Please go to Alaskasworld.com, and look for the article titled “COVID-19: Help today! Click here to support fair allocation of federal funding”, pictured above. This is very time sensitive. We need as many employees as possible to sign this letter.
Your Council 19 Officers would like to pass along this information from AFA International.
As we now face the unfortunate reality that many of our members will be sheltering in place, accepting voluntary leaves and experiencing reduced schedules, this is an often-overlooked opportunity.
Our partnership with CWA entitles AFA members to take advantage of a complimentary online learning opportunity. CWA/NETT provides access to hundreds of training courses via LinkedIn Learning. This might be the perfect time to brush up on existing skills or learn new ones.
Examples of Learning Titles include:
Zoom Meetings
Microsoft Collaboration
Microsoft Excel
SharePoint
You can get started by completing this form. This free resource can also be shared with member’s family members. To sign up you will need our CWA local number, 27019.
March 31, 2020
The grants in the relief package provide paychecks for workers, not bailouts for airlines. These grants do one thing and one thing only: fund paychecks and benefits for two million hourly workers like flight attendants, pilots, gate agents, mechanics, the people who clean planes, cook the food, and help people through the airport.
Secretary Mnuchin is threatening to take equity on the grants — leveraging the very people who make aviation fly and who right now are on the frontlines of this pandemic. Congress did not intend for this to work this way. The payroll grants are intended to keep us out of the unemployment line. The return to taxpayers is no involuntary furloughs or layoffs, keeping our vital industry intact for essential service during this national emergency, and our ability to continue to pay taxes, be consumers, and take care of ourselves and our families during this crisis. Warrants make sense on the loans, they do not make sense on the grants that are designated for our paychecks.
You can’t leverage people. We’re the ones the CARES Act is supposed to protect. This is our money, but the Secretary is planning to make conditions so onerous that the airlines can’t take it. That will mean hundreds of thousands of jobs lost and bankruptcies all over again. Not this time! This isn’t right. We are asking President Trump to make sure the Treasury Secretary doesn’t dismantle the bipartisan agreement to keep us in our jobs, connected to our paychecks and healthcare.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION NOW!
AFA International COVID-19 Resource Page: afacwa.org/coronavirus
March 31, 2020
The grants in the relief package provide paychecks for workers, not bailouts for airlines. These grants do one thing and one thing only: fund paychecks and benefits for two million hourly workers like flight attendants, pilots, gate agents, mechanics, the people who clean planes, cook the food, and help people through the airport.
Secretary Mnuchin is threatening to take equity on the grants — leveraging the very people who make aviation fly and who right now are on the frontlines of this pandemic. Congress did not intend for this to work this way. The payroll grants are intended to keep us out of the unemployment line. The return to taxpayers is no involuntary furloughs or layoffs, keeping our vital industry intact for essential service during this national emergency, and our ability to continue to pay taxes, be consumers, and take care of ourselves and our families during this crisis. Warrants make sense on the loans, they do not make sense on the grants that are designated for our paychecks.
You can’t leverage people. We’re the ones the CARES Act is supposed to protect. This is our money, but the Secretary is planning to make conditions so onerous that the airlines can’t take it. That will mean hundreds of thousands of jobs lost and bankruptcies all over again. Not this time! This isn’t right. We are asking President Trump to make sure the Treasury Secretary doesn’t dismantle the bipartisan agreement to keep us in our jobs, connected to our paychecks and healthcare.
AFA International COVID-19 Resource Page: afacwa.org/coronavirus
April Membership Meeting Cancelled
The AFA Annual Board of Directors Meeting scheduled for May 4 in Cleveland has been cancelled due to COVID-19 safety concerns. The cancellation will therefore make the April 23 Council 35 and Council 11 combined membership meeting unnecessary. Our sincerest apologies if you bid for the time off to attend. Stay tuned for an update if a reschedule will take place.
New Timeline for May Bidding
With all the scheduling changes and cancellations scheduling has asked for a contractual waiver to push back May bidding for one week to accommodate all the anticipated schedule changes. Please see Bulletin 2020-0022 for the full notice. The new timeline for SFO is as follows:
- All Bidding Opens April 12
- Bidding Closes April 17
- Awards Posted April 20
- Bid Protest Begins April 20
- Bid Protest Final April 21
- Awards Final April 21
The trip trade schedule for SFO will be adjusted as follows:
- SFO FA to FA April 22 0900
- SFO Open Time April 23 0900
New SFO Parking
SFO parking facilities have moved employee parking to the garage adjacent to the terminal. Please review the resource bulletin for instructions to use your parking badge at the new location.
