Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian
Year End Reminder!
On November 12, we held our Council #19 Base Meeting. Please click the link before to view the minutes from the meeting.
AFA Council 19 Meeting 11_12_18
In Solidarity,
Terry, Jake, Adam, Melinda and Megan
Many Flight Attendants have been impacted by the California Wildfires. If you are unable to report to work as scheduled, please reach out to a supervisor as soon as possible: SFO Village: 650.218.681
The AFA-CWA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to support those affected by the Wildfires: AFA Alaska EAP: 949.922.1606
We know that disasters can change lives forever. While we can’t stop destructive events from happening, we can, as a Union, assist our members with their recovery. AFA established the Disaster Relief Fund after September 11th to assist our members whose lives were placed in harms way. AFA members and retirees, whose primary residence is in the affected counties and who have suffered damage and/or dislocation, are eligible for $200.00 from the AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund. It is a gift made possible by the generosity of your fellow union sisters and brothers with AFA.
Your Council 35 Officers,
Melissa, Aladrian and James
SEA Air Safety Health & Security Committee
SemiAnnual Base Meeting
October 18, 2018
AFA Only 10-11am
Attendees
David Lake Janice Sidwell Callie vonBorstel (QX Council 16 BOI)
Seth Heiple Marikaye Paulson
Terry Taylor Ronda Ruderman
Meeting with Management 11am-2pm
Attendees (AFA attendees plus)
Omar Torres Denise Brooks Stephanie Garnett
Cari Allen Kitsy Sperling Terri Thomsen
Monica Grant Kimberly Mitchell Lisa Macintosh
Jessica Eller Ana Martinez Cynthia Collins
Jenny Bookert
Lisa M. asked questions about FA responsibility for stowing pax bags. Monica mentioned there are some requirements of the ACAA pertaining to people with disabilities. Seth mentioned the committee has requested of the company that all UM bags be checked. Direction to FAs, including language about the “tug test,” is not clear whether FAs are required to lift pax bags.
Omar continued with concern of potential for slipping injuries with coming wet weather and outside operations. There will be a bulletin to FAs regarding precautions against slipping, and FAs will be able to wear onboard shoes when boarding using outside stairs. FAs have not been informed whether they can wear boots in the winter although Cari said the Safety department has recommended this. Other wet weather concerns are wet floors in a/c entryway and provisioning of absorbent mats; and correct positioning of stair at a/c door.
Cabin AQ events
Turbulence working group, which includes other work groups
Cabin Temperature working group which looks at events and follows up to determine causal factors. She would like to get FA reports on this topic. These events are discussed in the weekly cross divisional safety call. Alaska is looking at cabin temperature as an important concern and is willing to consider provisioning thermometers in the FA kit.
Door working group analyzing the partner approach to arming / disarming, considering reports noting problems with current door procedures. Safety Dept has recommended returning to previous door procedures on Boeing. Inflight will make the decision on any changes.
There was discussion about the usability of the ReportIt! app. Inflight and safety would like to see numerous improvements, including adding the injury report to the phone app. There is a concern that FA injuries are not being reported because FAs can’t find the injury report form, which is only on the desktop version.
Kitsy discussed a van accident her crew was involved in, and the confusing information from Global Lifeline. Omar said the new Duty Manager position in scheduling should be overseeing events like this in future. Cari will check with MedAire regarding the information given to FAs. Terry mentioned that Global will ask FAs if they want to go to a hospital because they cannot order a FA to go.
Terri had a concern that a used POB wrapped in a trash bag does not fit back into the bracket. Suggest this be reported on IR with photo. She also had concerns about handling late boarding pax bags and the time push for on time departure. Please Stop the Operation for compliance. Seth mentioned a new FA boarding procedure will have FAs out of the cabin until boarding is complete, this may relieve some pressure on FAs being asked by pax to stow their bags.
Kimberly was concerned about assault on teen assist pax when crew did not know teen assist was on board. Suggestion to add teen assist symbol to Block2Block.
Cynthia brought up how confusing communications to FAs are, with so many sources of communication. Monica mentioned there is a project in Inflight Compliance to streamline communications.
Denise asked how important is zone boarding for light loads, when can pax move around. She was told there are now 5 zones in the cabin instead of the previous 3. Seth will request an indication in B2B of light load zones, and where and when pax can move. Denise would also like a reminder to FAs on prior brace position on J/S and to be seated once safety duties are complete.
Lisa would like a reminder to FAs of policy on refilling pax cups.
