Council #19

July 2019 Update 

Human Rights Committee

AFA-CWA has formed a new Committee. We are looking for a Seattle Local Committee Chair for the newly formed Human Rights Committee. 

We are particularly looking for those who have not previously been involved in AFA Committee work. Do you have a background, education or experience working in the areas of diversity, inclusiveness and human rights? Or are you passionate about these issues?

Training will be provided by the AFA-CWA International office, in Las Vegas, on September 24th and 25th, 2019. Topics will include bias and implicit bias in the workplace, as well as internal organizing and movement building. Additional training will also be provided on the Alaska level to support this new committee and our Local Chairs. 

If you are interested in volunteering, please submit a resume along with a letter explaining your interest  in participating, to adam.clarey@afaalaska.org, no later than August 15th. Interviews will be scheduled during the last two weeks of August. 

Attendance Issues

We have seen an uptick in attendance issues resulting in disciplinary action. Many options for managing illness and family member medical issues are available. If you have questions, please reach out to our Benefits Committee, or a local officer for assistance. BenefitsAssist@hotmail.com.

Crew Conflicts and Summer Stress

Flying this summer is fraught with overcrowded flights, cranky flyers, inadequate parking available, airport construction, and other problems. This is stressful for all of us. We all deal with stress in different ways. If you need assistance managing stress, we have resources available which are completely confidential. 

If you find yourself in a situation where it is difficult to work with someone, and unable to resolve the situation on your own, please reach out to EAP/Professional Standards.

Committees

Much of the work of our union is done by our Committee volunteers. If you need assistance, it is likely that there is a committee which specifically deals with your concern. A current list of committees can be found at: https://afaalaska.org/sea/committees.

Is Your Information Current?

Does AFA have all of your current up-to-date information? Keeping your information current is very important so you receive all of the most up-to-date information from AFA. The address you have on file with AFA is where your ballot will be mailed as well, during an election. Please update your information by clicking HERE.

Are You “In the Know?”

Do you receive all of Council #19s updates? Do you feel that you have the most up to date information? There are several tools at your disposal for keeping up to date.

Follow the Council #19 Facebook page by clicking HERE.

If you are a Reserve Flight Attendant, click HERE to follow the Reserve Facebook page (only current Seattle Reserve Flight Attendants will be approved).

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Our hearts go out to the crew and passengers on the Miami Air Military Charter that overran the runway at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and slid into St. John’s River. The crew evacuated the aircraft professionally and safely after the aircraft laid to rest in the water. No serious injuries have been reported and no loss of life. 

The 18-year old 737-800 was in route to Jacksonville from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and was bringing troops back from deployment. 

We realize these kind of events can be traumatic and encourage you to reach out to the AFA Alaska EAP  Committee if you need assistance. The EAP is a support service provided by Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants, their families, and partners. EAP peer representatives are trained to provide three distinct, but interrelated services that include assessment, support and referral services, professional standards, and critical incident response.

Please call 206.619.3032 or 949.470.0493 if you need assistance. 

In Solidarity, 

Council #19 

Petition: Our Rest is Law, Implement Now

Many of you saw the post from International, however this has been a hot topic that we receive questions about regularly so we wanted to do an additional post as well. Please read the below article from AFA International and complete the petition and tell your flying partners to complete it as well!

Thanks to the advocacy of thousands of Flight Attendants and our focused #FightFor10, we achieved 10 hours minimum rest in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, signed into law on October 5, 2018. But we have learned through multiple conversations with industry and regulators, Delta Air Lines has pushed the the Department of Transportation and the FAA to slow down implementation, and now all airlines are saying they will wait for instruction from FAA before complying with the law.
 
Sign this petition to demand DOT and FAA to immediately implement the law, and to encourage members of Congress to hold them accountable >

This is about our safety, health, equality, and following the law. fightfor10.org

In Solidarity,

Council #19

Council #19

May Base update

Pairings

We are well aware that many Seattle Flight Attendants are extremely unhappy with the pairings for May schedules. Some of you have included LEC Officers in emails sent to Inflight Management expressing your frustration. Management has responded to some of these emails, and they have indicated that they are looking into solutions. We hope that some much-needed improvements to the quality of Seattle pairings will be forthcoming. 