SFO Village Sleep Room Closed
Base management has recently announced a temporary closure of the sleep room in the SFO Village. Flight Attendants have a daytime option of using the Freshen Up facility in the International Terminal, pre-security, G gates. Crew rates are available for showers, nap rooms, and toiletries when you show your crew badge. Their hours of availability have been reduced from 24 hours to 06:00-23:00 and are subject to change, so please call to verify operating hours before visiting. They can be reached at 650-877-0798.
COVID-19 and Leave Resources
There are so many changes happening right now its hard to keep track! What we are experiencing is unprecedented in the airline industry and we are all exhausted just trying to keep up. Please stay informed of all the changes by reading company emails, bulletins and AFA emails for the latest information. The following is a list of resources to help you navigate through the chaos:
- COVID-19 Leave FAQ Page
- Staffing Leaves and Low Bids
- AS Coronavirus Updates
- AFA-CWA (Coronavirus Updates)
- CDC Guidance for Crews
Stay Informed…
There is lots of information out there–some good, some not so good. Don’t get caught up in rumors! Please reach out to your Council 35 officers for guidance. The volume of questions and concerns we have received the last couple weeks has tripled. Thank you for your patience as we do our best to answer member inquiries.
…and Stay Sane!
If you find yourself overwhelmed with everything there are many resources to attend to your mental health. The level of anxiety, fear and apprehension has increased over the past several weeks due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and potential financial impact of the pandemic. To provide assistance to members, AFA International EAP is hosting COVID-19 Support Groups with the following schedule:
April 5 8pm EST
April 7 3pm EST
April 12 8pm EST
April 14 3pm EST
Groups are facilitated by a Mental Health Professional and are specific to flight attendants. Flight Attendants may participate by calling 855-544-2320 or 401-648-9218. Sessions are completely confidential.
How do I contact Council 35 Officers?
The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:
- Open an AFA Online Support Ticket
- SFO@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the other officers can respond)
- Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
- Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)
When contacting Council 35 Officers please avoid the following methods:
- Sending to/from alaskaair.com email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
- Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
- Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)
Please allow at least one business day for a response to any method of contact (ticket, email, phone, text).
In solidarity and health,
Your Council 35 Officers
Melissa Osborne, LEC President • Melissa.osborne@afaalaska.org • 415-275-1322
Aladrian Hillmon, LEC Vice President • Aladrian.hillmon@afaalaska.org • 415-991-3791
James Ikehara, LEC Secretary • James.ikehara@afaalaska.org • 415-289-9011
Bradley Young, Council Representative • Bradley.young@afaalaska.org • 916-508-3503
In This Edition
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
- Staffing Adjustment Leave, Low Bid Option or …?
- Pre-Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Schedule Changes (Section 10.S)
- Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) Sequences During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act
The AFA-CWA International Officers sent out an AFA Interactive message yesterday regarding the House of Representatives passing vote on the CARES Act, the hard work that went into achieving the relief package, and the upcoming work that will need to be done to implement the bill. You can read the entire message by clicking here.
What Happens Next?
Now that the CARES Act has been passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, the work begins to implement the bill. The language within the CARES Act is extensive and both AFA and management are conducting an extensive review to ensure that there is a full understanding of the contents.
AFA representatives have received many questions about how the relief package will apply to Flight Attendants, how management intends to manage staffing, how unemployment benefits might apply to the various leaves of absence available, and many more. It is critical that your AFA leaders understand how the CARES Act, our collective bargaining agreement (CBA), state and federal benefits and any other significant factors interact. We thank you in advance for your patience while we work through the answers to these and other questions over the coming week.
Staffing Adjustment Leave, Low Bid Option or …?
Many of you are looking to AFA for guidance whether to take one of the approximately 2700 (!) 30-day Staffing Adjustment Leaves or one of the approximately 205 Low Bid Options for May or to hold out for potentially something else. The Master Executive Council (MEC) completely understands. You have our commitment to be as transparent as possible and to keep you informed regarding the latest information and developments. There is a lot of material to absorb, so we are taking a few days to educate ourselves before we communicate more to the Membership.
