Base Blast 2013.03.16

Official Meeting Minutes

Official Meeting Minutes

Local Council Meeting
Alaska Airlines Council 39, Portland
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 – 12:30 to 3 PM
Vancouver Room, PDX Airport Conference Center, Portland, OR

Attending:
Cathy Gwynn, LEC President
Brian Palmer, LEC Vice President
Blair Kimball, MEC Inflight Service Committee Chairperson
Contesa Diaz-Nicolaidis, LEC EAP/Professional Standards Chairperson
Barb Moynier, MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Chairperson
Bob Moore, MEC Uniform Committee Chairperson
Michael Cruz
Liz Skayhan, PDX Inflight Base Manager (Announcements Portion Only)
Cheri Soule, PDX Inflight Supervisor (Announcements Portion Only)

 

I.         Call To Order – 12:32 PM

II.         Announcements

a.     Liz Skahan – Don Davies met with the port.  PDX remodeling.  Lower level expansion not happening. Possible moving upstairs for CSA/FA shared location possible before summer. Liz will keep us posted.

b.     2 Probationary FAs coming to PDX in March.

c.     How will San Diego effect the Portland base?  Only 1 FA on list to transfer now. Target of 350 FAs in PDX.

d.     Greenlight issues with RT program.  System down 2/6 and 2/7th

e.     Mexico (SJD) – Prohibited items.  Items not used for your job may be confiscated. Laptops, cameras, tennis racquets etc.  Laptops better but other items may be taken. Recent incident with a guitar being taken by customs.  F/A detained 1 hour.

III.         Call For Late Agenda Items – None

IV.         Officer’s Reports

a.     President

i.     Cathy – BOD coming up in ORD.

ii.     Most local FA issues resolved at ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) meeting.  ADR minute highlights.

b.     Vice President

i.     CWA Conference in PIT in April. BOD in ORD in February.

ii.     PDX is 3rd largest base.  Excited about growth.

V.         Committee Reports

a.     Air Safety, Health, & Security – Barb Moynier

i.     Flight 816 debrief took place. More information from incident forthcoming.

ii.     Write up If FFDO doesn’t identify self during briefing.  Use ASAP or go to Barb.  Brought to Same Page meeting with pilots.

b.     Benefits – Cathy Gywnn

i.     Leave OF Absence Handbook on the AFA Website. Questions, contact AFA Benefits Chair Ann LaRue.

ii.     LTD Insurance in effect 1/1/13. Part of “me too” clause with pilots.

c.     EAP/Professional Standards – Contessa Diaz-Nicolaidis

i.     Drug and alcohol abuse/treatments number one issue. Company pays for multiple treatment sessions at 80%.

ii.     FAADAP – Flight Attendant Alcohol And Drug Abatement Program is a program that operates separate from EAP.  Alaska has a zero tolerance policy. FAADAP works with FA independently and confidentially.

d.     Government Affairs – Cathy Gwynn

i.     Working on “Fix the Senate” campaign

e.     Grievance – Cathy Gwynn

i.     Ongoing grievance for calling in Sick Child without sick time in bank changed to ED with points

f.      Hotel – Cathy Gwynn

i.     We are working on changing hotels in PDX, SJD and BOS.  All bed bug write ups have been inspected by independent exterminators have come up negative.

ii.     Encourage all to use Crew Care with concerns

g.     Inflight Service – Blair Kimball

i.     Seattle’s Chocolate Test in FEB and MAR on flights out of Seattle.

ii.     900ER Galley issues have subsided.

iii.     Continue to work on juice quantities

iv.     Water on allowed in overhead bins on KOA and LIH flights and select BLI.  Approved 28ABC overheads only. Crews not to touch.

h.     Membership – Brian Palmer

i.     A few members not in good standing

i.      Reserve – Brian Palmer

i.     Continuing Understanding Reserve program.  Great response.  This months topic is Flying Into A Day Off.   Social media via Facebook. Next months is Can They Do That?

ii.     Two new probationary FAs in March.  Welcome them.

j.      Retirement

i.     No Report

k.     VOICE – Cathy Gwynn

i.     Voice report cards go out every month.  Communication has been great.

l.      Uniforms – Bob Moore

i.     New uniforms—27 vendors narrowed to Omega and Lands End.  Rebranding will play a piece in what is chosen ultimately.

m.   MEC Standing Committees

i.     No Reports

VI.         Old Business – None

VII.         New Business

a.     AFA Board of Directors Meeting Agenda Items

i.     No questions or concerns.  Link to agenda items for BOD on MEC Website.

ii.     Brian Palmer suggested that Cathy Gwynn vote in the best interest of the membership on all agenda items.

