Dear Flight Attendants,

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) interviewed for the second round Negotiating Committee on April 17th and 18th at the AFA Alaska office in Seattle, WA. The MEC was joined by Council 39 Vice President-elect Steven Maller in addition to Council 39 President Cathy Gwynn. Since the Council 39 Portland presidency is in a run-off election for the next term of office, Steven is the highest confirmed officer-elect at present. Although not required by the AFA Constitution and Bylaws (C&B), Cathy extended the invitation for Steven to attend and provide input for Council 39. Council 18 LAX Vice President Kelly Johnson sat in as Local Executive Council (LEC) President Sandra Morrow’s designee on behalf of Council 18. Sandra Morrow was unavailable because she is at home expecting her first set of grandchildren any moment–twins, in fact!

As a reminder, under the AFA C&B the voting members of the MEC are the LEC presidents (LECPs) or their designees in accordance with the C&B. As the directly-elected representatives of membership, the LECPs are guided by the will of their membership. The MEC executive officers (president, vice president and secretary-treasurer) provide recommendations but do not have a vote except in the case of a tie amongst the LECPs, in which case the MEC president may break the tie.

The following candidates applied for the positions: Karina Cameron-Fetters, Christina Frees, Jake Jones, Kenny Kasel, Lisa Pinkston, Kristy Stratton, Bryan Wall and Erik Velez. There were many factors to consider in the decision-making process, including but not limited to membership feedback, previous experience, specific skills, demographics (i.e. seniority, domicile, etc.) and how individual personalities would affect the committee’s “chemistry.”

After much discussion, the MEC unanimously arrived at the same appointments. Keep in mind that per Article VII.C.2.a.(5) of the AFA C&B, the MEC president is automatically a member of the Negotiating Committee by virtue of holding the office.Your MEC is pleased to announce your second round Negotiating Committee:

• MEC President Jeffrey Peterson
• Kristy Stratton*, social media coordinator
• Lisa Pinkston
• Jake Jones
• Christina Frees

* The second round Negotiating Committee will not have an alternate like the first round committee. The MEC petitioned AFA-CWA International President Veda Shook for an additional committee member per Section VI.A.1.c of the C&B. Veda has verbally approved the request and given permission to communicate regarding the fourth member of the committee, Kristy Stratton.

The MEC recognizes the power that social media had on the previous Tentative Agreement. Kristy will be present as an additional set of eyes throughout the process. An agenda item in regard to social media is an agenda item for the upcoming AFA-CWA Board of Directors meeting next week. Following the BOD, the MEC will communicate a formal social media policy and Kristy will be working with us to maximize the power of social media in the second round negotiations.

There is much work to be done and the second round Negotiating Committee will be hitting the ground running in the coming weeks. However, let’s take a moment to recognize the invaluable contributions of the first round Negotiating Committee. The MEC sincerely thanks Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters and Jake Jones for their years of dedication and personal sacrifice. They built a solid foundation with their own blood, sweat and tears; that effort will not be forgotten!

The follow up negotiations survey will begin this coming week and the initial second round mediation session is scheduled for the week of May 12th in Tempe, AZ. A separate introduction to the second round Negotiating Committee will follow.

In solidarity,

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

Dear Flight Attendants,

The Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the Negotiating Committee at the MEC Office in Seattle on April 17.  All three Negotiating Committee positions are up for interview and consideration.  Per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, the MEC President is the chairperson of the Negotiating Committee and rounds out the Committee as the fourth member.

The Negotiating Committee is charged to negotiate and institute the needs and desires of the Flight Attendants into an effective collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  The Committee should have a good working knowledge of the current CBA and be willing to devote their full time to the Committee during negotiations.  The members of this Committee shall serve as the CBA Interpretation Committee until a new agreement is completed.

Selection of Committee Members

• Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
• Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
• The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
• Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

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

• 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.
• All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
• Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
• 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. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
• Maintain a current record of the:
  • Financial condition of the company.
  • Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
  • Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
• 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.
• Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
• Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
• Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
• Review tentative agreement with the MEC
• Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
• Present the tentative agreement to the members
• Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
• Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
• Remain available as a resource for interpretations
• 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.
• Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Flight pay loss (FPL) reimbursement will be provided to Negotiating Committee Members at the rate of 6 TFP at “A” pay for 8 hours of work.  FPL is not reimbursed for days that solely contain travel to/from an activity.

Application Process

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume to candidate@alaskamec.org.  The deadline for applications is Thursday, April 10 at 5 PM PDT.

A member of the MEC will contact candidates to schedule an in-person interview.  Interviews will be held at the MEC Office in Seattle on Thursday, April 17.  Instructions for listing for positive space travel will be provided to those who do not live in the Seattle area.  Hotel rooms or other expenses are the responsibility of the candidate.

Questions

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jpeterson@alaskamec.org.

In Solidarity,

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

References

• AFA-CWA International Policy Manual, Section VI – Contract Negotiations