In the meantime, management has agreed to extend the deadline for applying for a Staffing Adjustment Leave or Low Bid Option to Monday, April 6, 2020 at 0900 PT. This will give everyone more time to consider their options.
Additionally, management has agreed to work with AFA to potentially revisit the COVID-19 Staffing Adjustment Leaves and the other COVID-19 leaves already in effect in order to provide maximal benefit to Flight Attendants and to the Company depending on the implications of the CARES Act. Because of this commitment, we do not have concerns with Flight Attendants submitting an application for any of the leaves at this time.
Pre-Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Schedule Changes (Section 10.S)
Scheduling Committee
Due to the unprecedented number of flight cancellations on a daily basis, Flight Attendants have reported difficulty in achieving timely assistance from Crew Scheduling and receiving phone calls for non-urgent issues at all hours of the night. Crew Scheduling is overwhelmed with the sheer number of cancellations, pairing modifications and associated follow-up.
AFA and management have agreed to temporarily modify the notification procedures under Section 10.S [Pre-Cancellations] from Sunday, March 29, 2020 at midnight PT (Saturday night tonight) to April 30, 2020 at 2359 PT.
*** Crew Scheduling will continue to give notice of cancellation per contract but not until the departure date of the sequence is within 7days. ***
For sequences more than 7 days out:
- To waive pay protection: If FA wishes to waive pay protection for a sequence containing one or more legs of cancelled flying, please email CrewSked.FADesk@alaskaair.com. Crew Scheduling will process timely per the LOA but no more than 24 hours after submission.
- To not waive pay protection: If FA wishes to review alternative options and not waive pay protection, please wait to call Crew Scheduling until it is one day prior to the departure date of the sequence.
For sequences 2 to 7 days out:
- To waive pay protection: If FA wishes to waive pay protection for a sequence containing one or more legs of cancelled flying, please email CrewSked.FADesk@alaskaair.com. Crew Scheduling will process timely per the LOA but no more than 24 hours after submission.
- To not waive pay protection: If FA wishes to review alternative options and not waive pay protection, please wait to call until it is one day prior to the departure date of the sequence.
For sequences 1 day out: (i.e. the day prior to the departure date of the sequence):
- Call Crew Scheduling per contract
More details can be found in the Pre-Cancellations Due to COVID-19 Schedule Changes Letter of Agreement.
Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) Sequences During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions (Section 10.DD)
Scheduling Committee
AFA and management would also like to reduce the number of unnecessary mid-continental (“mid-con”) remain overnights (RONs) for Flight Attendants resulting from schedule disruptions related to COVID-19.
AFA and management have agreed to temporarily allow Crew Scheduling to build additional Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) sequences that are not already in the bid packet (i.e. following bid awards) under Section 10.DD.11 [Pre-Cancellations] from Sunday, March 29, 2020 at midnight PT (Saturday night tonight) to April 30, 2020 at 2359 PT.
More details can be found in the Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) Sequences During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions Letter of Agreement.
In This Edition
- Contacting AFA Representatives for Support
- Pre-Cancellations (JCBA Section 10.S)
- REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity
- Grievance Committee Report
Contacting AFA Representatives For Support
As always, AFA representatives remain available to provide assistance during the current situation. In order to provide you with the best possible support, we ask that you continue to reach out using the following methods of contact:
AFA Online Support Center. Contractual concerns, scheduling or reserve problems, and payroll issues can all be reported using the AFA Online Support Center. Once you open a ticket, your concern will be assigned to a specific AFA representative who will assist you in resolving the issue. Click here for more information about the AFA Online Support Center.
E-Mail. Your Local Committee Members, Chairpersons, and LEC Officers can all be contacted by email. Please refer to your Local Council’s committee roster for contact information for each of your committees. Your LEC Officers can also be easily be contacted as a group using by email addresses below. Using the group email address ensures that your question or concern can be addressed as soon as possible by the first available officer.
| ANC | anc@afaalaska.org |
| SEA | sea@afaalaska.org |
| PDX | pdx@afaalaska.org |
| SFO | sfo@afaalaska.org |
| LAX | lax@afaalaska.org |
| SAN | san@afaalaska.org |
When making contact by email, please use your personal email address and not your company-provided Outlook email account. Company-provided email accounts are subject to monitoring by management and there is no expectation or guarantee of privacy.
