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MEC Grievance Committee Assistant Interviews

Background

The MEC Grievance Committee Assistant is responsible for providing administrative support to the MEC Grievance Committee and Local Grievance Committees.  The Assistant works closely with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson, Local Grievance Committee Chairpersons, Scheduling Committee, and Reserve Committee to ensure Flight Attendant receive the best possible representation.

Qualifications

  • Robust working knowledge of the Flight Attendant collective bargaining agreement, specifically the scheduling, reserve, grievance procedures, board of adjustment, and compensation sections.
  • Ability to maintain office hours in Seattle during the business week and attend meetings as required.
  • Strong computer skills. Excellent working knowledge of Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA), Google email, osTicket, and Microsoft Office preferred.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, track issues, prepare reports, and plan meeting agendas and take minutes.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and follow up on assigned tasks.
  • Previous Grievance, Scheduling, or Reserve Committee experience strongly preferred.

Duties

  • Provide procedural assistance and administrative guidance to Local Grievance Committees in handling Flight Attendant concerns.
  • Maintain the grievance log.  Assign grievance numbers when requested and log appropriately.  File grievances as requested.  Ensure copies of all filed grievances are received and filed appropriately.  
  • Oversee the Scheduling Review Board (SRB) process.  Facilitate SRB meetings.  Maintain the SRB agenda, keep and distribute meeting minutes, update osTicket records with meeting outcomes, and post meeting notes for member review. 
  • Participate in the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) process as a notetaker.  Maintain the ADR agenda, keep and distribute meeting minutes, update osTicket records with meeting outcomes, and post meeting notes for member review.
  • Serve as system administrator of the osTicket system.  Set up new users, maintain user accounts, and conduct all new user training. Conduct daily and weekly reviews of the system to ensure all tickets are receiving proper follow-up.  Coordinate with corresponding Committee Chairpersons or Officers to address and resolve open issues.
  • Maintain grievance files.  Ensure each file contains all necessary documentation.  Handle all requests for retrieval of files by authorized Committee Members, Officers, or AFA staff and provide requested files within established timeframes.  Oversee and maintain electronic file system.
  • Maintain records of all memorandums of understanding, letters of agreement, and labor memorandums.  Post newly executed documents to the AFA website and arrange for inclusion on the IMD. 
  • Maintain the Grievance Committee calendar.  Schedule and plan meetings and conference calls as needed.
  • Participate in meetings with management at the request of the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson or MEC Officers.
  • Develop, write, and edit correspondence and other communications.  Assist in preparation of monthly committee reports to the MEC and quarterly committee reports to the Members.
  • Other duties as assigned by the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson or MEC Officers.

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

  • This position is budgeted for 60 TFP of Flight Pay Loss (FPL) per month, paid with a 5% override.
  • Time commitment is approximately two days per week in Seattle with additional work completed remotely or in the office as necessary.  No relocation or accommodation expense is provided for this position.
  • The MEC Grievance Committee Assistant will have two pre-arranged, pre-planned absences (at 6.0 TFP credit per day) loaded into her/his schedule each work week for bidding purposes. Alternatively, s/he may be placed on “no bid” status with MEC approval.

Working Relationships

With The MEC Grievance Committee

This position works directly on a day-to-day basis with the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson and Payroll Representative. Frequent interaction with Local Grievance Committee Members.

With Other MEC Committees

Frequent interaction with the MEC Committee Chairperson and Local Committee Chairpersons of the Scheduling and Reserve Committees. Occasional interaction with Local Committee Members of each committee.

With The Master Executive Council

This position reports to the Master Executive Council through the MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC President.

With Alaska Airlines Management

Constant interaction with management, particularly the Managing Director of Labor Relations—Inflight (Carmen Williams), Manager of Labor Relations (Mike Link), and Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling (Denia Pisia).  Occasional interaction with Inflight Crew Scheduling Duty Managers and other members of management.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

  • Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. Linda will be able to provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.
  • Initial interviews will be conducted by telephone or videoconference from January 28-30, 2019.  Linda will contact eligible candidates to arrange a timeslot for an interview.
  • Final candidates will be invited to interview with the MEC by telephone or videoconference on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

Questions?

Please direct any questions about the position to MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams at stephanie.adams@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams


SFO Co-Terminal Negotiations

Management has recently approached AFA regarding their desire to negotiate a co-terminal agreement for the SFO domicile.  Alaska Airlines currently operates a co-terminal agreement at LAX, which allows pairings to be built to begin and end at co-terminal airports through the Los Angeles metropolitan area.  If adopted, an SFO co-terminal agreement would allow a similar arrangement for pairings to begin and end at co-terminal airports throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Why Negotiations?  Can’t Management Just Open Co-Terminals?

Though management retains the right to open and close domiciles at their discretion within the guidelines spelled out in the collective bargaining agreement, co-terminals are not domiciles in themselves but rather additional airports that are part of a single domicile.  There is no contractual mechanism that allows management to add additional airports to a domicile, therefore an agreement must be negotiated. 

