Council 35 Elections

A ratified JCBA triggered an election for officers in both SFO (Council 35) and LAX (Council 18). Nomination ballots have been sent and the deadline to nominate someone for an officer position is June 13.  All the nominees that have submitted a commitment to serve will be on the ballot for the officer election.  Officer elections open July 11 and close July 31 and the elected officers will have a short term of nine months before the next election opportunity begins again. Election cycles are codified in the AFA Constitution and Bylaws, and both councils will be slotted into their appropriate cycle which begins again July 1, 2019.  For more information regarding elections, please visit the AFA elections web page.  Keep in mind, you must be a member in good standing to serve as an officer and participate in voting activities.

Alzheimer’s Awareness

Purple ribbons are available for those interesting in supporting Alzheimer’s awareness month. Ribbons can be worn under your AFA pin for the month of June.  You will find them in the file room in both villages.

Bag Searches

A number of concerned L-VX members have asked about the legality of bag searches while on duty. During our research of the legality of these searches, Council 35 officers referenced the following grievance summary from November 2012 regarding AS policy on F/A bag searches:

Bag Searches Initiated by Management While on Duty

Several Flight Attendants have asked for more information regarding management’s right to conduct bag searches while on duty. There is a settlement agreement from a past grievance in which management agreed to search a Flight Attendant’s bags only if there is “reasonable suspicion or evidence of wrong-doing.” If the aforementioned “reasonable suspicion” exists, management may search any Flight Attendant bag regardless of whether it is a Company-issued bag or a personal bag such as a food tote or purse. Management does not need a court order or a search warrant to effect such a search. This is largely due to the fact that when you are an employee on Company property, you do not have many of the same rights as a private individual outside of work.

Without “reasonable suspicion or evidence of wrong doing” management cannot initiate a search. This means that random searches are not allowed. For example, if a supervisor decides to search all the Flight Attendants flying through a particularly station on a particular day, AFA would consider that a violation of the settlement agreement. If a FA is part of a crew and management has a reasonable suspicion or evidence that a particular Flight Attendant on that crew has violated Company policy (such as theft), management could initiate a search of that individual’s bags (the one under suspicion) but not the entire crew.

If a Flight Attendant is asked to comply with a bag search, the FA should immediately contact a Local Executive Council (LEC) officer to assist the FA with representation.

Which Commuter Policy?

PSS cutover brought all Flight Attendants under the same travel program.  This event provided an opportunity for L-VX F/As to register for the AS commuter program.  The AS commuter program is not the same as the Commuter Policy, which provides guidelines for commuters that encounter challenges getting to work.  Registering for the commuter program allows F/As to list for flights to and from work at a higher boarding priority, however all L-VX F/As are still following the VX Commuter Policy which was implemented in January of this year.  The VX Commuter Policy will sunset at full implementation when all F/As will follow the AS Commuter Policy.

Stuff Happens Pass (SHP)

As of January 30, 2019, all SHP accruals ceased in order to align with the VX Commuter Policy.  As a result, AFA has seen an increase in denied SHP from inflight management.   When calling in SHP to CSS, 4 points and a No Show (NSH) code will automatically be put on the F/As line.  If the SHP is not approved by the F/A’s supervisor (sometime days later), the NSH and corresponding points remain.  Many F/As have called CSS to use the SHP only to discover later that they did not have an SHP in their bank.  If you believe you have an SHP available for use, your Council 35 officers recommend that you get verification of your SHP eligibility in writing from your supervisor prior to calling CSS to use it.

Inflight Service Committee (ISC) News

The catering dept is data driven and takes information submitted via Report it! for review.  Therefore your reports are needed to address errors and other concerns as it relates to catering and safety.  Examples of catering issues that should be reported are: missing items, broken or dirty dishes and glassware, catering errors, poor quality of food, incorrect catering procedures (double vs. single catered flights), catering supplies causing injury and F/As unable to complete the service due to turbulence and short flight time.  If you encounter these issues or suffer any injuries from catering items, please document the event through the Report it! App and also provide a report for any sustained injuries. For questions and concerns regarding catering please contact the Inflight Service Committee.The L-VX contact for the ISC is Zac Codd (zachary.codd@afaalaska.org) who has stepped up as the interim Service Committee member to address L-VX catering issues.

