Dear Seattle Flight Attendant,

Seattle City Council is considering a resolution opposing Fast Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).  It just passed out of committee, and will be considered by the full Council in the coming days.  

Leaked texts reveal that beyond threatening to offshore jobs, drive down wages and increase income inequality, the TPP also contains a chapter that would allow transnational corporations to challenge city, state and federal policies that reduce their expectation of profits as “indirect expropriations.”  This is a serious threat to democratic sovereignty in Seattle and throughout the world — and it’s something that is opposed by everyone from Senator Elizabeth Warren to the Cato Institute. 

International trade is obviously a key part of Seattle’s economy — but these and other heinous TPP provisions are not so much about trade as they are about handcuffing public policy space.  This pact should not receive a Fast Track rubber stamp. 

Once again, we realize that trade is HUGE to Seattle’s economy, but we do not want to accept the TPP through fast track in its entirety. We must be able to go in and change what is needed!

Please help out and contact the Seattle City Council now urging them to pass a strong resolution!

Sincerely,

AFA Council 19

Through its Next Generation program, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) is connecting members aged 35 and under with seasoned member-mentors over the age of 35 to form a network of committed union activists across the country. Next Gen activists bring youthful energy and unique insights to the task of advancing economic and social justice. We are fighting for:

• Good Jobs
• Healthcare for All
• Bargaining and Organizing Rights
• Retirement Security
• Democracy and Economic Justice

Next Gen members embrace creative organizing approaches and new media in order to mobilize and empower workers. And we are building strong alliances with progressive allies, including students, immigrant rights advocates, LGBTQ activists, and environmentalists. We know we’re all in this together.

If you’re a CWA member who is 35 or under and want to learn and lead, you belong in Next Gen.

If you’re a CWA member who is over 35 and willing to share your experience as a Member-Mentor, Next Gen needs you.

Be part of CWA’s future.

Join us.

If you are interested, please contact Seattle FA & Council 19 Government Affairs Chairperson Krystle Cook, who is also a Next Gen Lead Activist. She can be reached at 206.218.7480 or at kcook907@gmail.com. You can also text “NEXTGEN” to 69866.

Below you will find a link for the Next Generation Leaflet.

Click Here for Next Generation Leaflet

Council 19- Seattle

April 8, 2014

11:00 am

Hampton Inn and Suites- across from AS Flight Ops

Agenda

I.   Call meeting to order

1. Call for late agenda items
2. Announcements

II. AFA BOD Agenda Items

(Break)

III. LEC Update

1. Officer Update
2. Year End Budget Review
3. Late Agenda Items

If you would like to add an agenda item please contact LEC Secretary Linda Christou by April 6th!

Council 19 Local Base Meeting

When: April 8, 2015

Where: Hampton Inn- across from Alaska Flight Ops

Time: 11am

It’s that time of the year when your AFA Officers are preparing for the annual AFA Board of Directors (BOD) meeting and we need to discuss the agenda items for the BOD and seek your input. We will be posting the agenda items for review and look forward to discussing them with you at the April meeting.

We welcome our Sisters and Brothers from Horizon Council 16 to this meeting!

LEC Scheduling Committee

Many of you have reached out expressing interest for the local scheduling committee. This is a new committee for Alaska AFA and we are working through the process of establishing the foundation of the committee. Currently, the LEC Presidents are seeking out their local chairs and your SEA Officers are proud to present your LEC Scheduling Chair, Erik Velez!

Erik will be working with the Seattle Officers over the next few months to select the local committee and we will be reaching out to everyone who had contacted us.

Contacting your LEC Officers and Committee Members

Your LEC Officers and Committee members would like to ask for you help on this issue- While we realize the importance of finding solutions to your issues as quick as possible we would like to ask that you only reach out to one person at a time. There are many times where several of us get the same email or phone call and we each begin the process of working through the issue and duplicate efforts. If you have not heard back from your first point of contact within 24 hours then feel free to reach out to another person on the list.

Your Committee members fly a full line of time and the majority of your officers also fly and there are times where it takes us a few hours to return a call.

We appreciate your help and understanding with this request!

Grievance Update

All 5 of your Council 19 Officers and Jarod McNeill, are grievance trained and ready to assist with any disciplinary meetings/questions. Remember, you have a right to bring in an AFA representative to any meeting with management. With that said, you also have an obligation to return phone calls from management. If you receive a call from management and have any questions please reach out one of the six grievance representatives and we will be happy to discuss the issue with you.

