Mobilization Committee

Ahnawake Kriese, Committee Chairperson 

Ahnawake recently celebrated her 26th anniversary with Alaska Airlines, 24 years of which have been in Portland. She’s married to PDX Captain Steve Kriese. They live in Lake Oswego with their two boys and the world’s sweetest yellow lab, Cooper.

Most of her free time over the last 10+ years has been spent volunteering at her boys’ schools in a variety of capacities…everything from classroom help to sitting on a superintendent advisory committee. However, most of her volunteer time has been putting her accounting degree to work as the elementary school parent club treasurer. Now that the boys have moved on to middle and high school, she wants to refocus on the flying family she loves.

Ahnawake is excited to serve as the Portland Mobilization Committee Chairperson. She believes it is vitally important to get accurate information to our Flight Attendants so that everyone can make informed decisions during contract negotiations. Ahnawake will work closely with our MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson, Justin Wetherell, and Council 39 LEC Officers to engage and mobilize our members throughout negotiations. She will attend training at the beginning of August with the other local chairpersons from each base.

Greg Barker, Committee Member

Greg joins the committee with just over 10 years of experience with Air Group. Starting his career in 2012 at Horizon Air as a Flight Attendant, he joined Alaska Airlines in 2014. Greg was based in Anchorage, then Seattle, before coming to Portland in August of 2015.

Greg is a native Oregonian having been raised in Dallas, Oregon, before moving to Portland in 2005, where he currently lives with his dog and best pal, George.

Greg is looking forward to working with our Flight Attendants and the negotiating committee, helping to keep everyone well-informed during negotiations. When he’s not flying, Greg enjoys exploring new places locally and abroad, slowly learning the harp, trying new restaurants and enjoying northwest wines. Greg loves all things summer…grilling, gardening and lazy river days. Recently he was on the Alaska Airlines dragon boat team, helping row to the team’s first, first-place win. Congratulations, Flying Dragons!

Russel Rivinius, Committee Member 

Russel started flying with Alaska Airlines in February of 2017. He was born and raised in Albany, Oregon, and attended Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.He previously worked as a bartender and server in Oregon’s wine country and has a passion for service. He hopes to use that passion on the Mobilization Committee by working to provide Flight Attendants with as much information and input as possible during negotiations. This is his first foray into Union work. 

Russel enjoys baking, getting outdoors and spending time at home with his partner, Fabio, and their cat, Moira. 

[ Note – We are looking for additional committee volunteers to help the base as we get closer to exchange of openers and negotiations. If you are interested, please email pdx@afaalaska.org]

You can read more about the Mobilization Committee here. 

Scheduling Committee

Cathy Scougale, Committee Member

Cathy started her Flight Attendant career in 1991 and was initially based in Seattle. In 1993 she was force-based up to Anchorage. When the Portland base opened, she transferred and has been based here ever since.

Over the years, Cathy has held several appointed positions and elected officer positions within AFA, notably Vice President and President for Council 39. She has also served on the Grievance Committee and Mobilization Committees during contract negotiations.

Cathy is looking forward to advocating for and assisting our Flight Attendants with scheduling concerns and pay claims, as well as working to ensure our contractual rights are maintained.

Cathy and her husband Bob live in Camas, WA, and enjoy traveling and spending time with family. Cathy’s two sons, Jace and Gage, are both in college and she is proud to share that they are both on the dean’s list.

[ Note – Chad Hilman, previously on the Scheduling Committee, has transitioned to the Communications Committee as a committee member to work on a special project. We thank him for his service on the committee and look forward to working with him in his new role.]

Please join us in welcoming our newest committee volunteers!

Negotiations Survey- Coming Soon!

Get Ready for Our Negotiations Survey—Update Your Contact Information Now!
In just a few months, our Negotiating Committee will be conducting a Negotiations Survey of all Flight Attendants. The survey results will be used to help our Negotiating Committee prepare our Opening Proposal.

When it’s ready to launch, the survey will be sent to all Flight Attendants using the contact information on file with AFA. If your contact information has recently changed, update it as soon as possible so you can receive your invitation to complete the survey. If you are using a company email address, please be sure to update it by clicking here. Over the next few weeks, we will be reaching out to anyone with a company email address on file to make sure a personal address is listed.