AFA Dues for Legacy Virgin America Will Start July 15

The first dues payment for Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants is scheduled for July 15.  The easiest and preferred way to pay your dues is through payroll deduction. You can sign up for automatic payroll deduction of dues by completing a Dues Check Off form.  This form can be downloaded from the AFA Alaska website or you can pick up a copy in the file room in both SFO and LAX villages.  Once you’ve completed the form, mail it to AFA International Membership Services (the address is on the bottom of the form) or place it in the AFA lock box (located in both SFO and LAX file rooms) and we’ll mail it in on your behalf.  For more information about dues please see our April 30 communication AFA Dues for Legacy Virgin America.

More Opportunities to Serve Coming Soon!

Once officer elections are complete, the newly elected Local Executive Council (LEC) officers will select committee chairs and members.  If you are interested in participating in a committee or getting involved, please visit the volunteer page of the AFA website for more information about each committee and their responsibilities.

ASAP it!

Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is an FAA program that allows Flight Attendants to self-disclose unintentional violations of CFRs or company safety policy without fear of disciplinary action from management or enforcement action from the FAA.  Examples include improper door procedures, minimum crew violations and unintentional company policy/Work Rule violations. The intent of the program is to improve procedure, processes, and training through increased reporting of safety-related incidents that might otherwise go unreported.  ASAP can be reported online and through your company-issued IMD through the Report It app. For questions, please contact  Bradley Young, the ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) Observer, and ASHSC Interim Chair for Airbus at bradley.young@afaalaska.org.

Are You an AFA Member?

As of today, only a small percentage of L-VX F/As have not signed up to become members.  It’s important to note that at Alaska Airlines, you are obligated to pay AFA dues regardless of your membership status (§ 26). As a reminder, this form cannot be completed online.  The hard copy paper form must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in Washington D.C. You can download and print an application, or pick one up from the bag/file rooms the next time you pass through either SFO or LAX Villages.  Please note, that only AFA members may attend Membership Meetings, vote for officers, hold a position as an AFA officer or committee member or vote on Tentative Agreements (TAs).

FAQs 

What will happen to my PDays?  Will I lose them?

Pdays will continue to accrue and be available for use until full integration.  Anyone that has leftover Pdays in their bank at full implementation will be given the opportunity to “sell” them back to the company for full value.

How will we be paid for Transition Training? (corrected 06.11.18)

The training pay provision can be found in the JCBA §30.  Transition training will be paid at 6 TFP (6.78 hours) (5:19 hours) per 8 hour day.  Transition Training is scheduled for 16 hours in 2 days of training therefore L-VX F/As will receive 12 TFP (13.56 hours) (10:38 hours) for this training event.

How do I contact Council 35 officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email.  Emails are easier to forward for follow up and to have a record of information. All emails and concerns received by Council 35 are held in confidence, and will not be shared for follow up without the permission of the original sender.  To get the fastest and most thorough response, please email your concerns to vx@afaalaska.org.  All officers can respond to emails sent to that address which facilitates a more efficient use of resources.

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts!  You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & Jamie

Reliability Report Errors and Steps of Discipline

It has come to AFA’s attention that many L-VX Flight Attendants have received Reliability Reports with errors and incorrect steps of discipline.  Your Council 35 officers strongly suggest that every L-VX F/A carefully review reliability reports for the following issues:

·      Incorrect points

·      Points not rolling off

·      Points related to FMLA or MED LOA not converted/removed in a timely manner

·      Skipping steps of discipline

·      Discipline (PIPs and Warnings) not received within 12 business days of occurrence

Per the Letter of Agreement splitting reliability from performance, management is required to follow strict guidelines to handle reliability policy issues.  When a discipline step level is reached (Oral, Written, or Final), the notice needs to be provided to the F/A within 12 business days. Steps must be progressive—unless a large amount of points are assessed within a short period of time, the first step should be an Oral Warning (or PIP#1) followed by a Written Warning, and a Final Warning.  These steps need to be issued in sequence.  Additionally notice is given via email and certified mail.  The postmark date of the certified mail should be within 12 business days of occurrence that triggered the level of discipline.

If you have discover any of these issues, please submit an online issue report and describe your discrepancy.  You can also upload all supporting documents to include:

1.    Reliability report(s)

2.    Email providing notice of discipline showing date of notice

3.    Scan/pic of certified mail postmark date

If you were previously on an L-VX Special Accommodation leave, or need information about leaves available to L-VX F/As, please visit the Absence Management page on Alaska’s World for a list of medical leaves available for your individual situation.

For additional questions and assistance, please contact your Council 35 officers at vx@afaalaska.org.

