Joint Contract Negotiations Session 19 – September 2026

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

• Our JNC met with management last week on September 8 to September 10 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for October 26 to October 28
• Our JNC and management will be exploring a different approach to traditional bargaining called Interest-based Bargaining (IBB) to address complex contract negotiations, aiming for solutions that benefit all parties
• The Reserve Survey is being finalized for release in October

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for four days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management from September 8 to September 10 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	Kalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee Member	Mike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator	Karen Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska

Last week the JNC got the company’s response to Section 19 (Grievance Procedures) and Section 30 (Training).  We also received a new proposal from management for Section 29 (Performance Based Pay and Retirement) and provided our response, which included proposals for LOA 14 (Legacy Retiree Pass Privileges) and LOA 18 (Retiree Health Insurance).

Most of the remaining sections are complex and will require significant discussion. At this point in negotiations, it is clear that both contracts are very different, well-established and cover different operations and work rules. Finding a solution that works for the combined Flight Attendant group will be challenging. The traditional bargaining approach isn’t always conducive to resolving these types of complicated issues.

Interest-based Bargaining (IBB)Training

The JNC and management will be exploring a different way to negotiate called Interest-based Bargaining (IBB). In IBB, both the company and the Association identify issues and develop solutions that will work for both parties. This is different from traditional bargaining where each side negotiates from a fixed position. For IBB to be successful, all parties need to participate in training to learn how the process works and be open to candid discussions.

The IBB Training will take place in Seattle from October 14 to October 15, led by a mediator from the National Mediation Board (NMB). The NMB mediator has experience in contract negotiations and mediation, and has previously worked with AFA International, Alaska, and Hawaiian. Our staff negotiator also has a lot of experience with this process, and the pre-merger Hawaiian JNC members used IBB successfully in their last full Section 6 Negotiations.

The JNC has strategized to identify sections and concepts that would be best suited for the IBB approach. The most impactful sections of the contract are the most difficult to negotiate because both sides have a significant stake in the outcome. These sections are difficult to tackle even in regular Section 6 Negotiations and merging of our two contracts makes this task significantly more challenging.

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:

• Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
• Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

• Vacations (AS CBA Section 14 and HA CBA Section 18)
• Sick Leave (AS CBA Section 16 and HA CBA Section 19)
• Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
• Insurance Benefits (AS CBA Section 23 and HA CBA Section 32)
• 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)
• 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)
• Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

JCBA Negotiations

As a reminder, here’s how JCBA bargaining differs from regular negotiations:

• Not Section 6 Negotiations: Because our contracts are not amendable, we fall outside the regular Section 6 process.
• Creating One Contract from Two: Instead of improving a single contract, JCBA talks are about building an entirely new agreement from two existing contracts.
• Different Survey Process: The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) will send targeted “subject matter” surveys on specific contract sections.

For more information about the process please see Understanding JCBA Negotiations

What’s Upcoming

Reserve Survey

The JNC is finishing up the long-awaited Reserve Survey, and we expect to release it in October. Thank you for your patience as we collaborated with our MEC Reserve Committee Chairpersons to make sure that the survey questions targeted key issues of concern. To help you understand the differences between the two Reserve programs, we have created extra resources that will be shared with the survey.

Next Session

Our next negotiating session with management is scheduled for October 26 to October 28.