Grievance Committee

website-header-grievance

What Does This Committee Do?
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Process
Who Do I Contact?
Links
Committee News

Tools & Resources

AFA Alaska Online Support Center

What Does This Committee Do?

The Grievance Committee’s primary responsibility is the protection of all Flight Attendants against arbitrary and unjust disciplinary action and to uphold the collective bargaining agreement.

Download the Grievance Committee Member duties and responsibilities

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Enforce the contract
Represent all Flight Attendants when unjust discipline is issued
Collect evidence and establish that the alleged violation has occurred. Solicit documentation as needed.
Clearly and persuasively explain the union’s position concerning a grievance
Frankly explain to a grievant when there is little or no chance of winning a grievance
Ensure that time limits are met for filing
File grievances
Handle initial grievance hearings; report the results to the LEC Officers and the grievant
Keep complete files on assigned cases
Assist union attorneys in preparing grievances for System Board
Keep the grievant informed about the processing of his/her grievance
Review material, handle correspondence, and keep the LEC Officers well informed of current grievance developments
Communicate regularly with the membership about decisions on local grievances—promote wins and explain ramifications of a loss
Write grievance articles for local membership communications upon request by the LEC Officers

Why Would I Contact This Committee?

The Grievance Committee is available to help you with:

Guidance and assistance in situations where contractual violations have occurred
Representation in disciplinary meetings and hearings

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Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Process

View the ADR log

The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process is a bi-weekly meeting between the MEC Grievance Chairperson and management counterparts in Inflight management and the Labor Relations department. The purpose of the meeting is to come together to attempt to work through issues that would otherwise be forced into the grievance process. ADR is intended to help both parties come to an agreement more quickly and save the expenses related to processing a grievance. If an issue is not resolved using ADR, AFA retains the right to address the issue using the established grievance process and all timelines are preserved. If you think you have an issue to bring to ADR, contact any member of your Local Grievance Committee (see below).

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Who Do I Contact?

Think You Might Have a Grievance?

Click here to report an issue to AFA

If you have been subject to a situation that you believe might warrant filing a grievance, it is recommended that you report the issue through the AFA Alaska online support center. When filing a report, the questionnaire will help you to determine whether your situation meets the qualifications of filing a grievance. Members of the Grievance Committee review each report and follow up with the Flight Attendant to help determine options and a course of action.

General Assistance

For assistance, contact any member of your Local Grievance Committee. You can find a list of Committee Members on your Local Council Committees page. For your convenience, a list of Committee Chairs and links to the Local Committee lists are below.

MEC

Stephanie Adams, MEC Chairperson
grievance@afaalaska.org

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System Board of Adjustment (SBA)

Members are to serve on the System Board of Adjustment for the purpose of arbitrating any disputes or grievances that may arise under the terms of the Agreement between Alaska Airlines and its Flight Attendants.

SBA Members

Rene Celestin (term: 07/01/2021-06/30/2023)
Sandra Morrow (term: 07/01/2022-06/30/2024)

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Committee News

View the Grievance Committee news archives

Operational Safety Debriefs

Posted: January 26, 2023

Master Executive Council (MEC) In 2019, AFA filed grievance number 36-99-2-170-19, which alleged management’s violation of section 19.A of the collective bargaining agreement. The violation was related to an incident where management conducted a debrief meeting with Flight Attendants while they were still on duty following a slide deployment incident. As there was no contractual […]

iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Device Distribution

Posted: January 10, 2023

Master Executive Council (MEC) Management recently notified AFA that they plan to begin distributing new iPhone 13 Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) to Flight Attendants who are currently issued iPhone 7 or 8 Plus devices. Distribution will take place in one base at a time over approximately six weeks. The specific schedule will be communicated by management separately. Flight […]

December 2022 Pacific Northwest Winter Weather Event

Posted: December 23, 2022

Master Executive Council (MEC) This week’s winter weather have had a significant impact on Alaska Airlines operations in Seattle and Portland. Hundreds of flights have either been delayed or cancelled which has had a ripple effect throughout the system leaving virtually no Flight Attendants unimpacted. AFA Representatives are actively working to try to resolve Flight Attendant concerns […]

Modification of Section 10.S – Pre-Cancellations

Posted: September 28, 2022

Master Executive Council (MEC) AFA and management have recently come to an agreement to provide better clarity as to how pre-cancellations and reassignments are confirmed in advance of the first day of a sequence. The agreement expands existing pre-cancellation language and provides protections to Flight Attendants in how Crew Scheduling handles a number of additional […]