Base Safety Meeting

The semi-annual meeting was held on April 25th. Details of that meeting will be on the AFA website soon. 

Catering Update

In an effort to accommodate several different Airbus galley configurations, the ISC has been working tirelessly with management to implement catering and packing changes that will better and more safely provide us with the tools that we need to accomplish the prescribed levels of service. We recognize that all the changes are difficult to keep up with, but please know that an incredible amount of behind-the-scenes work by the ISC Committee is ongoing. The many catering irregularity reports that you have been submitting have been instrumental. Please continue to report catering issues via the Report It App. 

Hotels

Reporting hotel issues just got much easier! Use the new Crew Care icon on your IMD to report problems with hotels. If you arrive at a layover hotel, and are forced to wait to check in to your room, call Crew Scheduling to report that your room is not yet available. When you are finally provided a key, call them back to let them know. Please open a ticket at support.afaalaska.org, to document the issue, as well. Do you love a hotel? You can also provide positive feedback about the hotels you love and this information will also go to the Hotel Committee and they can use it when the hotel contract is up for review in that city!

Computer Based Training (CBT)

The current CBT (Cornerstone Training) is due by June 9th. If not completed by that date, the company intends to issue discipline. 

Council #19 LEC Base Meeting

We will be holding a Council #19 LEC Base meeting on June 20th from 1pm-4pm. More information on location will come in the near future, however we wanted to get the date out for June bidding purposes.  

Open Time Tentative Agreement

Everyone should have received information about the alternate Open Time Trading proposal. Polls open today, Thursday, May 2 at 9AM PST and close on Thursday, May 23 at 9AM PST. Once your ballot is cast, you may not change your vote. Both the Tentative Agreement and the videos of the Open Time Presentation will be available on the AFA website. More information can be found at: http://afaalaska.org/negotiations/ot-ta-2019.

New Flight Attendants

As most people have heard, Alaska has increased the hiring for 2019, by adding a 5th class. Currently, Class 2 is in training and will be graduating on May 7th. Classes 3 and 4 will be following shorty and online prior to summer, with class 5 starting in the fall. Please welcome these new Flight Attendants to our family when you see them out and about! Seattle does not currently anticipate receiving any of these new hires directly out of training, however many are hoping to transfer to Seattle soon!

Are You Up to Date? 

Does AFA have all of your current information? Have you moved recently? Did you know that changing your address in PeopleSoft with Alaska Airlines does not also change your address on file with AFA? With different elections happening around the system, its more important than ever to ensure that AFA has your current address, etc. To update your information in the AFA system, go to: https://www.afacwa.org/change_of_address.

Stay In “The Know”

Follow AFA Council #19 on Facebook by clicking HERE

Subscribe to our text messaging service by clicking HERE

In Solidarity, 

Terry, Jake, Adam, Melinda and Megan

Have You Taken the AFA Census?

It has been many years since AFA has updated our information. It is important moving forward that we have the most updated information when fighting for the issues that are important to us all. 

How many airlines have you worked for? How many hours do you fly on average? Do you commute to work? 

These are just some of the questions in the AFA 2019 Census. The Census is a project to better understand the demographic make up of our union, including your aspirations, needs, and preferences. We also want to know what areas of your community you may already be engaged in making a difference for you, your family, and the place where you live. All of this will help us build power together so we can continue to advance our Flight Attendant careers. 

This census will take no more than 15 minutes to complete. We  recognize that most people are already  overwhelmed  with the many emails we receive  in our already busy lives, but Council #19 believes this is extremely important to complete! Please CLICK HERE to take the census and partner with AFA to  better all of our careers and our position at the table!

In Solidarity, 

AFA Council #19 Officers and Representatives