Happy New Year Council 19 Members!

Your officers hope that you enjoyed your holiday and that you are looking forward to an amazing 2017!

First of all, the NO JA PLEDGE worked well~ even extending to December 31, 2016. We are pleased that everyone was able to enjoy the holiday without the added stress of JA’ing.

For those of you who worked over the holiday we hope that you enjoyed this special time with your crew. We are truly a family at Alaska and when we can’t be home we do experience the joy of celebrating holidays, birthdays, and special events in our lives with our Alaska family.

ISC LEC Chair Announcement

As of December 31, 2016, Linda Christou stepped down as the Seattle ISC Chair due to her new role as the MEC Secretary-Treasurer. For many years Linda has fought hard to bring awareness to catering issues. She has been a one-women force to be reckoned with in the catering division and we all need to thank her for her undying dedication and desire to make our jobs a little easier during service.

Thank you Linda!

Council 19 Officers are pleased to announce that Ross DeJong is the new ISC LEC Chair. Ross is a 26-year Flight Attendant with culinary experience. We are very excited to have Ross as the ISC Chair and bring his unique experience to the role.

Welcome Ross!

Reserve Committee Addition

Please take a minute to welcome Antoine Rouse to the Reserve Committee! Antoine has been a vocal advocate for the Seattle reserves on the Council 19 Reserve Facebook page, even though he recently passed probation. Antoine has, in a small amount of time, mastered Section 11 of the CBA and is a strong voice for the Seattle Reserves. We are pleased to have him on the committee and look forward to his work with AFA.

Welcome Antoine!!!

Help with filing Activity Claim Forms

The past few weeks has seen a huge amount of delays, irregular ops, cancellations, etc., due to weather. MEC Scheduling Chair, Jake Jones, has done an exceptional job following up with the crews when flights are: Over 120 minutes delayed, tarmac delays over 60 minutes, over 14 hrs duty day, stranded overnights, and diversions. As the LEC President, I am cc’d in on every email sent to affected crews. On one day alone I received over 100 emails with follow up information on impacted crews. In his contact emails, Jake also includes an Irregular Ops handout. This form can be found on the Council 19 page at: https://afaalaska.org/sea/irregular-ops-informational-handout

However, it became clear to us that many of you don’t even know where to find the Activity Claim Form (ACF).

To access the form go to the Flight Attendant webpage, go to administration, click on pay and benefits, select activity claim form.

Your Seattle Scheduling committee chairs and officers do their best to help unscramble the web of pay when it comes to cancellations, pay protection, stranded pay, and delays, to name a few. It’s not always an easy puzzle to put together. It’s important that you file your ACF and keep track of it. Let us know if you believe there was an error on your form and we can follow up with payroll.

If you have any questions with your schedule, pairings, or pay you can contact your Seattle scheduling chairs at sea.scheduling@afaalaska.org

CourseMill Recurrent Training App

The MEC is working hard to have management correct the issues with the 2017 RT homestudy module. If you are having problems downloading the modules please know that you have resources available to assist. This is not an easy fix and will take time to download the troubleshoot. Please let your LEC President know if you are experiencing issues.

In the meantime, please email and/or call inflight Training management or the Mobile Help Desk to get your CourseMill app working.

Lisa.McCarroll@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6251

Jennifer.Sovey@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6491

Amanda.Westendorf@alaskaair.com or 253-569-6977

Psalm.Terry@alaskaair.com

Ranjita.Prasad@alaskaair.com

Mobile Help Desk: 1-877-238-1077, option 4 or support@enterprisemobile.com.

For a complete listing of the Council 19 Officers and Committee members please click the following link:

 https://afaalaska.org/sea/committees

Irregular Operations

You may have experienced irregular operations with your flight today and we wanted to share some helpful contractual information that may apply to your situation. If you have specific questions please contact your appropriate Council Officers or Scheduling Committee. If you are a Reserve and have a specific question related to Section 11 of the contract please reach out to your reserve committee chairs in your domicile.

Tarmac Delay in Excess of 60 minutes:

Section 21.J. – Ground and Block Delays, requires activity claim form

Diversion:

Section 21.J.3 – Ground and Block Delays, also see Addendum to Section 21, question #1, requires activity claim form.

Irregular Operations:

Section 8.F. – Flying over duty of 12:30, minimum 1 tfp paid at 2.0x the rate. File activity claim

Section 8.G. – Projected or actual 14 hours, if at domicile/co-term may be replaced. Outstation may require you to remain on sequence.

Section 8.H. – Compensatory “Double Out” Rest. Flying in excess of 12 hours 30 minutes requires rest double the time spent on duty upon return to domicile. You may choose to remain on trips that fall within the double out rest period, within legalities, and be compensated 1.5x the rate of pay for affected duty period(s) in the subsequent sequence.