1.     So moved by C. Diaz-Nicolaidis

2.     Seconded by M. Cruz

3.     Motion carried

b.     Michael Cruz provided some background on his view of Grievance 36-99-2-6-12 currently in motion with Alaska Airlines regarding QX Date of Hire and travel/pass policies.  He is currently on the agenda at the upcoming BOD Meeting to discuss the information.

i.     M. Cruz moved that Council 39 support the withdrawal of the grievance.

ii.     Seconded by C. Diaz-Nicolaidis

iii.     Discussion

iv.     Motion carried

c.     Michael Cruz drafted a letter of support on behalf of AFA for supporting QX date of hire integration when transferring to AS.

i.     M. Cruz moved that letter of support be adopted

ii.     Cathy Gwynn noted something of this nature would need memberships support via vote.

iii.     Brian Palmer noted that this would be most properly formatted as a resolution.  Brian will work with Michael to rewrite as a resolution to be presented to MEC at BOD

iv.     M. Cruz withdrew motion

VIII.         Adjournment – 3:09 PM

Local Council Meeting

Mark your calendar for our next Local Council Meeting on Tuesday, January 29, 2013!  We will be meeting in the Vancouver Room at PDX Airport from 12:30 to 3 PM.  The Vancouver Room is located on the mezzanine level above the Oregon Market Food Court before security.  Take the stairs next to the clock tower and follow the signs.

Among the topics on to be discussed are:

·       AFA Board of Directors Meeting Agenda Items

·       Updates on Negotiations

·       Reports From Local Committees

If you would like to submit an advance agenda item, please email LEC President Cathy Gwynn at catgwynn@comcast.net no later than Tuesday, January 22 at 12:30 PM PST.

Local Council Meetings are a great opportunity to learn what’s going on within AFA, network with your elected leaders and other AFA members, and get involved in your union.  We hope to see you there!

New Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Member

We are very excited to welcome Sonja Stumpf to the Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASH&S) Committee in PDX!  Sonja has been an Alaska Flight Attendant since 1996 and worked at Horizon as an F/A prior.  She previously served as a Safety Committee Member at Horizon and has also worked with Alaska AFA as an EAP Member in the past.  Sonja’s passion for ensuring a safe experience for F/As, other coworkers, and passengers make her a great asset to AFA and our members!

Personally, Sonja is a single mom of 4 children and in her free time enjoys jumping on airplanes for fun, camping, reading, barbecuing, and spending time with family and friends.

Sonja will work closely with MEC/LEC ASH&S Committee Chairperson Barb Moynier in her new role.  You can find committee contact information for both Barb and Sonja on the Portland Page of the MEC Website at alaskamec.org.

Fix The Senate Now!

Call Your Senators Today and Urge Them To Support Senate Rules Reform

The current rules that govern the U.S. Senate are hurting our democracy.  In the past, our nation was able to move forward on landmark legislation that put in place workers’ rights, civil rights, retirement security for seniors, and much more.  But today, obscure tactics—like the “silent” filibuster—allow individual Senators to hold the nation’s work hostage while cutting backroom deals.  And the problem is getting worse.

Reforming the filibuster would raise the cost of obstructionism and ensure that the Senate can effectively address the issues that are key to America’s future.

Take Action Today

Call Your Senators: 1-877-782-8274

Urge them to stand up for real Senate rules reform and co-sponsor Senate Resolutions 4 and 6.

When your call is answered say: “I am calling to ask the Senator to stand up for real Senate rules reform and co-sponsor Senate Resolutions 4 and 6.”

We’re Here If You Need Us

Please never hesitate to call, email, or otherwise contact us if we can help you!  You can find our contact information on the PDX Page of the MEC Website at alaskamec.org.  Log in using your Arctic number as the username and “afa” as the password.

Cathy & Brian
Your LEC Officers