This morning (April 6, 2020) we held a Council #19 Committee Chairperson meeting virtually via Google Meeting. Below you will find minutes from the meeting and also the local committee reports.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the Council #19 Officers at sea@afaalaska.org and if you have committee specific questions, email the chairperson. The committee contact information can be found at: https://afaalaska.org/sea/committees .

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Committee Chair Meeting Council 19 April 6, 2020 10am

Main topics discussed include COVID-19 related items such as leaves, flying, hotels, dues, elections.

Hotel Chair- Olivia Borrows will be transferring to Anchorage in May, communication seeking a new chair was sent out and Alex Farowich was selected.  She will be taking over for Olivia starting in May.

As of today, staffing leave total was at 2699, this doesn’t include any of the COVID-19 leaves only the staffing leaves.

AFA learned that Alaska was attempting to transport cruise ship passengers stranded in Florida to various destinations on the West Coast without notifying the flight crews.

Concern from FA’s wanting to take a leave, but unsure if they will qualify for unemployment.  Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that someone will be approved, but know that some Flight Attendants have been approved.  Each state will be different in how they approve unemployment benefits.

We are aware that the company applied for aid under the CARES act, but at this point don’t know whether they will accept it.  Hopefully will know more after the all company webcast on Thursday April 9^th.

Pre-Cancelations have been rampant throughout the system, close to 400 cancelations a day.  New LOA’s have established how to communicate with Crew Scheduling through the end of April.  This information can be found on the AFA website as well as your inflight bulletins.  AFA published a pre-cancelation cheat sheet on March 25^th to assist flight attendants.  This information can be found in the March 25 AFA email blast as well as at afaalaska.org.

AFA International has asked for councils to combine communication blasts in order to limit the amount of emails members are receiving as well as put less stress on our servers.

Pairings for May will look drastically different than in previous months, some examples include combining trans and mid con flight into multiple destinations such as SEA-DFW-IAH and SEA-PIT-BWI.  For May, the company needs about 1200 lineholders, the rest will be on reserve.  It is suggested even for fairly senior flight attendants to put in a reserve bid and be aware that the reserve survival guide is loaded on our IMD’s in goodreader under the supplemental section.  The PBS Committee will also be sharing a reserve bidding help guide before bids open on April 12^th.

Council 19 elections are coming up in May, polls open May 1^st at 12pm eastern and close May 22^nd at 3pm eastern.  To be eligible to vote a member must be in good standing as of the day of the ballot count.  Flight Attendants on unpaid leaves owe dues for the first 3 months of their unpaid leave.  A flight attendant on leave coordinating any sick leave/vacation owes dues in any month they are still on payroll, if a Flight Attendant coordinating switches to an unpaid leave they will owe dues for the first 3 months their leave became unpaid.  International sends an invoice to a member that missed a dues deduction because there wasn’t enough money on their 20^th check to cover the deduction.  Make sure your address is up to date with AFA, https://www.afacwa.org/change_of_address.  Back dues will not be taken out of a subsequent paycheck they must be paid online, www.afacwa.org/payment or by mail to AFA-CWA Membership Department, 501 Third Street NW, 7^th Floor, Washington DC 20001.  If you are unable to pay the full amount you can set up a promissory note with International Membership by calling 1-800-424-2401, ext. 707 (EST).

Make sure to check for any changes to where you are staying or who is providing you transportation.  Hotels and transportation companies closing have required many changes to be made.

For more COVID-19 information please check out the MEC blast on April 4, https://afaalaska.org/mec/staffing-adjustment-leave-low-bid-option-or

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Council 19 April Committee Reports

Air Safety, Health, & Security

Our primary focus recently, of course, has been working with the Company in providing a safe and healthy work environment for the Flight Attendants 

Most of the mitigations and changes are driven at the MEC level, but all the local ASHSC Chairs are kept abreast of the developments and contribute daily to this ongoing effort.

While many projects have been delayed because of the Coronavirus, we still meet regularly with the other SEA workgroups and local leadership. 

