Human Rights Committee
- Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Monday, December 6 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
- The Committee was scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled the joint portion of the meeting with short notice due to the inflight management changes that took place at about the same time. Management rescheduled the meeting to take place on January 11, 2022.
- If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!
On Monday, December 6, our AFA Local Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to build awareness and effect change within our workplace and community. Representing you at the meeting were Matthew Cook (ANC), Yan Yan Teague (SEA), Sylvia Newbill (PDX), Sejal Patel (SFO), Louise Borras (LAX), and Erika Daniel (SAN). Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer. The committee was also scheduled to meet with management, but management cancelled with short notice due to Travis’ departure from the inflight division that occurred at the same time.
Topics of Discussion
Despite the fact that management was unable to participate, the committee still had the opportunity to provide updates, share concerns, and determine priorities for the ongoing work of the committee. Some of the things the committee discussed include:
- Concerns about low morale within our work group and the MEC’s continued work to have management adequately address the issue.
- How to address situations when another employee uses terminology or language that is discriminatory in nature, including having another person present as an additional set of eyes and ears if the situation warrants it.
- Using AFA Professional Standards as a resource to address concerns or conflicts between co-workers (including conflicts with Pilots).
- Upcoming new AFA diversity pins celebrating Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI), Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American heritage months.
The committee was able to reschedule the meeting with management for Tuesday, January 11, 2022.
What The Committee Is Working On
- Developing a Membership Survey. Creating a membership survey to determine what Flight Attendants would like to see our Human Rights Committee address and prioritize going forward.
- Building Relationships with the Company’s Business Resources Groups (BRGs). Working to establish relationships with leaders of the Company’s BRGs to find areas where we can join together to advance human rights within the scope of each group.
- Providing Support For Upcoming Negotiations. Finding opportunities to build our collective power in upcoming negotiations through support of our Mobilization Committee.
We Want to Hear From You!
Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items that you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Human Rights Committee is your voice to management. You can find our contact information on the Human Rights Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.