September Update

Never Forget – the events of 9/11/2001

Every year, AFA-CWA provides an Honor Guard to attend the ceremonies honoring the sacrifices of the Flight Attendants who lost their lives on 9/11. This year, former MEC Legislative Affairs Chair Bev Bullock was nominated and selected as an Honor Guard member, in recognition of her efforts to advance our legislative agenda to Never Forget.  Council #19 is proud to join AFA-CWA in recognizing her efforts and all she has done to honor our heroes.  We congratulate her on her much deserved selection as an Honor Guard member.

Retirement Committee Vacancy

Seattle currently has a vacancy on the Retirement Committee. If this is an area of interest or experience, please submit a Resume and Letter of Interest to Terry Taylor, terry.taylor@afaalaska.org, no later than end of business day 10/1/17. This is not a terribly “time consuming” committee, with two meetings per year, one in late November or early December, and one in May. Feel free to email Terry with any questions.

Open Enrollment

Open enrollment for 2018 benefits changes and additions is scheduled to take place October 23rd-November 13th. Look for information regarding base visits for assistance with the process as we get closer to the date.

Please Welcome New Members to the Inflight Service Committee!

We would like to welcome LeAnne Canton, Jerry Sinclair, Michelle Cooper, Rita Tillou, Libby Green, Antoine Smith-Rouse and Grace Dunning to the Inflight Service Committee! Thanks for volunteering!

Cornerstone Training and Crew Access

We are aware that there were significant difficulties for many flight attendants with the Cornerstone App and with completing the recent door training module. We have heard how frustrating many found this process. The ongoing issues with Crew Access are equally concerning. We are pleased that Jake Jones is returning to the MEC Scheduling Committee Chair position to assist the Scheduling Committee with gathering information and facilitating solutions.

Summer Activity

Seattle Council Representatives Megan Brown and Melinda Jorge have completed the second session of Officer Training. They were also able to attend the annual FADAP meeting in Baltimore at the end of August. Please feel free to contact them as well as your other Local Officers with any questions or concerns.

Having Problems?

Please use the AFA Alaska Online Support Center website (http://support.afaalaska.org) to file complaints, or to contact us for resolution of scheduling concerns. With over 2,200 Flight Attendants in the Seattle base, it’s more important than ever that we report, track and monitor all issues. If it is a scheduling related problem, please attach screenshots, and explain your situation thoroughly.This will ensure that we have sufficient information to research your concern. Your scheduling or reserve issues will automatically be forwarded to the appropriate committee for resolution.

Are You Connected?

Council #19 Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/AFA-Council-19-Seattle-538630496190284/

Council 19 Text Alerts:  https://www.remind.com/join/sea19

In Solidarity,

Your Council #19 Officers

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

SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS – 2017 ENROLLMENT

From August 21^st – 25^th, National Group Protection (NGP) will be in the crew lounge in Seattle to communicate the AFA supplemental benefit plans.  Please look for the NGP benefit counselors during the on-site enrollment to enroll or make changes to your existing coverage.  Note that you can enroll in any of the crew lounges, not just your base location.

• Accident Insurance
• Critical Illness Coverage (NEW PLAN!)
• Whole Life Insurance

We have enhanced the Critical Illness plan—lower rates and more covered illnesses.  Please take the time to sit down with a benefit counselor and review your options.  This is also an excellent time to make sure you have filed for your annual health screening benefits, which are part of the accident and critical illness benefit plans.

• Supplemental – these plans supplement any existing coverage
• Voluntary – members choose to participate
• Limited Underwriting – no medical or physical exams required
• Family Coverage – available with all of the plans
• Portable – members can continue coverage if they leave the company
• Payroll Deduction – premiums are paid through payroll deduction

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming enrollment, please contact National Group Protection (NGP) at 800-344-9016.

In Solidarity,

Your Council #19 Officers

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

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