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MEC Committee Chairperson Interviews

Updated 02/07/2017

As previously announced on December 9, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the majority of the MEC Committee Chairperson positions in early 2017.

All Candidates Advanced to Final Interviews

As part of the interview process, a series of screening interviews were scheduled to occur on January 4 by videoconference.  The purpose of the screening interviews was to narrow each position to two finalist candidates who would be invited to interview with the MEC in person at the February MEC Meeting.  Since only a few positions yielded more than two candidates, the MEC has decided to bypass the screening interviews and advance all candidates to an in-person interview at the February MEC Meeting.

More Information About the Candidates

Below is a list of candidates for each position.  For positions with more than one candidate, resumes for those candidates who have opted in may be viewed below.

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson

Seth Heiple

Benefits Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

EAP Chairpersons (2 positions)

Elizabeth Dillon

Jeanne McCleave

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Laura Hinojosa

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Jodi Snow (click here to view resume)

Dori Marron (click here to view resume)

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Jarod McNeill

Retirement Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Jake Jones (click here to view resume)

Erik Velez (click here to view resume)

Zac Weeks (click here to view resume)

Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson (PBS Subcommittee Chairperson)

Stephen Poynter (click here to view resume)

Shawn Grill (withdrawn 02/03/17)

PBS Subcommittee Member

Rebecca Asbell (click here to view resume)

Adam Clarey (click here to view resume)

Sheri Rochel (click here to view resume) (clarified intent to be considered for Subcommittee Member position instead of Chairperson, 02/07/2017)

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Bob Moore

Special Consideration for MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

In accordance with §27.P.2.c.1 of the collective bargaining agreement, the MEC will be soliciting input from Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider regarding the selection of the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson position.  Though Andy is contractually entitled to provide feedback, final selection will be made by the voting members of the MEC.

Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback about the candidates or the MEC Committee Chairperson interview process, please contact your LEC President.  You may contact your LEC President by email at:

ANC Council 30 President Lisa Pinkston – lisa.pinkston@afaalaska.org

SEA Council 19 President Laura Masserant – laura.masserant@afaalaska.org

PDX Council 39 President Cathy Gwynn – cathy.gwynn@afaalaska.org

LAX Council 18 President Tim Green – timothy.green@afaalaska.org

SAN Council 15 President Brice McGee – brice.mcgee@afaalaska.org

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

MEC Committee Chair Interviews

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 of office will end on December 31, 2016, the MEC will be conducting a review of the MEC Committee Chairperson positions in early 2017.

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

  • Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson
  • Benefits Committee Chairperson
  • EAP Committee Chairperson (2 positions)
  • Hotel Committee Chairperson
  • Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson
  • Reserve Committee Chairperson
  • Retirement Committee Chairperson
  • Scheduling Committee Chairperson
  • Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson (PBS Subcommittee Chairperson)
  • PBS Subcommittee Member (though not a chairperson position, this position is appointed at the MEC level)
  • Uniform Committee Chairperson

Appointments for the ASHSC Vice Chairperson, Government Affairs Committee Chairperson, Grievance Committee Chairperson, and Inflight Service Committee Chairperson positions were all made within the last several months.  As a result, these positions will not be reviewed and will continue their term until the end of the next MEC Officer election cycle.

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, including being present in Seattle on occasion
  • Strong computer skills. Good working knowledge of Inflight Mobile Device, Google email, 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

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.

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss for each position will be discussed during the screening interview.

Interview and Selection Timeline

Qualified candidates will be invited to a screening interview with the MEC by video conference on Wednesday, January 4.

Finalists will be invited to an in-person interview at the AFA Alaska MEC office in Seattle at regularly scheduled February MEC meeting on February 21 and 22.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary Treasurer-Elect Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Wednesday, December 28, 2016.

Questions

Any questions about MEC Committee Chairperson positon duties and responsibilities can be directed to MEC Vice President Brian Palmer at brian.palmer@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Secretary Treasurer-Elect Linda Christou

Vacation Open Time Suspended Effective Immediately

Vacation Trading Issue

Due to log in problems associated with vacation trading, the Master Executive Council (MEC) has requested that management suspend vacation trading effective immediately. We are seeking to reset the vacation schedules and try again on a different day in the near future. 

LAX and SEA Vacation Open Time windows will not be open for trading today.

We understand this is an extreme inconvenience to those who adjusted their schedules in order to trade vacation days, but unfortunately the system is not working as anticipated. 

The MEC realizes that SAN, PDX, and ANC bases were affected by the technical issues, and we will address these issues with management.

Stand by for more information!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Introducing Your MEC Officers

As the term of office for the current MEC officers will end on December 31, 2016, your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews this week for the upcoming MEC Officer term.  We would like to thank the candidates who expressed a willingness to serve and interviewed for the positions.

In accordance with the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws, each of the five Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents is afforded one vote for each officer position.  After thorough deliberation, the LEC Presidents have elected the following candidates:

MEC President 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 for Marriott International and a franchise company associated with Marriott Hotels.  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, and this will be his third term of office.  Jeff currently splits his time between his family’s condo in Puerto Vallarta and the AFA office in Seattle.

MEC Vice President 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 went on to serve 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 to a second term of office.

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 Atlanta and the Seattle area.

MEC Secretary-Treasurer 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 has served in that role, along with being a Grievance Representative, since July 2011.  She is very excited to start her new position 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 Moyer Foundation, which is a foundation for “children in distress”.

The newly elected MEC Officers will serve a three-year term of office from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019.  More information about their duties and responsibilities can be found in the AFA Constitution and Bylaws and the AFA Alaska MEC Policy Manual

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Introducing Your MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews at the September MEC meeting for the position of MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson. We would like to thank the candidates who expressed a willingness to serve and interviewed for the position. After thorough consideration, the MEC has appointed Stephanie Adams to the position.

Stephanie began her career with Alaska Airlines in 1995 as a Reservation Sales Agent, she spent an additional year as a Customer Service Agent, and in 1997 she became a Flight Attendant. For the majority of her career she has been based in Seattle with a brief time in Portland.

Stephanie began AFA work when she was elected as Seattle Council Representative in 2014. In 2015 she also became the MEC Grievance Representative. She felt compelled to begin AFA work as it combines her education with her longtime experience as a Flight Attendant. Her goal is to passionately protect all Flight Attendants under the purview of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Stephanie is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law and member of the Washington State Bar. Formerly, Stephanie acted as a family law attorney. She resides in Renton and enjoys spending time with her kids and traveling.

In her role as MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson, Stephanie will work closely with the Local Grievance Committee Chairpersons, AFA Staff Attorney Kimberly Chaput, and the AFA International legal department to represent and advocate for Flight Attendants. Stephanie’s appointment is effective December 1, 2016, and her term of appointment is concurrent with the term of the MEC Officers. She will report directly to the MEC.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

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