Negotiations News Archives

Dear Flight Attendants,

Your Negotiating Committee, along with transportation economist and AFA subject matter expert Dan Akins, will meet in Seattle this coming week (Dec 10^th– 12^th) for the sixth mediation session with Alaska Airlines management. Once again the session will be facilitated by federal mediator Victoria Gray with the National Mediation Board (NMB).

During our last mediation session in San Diego, much discussion (without much progress) was focused on pay guarantees for unproductive pairings (aka “rigs”). For example, the four (4) TFP minimum per duty period is the only rig we currently have in our contract. AFA is determined to improve the pay for unproductive pairings—such as those with long sits, long layovers without appropriate credit or low-time trips which span several calendar days. Unfortunately, management has been adamantly against expanding rigs—even with a longer duty day.

Not only do rigs guarantee a certain amount of pay for time on duty, rigs are also an “incentive” for management to build efficient and productive pairings. Once rigs are programmed into the pairing optimizer program, the system will attempt to improve efficiency by minimizing those unproductive factors in our schedules. No more wasting our time sitting in airports or hotels without pay; or if any of those unproductive factors remain, then we’ll get paid appropriately! There is no question Flight Attendants don’t mind working—but we want to be paid for all the time when we’re on the clock and away from our homes.

Since our last mediation session much research, study, and consideration has been given to rig potential by both management and AFA. Many thanks to mediator Gray for her efforts in making this happen! Consequently, certain parameters and constraints were agreed upon by both parties to create a comprehensive rigs analysis. This rig study entails having the pairing optimizer build sample pairings from several months from this year.

We anticipate much of this session will be focused on evaluating the sample pairings to determine the benefits and possible disadvantages of rigs from both AFA and management’s perspective. Plus, there’s always the issue of cost and how rigs might affect the overall package. (It always comes down to the money at this stage of the game!)

We’re hoping to have a productive week and that management will give their undivided attention to negotiations. Due to last-minute uncertainty with this session as a result of the rigs study, the parties were forced to change meeting plans. We were unable to lock in the downtown Seattle arrangements not knowing if the rigs study would be completed by the scheduled date and now everything is booked. So…we’re meeting at a less desirable location for focused effort—the Labor Rooms in the Alaska Airlines Flight Operations building. Thankfully, management has thrown ample resources at the study and we’re looking on track for Tuesday.

Since we are meeting on Company property, management could easily be distracted with attempts to multi-task at their regular jobs. So we call on their team to resist all distractions! Now that we are well past two years of actual negotiations (and eighteen months past the amendable date), we’re all anxious to put this struggle behind us! We also call on management to reward us with a far past-due contract which recognizes Flight Attendants’ professional contribution to the phenomenal success of Alaska Airlines!

In solidarity,

Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

December 5, 2013

Dear Flight Attendants,

In the upcoming days some of you will be contacted by one of your local AFA officers, or a VOICE or other AFA committee member. We are conducting a brief phone survey with very specific questions to better facilitate representing you at the table during our upcoming mediation session next week. Due to the time constraints, we will be sampling Flight Attendants from all seniority levels at every base.

The results of the survey will facilitate a more focused and accurate approach as your negotiators work with offers on the table that continue to move into areas not addressed in the initial 2011 negotiations survey.

Due to the high volume of calls and limited time frame, we request that any questions to the survey takers be kept to a minimum. If you are called, please answer the questions as concisely as possible. This will allow your leadership and volunteers to contact as many Flight Attendants as possible for a fair and comprehensive poll of our Membership.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow; and

Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

Dear Flight Attendants,

Let’s talk about frustration. The Master Executive Council (MEC) is very much aware that you’re frustrated with negotiations. Believe us, the leadership is frustrated, the Negotiating Committee is frustrated…we’re all feeling it. In one week we will have been negotiating for two full years and we’re all beyond ready to have a new contract. Unfortunately, we can’t reach a tentative agreement (TA) until management makes more movement towards our position on several key issues.

This past week the MEC met with CEO Brad Tilden, COO Ben Minicucchi, VP Labor Relations Shane Tackett and VP Inflight Services Andy Schneider. During that meeting AFA leadership made it very clear to management of the importance a 10 ½ hour duty day and pay guarantees (rigs) are to the Membership. Management was naturally somewhat surprised to still be talking about rigs because the Negotiating Committee withdrew rigs (out of frustration) at the end of last session. The MEC expressed AFA’s desire to continue discussions on rigs but this time with AFA input into the vetting process. This would include full access to the pairing optimizer and selection of parameters, pairing months and costing data.

The parties engaged in an open and honest dialogue but did not walk away with firm commitments on either side. AFA left management with a challenge: to view rigs as just another line item with a defined cost rather than continuing to be “philosophically opposed” to these important pay guarantees. It seemed like a lot of talk without concrete results, but we’ll see.

So where to go from here? We keep on keeping on of course! And, as we have been saying, it’s time to turn up the heat! Please mark your calendars for a day of solidarity actions at strategic Flight Attendant domicile airports throughout the system on Thursday, December 19, 2013. More information regarding planned picketing on this day to follow. We will also be asking Seattle Flight Attendants or Flight Attendants on a Seattle layover to participate in a respectful showing of support for the Negotiating Committee on Tuesday, December 10th; this event will be in conjunction with the first day of mediation in Seattle.