Telephone Call. Telephone numbers for most Local Committee Members, Chairpersons, and LEC Officers can also be found on your Local Council’s committee roster. If you receive a voicemail prompt, please leave a message that includes your full name, PeopleSoft number, and contact telephone number. Voicemail messages will be returned as soon as possible and within 24 hours.
In order to ensure that your request, question, or concern is properly documented and receives the appropriate follow-up, please limit contact to one of the methods outlined above when reaching out to AFA representatives. Text messages, messages sent to personal social media accounts, and other methods of contact may not necessarily be regularly monitored for AFA-related communications and could cause a significant delay in response.
Pre-Cancellations (JCBA Section 10.S)
Scheduling Committee
Pre-cancellations occur prior to your trip, while reassignments occur same day. Currently, trips are being pre-cancelled, and you may have more than one trip that is affected. Crew Scheduling may offer more than one alternate trip if multiple awarded trips are cancelled when you call.
If you have a pre-cancellation, a CR code will be placed on your roster. You may acknowledge your cancellation on your roster, however the JCBA requires you to call Crew Scheduling. If you fail to contact Crew Scheduling prior to your trip, you must report to work as scheduled. If you are flying during your pre-cancellation, then you are required to call Crew Scheduling no later than release at domicile if the trip reports the next day.
If you do not report at the original show time and you have not contacted Crew Scheduling, you will be subject to the attendance policy and will receive a no-show under Section 32 of the JCBA. Crew Scheduling will send you an email via Outlook and leave a message for you to call them back using your PeopleSoft phone number on file, so ensure your numbers are up to date. You may be offered an alternate assignment (the footprint of which can begin or end 2 hours beyond original footprint of the trip) or you may decline the alternate assignment and waive pay protection. If the flight you are offered has a check in and/or release time outside of the footprint described above, you will have a third option to contact Crew Scheduling the night prior to that assignment. Pay protection may apply depending on the options available at the time you contact Crew Scheduling. Please refer to sections 10.S.2 and 10.S.3 for your contractual options prior to calling Crew Scheduling. Please always remember you are able to decline the alternate assignments and waive pay protection.
The Scheduling Committee has compiled a “cheat sheet” on the pre-cancellation process and section 10.S language that you can access by clicking here.
Questions?
If you have any questions about pre-cancellations or reassignments, please contact your Local Scheduling Committee.
REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity
Master Executive Council (MEC)
The Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews with several Negotiating Committee candidates during the March Regular MEC Meeting. The candidates interviewed in March ranged from less than one year to eight years of Flight Attendant seniority. All candidates who met the original deadline of March 3 to express interest will be given the opportunity to interview and will be included in the candidate pool that the MEC will elect the Negotiating Committee from.
It is important to the MEC that the candidate pool is representative of the entire Flight Attendant group. As such, the MEC has re-opened the expression of interest process for Negotiating Committee Members. Additional interviews will be conducted at the April Regular MEC Meeting. The MEC is specifically seeking additional candidates with 25 years or more of Flight Attendant seniority and/or those with previous negotiating experience. Other candidates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Our current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) becomes amendable on December 17, 2021 but also contains an early opener clause for the negotiating process to begin as early as December 2020. In anticipation of early openers, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the Negotiating Committee during the April Regular MEC Meeting, to be held April 7 and 8, 2020. All three Negotiating Committee positions are up for interview and consideration. Per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, the MEC President is the chairperson of the Negotiating Committee and rounds out the Committee as the fourth member.
The Negotiating Committee is charged to negotiate and institute the needs and desires of the Flight Attendants into an effective collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The Committee should have a good working knowledge of the current CBA and be willing to devote their full time to the Committee during negotiations. The members of this Committee shall serve as the CBA Interpretation Committee until a new agreement is completed.
Selection of Committee Members
- Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
- Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
- The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
- Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)
Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:
- The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
- All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
- Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
- Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
- Maintain a current record of the:
- Financial condition of the company.
- Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
- Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
- Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
- Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
- Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
- Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
- Review tentative agreement with the MEC
- Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
- Present the tentative agreement to the members
- Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
- Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
- Remain available as a resource for interpretations
- Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA. A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
- Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property
Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement
Flight pay loss (FPL) reimbursement will be provided to Negotiating Committee Members at the rate of 6 TFP at “A” pay for 8 hours of work. FPL is not reimbursed for days that solely contain travel to/from an activity.
Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling
The MEC will hold interviews during the April Regular MEC meeting from April 7-8, 2020. Please plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.
Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/YGCUtxVETB3z9aZW7. The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Friday, March 27. After that time, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.
Please note that in order to submit an expression of interest, you must have a Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free at https://accounts.google.com/signup.
Questions?
Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.
Grievance Committee Update
Grievance Committee
The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf. The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues. AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases. AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors.
Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination. COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in the Flight Attendant’s file for 18 months, and then are removed. If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation. Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline. If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline. There is no middle ground for certain violations.
Subject of Most Recent Discipline
In order to keep terminations low, we want to give you an idea of what areas management has recently focused on in regard to disciplining (including terminating) Flight Attendants. See below:
- Theft. Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination. (Temporarily there are Covid-19 exceptions).
- Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things. Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted. If management determines abuse it results in termination.
- Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay. Management has terminated for this violation.
- Drug/Alcohol violations
- Harassment
- Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
- Social media violations Including “friending” passengers on FB from information gained from the IMD
- Commuter Violations-1. Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home; 2. Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base; 3. Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities; and 4. Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel.
- Lost IMD or other required items
- Failing to complete CBT—even if Flight Attendant just forgets to hit the close out x at the top to switch it from in process to complete.
Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation
| Arbitration | Thursday, January 30 | Disciplinary Grievance |
| Mediation | Tuesday, March 3 | Contractual Grievance |
| Arbitration | Tuesday, March 31 (postponed) | Disciplinary Grievance |
Recent Settled Grievances
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-5-16- Non-Negotiated Compensation. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 21 [Compensation] and Section 32 [Attendance Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Railway Labor Act when it awarded, without prior consistent notice, policy and application, $5 gift cards to all Anchorage based Flight Attendants for meeting the daily attendance goal.
Settlement: The Company will issue one $5.00 (five dollar) Starbucks gift card to Flight Attendants who were employed by Alaska Airlines as Flight Attendants as of 12/31/15, except for those based in ANC as of that date. Management agrees not to issue non-negotiated compensation related to the contractual attendance policy. This is not intended as an agreement that non-negotiated compensation is or is not permissible in other circumstances.
Note: The settlement will be distributed when management can obtain the correct information regarding which FAs were based outside of ANC at that point in time.
Grievances Recently Granted by Management
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-161-19- Violation of §12.E Withholding Trips from Open Time. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.E [Exchange of Sequences: Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) failed to immediately place all uncovered sequences or portions of sequences including but not limited to sick calls, Management Drop(s), Personal Drop(s), leaves of absence, jury duty, bereavement leave.
Management’s Response: On September 24th, during a scheduled JCTE release, a bug was unknowingly, and regrettably, introduced to JCTE that caused long delays (up to 10 minutes at times) in trips showing up in Open Time if a scheduler made a change to the sequence. Although the company did not intentionally delay these trips from showing up in Open Time immediately, the bug in the system did cause a delay. For this reason, this grievance is sustained. This issue was resolved with the November 8th JCTE release.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-20-20-Violation of §25.C.1 Failure to Include ASHSC in Safety Meeting. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.C.1 [Air Safety Health and Security: Safety Meetings], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 13, 2020, it failed to include the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) in a reactive safety risk assessment (SRA) meeting regarding unaccompanied minors who are sent to the wrong destinations.
Management’s response: After investigation, I agree with you that we did not appropriately include the ASHSC in the SRA meeting regarding unaccompanied minors who are sent to the wrong destinations. Going forward, the ASHSC will be included in all inflight safety meetings that the Cabin Safety Manager is invited to attend. As such, this grievance is sustained.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-27-20-Violation of §12.F.3 Threshold Sequence Number Determination for Seattle Domicile February 2020. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.F.3 [Exchange of Sequences: Threshold Sequence Number Determination], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 16, 2020, it was discovered Crew Planning did not review and increase the Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) for the Seattle domicile from 12 to 13 for February 2020.
