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Negotiations News Archives

Introducing the Mobilization Committee

Dear Flight Attendants:

The VOICE (Volunteer Organizers for Information, Communications, and Education) Committee has served us with distinction over the past several years during contract negotiations.  The MEC would like to thank these committee members for their dedication and contribution to AFA.  Today, we announce a new chapter, as the VOICE Committee evolves to become the new Mobilization Committee.

As we gear up for another round of negotiations, demonstrating our solidarity and unity is more important now than ever before.  Bringing Flight Attendants together through participation in organized solidarity activities will be the primary responsibility of the Mobilization Committee.  The Committee will also work to actively share information pertaining to negotiations and help Flight Attendants to find and access official sources of information.

Mobilization Volunteers

The backbone of our mobilization efforts will be our Mobilization Volunteers.  Volunteers will provide support to the Negotiating Committee through coordinated solidarity activity and two-way communication between the membership and the committee.  They will work closely with the Local Mobilization Chairperson to call other members to action through participation in organized solidarity activities and a program of information sharing with Flight Attendants.

Specific duties of a Mobilization Volunteer include:

  • Responsible for educating the membership and moving them to action.  They will provide information and support for targeted issues or specifically identified groups of Flight Attendants as defined by the Negotiating Committee.
  • To further the Flight Attendants’ understanding of key issues through active information sharing and referral to official sources of information
  • To dispel gossip, rumor, and inaccurate information regarding negotiations by directing Flight Attendants to official sources of information
  • To provide two-way communication of the needs and responses of the membership through feedback to the Local Mobilization Chairperson and the Negotiating Committee
  • Actively participate in organized solidarity activities such as canvassing of membership at airports and crew rooms, informational leafleting or picketing before the general public, or other activities as approved by the Master Executive Council (MEC)

How To Get Involved

In order to get involved as a Mobilization Volunteer, plan now to attend one of the upcoming mobilization training sessions to be held in May.  Sessions will be held as follows:

  • Anchorage – Monday, May 12 – 10 AM to 12 PM / 1 to 3 PM
  • Seattle – Tuesday, May 13 – 8 to 10 AM / 11 AM to 1 PM / 2 to 4 PM
  • Portland – Wednesday, May 14 – 10 AM to 12 PM / 1 to 3 PM
  • Los Angeles – Thursday, May 15 – 10 AM to 12 PM / 1 to 3 PM
  • San Diego – Friday, May 16 – 9 to 11 AM / 12 to 2 PM

In order to sign up for one of these sessions, visit the online registration form here: http://alaskamec.org/mobilization/training.  Once you’ve registered, be sure to mark your calendar and plan to bid the day off.  Please note that space in each session is limited and registration will close once capacity is reached.

We are excited about the new Mobilization Committee and look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate our combined resolve for the contract improvements that we deserve!

In solidarity,

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

Negotiating Committee Interviews

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

MEC Update March 14, 2014: Negotiations Developments and Upcoming Company Town Hall Meetings

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) just wrapped up its March MEC meeting this week and it is time to give you an update.

 

Negotiations Survey

 

We know everybody is anxious to hear from the leadership in regards to negotiations. The next step in the process is a survey to the membership to determine the bargaining objectives for the next round of talks. Your leadership is committed to achieving comprehensive and accurate survey results that reflect the needs of the membership. Consequently, AFA has retained the Hart Research Group (http://www.hartresearch.com/) to administer the negotiations survey. AFA and Hart have discussed employing several different methods to gather data including monitoring social media and discussion boards in addition to using a traditional phone and/or online survey.

 

Your current Negotiating Committee members are meeting next week to gather preparatory materials for Hart. We’re targeting the survey to be out as soon as possible after April 11th. Why April 11th? Council 39 Portland and Council 19 Seattle have officer elections underway with a count date of April 11th. The leadership doesn’t want too many moving pieces in play at any given time so we’re going to wait until polls so everybody can focus on the survey.

 

Negotiating Committee Interviews

 

As a reminder, interviews for the Negotiating Committee will take place on April 17th at the AFA MEC office in Seattle. All qualified and interested candidates (including current members of the committee) are encouraged to apply no later than April 10th. The MEC will provide additional information in regards to qualifications, duties and compensation in a separate communication due out in the coming days.

 

Mediated Negotiations to Resume

 

Under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), we will be back in mediation when we return to the table. These talks will carry on under the purview of the National Mediation Board (NMB) and we believe Victoria Gray will continue as the federal mediator assigned to our case. The parties have set a tentative date of mid-May to resume mediated negotiations.

 

Upcoming Company Town Hall Meetings

 

The MEC has received plenty of feedback from the membership regarding the upcoming Company “Town Hall” meetings. During our MEC meeting this week the officers met with management to pass along our members’ concerns. We strongly advocated to management to reconsider the timing of the Town Hall meetings and we are optimistic that management is taking our request under serious consideration.

 

Consequently, the MEC is holding off on taking a strong public position on the Town Hall meetings until management has had an opportunity to respond. There has been quite a lot of email and phone discussion with management about this issue all the way up to the publication of this communication. The MEC is expecting further developments very soon so stand by for an update shortly.

 

In solidarity,

 

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

MEC 5BSS Logo

 

Negotiations Informational Update

Dear Flight Attendants,

This has been a busy week for the Master Executive Council (MEC).  On Monday, the MEC met with the members of the Negotiating Committee to conduct a debrief on the failed Tentative Agreement vote.  Below is an update on upcoming activities related to negotiations.

Negotiations Survey

A new negotiations survey is in the beginning stages of being written and will be released within the next several weeks.  The survey will be open for approximately two weeks.

