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Council 39 March 2026 Update

In This Edition:

  • Board of Directors Convention Update
  • Council 39 Elections
  • MEC Town Hall Recap Available Now
  • ICE In Our Airports
  • 2025-2028 CBA Final Document
  • Social Media Policy

Board of Directors Convention Update

The 53rd AFA-CWA Board of Directors Convention was held in downtown Portland on March 9-11 this year. Delegates from all nineteen AFA-represented airlines attended, debating and voting on twelve advance agenda items.

The overarching message of the three-day event was clear: stronger together, better together. Guest speakers, including Claude Cummings Jr. (President, CWA), Richie Johnson (General Vice President of the Air Transport Territory, IAM), Nick Daniels (President, NATCA), Dustin Roach (President, Teamsters Local 135), Graham Trainor (President, Oregon AFL-CIO), and others, underscored the essential value of solidarity among labor movements across different sectors and the power of uniting workers nationwide to push back against the ever-growing imbalance of wealth and unchecked corporate greed which affect all of us.

Council 39 LEC Officers, Committee Chairs and members attend the 53rd Board of Directors Convention

Every year, our Union honors members whose outstanding contributions have advanced our mission, amplified member voices, and exemplified AFA’s core values. This year, the first day of the convention concluded with a celebration of these achievements—including recognition for four exceptional Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants.

EAP Lifetime Achievement Award: Melanie Buker, Council 15 (SAN)

Edith Lauterbach Merit Award: Beth Hayes, Council 47 (LAX/SEA pmHA)

Ada Brown Greenfield Lifetime Achievement Award: Terry Taylor, Council 19 (SEA pmAS) and Scott Henton, Council 43 (HNL)

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to these award winners and thank them for their unwavering dedication and service to Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants. For more details about these awards, please refer to Section I.M of the AFA Constitution and Bylaws.

Day two of the convention saw delegates and guests boarding buses and traveling from The Benson Hotel to Portland International Airport to participate in a Day of Action in support of our Alaska Air Group siblings at Horizon Air in their continued fight for a new contract.

In his role as Council 39 Local Executive Council President, Steve Maller represented the Portland base as a delegate. Steve exercised his 870 votes in several “roll-calls” on the floor of the convention. Roll-call voting, a process by which each delegate votes with the power of the number of members in good standing at their particular council, was called for several times at this year’s convention due to voice votes not delivering clear results. Some agenda items, particularly a last-minute amendment proposal to Agenda Item #1 from AFA United Council 11, became contentious issues for some delegates, splitting the vote and resulting in very spirited debate between delegates from different carriers. Keep an eye out for a personal message from Steve with his thoughts on the convention.

Seven of twelve total agenda items were adopted, all of which were amended prior to voting. Agenda Item #10 was a more complicated issue due to the number of members who were either removed or added to the eight different Continuing Committees. For more detailed information regarding how each adopted item was amended, check the AFA International website for updates coming soon. Below is a summary of the agenda items and the results of the voting:

Council 39 Elections

As reported in a previous communication, Council 39’s Local Officer Election process will be starting soon. More details can be found in the Elections Notice sent on March 12. For questions, please reach out to our LEC Officers here.

MEC Town Hall Recap Available Now

If you weren’t able to attend the recent MEC Town Hall held on March 3, the recording is now available. Click the link below to learn what our MEC has been up to, see the questions your fellow Flight Attendants asked and how the MEC Officers answered them.

MEC March 2026 Town Hall Recap

ICE In Our Airports

AFA International has created an online form that can be used to report concerns with ICE agents in airports including doing work they are not trained to do, such as screening passengers and baggage. If you choose to use it, your report will be de-identified before any issues are discussed with airlines or regulators. There may be a follow up call from an AFA Representative or AFA staff should there be a need to clarify any information.

Click here to watch AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson’s latest CNN interview where she calls for the immediate funding of paychecks for TSA officers.

ICE Incident/Concern Reporting Form

2025-2028 CBA Final Document

The finalized version of the 2025-2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has been sent for printing. If you would like a paper copy, information about pick up times and locations will be communicated soon.

You can find digital versions of the CBA, complete with hyperlinks and indexes of each section for ease of use, in the supplemental folder of Comply365 on your IMD as well as at the link below.

