Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

I want to reach out to you and encourage you to attend the company fall meeting October 8, 2013. Your LEC Officers will be outside the hangar handing out blue AFA t-shirts and AFA pins. If you would like to get a new AFA t-shirt simply send an email with your shirt size (the t-shirts are pre-shrunk and true to size) and mail code to Laura Masserant and I will get a shirt to you before the event.

This is a perfect opportunity to show management that we are a strong, united group and that we are serious about obtaining a solid contract with industry leading wages and work rules.

The negotiation committee heads back to Washington DC the last week of October and we need to send a strong message to management that says, “My Negotiation Committee Speaks for Me!”

In solidarity,

Laura Masserant

LEC President, Seattle

Council 19

AFA-CWA

Please click on the following link to view the latest edition of Council 19 Connections!

Council 19 Connections September 2013

LEC Officer/Council Representative(2 positions)  Nomination and Election Schedule

In accordance with Article VIII of the Constitution & Bylaws, all Local Councils in Election Category I must nominate and elect officers for the term beginning July 1, 2014 and ending June 30, 2017 (three year term).  Article IX of the Constitution & Bylaws and Union Voting Procedures (Section IX of the Policy Manual) shall govern nominations and elections.

All active members, regardless of dues standing, with good addresses will be mailed the voting instructions and an activation code for both the nomination and election process. In addition, apprentice members who will be off probation on or before the count date will receive a ballot packet.

Attached you will find the nomination and election schedule for Category II.  For the domestic Councils the process will commence in January 2014 and finish before the Annual Board of Directors meeting in April 2014.

For many of you we are introducing a new ballot company, Votenet Solutions.  This company provides AFA with a high level of security and efficiency at a much lower cost.

NEW for everyone is the electronic nomination process. Members will receive a notice for nominations along with a 16-digit activation code.  This code will allow the member to create a login for that ballot.  Once the member is in the ballot they can search for their candidates by name (first or last) or AFA ID number.

New activation codes are issued for each nomination, election, and contract ratification ballot.

Step-by-step instructions, for both the nomination and election process, can be found on the AFA-CWA Election website www.afacwa-elections.org along with the Category II Election schedule, AFA-CWA Election Handbook, and Commitment to Serve form.

For more information you can contact Bon Kenia, AFA International Office

BKenia@cwa-union.org

CATEGORY II NOMINATION SCH 2014-1

CATEGORY II ELECTION SCH 2014-1

 Dear Seattle Flight Attendant,

Multi-national corporations, the WA Restaurant Association, airline and rental car CEOs have tried everything to keep SeaTac Proposition 1, the Good Jobs Initiative, off this November’s ballot. They even appealed all the way to the WA Supreme Court.

We have good news: this week justice prevailed! In just 5 weeks thousands of SeaTac voters will start receiving their ballots and voting Yes! For SeaTac Proposition 1.  Now SeaTac voters and airport employees need our help.

Click here to endorse Yes! For SeaTac Proposition 1 now.

We’ve already endorsed Yes! For SeaTac as an organization. Can you personally endorse Yes! For SeaTac Proposition1 today? It doesn’t matter if you live in SeaTac or not — you can raise your hand to show your support for more full time jobs and a livable wage in SeaTac.

Click here to endorse now.

You’ll be joining King County Councilmember Julia Patterson, the WA State Firefighters, as well as SeaTac residents, businesses and organizations in supporting paid sick leave, more full-time jobs, tip protection and a livable wage for more than 6,000 hard working men and women at SeaTac airport and big airport hotels. The full endorsement list is here.

SeaTac small businesses are exempt — SeaTac Prop 1 applies to big multi-national corporations making record profits at our airport while paying poverty level wages. More money in the pockets of airport employees means more spending at local businesses, and that means better schools and better services for everyone in SeaTac.

That’s why SeaTac businesses, like the SeaTac Bull Pen Bar & Grill, have already endorsed Yes! For SeaTac Proposition 1

How about you? Add your name now to hundreds of others. It doesn’t matter where you live. We need your endorsement to help pass SeaTac Proposition 1 this fall.

Thank you!

Membership

By Linda Christou:  AFA-LEC 19 Secretary-Treasurer

            Membership in the union is extremely important and now more than ever.  With a looming vote for a new contract for our group it is important for you to be up to date on your dues.  If you are delinquent and in “bad standing” in your dues whether it is for 1 month or 12 plus months your vote will not be counted as it disqualifies you from voting for anything that arises.

            Here is a quick re-cap of dues…monthly dues is usually taken out of your 20^th paycheck but if you are on a leave of any type (worker comp, medical leave, voluntary furlough education etc.) you will be required to pay for the first 3 months of that leave and after that you don’t pay dues until you return to work and this is according to the AFA-CWA by-laws. If there are months that you don’t fly enough and they cannot be auto-deduct from your 20^th paycheck you’ll need to pay them yourself (always good to check that 20^th paycheck).  If you ever receive an invoice from the International office that means you owe dues and will need to pay them via online and or check sent to them.

            Our International Membership department has stepped up the progression on informing FA’s of their delinquencies and sending out Standing 2, 3 and 5 letters to inform you what you need to do to become current.  Here is a synopsis of the progression of steps for non-payment… Standing 2 letter indicates you are now in bad standing and this is the first stage of the AFA-CWA delinquency process.  A flight attendant goes into S2 when you have ONE or more dues billings that are over 90 days old and remain unpaid.  Standing 3 letter indicates that the FA remains delinquent after receiving the initial “Bad Standing” warning letter.  You now receive your S-3 letter certified mail return receipt (if AFA International has a incorrect address on file the LEC President or Secretary will put it into your co-mail file at work and it is treated as if sent via certified mail).  Nonpayment could result in discharge per our FA Collective Bargaining Agreement, Section 26 C & D.  Standing 4 is in pending status which means your International membership department is researching your account for you.  Standing 5 is your final warning and this becomes very serious.  After receiving your S-2 and S-3 letters for nonpayment, our International AFA office in Washington DC sends a letter to Alaska Airlines requesting discharge for nonpayment and a copy of this letter is also sent to your LEC President.

            If you find yourself unable to pay the full amount you need to contact the International office to set up a payment plan called a Promissory Note Agreement.  They’ll send the agreement of which you must sign it and send it back for it to be valid.  Once this is agreed upon you must make your MONTHLY payments that have been agreed upon until the balance is paid in full.  If you do not make your monthly payment for the promissory note that could be revoked and if that happens you will need to make your payment in full to avoid a S-5 letter.  Deferral of dues can only occur if you are on a current leave.  If you have received anyone of these notices please do not disregard and either contact the International office or myself so that we can resolve the issue.  You can reach me via email at lschristou@comcast.net