Grievance Win For Flight Attendants: Reinforcing Our Contractual Rights Under Sections 8.M and 8.D

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

A recent arbitration ruling has brought a significant victory that strengthens our rights under Sections 8.M and 8.D of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. This decision flows from Grievance 36-99-2-38-24 (Violation of §8.M) and Grievance Settlement 36-99-2-458-22 (Violation of §8.D Check In and Release).

What does this mean for you? The ruling clarifies that if you’ve waived your domicile rest, and your trip is operationally impacted such that your domicile rest is reduced to under 10 hours, Crew Scheduling cannot simply change your report time for the first leg/duty period of your second trip to meet CFR requirements before your duty period of your first trip has ended. 

Thanks to this ruling, Flight Attendants impacted by these circumstances can confidently exercise their rights under Section 8.M, including:

• The ability to drop the second trip without pay protection.
• The option to pick up the sequence at a SIP point or via deadhead (with duty limitations applying) if there is a nonstop flight with a legal ground connection and an available seat before the next flight in the sequence.
• The option to work a mutually agreed-upon substitute assignment, though pay protection and premium per section 10.R.h.1 won’t apply.

This grievance was initially filed after management denied a Flight Attendant’s request to use these provisions back in September 2023. Following that, the Company wrongfully adjusted the check-in time for the Flight Attendant’s next assignment, violating our Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The arbitrator was clear: Alaska Airlines overstepped by altering the report time for the Flight Attendant’s second trip while their duty period on the first trip was still ongoing. Moving forward, such unilateral changes by the Company are off the table when a Flight Attendant has waived their contractual domicile rest.

Our Grievance Committee is thrilled with this outcome. We encourage you to reach out to your Local Grievance Committee with any questions. This ruling is not just a victory; it’s a crucial step in safeguarding our rights and ensuring compliance with our collective bargaining agreement.