Management’s response: After investigation, I agree with you that we did not appropriately increase the TSN for the Seattle domicile from 12 to 13 for February 2020, prior to Open Time commencing on January 16, 2020. For this reason, this grievance is sustained and the Director of Crew Planning and the Director of Crew Scheduling commit to working together to develop a documented process to ensure this does not happen again in the future.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-30-20-Violation of §30.C.1 Training Pay. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.1 [Training: Training Pay/Recurrent Training], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) home study exceeded five (5) hours; per the agreed upon computer based training (CBT) run time test process, the run time was calculated to be six hours and twenty six minutes (6:26).
Management’s response: After investigation, I have found the above referenced information to be true and therefore the grievance is sustained. Our agreed remedy is that each Flight Attendant that completes the 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) home study will receive a flat pay out of $125.00 versus the $75.00 flat pay out referenced in Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.1.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-37-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training: Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 24, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in SEA were released at approximately 5:08pm, eight (8) minutes past the contractual release time of 5:00pm.
Management’s response: After investigation, I have found that on the date referenced above, that the class did in fact release at 5:08pm. This class ran late due to the addition of the flashlight exercise at the end of the day. For this reason, the grievance is sustained. The agreed upon remedy is 1 TFP for all Flight Attendants who attended this class.
Grievance No.: 36-99-2-125-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training: Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about February 14, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in ANC were released at approximately 5:28pm, twenty-eight (28) minutes past the contractual release time of 5:00pm.
Management’s response: After investigation, I have found that on the date referenced above, that the class did in fact release at 5:28pm. The R2 training door was not airworthy and had to be re-built late the night before, pushing hands-on and drill evaluations to the second day. For this reason, the grievance is sustained. The agreed upon remedy is 6 TFP for all Flight Attendants who attended this class.
Grievances Recently Filed and Awaiting Response from Management
None
More Information
For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.
Questions?
Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.
A Flight Attendant’s job 99.99% of the time is comprised of ensuring safety compliance, providing inflight service, functioning as aviation’s first responders during a medical situation or other inflight emergency, and training to prepare for the aforementioned tasks. The current working conditions that Flight Attendants are being subjected to is the other 0.01% (or maybe even the other 0.001%).
Times of national crisis
Critical infrastructure
Aviation is classified as critical transportation infrastructure by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Airlines keep flying because it is in the best interest of national security to do so for both “public health and safety as well as community well-being.” Only a federally mandated shutdown, infrastructure collapse or bankruptcy would change that expectation of any individual air carrier.
Essential critical infrastructure workers
Flight Attendants (“air transportation employees”) are essential critical infrastructure workers within the Transportation and Logistics Sector. You can find more info about the critical infrastructure and essential critical infrastructure workers in the CISA’s “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce” document. Flight Attendant are indeed classified the same as police officers, hospital workers, etc. If you are working in areas with mandatory quarantines or shelter in place ordinances, feel free to print the “Essential Worker Access Authorization” letter (login required) that Alaska Airlines Corporate Security has provided. This letter is intended for use in conjunction with your Alaska Airlines Crew ID to assist you in traveling for work to, from and between airports, including commuter travel. The letter is not required, but your ID is essential.
Civil Reserve Air Fleet
Air carriers such as Alaska Airlines are members of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). As such, Flight Attendant may be called upon to support the United States Department of Defense airlift requirements in emergencies when the need for airlift exceeds the capability of military aircraft. During Initial Training, we were taught how to don and doff the hazmat suit in case flying under CRAF requires the use of the suit. That was not just theoretical training. Granted, the COVID-19 crisis does not require CRAF mobilization at this time, but the point is that Flight Attendants are expected to do more than just our usual duties during times of national crisis–like now.
Disparate responses from local/state and federal
authorities
It is completely understandable that Flight Attendants are confused and
extremely concerned by the disparate approaches in social distancing and travel
restrictions implemented at the local/state versus federal level. The reality
is that the federal government has been extremely slow to recognize and react
to the COVID-19 crisis, so local governments have been forced to implement
their own efforts to slow community transmission. Meanwhile, aviation is
governed by federal authority, so the airlines have been operating under the
guidance provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA).
CDC guidance provides a carve out for potential cabin crew exposure to the virus, which says that crews should simply self-monitor and continue working unless they subsequently become symptomatic. It is totally unacceptable that COVID-19 tests are not readily available for cabin crew–and for so many other deserving Americans. This is a glaring failure. The already bad situation is further exacerbated by the lack of coordination between the respective government agencies involved.