The MEC is awaiting management approval of the 2025-2028 CBA Reference Document so it can be published to the IMD. In the meantime, feel free to download a copy to your personal devices and/or keep it as an open tab on your browsers.

2025-2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement

Social Media Policy

It’s important to be mindful of the things we post and share online, especially during times when our industry is so much in the public eye. No matter how private, anonymous, secret or secure an online space feels, everything has the possibility of being traced back to you.

To avoid any situations that could lead to progressive steps of discipline, please be mindful of the company’s Social Media Policy. (“Our People Policies”, page 43, SSO required)

In Solidarity,

Steve, Krystle and Bethany

Council 39 Elections Notice

The Local Officer Election process for the Portland base is coming up soon. If you are interested in running for local office or know someone who would be a good candidate, please consider reviewing Article III (Local Councils and Local Executive Councils) and Article VIII.C (Local Council Officers and CWA Delegates) of the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws.

VIDEO: How Our Leaders Are Elected

Elections Timeline

April 1: Self-nomination opens

April 16: Self-nomination closes

April 30: Voting notices mailed

May 5: Polls open

May 19: Polls close at 11 AM PT/2 PM ET

Positions To Be Elected

LEC President

LEC Vice President

LEC Secretary

Terms of Office: July 1, 2026-June 30, 2029

New Process for Self-Nomination

During the 2024 AFA-CWA Board of Directors Convention, the BOD voted to change the LEC nomination process allowing all members to self-nominate for any of the LEC Officer positions with at least one endorsement of an active member in good standing. The Self-Nomination Guide provides more information about the process on how to ensure that your name will appear on the election ballot. Self-nominations will be accepted from April 1, 2026 through April 16, 2026.

Getting Your Ballot

Ballots will be mailed with an activation code and voting instructions. To ensure that you receive your ballot, please confirm that your mailing address is up-to-date in PeopleSoft. While all active members will receive a ballot, you must be in good standing in order to vote. This means you must not have a delinquent dues balance or you must have a payment plan with AFA Membership Services to pay your delinquent balance. Log in to the AFA Membership Hub to check your status and standing and other important dues information.

For more information, visit the AFA-CWA Elections website.

ARTICLE: Are You Eligible To Vote?

Council 39 February 2026 Update (February 26, 2026)

In This Edition:

  • Master Executive Council Town Hall
  • Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month)
  • Black History Month
  • Updated CBA Reference Documents

Master Executive Council Town Hall

Join us at an AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall on Tuesday, March 3. Get the latest AFA news and connect directly with our MEC Officers. Bring your questions! This is your chance to get answers directly from AFA Representatives.

  • Who: MEC President Tim Green, Vice President Brice McGee, and Secretary-Treasurer Paul Ikioka will share updates and answer questions live on Zoom
  • What: Updates and a live Q&A session
  • When: Tuesday, March 3, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM PT
  • Where: Zoom

The Town Hall will take place on Zoom, so you can join from home or while on a layover. Advance registration is required and ensures you get a Zoom link to join the meeting and event reminders. As with all AFA meeting and activities, the AFA mutual respect policy applies during the Town Hall.

When you register, use your personal email address. If you use an Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines email address, your registration will be canceled. Only Members in good standing can attend, and membership status will be verified before the event. If you’re unsure about your status, you can check anytime on the AFA Membership Hub.

After you register, you’ll get a unique Zoom joining link by email. This link is just for you and will only work on one device, so be sure to save it. Each person who wants to attend needs to register separately, since Zoom links can’t be shared.

More information about how to join a Zoom meeting, including system requirements, can be found on the Zoom support website.

You can use our online form to submit your questions before the event. This helps us focus the Town Hall on your concerns—whether it’s negotiations, contract issues, or anything else you want to hear more about.

Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month)

February is Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi or, in English, Hawaiian Language Month, a time to celebrate and uplift the Hawaiian language and the many ways it lives through our fellow Flight Attendants and our work. 

Black History Month From Your Council 39 Human Rights & Equity Committee

February is an important month not just for Black culture, but for everyone, as Black history touches everyone in the West. Historically, Black contributions have been taken for granted and even forgotten by many. With recent political pushes to erase measures that have been created to level the playing field for Black people to enter the workforce, gain an education, or hold positions of stature, it is more important than ever to highlight the relevance of Black History and the role Black people play in our society.

