This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants
- Our JNC met with management this week on June 2 to June 4 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for June 30 to July 3
- A Tentative Agreement has been reached for Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignments)
- Our JNC made progress on vacation and staffing provisions, having discussions with both Alaska and Hawaiian stakeholders
Negotiations Update
Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management from June 2 to June 4 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:
| Representing AFA and our Flight Attendants | Representing Management |
| Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee Chairperson | Allen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska |
| Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee Member | Joe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska |
| Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee Member | Carmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska |
| Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee Member | Brittany Audette, Managing Director, Operations Staffing and Resource Management, Alaska |
| Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member | Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian |
| Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator | Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska |
| Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska |
Prior to this week’s session, the JNC held a small group meeting with Alaska and Hawaiian crew-planning stakeholders to explore vacation and staffing options in preparation for our joint session. This week, the JNC continued the conversation with management to review the Alaska and Hawaiian vacation systems. We discussed how the Alaska vacation provisions are currently applied and how the different Hawaiian vacation provisions are used. Brittany Audette, Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management, joined us for this discussion.
The JNC also continued to work through Section 14 (Vacations). Recognizing that Hawaiian Flight Attendants currently have more flexibility with their vacation benefits, we are exploring ways to incorporate those benefits into the JCBA for the combined workgroup.
The JNC reached a tentative agreement on the new Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignment). This new section primarily incorporated language from the Hawaiian CBA and added protections from other airlines’ Flight Attendant contracts. TDY (Temporary Duty Assignment) allows the company to establish a temporary base at a non-domicile location or to supplement staffing at an existing base temporarily. This section ensures Flight Attendants financial protection, including around-the-clock per diem, hotel stays for the duration of the TDY period, space-positive travel, and improved expense reimbursement. The goal is to ensure assignments are fair and Flight Attendants are supported, while also meeting operational and staffing needs.
We exchanged proposals for Section 35 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat and Pass Privileges) and Letter of Agreement 9 (Flight Attendant Jumpseat Occupancy). We are working to codify our travel benefits, including priority access to Flight Attendant jumpseats.
We also continued to exchange proposals on Section 16 (Sick Leave), but there are still significant differences between the two parties.
Section by Section Progress
The Alaska CBA is being used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.
Sections discussed in this session:
- Vacations (AS CBA Section 14 and HA CBA Section 18)
- Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
- Flight Attendant Jumpseat and Pass Privileges (AS CBA Section 35 and HA CBA Section 30)
- 🆕 Temporary Duty Assignments (AS CBA does not address these provisions and HA CBA Section 15)
Sections in ongoing discussion:
- Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
- General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
- Domiciles (AS CBA Section 28 and HA CBA Section 5, 14, and 27)
- Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)
- Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 36 and HA CBA Section 34-28)
Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.
- Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
- Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
- Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)
Crew Meal Survey
Thank you to everyone who took part in the Crew Meal Survey. We received 3,323 completed surveys from Flight Attendants, along with 509 partial responses. The JNC will review all feedback, including the partial surveys, as we evaluate the results. Your input helps us keep advocating for you.
What’s Upcoming
Our next session with management is scheduled for June 30 to July 3.
To get things started, the JNC met with our MEC Reserve Chairpersons to talk about current reserve rules and possible improvements for our combined workgroup. We are finalizing a Reserve survey that will go out to the Membership later this month. Thank you to pre-merger Alaska MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson, Julie Thornton and pre-merger Hawaiian MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson, Kela Chong for sharing their expertise.