The results from the survey will be used by the Negotiating Committee to write the AFA opener for the second round of negotiations.  At this time, negotiations are tentatively expected to resume during the second week of May.  As we are still in the mediation process, all negotiations sessions will continue to be facilitated by National Mediation Board (NMB) Mediator Victoria Gray.

Negotiating Committee

After thorough discussion, it has been determined that all Negotiating Committee positions will be up for interview and consideration of candidates.  All qualified candidates who apply—including current Negotiating Committee members—will be considered.  Interviews for the three positions will be held in Seattle at the AFA MEC Office on April 17.

If you are interested in applying for a Negotiating Committee position, please send your expression of interest as well as a resume listing your qualifications to candidate@alaskamec.org.  After submitting your resume, you will be contacted to schedule an interview time on April 17.

The Evolution of the VOICE Committee

Your MEC is very excited to announce some forthcoming changes with the VOICE Committee.  VOICE, or Volunteer Organizers for Information, Communications, and Education, has been an integral part of communications between the Negotiating Committee and the Flight Attendants for the past several contract negotiations.  The committee was first organized at a time when information was not as readily accessible as it is today, and we depended on VOICE committee members to provide us with the latest updates on the progress of the Negotiating Committee through the information they shared.

Today, many of us use email, social media, and the Internet to stay connected to current news and updates in the negotiating process.  The original purpose of the VOICE Committee has essentially become obsolete.  The MEC is currently working with MEC VOICE Chairperson Adam Clarey and your Local VOICE Chairs to harness the power of our VOICE Committee in new ways that will demonstrate our solidarity and unity as we go back to the negotiating table.

More information about the evolution of the VOICE Committee will be coming soon once these changes have been finalized.  In the mean time, please ensure that you add info@alaskamec.org and negotiations@alaskamec.org to your address book or contacts to prevent AFA communications from being filtered out as spam.  If you are not already subscribed to AFA Alaska email updates, visit http://alaskamec.org/signup to subscribe.

In Solidarity,

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

 MEC 5BSS Logo

MEC Negotiations Update February 21, 2014: Five Bases Standing Strong!

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

You have spoken with a clear and unified vote: The Tentative Agreement (TA) was not sufficient and must be improved. An overwhelming majority of you voted to send a strong message to management that the offer did not measure up. The results from each base were nearly identical, so once again we prove that we are “Five Bases, One Voice.”

 

The Master Executive Council (MEC) and Negotiating Committee thank each and every one of you for your vote. Additional kudos to those who were able to make one of the 17 morning and afternoon roadshows around the system—34 sessions in all! You answered the call for a substantial turnout and your participation was commendable. Nearly 90% of you took part in determining our future! The result was unambiguous with approximately 30% “for” and 70% “against” the TA.

 

 

Voting Results by base below:

 

 

 

ALASKA 2014 TA Vote Count

 

 

 

 

 

Response Count              Voted %           Participated           Eligible      Participation %

 

SEA FOR 448                       28.32%                  1582                               1777                 89.03% 

 

AGAINST 1134                     71.68% 

 

 

 

ANC FOR 87                          34.66%                 251                                288                87.15%

 

AGAINST 164                         65.34%

 

 

 

PDX FOR 101                         29.62%                  341                                374                91.18%

 

AGAINST 240                       70.38%

 

 

 

LAX/SAN FOR 188              34.18%                  550                                661               90.02%

 

AGAINST 362                       65.82%

 

 

 

_______________________________________________

 

ALL FAs

 

FOR 824                                  30%

 

AGAINST1900                     70%

 

 

 

TOTAL VOTES 2724

 

 

 

We should not dwell on who voted “no,” and who voted “yes,” but rather we must advance unified. Now that the decision has been made, we all have a lot of hard work ahead of us. In the coming months, AFA will prepare to return to mediation under the direction of the National Mediation Board (NMB). In the near future you will be called upon to participate in activities which will demonstrate our resolve. When we go back to the table and management looks across the table, they must see all 3,200 of us sitting there in solidarity!

 

In the coming weeks, your AFA leadership and negotiators will take time to review the process, reassess bargaining objectives and communication strategy. We have already started that work with a MEC meeting that wrapped up yesterday. Your Local Executive Council (LEC) presidents have very much appreciated the emails and phone calls offering feedback and suggestions as we move forward through this process. The MEC will be meeting with the Negotiating Committee on March 3 to continue discussions and cement plans.

 

A new negotiations survey will be put out to the group in a few weeks. We are also exploring the use of professional pollsters in conjunction with the regular survey to ensure the most accurate result possible. It is critical that everybody take the time to complete the negotiations survey because this will be used as our guide for representing the objectives of the entire membership. In the meantime, we are asking Flight Attendants to not engage in discussions with management regarding individual bargaining objectives.

 

Through your vote you have spoken loud and clear, and AFA is committed to taking your message to the bargaining table! Together, we can show management we are “Five Bases Standing Strong!”

 

In Solidarity,

 

 

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

“Five Bases Standing Strong”

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – December 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, December 16, 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 Heather Reier (ANC), Melinda Jorge (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, December 11, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Conner Gallager (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

On Thursday, December 4, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work in representing our Flight Attendants and advocating for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Naomi Parcell (ANC), Ross DeJong (SEA), Todd Horn (PDX), Raymond Ramirez (SFO), Johanna Thomas (LAX pmAS), and Andrew Malone (SAN). MEC […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 10 – December 2025

The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met with management this week to continue bargaining sessions in Seattle, WA. Discussions focused on narrowing issues in Leaves of Absence, Association General, and reviewing vacation provisions as part of the joint contract process.

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