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The AFA Alaska-Virgin America Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) just wrapped up this week’s session of merger negotiations, our sixth so far. We met with management from Tuesday, November 7th through Thursday, November 9th in Seattle, WA. Representing management: Vice President of Labor Relations Greg Mays, Vice President of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Inflight & Call Center/Guest Services Jeff Butler, Managing Director of Labor Relations-Air Elizabeth Ryan and Virgin America Manager of Labor Emily Kimmel.

This was a mixed session that saw us reaching agreement on three provisions relating to the transition, and we presented management with our proposed improvements to the Alaska Agreement. Earlier in the week, we reached agreement on the transition uniform program for VX and transitioning the VX Flight Attendants to the Alaska Sick Leave policy.

Using your survey responses, the JNC crafted a targeted list of priorities. AFA presented a strong case for why the changes were appropriate and needed. Initially, management’s team asked a lot of questions and for clarification. However, upon returning to the table after their discussions with upper management, their informal response did not leave us overly optimistic about getting a quick deal.

Management requested more time to cost out our proposals and committed to responding with a counterproposal at our next session in December. In the interim, AFA’s finance analyst and the Company’s financial planner will be in communication to ensure that we have vetted management’s costing model and agree on the numbers.

Keep in mind that merger negotiations are a different process than regular negotiations. Discussions are focusing on a limited list of Flight Attendant priorities. All the provisions in the AFA Alaska contract (scheduled pay raises, etc.) will continue in force for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants; all the provisions in the Virgin America work rules will remain in effect for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants unless modified and/or superseded by the AFA Virgin America letters of agreement.

Our next merger negotiations session is scheduled for December 12th-14th.

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

ANNUAL BENEFITS ENROLLMENT

Annual benefits enrollment has been extended until November 16, 2017!

Enroll now at: www.alaskasworld.com under your benefits/pay tab> benefits>healthcare & total rewards.

If you have any questions or need help, contact our Benefits Center at (844) 231-3476, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. PT. To further assist you, our AFA benefits chair, Sonia Quackenbush will be available tomorrow, November 9th, downstairs in the Inflight crew room from 10 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

As a reminder you should not enroll in the optional short-term disability (CA has their own state disability) and it’s a good time to review all of your beneficiary information and make any necessary changes.

Council #19 November Base Update

November 2017

 

Council #19 LEC Meeting was held on 11/1/2017. We were pleased to see a great turnout. Lots of great questions and suggestions from the attendees. Minutes are posted on the website and have been emailed to the base mailing list.

We’d like to welcome Danni Burk Peterson back to the SEA Benefits Committee. She will bring her knowledge and familiarity with maternity leaves to the Committee, joining LEC Benefits Chairperson Kathy O’Malley and committee member Leanne Canton.

Council Rep. Melinda Jorge and Government Affairs Committee member Jay Styger attended Government Affairs training in LAX in October. ASHSC members David Lake and Timothy Christian-Brookshire attended advanced training as well.

Committee members from all bases participated in a Benefits Training in late October in Seattle. Remember, Annual Enrollment for Benefits has been extended until 11/16/2017 for changes to be effective 1/1/2018. There were some initial glitches with the website but they appear to have been resolved. If you are having difficulty or have questions, Benefits Committee members will be available in the Ready room on the following dates:

  • November 8th, 3pm-8pm
  • November 9th, 6am-11am
  • November 11th, 7am-12pm
  • November 12th, 9am-5pm
  • November 13th, 7am-12pm

 

We are well aware that there are continuing problems with JCTE (Crew Access) and with payroll errors. Please go to support.afaalaska.org to report payroll issues, scheduling problems and reserve concerns. Not only does this provide an opportunity for AFA to track trends in order to resolve problems, but it allows us to research each individual situation and respond.

We are finding that many Flight Attendants do not know how to track their hours and pay. Our payroll system is very complex with all the different rates, depending on each situation. The following guidelines may be helpful:

Flight Crew Pay Sheets live forever, unlike Rosters which currently vaporize after 60 days. To see a print out of what you were paid for, look at the Paysheet for the month at issue. You will also find your running sick leave usage and vacation totals in the upper right-hand corner of each sheet.

Save your original line award. Keep a screenshot of every change you make to your awarded line, and in particularly any trips that operate irregularly. Do the same with reserve assignments. This is the material you’ll need to determine whether or not you were paid properly for your flying or reserve duty, and to determine leave eligibility continuing health care benefits and vacation accrual during a leave.

With the start of winter, and the attendance issues, please copy and print or bookmark the following information to assist you in determining your legalities and pay:  http://afanewsletters.org/docs/2/Irregular%20Operations.pdf.