Aviation’s first responders
AFA has been extremely clear in all communications with airline management, legislators and government agencies that Flight Attendants are aviation’s first responders and should therefore be screened the same as any other healthcare worker. At the very least we should be screened the same as passengers. AFA has been moving the needle at individual carriers and internationally, but all the simultaneous urgent issues have somewhat drowned out those efforts. We have also been able to secure numerous increased protections for Flight Attendants, but more needs to be done.
Railway Labor Act
For US airlines, the Labor-management relationship is governed by the Railway Labor Act (RLA). The RLA is specifically designed to minimize the potential for disruption of interstate commerce. The unions cannot legally take any action to ground the airlines. Further, AFA Alaska cannot do so for Alaska Airlines pursuant to the “General Association: No Lock-Out Provision” in §27.C of the collective bargaining agreement. Even if the Master Executive Council (MEC) simply were to make a general statement calling upon Alaska Airlines management to ground the operation, would that really be the right thing to do for the long-term survival of the Company?
Potential financial impact of halting operations
Is it reasonable to ask Alaska Airlines management to ground operations without a federal mandate to ground all carriers? Is it reasonable to advocate for the Company to pay all employees during a time when no revenue is coming in? Meanwhile, other carriers would benefit from the decreased capacity over shared routes, and they would be potentially emboldened to exploit that temporary competitive advantage. Is it reasonable to expect there to be a financially solvent Company to return to after such a scenario?
AFA Alaska leadership has a responsibility to collectively look out for all 6000+ Alaska Airlines flight attendants, the approximately 23,000 direct employees of the airline and the numerous vendor employees who also rely on the Company for their livelihoods. It is a tough balance to strike between protecting the health of employees and their immediate families today versus ensuring a paycheck in the immediate future versus securing the greatest chance of having any paycheck at all from this Company in the long term. The reality is that this Company needs a sufficient number of Flight Attendants who are willing to fly in order keep the operation running, which will help maintain the Company’s relative financial advantage over other carriers. See Seeking Alpha’s “Southwest Airlines And Alaska Air: Built To Survive Coronavirus” article for more information.
If there is no Company, then there are no employees and no union advocates. The situation is really that dire. There are several US carriers that are expected to announce bankruptcy in the coming days or weeks. Even the bigger ones like Alaska Airlines will have to take very significant steps to stop the cash flow bleed if the government does not approve a financial aid package.
What can you do to help?
Please, please, please tell Congress to push through an aid package that puts workers first and protects our pay, our jobs and our healthcare. AFA and Alaska Airlines have provided their respective versions of a message to send to Congress, and they are both very easy to complete. Encourage your co-workers to do the same right now!
AFA: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/congress-must-put-aviation-workers-ahead-of-corporations
Alaska Airlines: https://p2a.co/kwRvayQ?p2asource=Alaska
AFA will continue fighting to protect our Flight Attendants as best we can given the tools at our disposal and within the practical limitations of our sphere of influence.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee
March 23, 2020
We built a relief package that is centered on Flight Attendants and other workers. The Senate Democrats unanimously took a stand against McConnell’s bill that would have resulted in massive layoffs and created another corporate slush fund. The Senate Democrats and the White House agree that our plan that is focused on workers is the better plan and now we need to fight hard to get it locked in!
Our plan is built from the ground up to get relief directly to all of us, who are also taxpayers. Direct government aid to keep people in our jobs, getting our paychecks, and connected to healthcare.
This is historic. Never before has relief been packaged in a way that requires the money to go directly to the workers, directly back to the taxpayers. Executives can’t touch it. It must all go to payroll for all people on the frontlines.
Congress is still debating a COVID-19 stimulus bill today. Our jobs are on the line. We need every Flight Attendant, pilot, family member and friend to make calls today.
Take Action Now–Call, Email, and Tweet!
SENATE: 855-973-4213
HOUSE: 877-782-8274
Call your representatives right now! Then, click here to send a tweet and tag your Senator or Representative. Click here to send an email. Urge them to prioritize keeping workers on the payroll in any stimulus bill.
