Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 1st Quarter 2024

Uniform Committee

• Our AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, February 22 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to uniforms.
• The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are reporting related to uniform quality, wearability, and availability.
• If you are experiencing any issues with uniform quality or construction, please report the issues to Unisync as soon as possible. Please include your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson on the email so they can help track any issues or trends that might be developing.

On Thursday, February 22nd, the AFA Local Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Present at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), David Jelinek (PDX), Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather Holmes (LAX), JP Perina (SAN), and MEC Uniform Committee Chairperson Kiara O’Bryant.

The committee also met with Director – Procurement and Logistics Eric Phillipson, Sr Product Manager Marketing Megan Low, Uniform Fit Center Lead Ashley Sentner, Supply Chain Program Manager Lizzie Revard, PDX Base Manager Kristie Stafford, and SFO Inflight Base Manager Cierra Lewis.

The next Quarterly Uniform Committee Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 2, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several items during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

• Red AFA CONTRACT NOW lanyards are here! AFA believes that your right to wear a Union lanyard is protected by the Railway Labor Act. However, if you are directed by a supervisor to remove the lanyard, we recommend that you do so because we don’t want you to be disciplined. Please then fill out the Management Interference Report form. Note: The OneWorld pin is still a requirement, so please ensure you have the OneWorld pin on your lanyard or outer-most uniform piece.
• During the annual AFA Uniform Allotment Review, it was discovered that the allotment needed to be adjusted due to an increase in value of several pieces. The Company agreed and an additional $60.62 was deposited for a total allotment value of $760.62 for the 2024-2025 cycle.
• The mockneck sweater is now available and must be worn per the style guide. The committee has asked for the following improvements in the style guide: the ability to wear it untucked from the skirt and the ability to wear it under the vest. Until AFA receives a formal response to these requests, Flight Attendants will still be held to current uniform standards during a uniform check. AFA reported quality concerns of cuffs splitting at the seam and the neck hole being too small. Please follow care instructions for the sweater and do not dry them in the dryer as they will shrink.
• The Aura vest is intended to be in stock in June with a possible preorder date of May. This is a tentative timeframe.
• The Company is working with Travelpro to possibly design a hardside 4-wheel spinner that is Crew quality. They are also open to exploring other vendors, but will not sacrifice quality and durability for the spinner design.
• Wings/name tag order process may take up to 90 days. Name tags are a Minimum Order product and are done in once-a-month batches. Once the orders are placed, it may take up to 60 days for the Flight Attendant to receive their wings. If a Flight Attendant submits their order form on the day after Management has submitted their monthly order, the request will be held until the following month. AFA discussed the possibility of creating blank wings for the interim. Please order wings (max of 4 per type) if you have 2 or less as the turn time may be longer than expected. The Committee is also exploring the possibility of having supervisors order wings once a year for every Flight Attendant.
• The Company is considering possibly creating How To videos on care for the uniform in order to help Flight Attendants get longevity out of their pieces during an allotment cycle.
• An issue with no return labels in uniform orders has been resolved. All orders should come with a UPS return label.
• The Uniform survey closed on 11/07/2023 and results were shared with AFA. Uniform improvements will be made based on the data received.
• The Fit Center highly recommends scheduling appointments even though walk-ins are allowed. There will be new back-to-back classes of both Flight Attendants and pilots this year that may reduce the Fit Center’s ability to accept walk-ins (if any at all). AFA and the Company will work together to notify Flight Attendants when class fittings will occur in order to avoid the likelihood of being turned away due to unavailability. Please ensure you are signed up for base updates through your local council as this information will be included in your base newsletters.
• If you have any quality concerns, please submit your issue using the Quality Concern Form on Team AAG > Other Resources > Uniforms > Safety & Quality > Quality > Here [SSO required] so Unisync and AFA can track recurring issues. Changes can only be made if the vendor is provided with sufficient data and proof of quality concerns.
• AFA Uniform policies change requests:
  • Shorter apron- The Company will consider this and review with stakeholders.
  • Allowing brown leather gloves if you are wearing brown shoes- The Company will consider this and review with stakeholders.
  • Allow patriotic neckwear on 9/11- The Company will consider this and review with stakeholders.
  • More modest skirt that is below-the-knee for religious accommodation (FAs can order tall skirts, but some sizes may still hit above the knee)- The Company will consider this and review with stakeholders.
  • Offer the Travelpro backpack as an alternative to the tote- The Company will consider this and review with stakeholders.
  • Piercings & Tattoos- The Company is inclined to adjust current policies to be more relaxed based on the Uniform Survey results, but will not be doing so prior to the Hawaiian merger & acquisition as our uniform standards are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
  • Allow the Franco Sarto loafers (without the tassel) but with the tan stripe and stitching- The Company is not inclined to make an exception, however, FAs are allowed to color or dye the stitching and stripe a navy color in order to make them compliant.
• AFA brought up concerns about uniform compliance checks being done during boarding/pre-departure safety duties. Management stated they are not specifically going to aircraft to do compliance checks. However, if a Flight Attendant is noncompliant, they will have a discussion. These discussions will continue any time Flight Attendants are on duty and may be subjected to performance steps of discipline if multiple Records of Discussion (RODs) are issued. The main areas of concern receiving discipline are:
  • Outerwear – Noncompliant coats
  • Nose rings (hoops) and earrings that are larger than approved size of a quarter
  • Hemlines – Too short
  • Shoes with white soles or stitching (you can use a navy/brown permanent marker or leather dye on the white stitching to make them compliant)

May 31, 2024 will see the ban of popular lug-style shoes and discipline may be issued for noncompliance. AFA has gone all the way up through marketing (including Luly Yang) in attempts to advocate for the shoe to remain in compliance. The final decision is that these shoes will not be allowed. (this previously stated the cutover is March, which was incorrect)

What The Committee Is Working On

1. AFA CONTRACT NOW Lanyards. Trying to work in coordination with the Mobilization Committee to ensure all Flight Attendants have a lanyard.
2. Transition Jacket. AFA believes we may have found a solution to make the navy parka packable. We will explore this more. The committee’s outwear focus is now geared toward sourcing a transition jacket that is suitable for all-weather purposes (similar to the former Legacy-VX transition jacket).
3. Quality Concerns. We would like Unisync to make quality improvements to their sewing and material based on FA feedback; however, there is not sufficient enough data to support our requests because Flight Attendants are not submitting quality concern reports. Please submit a formal request so improvements can be made.

We Want to Hear From You!

Please email Unisync with any quality issues. In the email, please describe the issue in detail, include the “PO” number from the tag, attach photos of the issue and the tag, if possible, and CC your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson. Please consider opening a ticket at AFA Alaska Support so the Uniform Committee can track these issues.

Would you like to join the wear test pool? Do you have other feedback for the committee or items that you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Uniform Committee is your voice to management. You can find contact information on the Uniform Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.