Read more about our Negotiations Survey here.

Quarterly Point Reduction Form Reminder

Per JCBA Section 32, you may fill out a Quarterly Point Reduction Form (QPRF) once per quarter to cover up to 10 consecutive calendar days of sick points. The form may be found on the Inflight page -> Administration -> Performance -> Quarterly Point Reduction. 

When filling out this form, be sure to double check that you are putting the first day of the sequence in the date box. If you put a day in the middle of a sequence, or the day before the sequence, management will deny the form, regardless of obvious intent. Keep an eye on your QPRF status – an email is NOT generated upon approval or denial. You can look at the status by going to the form and clicking “Quarterly Point Reduction Form lookup.” If you need help filling out the form, please review the help guide. Further questions may be directed to LEC officers.

As previously announced in last month’s update (published May 9, 2022,) interviews were recently held for multiple committee positions. We are pleased to announce the following local committee appointments.

Reserve Committee 

Marci Ashcraft, Committee Member

Marci was born and raised in Milwaukie, Oregon, and moved to Vancouver after she met and married her husband, Brian. Together they raised two children (Brodie, 24, and Maggie, 22.) Marci worked as a Judicial Clerk and Judicial Assistant for the State of Oregon in Multnomah County for almost 20 years, until her friend (an Alaska Flight Attendant) said “Come Fly With Me!” She decided it was a great time to make a career change and was hired in February of 2018.

Marci has a great love for Alaska Airlines and wants the best for our workgroup. Being on reserve herself for almost 4.5 years she has a great knowledge of the reserve section of the contract and looks forward to working with our Flight Attendants on the Reserve Committee.

Maranda Zytniowski, Committee Member

Maranda is married to her high school sweetheart and has two dogs and a cat. They just finished building their dream home in Kalama, Washington. Any free time she has is spent doing projects around the property or spending time with friends and family. Maranda has been flying for Alaska Airlines since 2018 and is excited to be a part of the Reserve Committee. 

Inflight Service Committee 

Carrieann McCracken, Committee Member

Carrieann has been flying since 2015. Prior to coming to Alaska Airlines, she graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in business and criminal justice. Her favorite layovers include Maui and Juneau where you’ll find her enjoying a local beer or cup of coffee. She loves hiking, surfing, camping, and watching sports. Carrieann is passionate about sustainability and the environment, and is excited to bring this energy to the committee.

Please join us in welcoming our newest committee volunteers and stay tuned for Part 2 of our committee appointment announcements coming soon!

Quarterly CBT due June 30th

The second quarter CBT is due. If you have not completed it, please take some time to do it now. Mutiple Flight Attendants are showing a “partially completed” or incomplete status and it must show as completed no later than June 30th. Please confirm your transcript on the Learn app shows completed and check company email for the completed email, which is auto-generated when the training has been completed. If you have any questions, please reach out to your local Inflight supervisor for assistance.

Irregular Operations Reference

The Scheduling Committee has put together an irregular operations quick reference. You can refer to this when you are experiencing a change to your scheduled flying. If you have used this resource in the past, please note it has recently been updated (10 hour rule, pre-cancellation flow chart and rainmaker.) This is a quick reference and a summary of contract provisions and there may be individual circumstances that differ. 

Irregular Operations . If you have further questions, feel free to reach out to our local Scheduling Committee Chairperson, Melodie Anderes , or open an osTicket. 

Fly Now, Grieve Later

Keep in mind there may be times when there will not be an opportunity to fully evaluate the legalities of a situation you encounter. You may need to fly the trip and open a ticket for review after the fact. Your local Scheduling Committee can help you through the resolution process if an issue cannot be resolved when it occurs.  

Contactability After Check-in

Flight Attendants are not required to maintain a mobile phone per the contract or company policy. However, we are required to provide a phone number (up to two) as a means of contact. The number(s) you provide will be used to reach you while on duty per the contract. Please be aware that there are contractual references for contact during ground time. 

If crew scheduling attempts contact during ground time, they must: Call your number(s) on file, utilize airport paging, and call the crew lounge. Failure to return crew scheduling’s call within five (5) minutes may subject you to attendance points/occurrences.   
Please see Section 8.Q Contactability, Section 32.C.1.e Attendance -No Show, Section 32.C.15.b Attendance -Unavailable for Contact for more information. 