We know that this feels like extra work and agree that it shouldn’t be necessary. It will be necessary information in order to file a ticket at support.afaalaska.org, so that we can resolve your issues as quickly as possible. Without supporting documentation, which can be easily attached to a ticket, it is much more difficult and time consuming to resolve individual issues and to track larger problems. Please know that we are working diligently to ensure that each problem is addressed and rectified as quickly as possible.

We’re growing! Our TSN number is increasing from 11 to 12 based on our increased base size. 53 new Flight Attendants from the most recent class are based in Seattle, and 58 from the next class will be in Seattle as well. Welcome to our latest additions to the Seattle base!

Inflight has just promised no Junior Assigning from 12/16-31, thanks to the increased Reserve coverage. They have also asked that you provide as much notice as possible (at least 30 days for a non emergency situation) when applying for a leave of absence.

This is the start of a hectic holiday season, and we wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

In Solidarity,

Terry, Jake, Adam, Melinda and Megan

 

Council #19 LEC Meeting

November 01, 2017, 1-4 pm

1:02pm Call Meeting to Order

Meeting called to order by Terry Taylor (LEC President)

Report from Terry Taylor

•  Gave grievance report

•  OS Ticketing System working well, if you have an issue file a ticket.

•  AFA Office has moved to 11th Floor of Seatac Towers South

Report from Jake Jones – Vice President

•  Working on clearing OS tickets

•  Scheduling Review Board has been established to remove scheduling issues from ADR.

•  TSN Count Starting in December will now be 12

Report from Adam Clarey – Secretary

•  Currently under budget for the year

•  Membership is up to date, and our base is continuing to grow. Dues Delinquency is down.

•  Increase in subscribers to AFA newsletter since Seniority Integration List was mailed.

1:15pm Merger, Integration and Negotiations

•  MEC President Jeff Peterson joined us for discussion related to our integration process with VX, Joint Collective Bargaining Negotiations, and Opentime Negotiations.  Completed latest Merger Negotiations last week, have another one coming up in November.  At this time will not be publishing survey results, but there were no surprises about the Alaska Flight Attendant priorities.

•  Will we vote on a Joint Agreement?  Yes, once an agreement is reached and the MEC approves it being sent to membership all AS and VX Flight Attendants will vote on the tentative agreement.

•  Do we vote on the Seniority List? No separate process outside of negotiations done by the Seniority Merger Integration Committee.

•  We can’t integrate our workgroup until management has the joint seniority list, and they won’t receive it until after we have a joint agreement.

•  Could a Virgin and Alaska Flight Attendant be working on the same plane under different pay scales prior to a joint agreement? No

 

2:45pm – Scheduling and Crew Access Updates

Jake Jones, Council 19 Vice President and MEC Scheduling Chair discussed Crew Access problems, issues, and scheduling concerns.  Currently 400 issues on the Flight Attendant side in Crew Access.  Management has contracted 400 hours each month from Jeppesen to fix issues, 400 hours are shared by all departments to fix issues.  Each month we select 5 issues between the Flight Attendants and Pilots for Jeppesen to fix.  2 issues are specifically Flight Attendant issues and 1 issue is a common issue.  Many pay problems associated with Crew Access.  Please file a ticket, support@afaalaska.org.  Activity Claims have increased from approximately 400 each month to over 1500.  A new payroll system is scheduled to be rolled out by Alaska on April 1st.

 

3:55pm Committee Reports

Inflight Service Committee Chair (ISC)- Ross DeJong gave a brief overview of the service testings happening currently.

Reports given electronically and will be posted

 

4:00pm Late Agenda Items

None

 

4:05pm Announcements

Welcome Dani Burk Peterson to Benefits Committee specializing in Maternity starting today 11/1/17

 

4:07pm Call for Adjournment of Meeting

 

When: Dec 5th, 2017

Where: SAN Airport Conference room

Time: 10:00 to 1:00

Why: Local Base Meeting

AFA Constitution and Bylaws require that local councils hold a membership meeting twice per calendar year.  Our first meeting was held in June to discuss the AFA Board of Directors Meeting Agenda.

This meeting will be open to all Council 15 members in good standing. The purpose of the meeting will be to provide members the opportunity to meet your Officers and Committee Chairs. Please come ready to ask questions and participate in the discussions regarding merger negotiations, bidding and the latest issues impacting Council 15 members.

If you have an agenda item that you would like to discuss at the local meeting please send your agenda item, no later than Nov 30th, to LEC Secretary/Treasurer Stephen Couckuyt at Stephen.Couckuyt@afaalaska.org

We hope to see you there!

In solidarity,

Council 35 Membership Meeting November 2 in SFO

AFA Constitution and Bylaws require that local councils hold a membership meeting twice per calendar year.  Our first meeting was held in June with United Council 11 to discuss the AFA Board of Directors Meeting Agenda.  The next meeting for Council 35 members will be November 2 in the SFO Terminal 2 Conference Room. This meeting will be open to all Council 35 members in good standing who have submitted a membership application.  The purpose will be to provide members the opportunity to ask questions and receive updates on the latest issues that are impacting Council 35 members. Light refreshments will be offered, so please complete the online registration form to help with attendance expectations.  Click here to view the Meeting Agenda.