Current and ongoing issues/topics:

The concern regarding the rerouting of the employee bus has been mostly mitigated by the recent ability to park in the main parking garage. For those still using the NEPL, please let us know if the recent safety measures announced by the POS are either not effective or not being implemented:

Port of Seattle Measures for Your Safety 

Employee Parking Bus:

Operational Changes

Maximum rider capacity is reduced to 35 or less per bus

Additional bus service will be provided during peak times to mitigate crowd control & to keep buses on schedule as much as possible

Hand sanitizer stations are setup on the outside of each shelter in the North Lot. Provided to supplement, but not to replace individuals’ personal hygiene.

Family members, regardless of age, are no longer allowed to ride the bus with employees to and from the North Lot

Enhanced Bus Cleaning 

All buses are cycled to the maintenance department for daily cleaning and disinfecting

Driver’s areas are disinfected with Lysol spray and wipes.

Windows are cleaned with Windex

Floors are vacuumed, mopped and seats wiped down

All hand and grab rails wiped with disinfectant 

All surface areas are sprayed with disinfectant

Hand sanitizer by bus driver station or doors

Use disinfectants approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Social Distancing

Effective Immediately due CORVID19 bus loads will be limited

This may cause delays during peak times

With so many new changes in our work environment, we ask that everyone continue to provide feedback on these changes and if they are being effectively implemented, and especially if they need to be changed or updated.

We have had a few issues with Security Sweeps. Some ground personnel have insisted that the Cabin and Flight Crew not be on the aircraft during the sweep. The Manager of Corporate Security has confirmed to me that all crew should be allowed onboard the aircraft during these sweeps. Let us know if you witness otherwise.

If you have any immediate safety or health concerns regarding SEA Airport Facility or property, we encourage you to call the POS Safety Hotline at 206-787-7233 and let us know as well.

Benefits/Workers Comp/Maternity

This has been an unusually busy time for the Benefits/Retirement committee in light of the COVID-19 situation.  We have fielded many phone calls, emails, & text messages helping FA’s try & understand their leave options.  Many FA’s have made multiple calls as the situation has rapidly changed over the days with different options due to COVID-19.  Terry has been extremely busy so more FA’s have relied on the rest of the committee for additional support.

Danni & I have also been very busy helping FA’s from all bases as we support the AS FA Maternity FB Group.  There is a very heightened and often urgent assistance needed supporting our FA’s that are currently pregnant and who’s physicians & the CDC have suggested they not work at this time.  I would say that there is more worry and confusion on their part as they try to understand their current options while looking ahead to their Maternity & Bonding time that is still ahead.

To say this has not been a challenging time would be an understatement.  While the work load & time spent helping our FA’s has increased, I have to say in this time of uncertainty it has been very gratifying to me personally to be able to help so many grateful Flight Attendants.  There is nothing better than at the end of a conversation to hear “you have really helped set my mind at ease and helped me understand my options”. (Often times the conversations start like “I am so sorry to bother you again but I have just a few more questions”.)

On a side note, I have also fielded quite a few calls over the past several months as a result of Recurrent Training concerns for FA’s that now consider retiring so they don’t have to go through RT. 

Employee Assistance Program

AS CIRP RT was cancelled, and moved to May 2021–24 months to remain current

FADAP – you need a negative COVID test to go to treatment, a difficult but not impossible ask under current circumstances. (expect a 7-14 day wait for admission) 

EAP at all bases has been overwhelmed with COVID responses and we are seeing everything from mild to severe levels of illness. We are supporting individuals 1 on 1 emotionally and then referring to benefits to navigate the leave process.

International office is offering support group conference meetings for those F/A’s that are quarantined and they are offered twice a week. (afacwa.org >COVID update>.5> support meeting flyer)

LEC EAP’s in all bases are meeting once a week to look at caseloads and how we can support each other.

Government Affairs

The CARES Act – (a bill to assist Small Businesses and Airlines during this time of crisis).  

The CARES Act is a loan for businesses however, there is specific language written in the form of a grant in order to assist airlines in keeping their employees paid, and receiving medical benefits with no leverage attached.

The area referencing airlines employees was written specifically as a grant, not a loan.  

The grant portion of the CARES Act may cause the airlines to decline the package offered (due to warrants). When the warrant was attached to the language during the signing of the CARES ACT it will allow the government to own a part of the business that is accepting the “Loan”…

There are multiple concerns regarding warrants – it prohibits stock buy backs, dividends, loan deferments, people are not commodities and we can’t be purchased/sold or owned by the government.