Finally, there are troubling rumors on the line about Flight Attendants planning their own unsanctioned solidarity actions in the coming weeks. We absolutely can’t go there and here’s why: AFA and Alaska are currently engaged in contract negotiations under the Railway Labor Act (RLA). While in negotiations neither party can legally engage in any concerted activity—the Union cannot strike or engage in job actions, and management cannot unilaterally change the existing collective bargaining agreement. Individual Flight Attendants who engage in concerted activity will almost certainly be subject to potential discipline up to and including termination of employment. It’s just not worth it!

AFA is committed to the process under Section 6 of the RLA and by law cannot support, encourage or condone any job action by its members while we are in negotiations. If the parties cannot reach agreement on a new contract, AFA will use all available legal means—up to and including CHAOS™—to leverage its members’ solidarity into seeking the best agreement in the airline industry. But that time has not yet arrived.

Until then, AFA asks that you vent your frustrations by attending the events on December 10th and/or 19th if possible. Sign up for participation by filling in the easy form located here: http://alaskamec.org/solidarity-signup. (It’s unnecessary to sign up again if you have recently contacted your LEC president regarding solidarity opportunities.)

Additional questions or concerns? Go here: http://alaskamec.org/contact-us/.

In solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

Dear Flight Attendants,

To say that this week was frustrating and disappointing is an understatement. We came to this fifth mediation session in San Diego with the intent of working hard and getting very close on the remaining short list of items now on the bargaining table.

In an effort to secure industry-leading trip and duty rigs, we proposed a limited application of a duty day of up to 12 ½ hours and not to exceed 25% of pairings at each domicile. #shutthefrontdoor! #saywhaaat?! #whosesideareyouonanyway?! (#dontworrycuzitsoffthetable!)

The Negotiating Committee knows there are many strong feelings about increasing the duty day and this was a very difficult position for your committee to even consider. Rest assured that we would have never gone there unless we were confident the overall package would have strongly benefited from this move and we could address the implications of a longer day.

We can’t disclose exact numbers but here are some facts to consider. According to survey results, some Flight Attendants might be willing to fly an extended duty day under very specific circumstances if there were guarantees that the pairings would be extremely productive. However, the vast majority of Flight Attendants are adamantly opposed to a longer duty day under any circumstances. At the same time, all Flight Attendants are interested in the efficiencies guaranteed by rigs. This move was a calculated effort to achieve all objectives as much as possible.

Of course management was interested in the longer duty day and asked for some time to do analysis through the pairing optimizer. We agreed.

Initially, management reportedly ran the analysis without their or our proposed rigs and with no 25% cap on pairings over 10 ½ duty hours. Unsurprisingly, management said the results were inconclusive and unhelpful in figuring out the effect of any of the rigs or duty days. We spent the entire session waiting for additional results. It was a creeping delay that tied us to our caucus room. Two hours dragged into four then into six then overnight…….it turned into another one of management’s “productivity sits.” (Note to Negotiating Committee: don’t forget to submit for stranded pay!)

We did have discussions with management’s team regarding rigs and it quickly became apparent that management was entertaining below industry-standard rigs. Duty and trip rigs in the industry are based on hourly pay (“block hours”), except for Southwest Airlines’ TFP rigs. We proposed rigs based on TFP, but management refused to consider our intended application which recognized that there is an average of 1.13 TFP in every block hour.

In order to make a fair conversion to a TFP environment, a conversion factor (1.13) must be applied. In our caucus-room discussions, management refused to convert the hourly rate to TFP for the trip and duty rigs. This resulted in below standard rigs. We went through many examples and in the end, management’s team said they understood; however, they were firm in their position—even though their application resulted in a 13% reduction in the rig compared to industry standard.

Our frustration mounted over the week and it became obvious that management would only consider mediocre rigs and was looking for more than 25% of pairings to contain duty days in excess of 10 ½ hours. This was a deal that we did not want to pursue.

Therefore, we have taken the duty day in excess of 10 ½ hours off the table and gone back to book on that provision. Know that management is adamantly opposed to any type of duty or trip rig on a 10 ½ hour duty day restriction; however, your committee is still actively looking into solutions to reduce long sit time, inefficient pairings and long layovers with no pay.

As we mentioned in the last update, for those of you interested in ratcheting up the heat, contact your LEC president regarding volunteer opportunities.

Council 30 ANC: Melanie Buker – melanie.buker@gmail.com

Council 19 SEA: Laura Masserant – lmasserant@yahoo.com

Council 39 PDX: Cathy Gwynn – catgwynn@comcast.net

Council 18 LAX/SAN: Sandra Morrow – sleemorrow@verizon.net

We have our sixth mediation session in Seattle, WA, December 10^th -12^th.

In solidarity,

Your AFA Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters, Jake Jones and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

negotiations@alaskamec.org

https://www.facebook.com/alaskaairlines.negotiations

http://www.youtube.com/user/AFAALANegotiations

“Five Bases, One Voice”

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