Rally at SeaTac Airport – February 16, 2019

NO MORE SHUTDOWNS!!!!

We will be holding a rally at the Flag Pavilion off of International Blvd, just in front of the terminal parking entrance (across the street from the Radisson Hotel) on Saturday February 16th, from 2PM – 4PM. 

We will be joined by representatives from the Martin Luther King Labor Council, AFGE and other Labor Groups. Alaska Airlines management supports our push to end government shutdowns, and has approved wearing uniforms to picket. Red t-shirts or street clothes are also acceptable, but uniforms are preferred. 

Hope to see you there!!!

In Solidarity, 

Your Council #19 Officers and Government Affairs Committee

Council #19 Leafleting

February 13 & 14 at SeaTac

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!

We will be leafleting from 11AM – 4PM on February 13th and 6AM – 9AM/1PM – 4PM on February 14th. 

Alaska AirGroup supports our actions to stop the shutdown. You may wear your uniform, red t-shirts or street clothes (however uniforms are preferred!). 

We need to make certain that the public and our co-workers understand the serious effects of a government shutdown on aviation safety. 

There is a real threat of continuing the shutdown to day 36. Federal workers were already stretched  to a breaking point and may have not received the pay the are due from the 35 day shutdown and programs have not started again. The system will be in crisis if we go to day 36 and it may not be able to recover quickly. 

White House Chief of Staff Mulvaney said on Meet the Press that we “absolutely cannot” rule out another shutdown. The Washington Post and others report talks are stalled, and Reuters reports that Congressional negotiators don’t even have meetings scheduled for the coming week. 

It is critical that we take action. This is about our safety, our security, and our jobs. To get the full briefing, there is a webcast tomorrow at 2PM PST. Click Here to register for the webcast. 

We all need to understand two things:

1. Our lives are on the line
2. Our jobs are on the line

If we show how fiercely we are willing to stand up for our lives and our jobs, that translates to real power for fixing all the other issues plaguing us in our individual airlines. 

Please reach out to Bev Bullock at blk.bullock@gmail.com if you can participate, even for a short time. 

Council #19 – Seattle

February Update

AFA Council #19 will be joining industry-wide work groups in calling for an end to using government workers, upon whom we and the traveling public depend for our safety, as pawns in political debates. We will be conducting leafleting during the week of February 11th – 15th at SeaTac. 

If you can spare a bit of time next week, please contact Bev Bullock at blkbullock@gmail.com. We would prefer that you leaflet in uniform, if possible. 

AFA-CWA is scheduling a webcast for members on Monday, February 11th at 5PM EST to explain the dangers of a continued government shutdown. Further information will be sent out soon!!

Why are we doing this? 

The longest running government shutdown in history has ended, at least temporarily. Workers who were deemed ‘essential’ by their agencies were forced to come back to work without pay for 35 days. The end of that shutdown was only temporary, however. It is important to note that not all furloughed employees have been paid yet!

AFA has been crucial in calling for an end to this dangerous gambit. Industry leaders, including our Alaska Air Group management and leaders from other airlines have called for an end to the practice. 

TSA agents were working without pay, and at one point, KCM in Seattle was closed. Air Traffic Control nation-wide is currently 30% below optimum staffing levels. Nationwide, 20% of the Controllers are approaching mandatory retirement age at 56. In New York, 40% are nearing retirement. It takes 3-5 years to fully train these workers, upon whom we rely for our safety. 

Runway incursion mitigation studies and remediation have stopped, as has the Next Gen upgrading of our nationwide systems, which is designed to improve our safety. Restarting both of these essential programs is very time consuming. Some of the contractors involved have not yet been paid, and it is uncertain when and if they WILL be. 

The FAA Reauthorization bill which contained our minimum irreducible 10-hour rest has not been implemented, and it is unclear when that will take place. In addition, operations into Paine Field have been delayed until March 4, 2019. 

These are just a few of the impacts on our Safety. This simply cannot occur again. 

Rescheduled Joint Local Council Meeting:

Due to the predicted snow storm that is supposed to begin this weekend, which is predicted to be worse than the one this week, we felt it was in our best interest to postpone the meeting. 

We have rescheduled the meeting, to March 15th, from 11:30AM – 2:30PM. It will be in the Earhart Room on the LP (Lower Plaza) level, South Tower of the SeaTac Office Tower (the same building as 13 Coins. Free parking is available in front of the building, or we can validate your parking ticket if you park in the rear. 

This will be a joint council meeting, with Compass and Horizon Airlines joining us. This is the annual pre-Board of Directors meeting. This year is a one-day meeting, and the agenda will consist solely of the AFA-CWA Annual Budget. 

Bidding opened today. As a reminder, if you want to attend the Council #19 base meeting, you will want to bid for the time off!

Date: March 11th

Time: 1pm-4pm

Location: SeaTac Towers Office Complex, 18000 International Blvd. (same tower as 13 Coins across from airport); LP Level, Earhart Room

Parking: Free out front for up to 3 hours, no ticket required. If you park behind the building it is still free, take a ticket and bring it with you to the meeting for validation. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

In Solidarity, 

Terry, Jake, Adam, Melinda and Megan