The CARES Act in the form of a grant was intended solely for 2 million US airline workers to remain on their company’s payroll while also keeping their health benefits packages intact.  

The CARES Act was also written as a model for industries that may use this Act in the future when requesting financial assistance to keep their workforce on the payroll, and covered by medical benefits in the form of grants. 

We are fighting to have the warrant language removed from the grant portion of the CARES Act by having petitions signed by all of Americans.

Hotel

It’s very important for FA’s to be aware of the constant changes due to the surrounding circumstances. Management and crew scheduling are doing their best to keep everyone updated, but it is important to know that relocations and changes in transportation are happening consistently at this time. It would be a great idea for FA’s to start checking crew access when they land for any hotel or transportation updates. They are doing their best to update our inflight web page under Hotel, Travel & Station. Some big changes this last week are relocations in these cities: JFK, MSY, ORD, PHL, DEN, AUS and LAS. 

We also just got word that SAN, PIT, SJD, and PVR hotels will be closing. We are still waiting for details from management and API.

A lot of these hotels have very little food options, and FA’s should attempt to be a little more prepared than usual. There is a document created to show updated restaurant information and that can be found on our FA web page under Hotel, Travel & Station> Hotel News. 

Human Rights

Working jointly with MEC Government Affairs Chair Krystle Berry to see if we can have a sexual assault help list placed on planes to help FAs if they’re ever faced with this issue from a passenger.

Inflight Service

Limited service will continue. AFA Safety committee is asking the company to reduce service further, more information to come.

Please wear gloves for both service and trash pick-up.

As a reminder, do not place personal food storage containers directly into the large black Styrofoam containers of ice. This is shared crew ice. You are potentially contaminating all the ice. Remove a small amount of ice from the ice bag to make your own ice bag, and store your food outside of the cooler. 

While beer is a complimentary item at this time, it is not unlimited, the same rules apply as before the reduction in service. No more than two per cart service, for example on a transcontinental flight with two cart services the maximum number of beers a guest may have is 4 for the entire flight. 

Reserve

The Council 19 Reserve Committee recently met on March 10^th as a way to touch base and be sure Seattle reserves are having their issues addressed. We took the opportunity to share a couple of recent instances where there was confusion around a CBA clause to be sure it could be used as a learning experience for when related issues surface in the future. The committee also welcomed a new member, Kyle Cater and was able to formally introduce him to the other committee members. Our quarterly reserve meeting was also held recently with the MEC reserve chair, all local level reserve chairs and management. Many items are in the grievance process so the meeting was rather brief with the scheduling MOD. In conjunction with the MEC reserve chair, discussions were had to provide MEC approved communications that can be shared on local level reserve Facebook groups. The goal is to provide reserves with CBA educational opportunities and news/reminders. We have recently re-established guidelines for our AFA council 19 reserve Facebook page and have made attempts to “clean up” the page for the utility of Seattle reserves. As the new reserve chair, I am still doing a lot of learning but otherwise there are no outstanding reserve issues/trends to share. 

Scheduling

The SEA Scheduling Committee has been very busy fielding calls, emails and OS Tickets regarding trip cancellations and reassignments. 

The Scheduling Committee is advising FAs to know your contract options priorto making a phone call to CS. 

Please review Pre-Cancellations Section 10.S. and recently signed MOU’s. They have been pushed to our IMDs. At time of contact you may waive trip and PP (accept or decline). If you want to be PP for your trip you must then follow all the guidelines set in Section 10.S. 

CS can offer you an alternate assignment that fits within the 2 hours on either side of your report and/or release, you can either accept and receive the greater of any difference in TFP as pay protect, or waive pay and pick up something else. If alternate assignment is a trip, position, or AC, you do not want to fly you may waive (decline) however you would lose any PP associated with the trip.  If you want PP you must have 2 calls to CS.  In all cases you can walk away and waive pay. 

Be aware when you call CS they can assign multiple assignments for future cancellations. There is nothing in Section 10.S.1 of the contract that prohibits this. 

If you decide not to call CS, you may Report as Scheduled however you could be subject to Section 10.R. Reassignment. 

Section 8.S has been temporarily enacted for HI flying.  If you do fly one of these trips be sure to submit an activity claim form. If all legs cancel on pairing Section 10.S. language applies. 