Watch AFA on MSNBC this morning talking about a #WorkersFirst plan:
In This Edition
- URGENT: Tell Congress to Put People First
- Applying for COVID-19 Related Temporary Leaves of Absence
- COVID-19 Resources
URGENT: Tell Congress to Put People First
Government Affairs Committee
The coronavirus pandemic is decimating our aviation industry. It is a public health crisis and it is creating a financial catastrophe that dwarfs the economic cost of the Great Recession and September 11th combined.
We’ve seen catastrophe before. We know what didn’t work before and we won’t let those things happen again. We need relief that focuses on real people. And we have a plan for that.
Flight Attendants and other aviation workers have been on the frontlines of the coronavirus emergency from day one. Before most Americans knew what COVID-19 meant, we were calling for government action to keep it from disrupting our lives and our economy.
Our plan is focused on keeping people on the payroll and stopping furloughs. Airlines are burning cash so quickly they will not be able to meet payroll within a few months, if not a few weeks. You will see furlough announcements that reflect this, but know this: we are working with airlines to get relief that keeps the paychecks going without furloughs.
Washington is gearing up to save aviation. But we cannot accept another “no strings attached” government bailout for corporations and their executives that leaves Flight Attendants and aviation workers behind. This time it will be a RELIEF package focused on workers first with no stock buybacks or dividends and no executive bonuses.
Send a letter to your members of Congress to demand that any public relief plan be a People First plan with legally-binding rules, including (but not limited to):
- Paycheck continuation without furloughs/layoffs
- No stock buybacks
- No executive bonuses
- No dividends
- No breaking union contracts
Amplify Your Message with a Call
Call your Senators now and tell them to support our position on a People First relief package for aviation.
Call (855) 973-4213 and tell your Senator:
“Airline relief must put workers first. I am a Flight Attendant. Congress needs to keep us in our jobs by providing the airlines with the money to keep our paychecks going. That keeps us connected to our healthcare too. We need to stay in our jobs so we can restart our economy quickly once the virus is contained. Stop mass furloughs that will hurt us now and long after the virus is gone. Any package must include direct assistance to aviation companies to keep us on the job and our paychecks going”
Read more about our plan in this article >
Applying for COVID-19 Related Temporary Leaves of Absence
Benefits Committee
Information about new COVID-19 related temporary leaves of absence (LOAs) was communicated in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update on March 13, 2020 and in a corresponding email from former Vice President of Inflight Ron Calvin. These temporary LOAs include:
- Educational Disruption Leave of Absence (EDLOA) – for Flight Attendants who cannot fulfill their scheduling obligations due to the closure of their minor child’s school or childcare provider due to COVID-19.
- Voluntary Quarantine Leave of Absence (VQLOA) – for Flight Attendants who are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 as determined by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Flight Attendants who reside in the same household as increased risk individuals, and Flight Attendants who wish to remove themselves from the workplace due to suspected exposure to COVID-19 (no diagnosis or symptoms are required)
- COVID-19 Workplace Exposure Leave of Absence (CEWLOA) – for Flight Attendants who are recommended or required to go into isolation/monitoring or quarantine due to work-related exposure to COVID-19. The recommendation or requirement for isolation/monitoring or quarantine must be from the Company, the Flight Attendant’s physician or other qualified healthcare provider, the CDC, the local Department of Health, or other applicable government agency.
More details about these LOA options, including eligibility and documentations requirements, can be found in the COVID-19 Leaves of Absence and Related Mitigations Memorandum of Understanding. In addition, other contractual leave options including medical leaves of absence and FMLA remain available for those who qualify.
How Do I Apply for a COVID-19 Related Temporary LOA?
Management has created a specific Alaska’s World page with information and links to apply for the various COVID-19 related LOAs. You can access the page by clicking here. If you have already contacted Matrix or the HR/People Resource telephone line to apply for a non-medical leave (EDLOA or VQLOA), you MUST also complete the corresponding form on this page.
Note: management’s “school closure leave” form (corresponds with EDLOA) indicates that the LOA may only be used for minor children aged 0-14. This references is incorrect as the COVID-19 Leaves of Absence and Related Mitigations Memorandum of Understanding defines minor children as “children under the age of 18 who have not yet graduated from high school”. AFA representatives have requested that management update this form as soon as possible to reflect the correct, agreed-upon definition.
Questions?
If you have any questions about leaves of absence, please contact your Local Benefits Committee.
COVID-19 Resources
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