Special Negotiating Committee To Be Formed

The voting members of your Master Executive Council (MEC), consisting of the six directly-elected LEC Presidents, have approved the creation of a special negotiating committee to negotiate a co-terminal agreement with management.  The committee will consist of three Negotiating Committee Members who will be selected by the MEC.  The MEC President serves as Chairperson of the committee per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws.

Although a co-terminal agreement would certainly effect Flight Attendants based at SFO, it would also have a further reaching impact throughout the system.  With more trips being able to begin and end at co-terminal airports, there would likely be a reduction in layovers in these locations. The systemwide distribution of flying would also be impacted as co-terminal airports would begin accommodating pairings built out of those locations.  For this reason, the Special Negotiating Committee positions are open to Flight Attendants from all domiciles.

Special Negotiating Committee Positions

Scope of the Special Negotiating Committee

The Special Negotiating Committee will negotiate an agreement for co-terminal airports to be added to the SFO domicile.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Special Negotiating Committee

From Section VI.A.2 of the AFA-CWA Policy Manual

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

a.         The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII. of the Constitution and Bylaws.

b.         All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”

c.         Committee members shall be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.

d.         Committee members shall utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (e.g., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).

e.         Committee members shall maintain a current record of the:

(1)        Financial condition of the company.

(2)        Management lines of authority and methods of communication.

(3)        Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.

f.          Committee members shall be familiar with the wishes of the flight attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.

g.         The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator, shall prepare the contract opener.

h.         The Committee shall provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations through, for example, newsletters, hotlines, telephone trees, etc.

i.          The Committee shall maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA. A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.

Expectations/Qualifications

  • Appointed by the AFA Alaska MEC and terms are served to completion at the approval of the MEC.  Takes direction from the chairperson of the Special Negotiating Committee (i.e. in this case the MEC President) with input from the AFA International Collective Bargaining Department (i.e. staff negotiator) and Legal Department (i.e. staff attorney).  After successful ratification of the SFO Co-Terminal Agreement will continue to serve as a contract interpretation resource for the agreement.
  • Maintain a complete record of negotiations including proposals, notes and communications. Such record is the property of AFA-CWA.
  • Public interactions (including social media) must reflect favorably on AFA Alaska.  If requested by AFA Alaska, Special Negotiating Committee Members must be willing to reasonably limit social media interactions for the duration of preparation, negotiations and implementation.
  • Ability to tolerate controversy amongst one’s peers.
  • Willing to travel for training, preparation, negotiations, roadshows and other meetings as needed.
  • Must be willing to adjust her/his schedule as needed, sometimes with very little notice.

Flight Pay Loss/Expenses

  • 6 TFP for each 8 hours of work 
  • Travel time is unpaid; exceptions will be treated on a case-by-case basis.
  • Meal & incidentals and other expenses to be reimbursed according to AFA Alaska Policy Manual and AFA-CWA C&B.

How to Express Interest In the Positions

  • Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest letter and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org.
  • The expression of interest letter should include responses to the following questions:
    • What interests you about this position?
    • Why do you believe you are a good candidate for the position?
    • What is your understanding of the LAX co-terminal agreement that is currently in place?
  • The deadline for applications is Friday, February 1, 2019 at 5 PM Pacific time.
  • Linda will contact applicants to coordinate an interview with the MEC and arrange travel (if necessary).  Interviews will be held at the AFA MEC Office in Seattle, WA on Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

Questions?

Any questions regarding Special Negotiating Committee positions should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

[L-VX] Introducing Your MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson – Legacy Virgin America

This message is for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

Your Council 18 and 35 Presidents as well as other members of your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews earlier this month for the new MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Legacy Virgin America position. The MEC would like to thank the candidates who demonstrated willingness to represent our Flight Attendants. After thorough deliberation, SFO-based Flight Attendant Bianca Dew has been appointed to the position.

About Bianca

Bianca began her position with Virgin America in 2015 as an SFO-based Inflight Teammate, which is also where she is currently based. After working on the line for some time Bianca upgraded to the role of an Inflight Team Lead, then proceeded to gain some more working knowledge as a Flight Attendant before upgrading to an Air Transportation Supervisor. Prior to coming to Virgin America, Bianca earned her AA in Behavioral Science and a BS in Kinesiology. Her previous role before becoming a flight attendant, was in finance as a mortgage loan specialist/banker. Bianca currently resides in Washington and in her free time she enjoys hiking, reading, a variety of outdoor activities, and traveling.

About The Position

The MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson – Legacy Virgin America works under the umbrella of the MEC Scheduling Committee and is responsible for working with management to advocate for Flight Attendant interests in all matter pertaining to Legacy Virgin America Flight Attendant schedules.  Additional information about the position can be found by clicking here.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones

The Dues Pie Chart—Where Do My Dues Go?