In solidarity,

Melissa and Jamie

Dues for Legacy Virgin America Will Start July 15

The first dues payment for Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants is scheduled for July 15.  The easiest and preferred way to pay your dues is through payroll deduction. You can sign up for automatic payroll deduction of dues by completing a Dues Check Off form.  This form can be downloaded from the AFA Alaska website or you can pick up a copy near the AFA lock boxes in the SFO and LAX villages.  Once you’ve completed the form, mail it to AFA International Membership Services (the address is on the bottom of the form) or place it in the AFA lock box (located in both SFO and LAX bag rooms) and we’ll mail it in on your behalf.  For more information about dues please see our April 30 communication AFA Dues for Legacy Virgin America.

AFA Alaska EAP and Professional Standards Now Available for L-VX

AFA Alaska EAP will be hosting base sits for SFO and LAX this week to introduce L-VX Flight Attendants to available services.  EAP offers support for a variety of issues that involve Flight Attendants and their family members.  EAP committee members are also the first responders whenever a serious aircraft incident occurs.  For more EAP information, visit the AFA Alaska EAP committee website, where you will find a description of services available and detailed contact information.  Base sit schedules can be found on our Council 35 Facebook page.

New Bereavement Policy

With the new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), L-VX Flight Attendants now have additional days for bereavement.  The days have increased from 3 paid days to 4, with the option to extend an additional 4 days.  Please see Section (§)15.G of the JCBA for more information about bereavement benefits.

Time Off for Serious Aircraft Incidents

In the event any F/A experiences an aircraft incident, please be aware of the new provisions available to L-VX F/As in the JCBA.  Examples of a serious incident include onboard fire, decompression, emergency landing, evacuation and death on board.   If you experience any of these types of incidents and others, you are entitled to time off after the event to recover.  Please see §15.H of the JCBA for more information on leaves for serious aircraft incidents.

Commuter Policy and Boarding Priority

All L-VX Flight Attendants are covered under the L-VX Commuter policy until full integration, which is expected for early next year.  With PSS, an additional benefit for L-VX F/As became available—higher boarding priority for registered commuters.  As a reminder, although the priority is a benefit, it doesn’t necessarily prevent commuting challenges.  In the event you are unable to arrive on time due to commuting issues, please follow the L-VX Commuter Policy when providing documentation.

Crew Scheduling

A great amount of email traffic to Council 35 relates to CSS and scheduling issues.  To assist with organizing this information your Council 35 officers highly recommend that members file a report (open a “ticket”) through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center.  Select “Lineholder Scheduling Concern” or “Reserve Concern” to report issues. Not only does it help AFA get the information faster, but it tracks trends for further evaluation by the System Board Review (SRB).  SRB is the scheduling dispute resolution process between AFA and Crew Scheduling leadership.  We have already resolved and received remedies for L-VX cases with the SRB process. Please allow a response time of 24 business hours when reporting a crew scheduling issue.  If the assignment in question is imminent and you have not received a response, AFA recommends that F/As fly the trip “in protest” and dispute the Work Rule/contract violation through AFA after the fact for a resolution/remedy.  CSS issues cannot always be addressed by AFA immediately, therefore it is recommended that you document all your correspondence and provide the evidence for your dispute as soon as you are able.

New Faces and Help for Council 35 

As a transitional council, Council 35 has not had the luxury of a full complement of officers and committee members that a normal council enjoys.  Recognizing the demand, several Flight Attendants and AFA Alaska leaders have stepped forward and have offered to assist where the need has been the greatest.  The volunteers have been trained to help in specific departments:

Grievance

·      Zarah Shaw, Grievance Representative (L-VX-SFO) zarah.shaw@afaalaska.org

·      Tim Green, Local Executive Council (LEC) President Council 18, (AS-LAX) timothy.green@afalaska.org

Reserve/Probationary/New-Hire

·      Jarod McNeil, MEC Reserve Chair (AS-SEA) jarod.mcneil@afaalaska.org

Safety

·      Brad Young , Air Safety, Health & Security Committee (ASHSC) Interim Chair-Airbus (L-VX-SFO) bradley.young@afaalaska.org

Scheduling

·      Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Chair (AS-SEA) jake.jones@afaalaska.org

More Opportunities to Serve Coming Soon!

A new contract triggers an election for a full complement of officers. Once the election is complete, the officers will select committee chairs and members.  If you are interested in participating in a committee or getting involved, please visit the AFA committee website for more information about each committee and their responsibilities.

ASAP it!

Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is an FAA program that allows Flight Attendants to self-disclose unintentional violations of CFRs or company safety policy without fear of disciplinary action from management or enforcement action from the FAA.  Examples include improper door procedures, minimum crew violations and unintentional company policy/Work Rule violations. The intent of the program is to improve procedure, processes, and training through increased reporting of safety-related incidents that might otherwise go unreported.  ASAP can be reported online and through your company-issued IMD through the Report It app.  Please visit our website to view the ASAP Letter of Agreement and ASAP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). For questions, please contact  Bradley Young, the ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) Observer, and ASHSC Interim Chair for Airbus at bradley.young@afaalaska.org.

Are You an AFA Member?

The recent voting opportunity brought an increase of Council 35 membership applications. As of today, only a small percentage of L-VX F/As have not signed up to become members.  It’s important to note that at Alaska Airlines, being a member of the Union is a condition of employment (§ 26). As a reminder, this form cannot be completed online.  The hard copy paper form must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in Washington D.C. You can download and print an application, or pick one up from the bag/file rooms the next time you pass through either SFO or LAX Villages.  Please note, that only AFA members may attend Membership Meetings, vote for officers, hold a position as an AFA officer or committee member or vote on Tentative Agreements (TAs).

FAQs 

Why does my Peoplesoft number have me below my classmates that are junior to me?

Although there is some chronological association to Peoplesoft numbers, they are not used to determine class placement or seniority. The number assigned is dependent upon when the data was inputted in the system, but the numbers aren’t necessarily sequential. Unlike your old L-VX ID number, your Peoplesoft/Arctic numbers are in no way indicative of your seniority.

I noticed another FA that is junior to me is getting a higher pay for the retro pay period.  How can that be correct?

When comparing pay rates, please note whether or not the two F/As comparing are in the same base rates.  All ITL pay rates include the 15% ITL override.  The email sent to all F/As indicating their new pay rate was either straight base rate or, if the F/A was an ITL, the rate would show the base rate plus the 15 % override.

How often can I use the Might Be Late (MBL) provision?

This provision is unlimited and can be used by L-VX F/As at any time.  Keep in mind, you must call crew scheduling prior to your check-in time to initiate this program.  Calls received after show-time will not be considered for MBL and will be marked as late according to the L-VX Reliability policy.

How do I contact Council 35 officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email.  Emails are easier to forward for follow up and to have a record of information.  All emails and concerns received by Council 35 are held in confidence, and will not be shared for follow up without the permission of the original sender.  To get the fastest and most thorough response, please email your concerns to vx@afaalaska.org.  All officers can respond to emails sent to that address which facilitates a more efficient use of resources.

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts!  You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & Jamie

With the recent ratification of the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), Legacy Virgin America Flight Attendants will begin paying AFA dues at date of ratification plus 3 months, currently targeted for July 15.

How Can I Pay My Dues?

The easiest and preferred way to pay your dues is through payroll deduction. You can sign up for automatic payroll deduction of dues by completing a Dues Check Off form.  This form can be downloaded from the AFA Alaska website or you can pick up a copy near the AFA lock boxes in the SFO and LAX villages.  Once you’ve completed the form, mail it to AFA International Membership Services (the address is on the bottom of the form) or place it in the AFA lock box and we’ll mail it in on your behalf.

Click here to download a copy of the Dues Check Off form

Please note that the Dues Check Off form is a different form than the AFA Membership Application.  Completing an AFA Membership Application does not automatically sign you up for payroll deduction of dues; you must complete the Dues Check Off form as well.  It is not possible to complete or submit the Dues Check Off form online, AFA International must have a signed paper copy to submit the request to the Company for payroll deduction.

How Much Are Dues?

Dues are currently $50 per month.  This amount is the same for all AFA Members.  AFA dues are set by the AFA Board of Directors, the voting members of which are comprised of all Local Council Presidents from all of the airlines that make up AFA.

Who Is Obligated to Pay Dues?

All Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants (including Legacy Virgin America) who have completed four full calendar months of employment are obligated to pay AFA dues.  This obligation is spelled out in section 26 of the collective bargaining agreement.

Where Do My Dues Go?

The vast majority of dues dollars are directly allocated to fund the work at each airline (Local Council, Master Executive Council, Negotiations, and System Board).  The remaining amount supports the International Office and the Government Affairs, Air Safety, EAP, and Communications Departments, each of which provides expert services that are Flight Attendant focused and provide resources for the local leaders and committees of Flight Attendants at each airlines.  100% of dues dollars are allocated to priorities that provide Flight Attendants representation.

Questions?

If you have questions about AFA dues, please email us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa and Jamie