AFA Alaska + Hawaiian

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

Click here to report an issue to AFA
You are here: Home / Archives for Master Executive Council (MEC)

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

Flight Attendant in Recovery Survey

The following message is from Heather Healy, Director of the AFA EAP Program and Manager of the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP).  If you have questions about EAP or the FADAP Program, feel free to contact Heather at the telephone number below or reach out to your Local EAP Committee.  You can find contact information for your EAP Committee Members at http://afaalaska.org/eap.

If today, you are currently a Flight Attendant and in recovery from alcohol and/or drug abuse, please consider completing this short 9-question survey.  Your answers are completely anonymous. You can skip any questions you don’t want to answer.

Click here to access the Flight Attendant in Recovery Survey

The purpose of this survey is to collect data on the value of supporting Flight Attendants through the recovery and return to work process. Your answers could help Flight Attendants still struggling with their substance use. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Please don’t hesitate to call me with any concerns or questions.

Sincerely,

Heather Healy
Director of AFA EAP and Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program Manager
(800) 424-2406

Vacation Bidding Issues

Due to the ongoing technical issues with vacation bidding, your Master Executive Council (MEC) has requested a 24-hour extension to the first round vacation bidding window. If you are experiencing issues with inputting your vacation bids, please contact inflight administration for assistance and a manual work around for entering your bid. Please include your LEC President when corresponding with inflight administration about the issues you are facing. First round vacation bidding will now close at midnight on Friday, September 23.

In Solidarity,

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

U.S. Presidential Election Text Messaging by CWA

Over the weekend, it came to our attention that many AFA Members received a text message or series of messages from the Communication Workers of America (CWA), of which AFA is part, regarding the upcoming presidential election. The messages were sent using a computer system and were programmed to carry on a conversation based on the response from the person receiving the message.

After further investigation, we discovered that these text messages were sent from the CWA Political Department without the knowledge of your AFA Alaska leadership. Your MEC has contacted both CWA and AFA International regarding these communications. We received a commitment that AFA Members will not be included in future messaging using this system.

If you have any questions, please contact your LEC President. Contact information for your LEC President can be found on your Local Council page at http://afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

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

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 12 – February 2026

During this negotiation session, we made progress on Sections 15 (Leaves of Absence) and 22 (Expenses). The JNC advocated for positive developments from the Hawaiian CBA to strengthen our proposals. We also introduced our initial proposal for Section 28 (Domiciles) and remain committed to meaningful improvements in all areas of discussion.

Reminder: Don’t Miss Next Week’s MEC Town Hall!

Mark your calendar—Tuesday, March 3, is almost here! There’s still time to register for our Alaska + Hawaiian Town Hall and hear directly from your MEC Officers: MEC President Tim Green, MEC Vice President Brice McGee, and MEC Secretary-Treasurer Paul Ikioka. Join us for the latest updates and get answers to your questions. The Details What […]

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, February 19, our AFA Local Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), Bob Moore (PDX), Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather Holmes […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – February 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, February 24, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Russel Rivinius (PDX), […]

Important Update: Irregular Operations Due to Civil Unrest In Mexico

In response to the significant operational disruptions caused by the civil unrest affecting cities throughout Mexico, particularly Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Guadalajara (GDL), and Manzanillo (ZLO), management continues to operate under an Irregular Operations (IROPS) situation. Our MEC and Committees are actively monitoring the situation and working with management to support our Flight Attendants. Management has […]

Recent Posts

News By Month

News By Category

AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX (pmAS) Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX Council 47 LAX (pmHA) EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Committee Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
Sign Up for Emails
Sign Up for Text Updates