Click the link below to view the September EAP Newsletter.

EAP Newsletter: September 2017

August Activities

Council #19 President Terry Taylor and Secretary-Treasurer Adam Clarey are attending the CWA Convention in Pittsburgh, August 6-9.  Council Representatives Megan Brown and Melinda Jorge, along with newly elected Portland officers, will be attending the final session of AFA New Officer training this month.  Later this month, they will also be joining many local EAP Representatives at the annual  FADAP Conference.  For more information regarding FADAP, see https://www.fadap.org/.

Showing our Unity for our Fellow Airline Family Members

On August 4^th, Council #19 Officers and members joined Alaska and Virgin Pilots, at a Unity Rally in support of their ongoing contract arbitration.  It was great to see many AFA members in line!

Mesa Flight Attendants are still bargaining for a better contract and will be returning to the bargaining table August 14-16. AFA is asking for every AFA Local Council to leaflet August 7-11 in a huge push to support Mesa bargaining.

We are asking for volunteers to help distribute leaflets  to raise awareness of the problems Mesa Flight Attendants have been facing. Mesa operates many regional flights for United and America Airlines. Mesa Flight Attendants are some of the lowest paid in the industry.  Many are being paid close to the Federal minimum wage.

Mesa Pilots have ratified their agreement. Now it is time for Mesa Flight Attendants!

Show some AFA solidarity!

When: August 11th

Where: SeaTac Sky Bridges 1,2,3,5,6

Time: 5-9am and 4:30-8:30pm

Text or call: Kris Mason, 626/260-0497; or email Megan.Brown@afaalaska.org or Melinda.Jorge@afaalaska.org if you are available to support our Mesa Flight Attendants

Changes to DOT Drug Testing Protocols

As a reminder, several synthetic opioids that are fairly commonly prescribed are being added to the DOT Drug Testing Protocols sometime after October 2017.   If you are taking these prescribed medications, , please contact a local EAP Committee member for additional information and resources about these upcoming changes. The following will be added to the testing panel:

• Hydrocodone (example: Vicodin, Lortab, Maxidone, Norco, Sydone)
• Hydromorphone (example: Diluadid, Exalgo, Hydromorph Contin, Palladone)
• Oxycodone (example: Percocet, Percodan, OxyContin, Roxicodone, Endocet, Xtampza, OxyIR)
• Oxymorphone (example: Opana, Numorphan)

New Committee Members

The Council #19 Safety Health and Security Committee welcomes returning Committee Member David Lake, who will be rejoining the committee on September 1.  His prior experience as a Local and MEC Committee member will be a valuable addition.

We would also like to welcome Jay Styger to the Council #19 Government Affairs Committee.  Jay’s interest in local and national issues will make him a great asset to the committee.

Are you EXHAUSTED???? Help us do something about it!

We work in a heavily regulated industry.   As a Flight Attendant, almost every aspect of our daily work lives are dictated by federal laws.  Our elected representatives often don’t realize the extent to which these laws impact Flight Attendants.  For example, how little “rest” we actually receive when rest is reduced to the CFR minimum of 8 hours, which typically follows an extended duty period.  On August 10, we are asking our members to take action to ‘tweet’ our representatives to support a ten hour minimum overnight rest period.  Click below to see how easy it will be to share your voice.

http://www.afacwa.org/take_action_storm_the_airwaves_on_8_10

Scheduling, Reserve and JCA (CrewAccess) Issues

Are you experiencing any issues with JCA (CrewAccess)? Having schedule or reserve issues? The fastest way to get these issues resolved is to report it on the AFA Support website: http://support.afaalaska.org.

Please fill out the form completey so we can fully resarch your concerns and assist you. Screen shots and as much information as you can provide is very helpul!

AFA Alaska Information at your Fingertips!!

Are you getting the most up to date information from AFA Alaska? There are lots of ways to stay in the loop!

Make sure to “like” us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AFA-Council-19-Seattle-538630496190284/

Subscribe to Council 19 text messages: https://www.remind.com/join/sea19

In Solidarity,

Your Council #19 Officers

Terry Taylor, Jake Jones, Adam Clarey, Megan Brown & Melinda Jorge

Seattle Summer News

First, on behalf of all the Seattle Council 19 Officers, thank you for your support during the election process. For those of you who are new to the base, your local officers are:

President: Terry Taylor – terry.taylor@afaalaska.org

Vice President: Jake Jones – jake.jones@afaalaska.org

Secretary/Treasurer: Adam Clarey – adam.clarey@afaalaska.org

Council Rep: Melinda Jorge – melinda.jorge@afaalaska.org

Council Rep: Megan Brown – megan.brown@afaalaska.org

Please reach out to any of the officers if you have questions or concerns.

Have you heard of osTicket? 

AFA Alaska recently implemented a new ticketing system to report issues. When you have a contractual or scheduling concern, the system enables you to log in and electronically file your concern. It will be routed to the correct person who will reach out to you. By utilizing this system, it allows AFA to track issues in each base. It is quick and easy to use. Visit http://support.afaalaska.org.