The Scheduling Committee has compiled a “cheat sheet” on the pre-cancellation process and section 10.S language. This has been posted by the MEC on the March 25th communication to assist FAs. 

Uniform

Uniforms ended up launching on its original launch date. Due to the temporary decision to hold off on the roll out it made for some FA’s to not pack their new uniforms. Most were able to participate in the launch however there were several that were in Lands End on launch day. 

There have been only been a handful of sensitivities all which have been resolved.

There have been reports of FA’s not properly removing name tag bags resulting in holes or tears in their garments. Marketing and Brand is working on instructions on how to properly care for your garments.

A rolling Travel Pro suitcase was tested by a few members on Uniform and Safety committee. The overall consensus was that they were not practical for FA’s. We have not heard an update from management/marketing since the last LEC Meeting in February. 

Dre shared that shoe questions and emails from FA’s seeking approval for shoe types has slowed down since the launch.

Longer Parka wear test date is still TBD but it is still in the works for us to get a longer parka.

Women’s s/s sweater shell can now be worn tucked in to skirt/pants, a belt must be worn. 

In Solidarity,

Your Council #19 Officers and Committee Chairpersons

AFA International just sent out a very informative edition of “AFA Interactive” that we suggest everyone read if you have not done so already. It can be found by clicking HERE.

A plain text version of it can also be found below:

In this edition (April 6, 2020):

• Thank You to Compass Air Flight Attendants
• Update on Our Payroll Grants
• CDC Change on Transporting Passengers from Cruise Lines
• AFA Opposes Any Efforts to Reduce Flight Attendant Staffing Minimums
• Request to FAA for Social Distancing Waiver on Jumpseats and Safety Demo
• Flight Attendant Volunteer Medical Assistance Force
• AFA in the News

Thank You to Compass Air Flight Attendants

Compass Air’s last flight is today. Thank you to every Compass Flight Attendant and crew past and present! We’re fighting hard to save our industry so we can see you in the skies soon. We especially want to thank the work of AFA Leaders Mike Nelson, Shannon Kelly, Mary ‘Terry’ Kiernan, Heather Harris, and Dorothy Traxler. These leaders have been strong advocates for Compass Flight Attendants and all of us as aviation’s first responders. Watch this video tribute >

Update on Our Payroll Grants

Our airlines submitted applications for the CARES Act Aviation Payroll Grants with U.S. Treasury on Friday. Our action made these applications possible, and we are getting word that there is reason to be optimistic about the process.  

The New York Times released a story over the weekend: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio and Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Sherrod Brown sent a letter to Secretary Mnuchin pressing him to implement the CARES Act as intended and without interference or delay. This reflects our work as well and we thank these leaders for their continued oversight and strong defense of our jobs.

If you have not yet added your name to the letter to Secretary Mnuchin you can do so now: Take action >

CDC Change on Transporting Passengers from Cruise Lines

On Friday, passengers from the cruise liner Holland America cruise ship departed Florida to destinations across the country and world. 

AFA Alaska MEC was made aware that passengers from the ship were due to transfer from a charter in SFO to more than five Alaska Airlines flights. Our AFA leadership raised concerns with management about commingling these passengers with regularly scheduled passengers and our crews.  Thanks to AFA Alaska’s quick notice — AFA International Health and Safety was able to alert other safety chairs. At United, more than 130 passengers from the ship were scheduled to fly from SFO to Australia and a few other destinations within mainland U.S.

The solution that AFA achieved at both carriers was to schedule management-staffed charters for the cruise line passengers only, with specific health protocols. A similar situation happened on Sunday at American and APFA leaders were able to achieve the same results with their management. Working together and sharing information is effective and paramount as we address the issues created by this crisis.

After weeks of allowing cruise ship asymptomatic passengers who were exposed to the coronavirus to travel home on commercial passenger flights with nothing more than a temperature check, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course and issued new guidance. This is an example of the importance of our Flight Attendant unions voice in aviation safety, health, and security. We are helping to identify issues that need to be resolved and in doing so, achieving better conditions for the public. There are many other issues to resolve, but it’s important that we recognize the role we play in creating a more healthy aviation system.

Cruise companies will now have to charter flights to return passengers to their home cities, the agency said. This is an example of the important work our Union does to advocate for the health and safety of crew and the passengers in our care. 