• Important FYI. If your duty day did exceed 14 hours, crew scheduling is required per CFR 121.467 b.7. to provide at least 12 consecutive hours of rest when a FA has duty more than 14 hours but less than 20 hours.

Section 8.I. Night Rule. If you are on duty at 4:29 local time (initial departure station time of that duty period) and have an irregularity in your pairing you may qualify for pay protection, removal from sequence or additional compensation for remaining on the trip.

Section 8.K. – Reduced RON Rest under 9 hours 30 minutes:

1. If a Flight Attendant on a multi-day sequence receives less than nine hours and thirty minutes (9:30) rest from release to report, the Flight Attendant may // be required to remain on the sequence and be paid at two and one-half times (2.5x) // the trip rate for flights flown, including any surface deadhead, for the entire sequence in addition to any applicable Minimum Pay Rules and/or Sit Pay at straight time.

   2. If the Flight Attendant is replaced at the SIP by Crew Scheduling the Flight Attendant will be paid for the entire sequence at straight time.

   3. For a Reserve, s/he will be paid at one and one-half times (1.5x) // the trip rate for flights flown, including any surface deadhead, for the entire sequence in addition to any applicable Minimum Pay Rules and/or Sit Pay at straight time above guarantee and // will be credited at straight time toward guarantee.

Section 8.L. – 48 hours rest every 7 days. If you did not waive your 48/7 and want it restored you must contact Crew Scheduling to receive the restoration.

Section 8.M. – Domicile Rest. 11:30 rest, may operationally be reduced to 10:30 rest. If you waive your rest below 11:30, then you could be reduced to 8 hours rest (CFR).

Section 8.N. – Waiver of Contractual Rest. A Flight Attendant who waives any contractual required rest, and who then operationally would fall below the CFR-required rest period, will be pulled from sufficient flights to resolve the CFR illegality. The FA will not be pay protected. If you are stranded due to the illegality, file for stranded pay.

Section 10.E.1.a. – Flying into a day off, minimum days off. You must block in after 12:01 into your day off with a release of 12:16 or later and the irregularity must take you under the 12 days off at the time of the incident. For Reserve you are guaranteed 12 days in a 30 days bid month and 13 days in a 31 days bid month. Additional 4 TFP on top of all other compensation is due if you qualify.

Section 10.R. – Reassignments. This is where you will find contractual information for pay, legalities and order of reassignment.

Section 10.R.7. – Unscheduled overnights. If a stranding leads to a RON that results in flying during a duty period starting on a scheduled day off, you are paid as if you were Junior Assigned per Section 9.D.1.d.. The compensation is 2.5x the rate of pay, but excludes sit premium and minimum pay rules.

Section 10.S. – Pre-cancellation. Find out about your options when your flight downgrades or cancels.

Section 16.A.4. (sick leave not accrued on stranded) – This is just an FYI, that you will not accrue sick leave on your stranded pay.

Section 21.N. – Stranded pay. Also see Addendum to Section 21, question #9. Stranded pay is negated by pay protection. You get the greater of the strand or the pay protect. Each crew member must file their own activity claim form for the appropriate pay. There are two applications of stranded pay:

Regular stranding – your departure is delayed 2 hours 1 minute from scheduled. You get stranded from the time you were scheduled to depart until you actually depart the station or domicile/co-term. Each subsequent 4 hours you receive an additional 1 TFP of stranded pay.

Stranded overnight – you become stranded overnight in a station. You accumulate the stranding from the time you were scheduled to return to the station or domicile/coterm until you actually return. Same application of first 2 hours and 1 minute, then each subsequent 4 hours you receive additional 1 TFP of stranded.

Section 21.J. – Covers diversions, over block and delay pay.  If your actual block time exceeds your scheduled block time by eleven minutes (:11) or more, you are paid one- half (0.5) TFP per hour, prorated and rounded up to the nearest one-tenth (0.1) TFP, at the Flight Attendant’s step rate including the first eleven minutes (:11) for block and ground delays. Block delays will be paid automatically with a few exceptions that you must submit an Activity Claim Form for:

a. Block delays over sixty minutes (:60).

b. Block delays on a flight that crosses midnight (12:00 AM) at any time. Section 21.J. [Block and Ground Delays] [See Arbitration #37-94 (Gaunt 2/5/96).

Section 21.M.3. – Pay protection. You have the ability to pick up on top of pay protection and you receive both the pay protection and picked up flying.