What have we been doing?

Council Representatives Melinda Jorge and Megan Brown attended the first session of the two-part New Officer training held in Washington, DC. They are both scheduled for the upcoming second session to complete their training.

Melinda will be attending a Martin Luther King County Labor Council meeting as a representative for the Seattle base. It is very important that we remain connected to and supportive of our fellow labor leaders. Adam Clary and Terry Taylor will be attending the CWA convention in August.

On July 14th, LEC Committee Chairs met with Council #19 Officers to discuss their needs and to review recent committee activity. We have decided to meet quarterly. In addition, we will be highlighting one committee each month via newsletter, so all Council 19 members are familiar with the Committee’s functions and with the Flight Attendants who participate in each committee.

Do you want to get involved? 

Jarod McNeill is our Seattle Communications Chairperson. He has sent out information regarding Committees who could use additional members. If you are interested in joining an AFA Committee, look for the email blast sent last week. You can also find the information on the Council 19 Facebook page. We are currently looking for members to join the Inflight Service Committee, Reserve Committee and the Air Safety, Health & Security Committee.

New Flight Attendants to Seattle!

We currently have an Initial Flight Attendant class in session, and all of them will be coming to Seattle. There are a few company people enrolled in the class as well, however the number coming to Seattle should be around 88!

CrewAccess (JCA)

We are aware that JCA issues are on everyone’s mind (both line-holders and reserves). There have been many glitches including the inability to self-assign certain length trips for reserves; inaccurate trip credit, sit time and sick leave credit disappearing from rosters, etc. We have been told that the payroll side of JCA is still accurately tracking sit time, although the monthly totals and pairing sit times are now inaccurate. Believe us when we say that we share your frustration.

Your AFA Officers, Grievance Representatives, Reserve Committee and Scheduling Committee are working hard with Management to get fixes in place.

Be in the Know!

There are many ways to keep up to date with Council 19 news:

• Council 19 email blasts and newsletters
• Council 19 text alert system (direct to your phone). Register at: https://www.remind.com/join/sea19
• Council 19 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AFA-Council-19-Seattle-538630496190284/
• AFA Alaska Website: www.afaalaska.org/sea

Please remember, if you have an issue, go directly to the new osTicket reporting system at http://support.afaalaska.org to contact us. It is the fastest way to report your issue to an officer or committee member. As always, if you have specific questions, you can reach out to anyone via email.

In Solidarity,

AFA-CWA Council 19

Terry Taylor, Jake Jones, Adam Clarey, Megan Brown & Melinda Jorge

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

As the Seattle base continues to grow to almost 2,200 Flight Attendants, Council 19 will be adding members to a few of our Local Committees.

If you are interested in getting involved and volunteering your time, please review the information below and reach out to the committee contact to express your interest.

All applicants must be current dues paying members & in good standing (you can still be on probation, however you must have started paying union dues, which normally starts after your 4th full month flying).

Please review the committee member requirements below, and send your letter of interest along with resume to the specific contact person listed.

Inflight Service Committee (ISC)

• Regular worked TFP of 40+
• No intention of transferring from the Seattle base in the near future.
• Must have a good knowledge of Service Standards, and follow them.
• Must be willing to volunteer. There may be an opportunity to be compensated for some committee work throughout the year (meetings and special projects).
• Willingness to attend the the first available Alaska AFA “Committee 101” training after joining the committee.

If interested in the ISC committee, please send your letter of interest, resume and a basic overview of the type of flying your normally bid (turns, 2 days, what position, reserve, etc)  to Ross Dejong: rdj9002@gmail.com.

Reserve Committee

• Must possess a knowledge of Section 11 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement
• Ability to work with Crew Scheduling Management in a professional manner.
• Willingness to monitor and answer questions on the Seattle Reserve Facebook page.
• Willingness to be assigned new hire flight attendants as “buddies” to help mentor through the probationary and reserve process.
• No intention of transferring from the Seattle base in the near future.
• Must be willing to volunteer. There may be an opportunity to be compensated for some committee work throughout the year (meetings, new hire orientations and special projects).
• Willingness to attend the first available Alaska AFA “Committee 101” training after joining the committee.

If interested in the Reserve committee, please send your letter of interest & resume to Antoine Rouse: antoine.rouse@afaalaska.org.

Air Safety, Health & Security (ASHSC)

• Willingness to attend ASHSC training sessions.
• Adherence to committee policies, procedures and standards of ethical conduct.
• Willingness to do ongoing committee work on a volunteer basis.
• Attend Seattle base meetings with Inflight Management and Flight Attendants from the Seattle base two times annually.
• Willingness and ability to attend safety meetings and/or workshops as requested.
• Ability to work closely with Alaska Management.
• No intention of transferring from the Seattle base in the near future.

If interested in the Air Safety, Health & Security committee, please send your letter of interest & resume to Sue Lee: susan.lee@afaalaska.org.

If you have any additional questions about the position, please reach out directly to the committee contact listed.

All letters of interest and resumes need to be received by 5:00 PM (PST) on July 31st.

In Solidarity,

Council 19