AFA Opposes Any Efforts to Reduce Flight Attendant Staffing Minimums 

“Any proposed flight attendant staffing reductions based on load factors would set a dangerous precedent, are not in the public interest, and must be denied. Flights should stay on the ground or be designated as cargo only if we aren’t carrying passengers. That is, in fact, the best way to reduce exposure to the COVID-19 virus.” Read the letter to the FAA >

Request to FAA for Social Distancing Waiver on Jumpseats and Safety Demo

The FAA is reviewing a request from several airlines for a waiver through August 2020 to allow for social distancing on our planes. This would allow seating in passenger seats near doors where two Flight Attendants are normally sharing a jumpseat, as well as a waiver of donning oxygen masks and life vests during safety demonstrations. We have supported this waiver request and we believe FAA will communicate on soon. 

Flight Attendant Volunteer Medical Assistance Force

We have heard from many Flight Attendants that you would like to do more to support our medical community. As flights are pulled down, it may be that aviation’s first responders have time to help. We are discussing with government and medical support services the critical need for extra hands – either through virtual on-line assistance or hands on at hospitals and medical centers.

We’ve already had a tremendous response of Flight Attendants signing up to help. Later this week we will be communicating to those who have expressed interest. If you missed the chance to sign up for this information before, you can sign up now.

Please let us know if you are willing to consider volunteering whether from home or on site, and advise us if you have medical training of any kind that exceeds our Flight Attendant qualifications. The medical community needs all the help we are willing to offer. Fill out this form if you would consider volunteering. AFA will not share your information with any outside organization without your permission, but we need to know who would like to help in order to proceed. 

Sign up for the Flight Attendant Volunteer Healthcare Force >

AFA in the News

NYT: Top Democrats Press Treasury to Accelerate Airline Bailout

TIME: “We’re Definitely Spreading It”: Flight Attendants Fear They Are Losing The Fight Against The Coronavirus

WATCH on MSNBC’s Alex Witt: COVID-19 Impact on Aviation Workers

Please go to Alaskasworld.com, and look for the article titled “COVID-19: Help today! Click here to support fair allocation of federal funding”, pictured above.  This is very time sensitive.  We need as many employees as possible to sign this letter.  

Your Council 19 Officers would like to pass along this information from AFA International.

As we now face the unfortunate reality that many of our members will be sheltering in place, accepting voluntary leaves and experiencing reduced schedules, this is an often-overlooked opportunity.

Our partnership with CWA entitles AFA members to take advantage of a complimentary online learning opportunity. CWA/NETT provides access to hundreds of training courses via LinkedIn Learning. This might be the perfect time to brush up on existing skills or learn new ones. 

Examples of Learning Titles include:

Zoom Meetings

Microsoft Collaboration

Microsoft Excel

SharePoint

You can get started by completing this form. This free resource can also be shared with member’s family members.  To sign up you will need our CWA local number, 27019.

March 31, 2020

The grants in the relief package provide paychecks for workers, not bailouts for airlines. These grants do one thing and one thing only: fund paychecks and benefits for two million hourly workers like flight attendants, pilots, gate agents, mechanics, the people who clean planes, cook the food, and help people through the airport.

Secretary Mnuchin is threatening to take equity on the grants — leveraging the very people who make aviation fly and who right now are on the frontlines of this pandemic. Congress did not intend for this to work this way. The payroll grants are intended to keep us out of the unemployment line. The return to taxpayers is no involuntary furloughs or layoffs, keeping our vital industry intact for essential service during this national emergency, and our ability to continue to pay taxes, be consumers, and take care of ourselves and our families during this crisis. Warrants make sense on the loans, they do not make sense on the grants that are designated for our paychecks.

You can’t leverage people. We’re the ones the CARES Act is supposed to protect. This is our money, but the Secretary is planning to make conditions so onerous that the airlines can’t take it. That will mean hundreds of thousands of jobs lost and bankruptcies all over again. Not this time! This isn’t right. We are asking President Trump to make sure the Treasury Secretary doesn’t dismantle the bipartisan agreement to keep us in our jobs, connected to our paychecks and healthcare.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION NOW!

AFA International COVID-19 Resource Page: afacwa.org/coronavirus