Stephanie gave an update to committee on defective carafes, that they will be replaced with a second batch which should not have the defect. There is a concern for the weight of the full carafe. Catering would like to replace it with a lighter weight plastic carafe but cannot due to cost concerns. Encourage FAs to use ReportIt! for catering safety concerns.
Meeting adjourned at 2 pm.
Don’t forget, our Council #19 Base Meeting will be held tomorrow (Monday November 12th).
WHERE: Earhart Room – Lower Level, SEATAC Office Towers (same building as 13 Coins)
WHEN: November 12th, 1-4pm
PARKING: In front of the building is free for up to 3 hours. Behind the building is free as well. If you park in the rear of the building, take a ticket and bring it with you to the meeting for validation.
AGENDA: LEC Committee Chairs and Officers will be giving updates and answering questions.
Hope to see everyone there!
Council #19
November Base Update
Reminder: Local Council Meeting
When: November 12, 2018 1-4pm
Where: Earhart Room – Lower Level, SEATAC Office Towers (same building as 13 Coins), 18000 International Blvd – Across from SEATAC. Free parking in front of building as well as behind. If you park in the rear, please make sure to bring your ticket with you for validation.
Agenda: Officers and Committee Chairs will be present to update on recent activities, and to answer questions.
Recent Issues:
Cornerstone continues to be problematic. We’ve been assure that early this week the latest ‘glitch’ will which resulted in previously completed CBT for Q4 being deleted should be resolved early next week. Training states that reports from Cornerstone can be used to retrieve the date. We believe the deadline for completion may be extended.
We are supposed to be issued new IMDs in early 2019. Meanwhile, those we have are wearing out. In some cases, new SIM cards are issued through Spot On, but that doesn’t always solve the problem. Some Flight Attendants have been told that no new IMDs are available. Some have been sent replacement IMDs that don’t work any better than the ones they had. This is unacceptable. We will soon be issued new BOB scanners. They have been tested, and are now being distributed to Airbus Flight Attendants to use with their new IMDs.
Recent Committee Activity:
Government Affairs: Committee members have held base sits for voter registration, and have been active with the ‘Get Out and Vote’ Campaign. Bev Bullock and Terry Taylor attended a luncheon to thank Representative Rick Larson for advocating during FAA Reauthorization Bill debates, for unreducible 10 hour Flight Attendant Crew Rest. Airlines have up to 6 months to enact the new regulation.
Benefits: The Benefits Committee members have been busy as well. Kathy O’Malley will be conducting Base Sits during the last two weeks of the Annual Benefits Enrollment, to assist with questions and provide information. Feel free to call if you can’t come into the base during one of these available Base Sits.
Scheduling: Members of the Scheduling, Reserve and PBS Committees, including Steve Poynter, Jarod McNeill, Conner Gallagher, and Adam Clarey are conducting Base Sits in Councils #18 & #35. In January, Airbus Flight Attendants will be bidding for February schedules using our PBS system. This will be their first time using NavBlue. The Committee has put together training materials and will offer assistance. In Seattle, Base Sits/Trainings for the ‘new’ PBS system will be scheduled after the first of the year. The ‘old’ system will still be available for the time being, but will be eliminated in 2019, tentatively in May.
Air Safety and Health: The semi-annual Seattle Base Safety Meeting was held October 18. The meeting was well attended. Minutes are available on the Council #19 webpage.
EAP/Professional Standards: Committee members will be attending CIRP training this month.
Grievance: New committee members attended training in October. Kiara Jenkins, MEC Scheduling Committee Payroll and Council #19 Reserve Chair Julie Pinson attended.
ISSC: Committee members have conducted base sits in Seattle, for the new service roll out. They are also assisting with Base Sits for the Airbus Flight Attendants during their conversion to our service model.
Are you Connected?
Make sure you are getting the most up to date information.
Council #19 Reserve Only Facebook
In Solidarity,
Terry, Jake, Adam, Melinda and Megan
Our Annual Benefits Open enrollment is underway! This years open enrollment period is from October 29 – November 14th. This is your once-a-year opportunity to choose the right coverage for you and your family. Learn more and enroll at myalaskabenefits.com.
If you want to talk with someone about your options you can call your Benefits Center at 1.844.231.3476.