In aviation in particular, many know about the Tuskegee Airmen as an all Black fighter pilot wing serving in World War II. However, many are unaware of Ruth Carol Taylor, the first Black Flight Attendant in the United States. In her time, restrictions for Flight Attendants were extreme and discriminated against the majority of people based on many factors such as age, weight, and race. But Ruth still applied, knowing she could be of value having already studied as a nurse, as was also required in those days. TWA rejected her application based on her not meeting the airline’s “physical standards.” Later after more attention was drawn to this discrimination, as well as Ruth’s continued perseverance in applying to fly, Mohawk Airlines, a regional carrier in upstate New York hired Ruth, breaking down a racist barrier and making Black and American history. To learn more about this wonderful story, check out this article about Ruth and her life.

Expand your knowledge about the accomplishments of Black Americans, including those who have shaped the skies we fly, by exploring these additional resources:

Updated CBA Reference Documents

The 2025-2028 AFA Alaska Collective Bargaining Agreement Reference Documents PDF has been updated! This is a great quick-reference resource to answer various commonly asked questions regarding contactability, irregular operations, TFP requirements, and more.

The document includes a hyperlinked table of contents for ease of use. We recommend keeping it in an open tab on your phone’s browser or downloading the document for future reference. As always, any contract questions or issues can be answered by opening a ticket on AFA Alaska Support System or reaching out to the appropriate local committee member here.

2025-2028 CBA Reference Documents

In Solidarity,

Steve, Krystle and Bethany

AFA-CWA Board of Directors Convention

The 53rd AFA-CWA Board of Directors Convention will take place in downtown Portland on March 9-11, 2026. Your LEC officers are thrilled that our beautiful city was chosen to host this year from a list of several other major convention cities around the country.

  • DATES: March 9-11
  • TIME: Call To Order at 0900
  • LOCATION: The Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway, Portland, Oregon 97205

All members in good standing are invited and encouraged to attend one or more days of the BOD Convention as a guest. It’s a great opportunity to learn firsthand how your Union works to represent your interests locally and nationally. Here are some helpful links related to the Board of Directors, the convention, and AFA in general:

If you are interested in attending as a guest, registration is required. Please remember to bid around the dates you register for as trips will not be dropped in order for you to attend. You are welcome to register to attend any or all of the dates. As a reminder, Flight Attendants who are registered air commuters are not permitted to use D8Y status to fly in for the convention.

2026 BOD Convention Registration


AFA Alaska Council 39, in conjunction with AFA Horizon Council 17, will host a pre-BOD meeting on February 25 to discuss the BOD Convention agenda as well as local committee reports and updates.

  • DATE: February 25
  • TIME: 1100
  • LOCATION: Port of Portland Office Building

The AFA Membership Hub is your one-stop-shop to access all of your AFA account information. You can check your dues status, make payments toward past dues and view payment history. This is also the place to update your contact information, including phone numbers and preferred personal email, to make sure you’re staying up to date on important AFA communications.

Council 39 January 2026 Update (January 31, 2026)

In This Edition:

  • AFA Membership Hub
  • Employee Assistance Program/Professional Standards
  • AFA International Pre-Board of Directors Meeting
  • Committee Member Updates
  • Joint Contract Negotiations Update

AFA Membership Hub

If you are successfully receiving this email, it means that your contact information in the AFA Membership Hub is accurate and up to date. Thank you! However, many of our flying partners are not signed up to receive important communications from either Council 39, AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC, or both, and we need your help with getting the word out.

Please encourage everyone you fly with to log in to the Membership Hub and verify that their preferred personal email address is on file. Click here for a quick video showing how easy it is to do.

Employee Assistance Program/Professional Standards

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a support service provided by Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants. EAP Representatives are trained to provide three distinct but interrelated services that include assessment, support and referral services, professional standards and critical incident response. 

We encourage Flight Attendants to calmly and professionally address workplace conflicts with each other. Sometimes, it may be best to wait until you are on the ground on a layover or outside of work so that everyone involved has time to think things through.

While we encourage the resolution of any disagreement by trying to discuss the specific behavior or area of contention with the individual involved, we understand that there are situations where an objective ear can be beneficial. That is where EAP, specifically Professional Standards, can help. They can assist you in working out any difficulty and avoid “writing up” Flight Attendants or other employees, where both parties may then be subject to disciplinary action. When issues are taken to management to report a fellow Flight Attendant or other employee, the consequences can be severe for all parties involved and rarely turn out as we might anticipate. 