Domestic Partner Audit 

Over the next few months, management will be reaching out formally to request proof of your government registered domestic partnership. The Employee Travel policy requires employees to obtain a registered domestic partnership certificate, or government registration of the domestic partnership, prior to enrolling them as an eligible traveler in the travel program.

For more information about required documentation, please see the travel subsite:

Eligible Travelers (alaskasworld.com)

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO August 25, 2017 

PDX AFA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Applications are Being Accepted for

Local Council 39 Portland Committee Positions

If you are interested in serving on a committee, please review the requirements below and email your committee letter of interest and resume to pdx@afaalaska.org by midnight on August 25, 2017.

Flight attendants must be current on dues and maintain their member in good standing status. Probationary flight attendants may volunteer; once they start paying union dues.

Committee Requirements 

• Regularly work 40+ TFP
• No intention of transferring from Portland in the near future.
• Considerable knowledge and adherence to Service Standards.
• Understand that this is a volunteer and not a paid position. There may be occasions for flight pay loss for meetings or projects.
• Professional in manner with Management and Flight Attendants.
• Adhere to committee policies, procedures, and standards of ethical conduct.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive and personal information.
• Be an advocate and support for all flight attendants.
• Ability to communicate by email, phone, and in-person with Flight Attendants and Alaska Management.
• Working knowledge of the Current Bargaining Agreement.
• Some positions require knowledge of scheduling, pay, work rules, and duties.
• Receive guidance from AFA Officers and Committee Chair.
• Commit to volunteering for a minimum of one year.
• Provide information promptly and meet occasional deadlines.
• Must sign a Willingness to Serve Commitment

Committee Descriptions

Air Safety Health Security http://afaalaska.org/ashsc

ASHSC acts in an advisory role to the LEC Officers on safety matters. Studies local air safety and health problems and prepares recommendations to the LEC Officers for consideration. The committee reviews and handles correspondence keeping the members informed of developments. You may be asked to attend management debriefings regarding safety related issues.

Benefits http://afaalaska.org/benefits#purpose

The Benefits Committee works to educate and provide assistance to in all matters involving benefits (including insurance, maternity, worker’s compensation, and leave of absence programs)

Employee Assistance http://afaalaska.org/eap

The EAP is a support service provided by Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants. EAP peer representatives are trained to provide three distinct, but interrelated, services that include assessment, support, and referral. The EAP also handles professional standards and critical incident response.

Government Affairs http://afaalaska.org/governmentaffairs

The Government Affairs Committee’s responsibility is to monitor and pursue legislative activities that relate to the AFA-CWA political agenda and to build positive relationships with candidates for office and elected officials regardless of party.

Grievance http://afaalaska.org/grievance

The Grievance Committee’s is responsible for the protection of Flight Attendants against arbitrary and unjust disciplinary action and the upholding of the collective bargaining agreement.

Hotel http://afaalaska.org/hotel

The Hotel Committee investigates complaints regarding hotels and transportation and periodically inspects layover hotels for any decline in quality. The committee surveys potential hotels and attempts to eliminate or avoid any possible problems.

Inflight Service http://afaalaska.org/inflightservice

The Inflight Service Committee represents Flight Attendant interests regarding catering and inflight service/sales and addresses complaints and concerns regarding catering and inflight service/sales.

Retirement http://afaalaska.org/retirement

The Retirement Committee assists members with questions regarding retirement, 401(k) plans, and other investment vehicles that may become available and keep members up-to-date and educated about these programs.

Scheduling http://afaalaska.org/scheduling

The Scheduling Committee assists Flight Attendants with concerns relating to pairings or scheduling including legalities.

Uniform http://afaalaska.org/uniform

The Uniform Committee is responsible for ensuring contract language compliance in the area of uniforms. The Committee represents Flight Attendant interests to management regarding design, fabric selection, and other details.

AFA Council 39 Information http://afaalaska.org/pdx

An applicant cannot be guaranteed an interview. Resumes and letters of interest will be screened for qualifications, and successful applicants will be invited to interview.