The AFA Benefits Committee will have the following Base Sits in the Inflight office to also provide additional assistance:
November 9: 8am – 4pm
November 11: 6am – 2pm
November 13: 1pm – 8pm
November 14: 7am – 3pm
You can always reach out to one of your Seattle AFA Benefits Committee Members. http://afaalaska.org/sea/committees
In Solidarity,
Your Council #19 Benefits Committee and Officers
Due to the recent spike in cabin air fume events, your AFA Air Safety, Health, and Security Committee (ASHSC) has been working diligently to assist with all fume events by continuing with our normal procedure of contacting the affected crews, offering support, educating, and providing tools and resources for responding to these events.
With regard to education, the Committee is currently working with the Air Safety, Health, and Security (ASHS) department at AFA International to create additional online training and educational materials related to fume events. Some of the resources available are listed below.
The Committee has compiled a comprehensive question and answer document to help provide information about many of the questions and concerns that have been received about cabin air fume events.
You can access the Q&A document by clicking here.
The Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card is a wallet sized card that explains what to do in a contaminated cabin air exposure event. The card can be kept in a badge holder behind your company ID or in your wallet.
The card was recently updated by the Committee and now includes information about the Airbus fleet. If you currently have an older version of the card, please destroy your old card and replace it with a newly updated one. The updated cards are currently being distributed to each domicile.
Look for more information from your Local Council about where to pick one up at your base. You can access and print the card on the AFA Alaska website by clicking here.
Additional air quality information, including a flow chart that describes what to do in a cabin air fume event, can be found at afaalaska.org under Committees > Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC) > Air Quality.
If you have additional questions about cabin air quality or the AFA resources available, please email airquality@afaalaska.org or contact a member of your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC). You can find contact information on the ASHSC page of the AFA Alaska website.
We look forward to seeing you there.
In Solidarity,
Terry, Jake, Adam, Melinda and Megan
The Council 35 and Crew Systems Integration (CSI) team will be present in the SFO Village to answer questions about NavBlue Preferential Bidding (PBS), the contract (JCBA) and the open-time/trading (JCTE) systems. Don’t miss your opportunity to learn these new programs prior to full integration planned for January 2019.
Base sits are scheduled for the following dates in 2018:
For specific times, please visit the Council 35 Facebook page.
The Council 35 CSI team includes your Council 35 officers and the following members:
Support will also be provided by the Master Executive Council (MEC) Scheduling and PBS Committee members:
Please visit Alaskasworld for a self-study of the new systems. Having a basic understanding of the programs will make it easier for the team to provide you with guidance on your specific questions during base sits.
For a complete list of tutorials and guides on PBS bidding, JCBA provisions and JCTE, please visit:
Alaskasworld>Inflight Webpage>Training. Select tab “Crew System Integration (CSI)” for a list of available resources.
Don’t forget to participate in the mock bids for December and January. To practice bidding for your schedule with the NavBlue system prior to bidding live, please select the “NavBlue PBS Training Site” which is found within the “Crew System Integration (CSI)” tab referenced above. Your Peoplesoft number will be your username and password the first time you enter the site.
Dates of mock bidding practice:
Practice or mock bid awards will be published by the 13th of each month.
Live bidding dates:
Your February bid will be published by January 13 and will be your actual flying schedule for February 2019.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your Council 35 officers at sfo@afaalaska.org or the SFO Scheduling committee at sfo.scheduling@afaalaska.org.
In solidarity,
Melissa, Aladrian and James
On Wednesday, March 25, our AFA Human Rights & Equity Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to raise awareness and create positive change within our workplace and community. Your representatives attending the meeting included Louise Borras (LAX-pmAS), Bruni Agosto-Pinal (LAX-pmHA), Aaron Miller (PDX), Nyachan Chuar (ANC), and Yan Yan Teague (SEA). MEC Human […]
Editor’s Note: Our MEC Inflight Service Committee now represents both pre-merger airlines, but management still makes service decisions that affect each group of Flight Attendants differently. This update covers changes for both Hawaiian- and Alaska-branded flying, but is specific to aircraft flown by pre-merger Hawaiian Airlines crews. As the work of the merger progresses, we […]
Our JNC met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC focused on clarifying questions about moving expenses and presented a proposal for Sick Leave, using feedback from Flight Attendants to guide improvements. The Committee is working to incorporate the strongest elements from both contracts to ensure better support for all members.
This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, March 24, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]
On Thursday, March 19, our AFA Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Bradley Young (SFO), Carin Merritt (LAX pmAS), David Lake (SEA pmAS), Deb Wallstrom (ANC), Eva Gatus […]
