Master Executive Council (MEC)
Last week, our Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews for two positions on the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and two positions on the Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC). We’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the candidates who participated in the interviews and demonstrated their commitment to serving our Flight Attendants. After careful consideration, we are pleased to announce the election of Virginia Fritz and Heather Reier to the JNC positions, as well as Marie Maxwell and Camile Caldwell to the SMIC positions. All will serve as the pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant representatives on their respective committees in the upcoming merger.
Joint Negotiating Committee
Virginia Fritz
Virginia has been a San Francisco-based Flight Attendant since 2015 when she started her career at Virgin America. She has always had a passion for aviation since traveling as an unaccompanied minor at 5 years old. Her desire for aviation led her to work on a Zeppelin, as a gate agent, and as an air transportation supervisor. When Alaska Airlines bought Virgin America, and she became a member of AFA, she jumped at the first opportunity to fight for Flight Attendants by serving as the Council 35 (SFO) Scheduling Committee Chairperson from 2018 until 2022. In 2022, Virginia was elected as Council 35 LEC Vice President and began serving San Francisco Flight Attendants in additional capacities, including with local Grievance, Mobilization, and Hotel Committees, as well as other needs her local Members requested of her. In 2020, she was privileged to be able to join the PBS Committee, and in 2023, she was honored to begin serving as MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS.
Virginia is honored and humbled to be elected to the Joint Negotiating Committee so that she can use her commitment and passion in advocacy to find a contract that truly helps us all be stronger together.
When not advocating for fellow Flight Attendants, Virginia resides in Los Gatos, CA, with her supportive and loving husband, their adorable pup, Strudel, and her especially Union Proud Grandmother.
Heather Reier
Heather attended her first Anchorage Local Council AFA meeting in early 2016 before even flying a trip. Being a helper by nature, she immediately joined the Reserve Committee as a Reserve Buddy. This allowed her to better learn the parts of the contract that were specific to her work and to support others in the same position.
When the Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson position became available in early 2019, Heather stepped into that role to better assist all her coworkers – while remaining a Reserve Buddy (and Interim Reserve Chairperson) until this past July. As Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson, she has been able to help countless Flight Attendants with questions about legalities, pay, hotel issues, etc. She has often been able to advocate successfully on others’ behalf.
Heather was elected Anchorage Local Executive Council Vice President for 2023-2025. She is thrilled that this expanded role allows her to fully serve her coworkers and increase her knowledge and expertise in all contract areas.
Heather and her husband, Travis, a firefighter in Anchorage, have been married for 28 years and have raised their family in Anchorage since early 1997. Heather is an animal lover. She has three dogs of her own and often has foster dogs running around. She also enjoys the outdoors (minus the mosquitos) and has recently discovered a love of gardening.
About the Joint Negotiating Committee
The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) will negotiate with management to merge the collective bargaining agreements of the two pre-merger airlines into a single agreement for the newly combined airline. The full JNC will include two members from AFA Alaska, two from AFA Hawaiian, the MEC President, and the AFA Staff Negotiator.
Seniority Merger Integration Committee
Marie Maxwell
Marie Maxwell, a San Diego-based Flight Attendant, is excited to join the AFA Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) for the upcoming merger with Hawaiian Airlines. Marie previously served as a SMIC member for the Alaska Airlines/Virgin America merger in 2017/18 and brings first-hand knowledge and experience of merging two Flight Attendant seniority lists. Marie will analyze the results of the past merger and look for opportunities to make improvements during this subsequent merger within the guidelines of the AFA Constitution and Bylaws. She is ultimately committed to ensuring this is a fair and equitable process for both Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants.
Marie joined Alaska Airlines as a Flight Attendant in 2012. Before Alaska, she spent three decades in various marketing and product management roles in the tech sector. She brings strong analytical, project management, and communication skills to this committee and will focus on accomplishing SMIC goals promptly, fairly, and systematically.
Marie moved to San Diego when the base opened in 2013. She is originally from western Pennsylvania but has spent most of her life on the West Coast. Marie graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts. She is an avid traveler, most recently visiting the Serengeti in Tanzania on a photo Safari and hiking the mountains in Tanzania and Uganda to observe chimpanzees and gorillas in their natural habitat. When she is not working or traveling, she spends her spare time playing pickleball, hiking, and making pottery.
Camile Caldwell
Camile started her flying career with Virgin America in 2017 as a San Francisco-based Flight Attendant. Once the Virgin America/Alaska merger was complete, Camile began volunteering with AFA and has held positions on the Council 35 (SFO) Reserve and Grievance Committees. In addition to her Union roles, Camile works as an inflight instructor, where she helped develop the 2024 RT program.
Before becoming a Flight Attendant, Camile attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, which she continues to call home. When she isn’t flying, you can find Camile on the hiking trails with her boxer dog, Lily, or enjoying time with friends and family.
Camile is honored to serve our workgroup during the Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines merger as part of the Seniority Merger Integration Committee and will work to create a fair, equitable, and unified seniority list. If you see her out on the line, please stop and say hi!
About The Seniority Merger Integration Committee
The Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) is responsible for gathering the information needed to merge the Flight Attendant seniority lists, evaluating any protests from Flight Attendants, and producing a final certified seniority list for the upcoming merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. The full SMIC will be composed of two merger representatives from AFA Alaska and two from AFA Hawaiian.