Section 21.Q. – Flying greater than scheduled. If given a reassignment on a scheduled day of work, you are paid 1.5x the rate of pay on flying that exceeds what you were scheduled on a day by day basis. Also, see Section 10.R.5. for reassignments.

Section 21.R. – Quarterly productivity premium. What counts? Everything, except sick leave and vacation. This includes but is not limited to pay protection, jury duty, sit premium, minimum pay rules, bereavement, stranded pay, delay pay, overblock pay and any other compensation paid in TFP.

Activity Claim Form – Go to the flight attendant webpage, click administration, click benefits and pay, click activity claim form.  Fill out the form with the flt #, sequence # (pairing number), month and day. Fill out what you believe you are due. If unsure, put 1 TFP in “Other/General”. Then write out the situation in the comments. The pay analyst will reply to your request for compensation usually within a week.

Please note this is a quick reference guide and summary to the CBA provisions and there may be individual circumstances which differ.  Please reach out to your local officer for clarification.

Keep a copy of this with you by downloading the following link:

irregular ops

In accordance with Article VI.C of the AFA Alaska MEC Policy and Procedure Manual the MEC officers will be reviewing the MEC chair appointments and interviewing the current Chairs who would like to continue in their position as well as several new applicants.

Below you will find the Chair positions we will be reviewing. The 5 LEC presidents who make up the voting body of the MEC will be making the decision. Each President has 1 vote for each position.

We would appreciate your input as to who the SEA base would like to support. You can email your LEC President, Laura Masserant, with your input.

Chair Positions and Applicants:

ASHSC Chairperson

Seth Heiple

 Benefits Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

 EAP Chairpersons (2)

Elizabeth Dillon

Jeanne McCleave

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Laura Hinojosa

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Jodi Snow

Dori Marron

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Jarod McNeill

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Jake Jones

Erik Velez

Zac Weeks

PBS Committee Chairperson

Stephen Poynter

Sheri Rochel

Shawn Grill

PBS Committee Member

Rebecca Asbell

Adam Clarey

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Bob Moore

Additional Clarification for

Premera Medical Insurance Network Participants

Seattle Flight Attendants,

As many of you may be aware, a confusing letter is being sent to Premera Heritage Prime insurance network participants. This is the network for Premera plan participants for 2016, for both the PPO and the Consumer’s Choice PPO. If you are currently enrolled in a Premera Heritage Prime PPO, please continue reading this update for clarification on the 2017 Premera insurance network changes.

Premera Heritage Prime is the name of the current 2016 Premera insurance network. For 2017 anyone who selected a Premera insurance plan is changing from the Heritage Prime network to the Heritage Plus network. What this means is that the form letter sent to your home from Providence/Swedish/Kadlec does not pertain to you. Swedish/Providence/Kadlec hospitals and medical providers are covered under the 2017 Premera Heritage Plus Insurance network.  The network name has changed, however the coverage remains the same.  Providence/Swedish/Kadlec medical providers will be in our 2017 Premera Heritage Plus network.

You will receive new Premera insurance cards with the Premera Heritage Plus network indicated on the card.  Essentially, the network name has changed but the network coverage and participation for Swedish affiliates will remain the same.

Again, anyone who is currently on the 2016 Premera Heritage Prime network may receive the form letter from Providence/Swedish/Kadlec. If you elected to continue with Premera coverage in 2017, your coverage will change January 1, 2017, to the Premera Plus network.

If you have any questions you can contact Seattle Benefits Committee Vice-Chairs, Kathy O’Malley and Terry Taylor.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

In Seattle

Skybridge 4~ SEA TAC Airport

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

7:00 am to 11:00 am

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

08:00 am to 12:00pm

Norwegian Air International  (NAI)  flagged (registered) in Ireland, sets up a ‘flag of convenience’ model in aviation—the same business model that destroyed U.S. shipping. NAI will use this ‘flag of convenience’ model to hire crews from countries with the lowest labor and safety standards, such as Malaysia or Thailand.

This business model puts all of our jobs at risk.  It essentially sells out good paying jobs here in the United States, to the lowest bidder overseas.   If you think this will not impact our industry and our jobs, you must think again.   U.S. based airlines will be forced to compete with NAI, and possibly other airlines under this flag of convenience business model.  Employees  will ultimately pay the price as our company will be competing with ultra low wage carriers.

Watch this video to learn of about the dangers of flag of convenience

NAI DAY OF ACTION

DENYNAI DAY OF ACTION:

We need volunteers to hand out informational flyers to passengers and crew in SEA.

We realize this is short notice during a very busy time of the year. The increased passenger traffic during this period will help build awareness.

RSVP to: christelnhall@gmail.com or adam.clarey@afaalaska.org.

Please volunteer and help bring attention to this issue!

Your job may depend on it!