Note from your Master Executive Council (MEC): This information was prepared by AFA International as a resource for Flight Attendants.

Click to enlarge

The Dues Pie Chart depicts where all funds at AFA are budgeted. About 80% of dues dollars are directly allocated to fund the work at each airline, i.e. Local Councils, Master Executive Councils, Negotiations, and System Board.  The remaining budgets at the International Office support Government Affairs, Air Safety, EAP, and Communications Departments, each of which provides expert services that are Flight Attendant focused and provide resources for the local leaders and committees of Flight Attendants at each airline. 100% of our dues dollars are allocated to priorities that provide Flight Attendant representation.

There are four distinct areas where dues money is spent:

Local and Airline-Specific

Each base has a Local Executive Council (LEC) with elected Officers who provide direct representation and deal with local grievances and other issues. These Local Officers will answer your phone calls and make sure member interests are represented in front of management. For example, in the event of discipline or a contract violation, Local Officers will address the issue where it happened and work to get swift resolution. Additionally, elected Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers provide representation at the corporate level. At both the LEC and MEC, there are committees that solve problems in areas such as safety, schedules, hotels, grievances, etc. These committees also enforce the contract specific to their area of expertise, produce newsletters, and participate in union meetings. The role of your LEC and MEC Officers and committee representatives at each airline is to ensure you are represented by Flight Attendants who know your job because they share it with you at your airline. AFA promotes this autonomy at each airline where your representatives, assisted by experts, negotiate with management and develop and maintain the relationship between airline management and the Union.

Negotiations

Bargaining for pay and working conditions is one of the core representation activities performed by the Union. We start with a membership survey, schedule meetings with management, conduct caucuses with the committee, develop contractual language, support membership engagement and information programs, and we work with AFA-CWA professional negotiators throughout the process including all direct negotiations/mediation with management. The end result is improved contractual language with higher pay, better working conditions, and improved benefits.

System Board (Grievances)

The first step in any grievance is to try to resolve the matter locally. Some airlines have negotiated an alternative dispute process for a faster, collaborative resolution. If that fails, then the final stage for resolution, whether disciplinary or contractual, is an appeal to a neutral arbitrator. An AFA-CWA attorney will work with our Grievance Committee to present our case to the neutral arbitrator. We defend the contracts we negotiate.

International Office Support

While your LEC is the face of the Union to local management and the MEC to corporate management, the International Office is the public persona and brand of the Union. Our presence and name recognition can legislate or improve federal regulations, remove obstacles from the bargaining table, better our position in negotiations and improve our experience on the job across the profession. The International Office maintains the professional staff of attorneys, negotiators, and other personnel that provide administration, accounting and membership services to members and elected leaders. We all work together to support the programs that encompasses our profession.

Questions?

If you have questions about AFA dues, please contact your LEC President.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

[L-AS] Introducing Your MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews earlier this month for the new MEC Grievance Committee Payroll Representative position. The MEC would like to thank the candidates who demonstrated willingness to represent our Flight Attendants. After thorough deliberation, the MEC has appointed Kiara Jenkins to the position.

About Kiara

Kiara Jenkins spent her childhood on the island of Guam and, in 2008, graduated from Olympia High School in Olympia, WA.  Before pursuing a career as a Flight Attendant, she worked at Starbucks as a supervisor and coached club and high school volleyball for 3 years. She has been ANC, SEA, and LAX-based since joining the Alaska family in 2011. Previously, she served as the Government Affairs Committee Chairperson for Council 18 in LAX. On any given day, Kiara can be found hosting homemade dinners for friends, barbecuing outdoors, or spending quality time with her family.

About The Position

The Payroll Representative works under the umbrella of the MEC Grievance Committee and is  responsible for working with management to advocate for Flight Attendant interests in all matters pertaining to Flight Attendant pay.  In addition, the Payroll Representative also works closely with the Benefits, Scheduling, and Reserve Committees to handle and assist in the resolution of Flight Attendant pay concerns and issues.  Additional information about the position can be found by clicking here.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams

SEA Domicile Negotiations – October 2025 Update #2

This session was marked by the Negotiating Committee’s strong advocacy for protections and enhancements that would support the Seattle base as a viable option for transferring Flight Attendants. With insights from Ryan St. John, the Vice President of Finance, Planning, and Investor Relations for Alaska Airlines, the Negotiating Committee highlighted the necessity of combining data-driven strategies with hands-on experience and sufficient resources for long-term success.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 8 – October 2025

During our recent negotiations, the Joint Negotiation Committee focused on key sections, particularly reaching a Tentative Agreement on Lodging and Transportation, which improves food availability and transportation safety. We also engaged with Council 19 to clarify negotiation processes and differences between contracts. Stay tuned for our upcoming session with management from November 18 to 20.

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 […]

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