Human Rights Committee
- Our AFA Human Rights Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, January 11 to discuss their ongoing program of work to advance human rights within our workplace and community.
- The Committee also met with management to receive updates on what progress has been made on concerns that had been previously brought forward and address new concerns that have been brought forward. The meeting with management was originally scheduled to be held on December 6 but was cancelled at the last minute due to inflight management changes that took place at around the same time.
- If you have ideas, thoughts, or feedback for the committee, your Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson would love to hear from you!
On Tuesday, January 11, 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), and Louise Borras (LAX). Also present were MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson Chip Hestle and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer. The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Inflight Strategy and Support Gloria Chow, Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams, California Regional Director of Inflight Operations Robbi Burton, and Seattle Director of Inflight Base Operations Jenny Bookert from management.
Topics of Discussion
The committee reviewed a number of items both during internal AFA-only conversation and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:
- Ongoing concerns about low morale within our work group
- Opportunities to emphasize the importance of maintaining positive working relationships and encourage voter turnout during the upcoming election cycle.
- Concerns about company suppliers/vendors whose values may be contradictory to those of Alaska Airlines and how management would address the issue.
- Management’s progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and plans for upcoming work.
- Upcoming plans to include more substantial DEI training in the Initial Training and Recurrent Training programs.
- Introduction of new pronoun pins, currently available at the Company Store. Management is reviewing the possibility of allowing Flight Attendants to use their uniform allotment to purchase the pins.
- Requests to increase diversity and representation among the Flight Attendant Special Projects Pool, starting with those selected for Flight Attendant recruiting and hiring.
- Ways for the committee to start building relationships with the company’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs).
The committee is next scheduled to meet with management on Friday, February 4, 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). Beginning the process of establishing 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.
- Promoting Increased Diversity Within the Flight Attendant Special Projects Pool. Advocating for management to create a Special Projects Pool that is reflective of our overall work group, starting with a focus on those who are selected to participate in Flight Attendant recruiting and hiring.
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.