Uniform Guidelines

There is a lot of confusion over the changes to the uniform policy and each supervisor appears to have a different approach to the changes. Your MEC Grievance Chair, Jen Wise-MacColl is working with the MEC and the MEC Uniform Chair, Bob Moore, on the proposed changes and how these changes will affect our group. Once we have received the proposed language from the company we will be communicating with the members. In the mean time, if you have questions please reach out to one of your Officers for assistance.

Implementation Update

March 2^nd, 2015 additional contractual provisions were put into place which include the following:

11.C.3.a. – b. – No pre-plotted ER days:

Flight Attendants who bid and are awarded a reserve line will have no pre-plotted ER days. Please be aware the company may convert a Reserve to ER a maximum of two (2) times per bid month, including a lineholder who has picked up reserve days.   If you receive voluntary/involuntary conversions you will receive premium pay for the converted duty period, if flown, but no less than 1.0 TFP paid above the guarantee for ER conversions if not used.

LTFA preferences:

The LTFA preferences are live and being utilized by Crew Scheduling. There are many options available to Reserve Flight Attendants, which may assist in your quality of life. The fly/pass preferences refer to those Reserves who want to go First Out (fly) or Last Out (pass).

For example:

                                                       Pass/Fly        4k       Night Flying

2 day PM        FA1 preferences      Fly           Y               N       

2 day PM        FA2 preferences      Pass        N             Y     

If Crew Scheduling is looking to award a 2-day sequence with night flying they will assign it to FA2. FA1 is asking to go out first, but does not want a night flying sequence, FA2 is asking to go out last but wants a night flying sequence. In an attempt to provide both FA1 and FA2 with their preferences, FA1 is bypassed and FA2 is awarded the sequence.

——————————————————————————-

                                                       Pass/Fly        4k      Night Flying           

3 day AM       FA1 preferences      Fly           N                     N

3 day AM       FA2 preferences      Fly           Y                      Y

If Crew Scheduling is looking to award a 3-day sequence with 4k flying they will assign it to FA2. FA1 is positioned to go out first, but does not want a 4k sequence, FA2 is positioned to go out first as well but below FA1 in the LTFA however s/he is willing to accept a 4k sequence. In an attempt to provide both FA1 and FA2 with their preferences, FA1 is bypassed and FA2 is awarded the sequence.

——————————————————————————-

In the past our LTFA list was based on days of availability, classification and TFP. With our new system there are preferences that may or may not change the way in which the order of assignment is awarded. With any change there are always challenges and opportunities. If you have concerns, comments or questions please feel free to bring those forward to your Local Reserve Committee. Providing us with both positive and negative feedback will assist your leadership in reviewing these newly implemented preferences.

JA in Seattle: January 31, 2015

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

It has come to the attention of your LEC Officers that JA’ing is occurring in our base today. Many of you may not have seen the earlier blast stipulating the new JA language is in effect today, January 31, 2015.

Please read Section 9 for more detailed information, but here are a few important points!

Junior Available (or Junior Assignment) (JA) — When a Flight Attendant is required to work on her/his //scheduled day off, or when Crew Scheduling assigns a Flight Attendant any additional flying after a completed scheduled sequence. Such additional flights or sequences must be legally scheduled. A Flight Attendant may be required to remain on duty after being JA’d at the completion of a sequence up to twelve hours and thirty minutes (12:30) for that duty period [See Arbitration number 48-98 (Knowlton 2/23/99)].

MEANS OF CONTACT FOR JA:

Flight Attendants may be contacted for JA duty by the following methods only:

When contacted in person on Company property or at the airport during scheduled duty on a scheduled day of work.

Telephone contact at the Flight Attendant’s primary contact number on file with Crew Scheduling after scheduled check-in for her/his sequence. Flight Attendants must provide a contact number to Crew Scheduling.

***Crew Scheduling will be placing the JA trip on the JA’d Flight Attendant’s schedule and will send an ACARS message for that Flight Attendant to call Crew Scheduling.

If the JA assignment will cause the Flight Attendant to go below twelve (12) minimum days off, or will not provide forty-eight (48) hours rest within seven (7) days, Crew Scheduling must inform the Flight Attendant and s/he may decline the assignment. If accepted, all pay provisions will apply to the JA assignment.

Remember, you can give away your JA assignment and the JA pay, 2.5x,  follows the trip!

Please reach out to your LEC Officers if you have any questions!