EAP Representatives, all of whom are Flight Attendants and committed to confidentiality, are trained to help you resolve issues with your coworkers when you need them. Our Council 39 EAP Chairperson, Contesa Diaz-Nicolaidis, is available here and you can find the full list of Council 39 EAP/Professional Standards Representatives here. 

AFA International Pre-Board of Directors Meeting

Council 39 will be hosting a joint meeting with Horizon AFA Council 17 on Wednesday, February 25 at 11 AM in the Port of Portland office building ahead of the 2026 AFA International Board of Directors Convention. Topics to be discussed include AFA International BOD agenda items, local committee recaps and reports. 

The 2026 AFA Board of Directors Convention is taking place in downtown Portland at The Benson Hotel on March 9-11. If you are interested in attending one or more of these days as a guest, registration is required. Please email our LEC officers by clicking here and bid accordingly. This is a great opportunity to observe how the Board of Directors works and what they do.

More information about the convention can be found here.

Committee Member Updates

We are pleased to announce Wendy Drake as a new addition to our Council 39 Benefits Committee. Wendy will serve as the Retirement Advisor.

Wendy began her career as a Flight Attendant in 1992 and has previously served on AFA Scheduling and Communications Committees. She holds a BA in Legal Studies from Chapman University in Orange, California. Wendy also spent time working in the financial sector with Bank of New York/Mellon, where she gained valuable insight into personal finance, her favorite subject matter.

Wendy is enthusiastic about helping fellow Flight Attendants prepare for retirement. In her personal life, she is engaged in caring for her elderly mother and learning to navigate Medicare.

Additionally, our Government Affairs Committee Chairperson, Colin Weaver, is stepping down from the position. We thank Colin for his service.

Our new Government Affairs Committee Chairperson is Manda Bednarczyk. Manda started flying for Alaska Airlines in 1999 and has been a proud member of the Portland base for 27 years. Living in southwest Portland, Manda is active in her community as a Girl Scout leader and volunteer at her children’s school. She views civic involvement as integral to a healthy society, and believes that active political engagement on a local and national level is imperative to sustain any democracy. 

As a previous member of the Government Affairs Committee, Manda was excited to return to the committee recently and is looking forward to a new position. She is eager to represent Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants, especially the Portland base, and our interests to our elected officials. 

If you are interested in helping Manda in her new position and joining the Government Affairs Committee, click here. You can find helpful information regarding the committee and their activities here.

Other new additions include Ty Kershaw (Grievance Committee), Lisa Lacaden (Benefits Committee/Workers Compensation Advisor) and Cesar Valencia (Benefits Committee/Kaiser Insurance Advisor). Keep an eye out for their bios in a future communication.  

Joint Contract Negotiations Update

Our JNC (Joint Negotiating Committee) met with management on January 27 to January 29 in Seattle; the next negotiation session is scheduled for February 24 to February 26. Our MEC Air Safety Health and Security Chairperson and Air Quality Representative, along with the AFA-CWA International Industrial Hygienist joined the JNC to speak to management about impacts of air quality on Flight Attendants.

Click here to read the full update from the JNC. 

In Solidarity,

Steve, Krystle and Bethany

Struggling With A Coworker? Consider AFA Professional Standards.

We all know flying can be demanding—long days, irregular hours, and fatigue are part of the job. It’s natural for tensions to rise. Before you head to management or vent on social media, consider Professional Standards. In this video, Ava McWilliams-Ellington, pre-merger Alaska LAX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Chairperson, shares how Professional Standards provides a confidential, […]

Crew Meal Survey Closing Soon

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants Our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) is committed to prioritizing your nutrition during the work day through our crew meal provisions. We are eager to hear your thoughts on which elements of crew meals are most meaningful to you, as we continue to advocate for […]

Council 43 (HNL) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 12 PM PT today for the election of Council 43 LEC Officers, representing Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants based in Honolulu. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Kela Chong IVLEC Vice President: Martin GusmanLEC Secretary: Soon Kim View the certified election results here >> These newly elected […]

Council 39 (PDX) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 11 AM PT today for the election of Council 39 LEC Officers, representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in Portland. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Krystle Shae BerryLEC Vice President: Melodie AnderesLEC Secretary: Kevin Sharp View the certified election results here >> These newly elected […]

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