 13.

Week of April 21: AFA negotiations phone survey conducted by Hart Research Associates to be live for 4-5 nights.

Week of April 28: AFA negotiations email survey conducted by Hart Research Associates to be released following completion of the phone survey.  Email survey to be live for approximately one week.

Week of May 5: Survey results provided by Hart Research Associates to second round Negotiating Committee

Week of May 12: Round two of mediation begins in Tempe, AZ

May 20: System-wide solidarity action (details to follow)

Once the phone interviews have been completed, the Internet survey will begin shortly thereafter.

In solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow; and

Your Negotiating Committee—MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

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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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