Disciplinary Process Changes and Improvements Begin Nov 1

AFA has reached an agreement with management to align disciplinary processes to match AS standards.  Historically at VX, the Reliability Policy was combined with performance discipline, which escalated F/As through the disciplinary steps at a faster rate.  At AS, the attendance and performance disciplinary policies are separated into “tracks” which may exist concurrently on an F/A’s record.  The VX Reliability Policy has now been defined as a “no-fault” program, and monitors attendance issues only.  In the event an F/A is on a level of discipline through the Reliability Policy, it will not be considered if a performance issue for that same F/A is discovered.  The performance disciplinary steps will remain the same, however cannot be combined with Reliability Points to escalate the F/A to a higher level of discipline.  Please review the Establishing Separate Disciplinary Tracks for Performance and Reliability Letter of Agreement that defines the separation of “tracks” and outlines the new procedures for Reliability and performance discipline.

New Jump-seat Policy with Revision 16

Flight Attendants may now enjoy less restriction when jump-seating on Virgin America flights and experience more freedom while commuting/deadheading in uniform.  The new policy allows those in uniform to “be a guest” while assigned to a guest seat during a commute or deadhead flight.  F/As may sleep, watch the IFE, use PEDs and the internet.  Additionally, F/As may sit in the jump-seat out of uniform, with minimal dress code restriction.

Seniority Verification Letters

By now you should have received your Seniority Verification letters by US Mail.  Several of these letters have been returned and Council 35 officers will be distributing the letters via V-files in the Virgin Villages this week.  For more information, please review the October 27 Seniority Merger Update from the Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC). If you have not received your Seniority Verification letter, please contact the SMIC at seniority@afacwa.org.

AFA Membership Applications Needed

Every VX Flight Attendant must complete and submit a membership application to become an official member of AFA.  Please be aware that this form cannot be completed online.  The hard copy form must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in D.C. Completing an application ensures that you have the right to participate in voting activities and to attend membership meetings.

Grievances and AFA Representation at Meetings

Council 35 has been in attendance for over 100 meetings with VX Flight Attendants since June 1, when the Grievance Letter of Agreement went into effect.  These meetings have been for investigations and issuance of discipline.  To date, we have filed 33 grievances on behalf of Flight Attendants to dispute discipline issued and for contractual violations.  If you want to know more about the grievance process please review the Letter of Agreement and the July 5 Council 35 News for an explanation of the just cause employment relationship.  If you need representation for a meeting with management, please contact your Council 35 officers.

FAQs and Rumor Control

What happens if I try to use the commuter policy but can’t provide proof of commuting challenges?

When you encounter challenges with commuting, notify CSS as soon as you are aware and the COM code will be added to your line.  If commuting by air, retain your paper boarding passes to provide as evidence of your attempt to commute.  If commuting by ground, screenshots of 511 alerts should be taken.  If the evidence you provide is not sufficient, the COM code will be removed and discipline may occur.  If no evidence is submitted at all, and no attempt is made to justify the use of the Commuter Policy, the COM code will be converted to a NSH or Late depending on the situation. Please be sure to keep a copy of the VX Commuter Policy to reference while experiencing commuting difficulties. For more information about the policy please refer to the FAQs or contact your Council 35 officers.

Can you explain the boarding priority for using the cabin seat agreement on AS flights? It appears that all pilots regardless of airline, get priority over VX Flight Attendants when flying on AS flights.

Pilot jump-seaters (OAL) board at J8 and F/A cabin seat riders board at K2. VX employees traveling under ZED zero board at E7. The priority list is automatically generated and CSAs work off that list to assign seats. Therefore, to have a better priority while commuting, it is recommended that you list as a ZED zero via MyIDTravel.

When will VX transition to the AS monthly pay schedule and what will happen to our deductions?

Management has confirmed that VX will continue to be paid on the current bi-monthly schedule, with deductions occurring in both pay periods.  Currently there are no transition plans in place to convert to the AS pay schedule, as it requires VX F/As to be on the AS crew scheduling system.

Is it true that if my spouse has insurance through his/her own employer, he/she may not be on my AS health benefit plan?

Coverage for spouses is available if the spouse does not have the option to obtain health benefits through their own employer.  If the spouse has coverage, and the employee wishes to insure their spouse with additional coverage, the spouse must take the coverage offered through their own employer as the primary insurance provider and the AS health benefits would provide co-insurance.  For questions regarding this issue, please reach out to Alaska Air Group Benefits Center.

When completing open enrollment for health benefits, there was no option to select travel plans.  When will open enrollment begin for Team Travel?

This year Team Travel open enrollment has been separated from the health benefits open enrollment. You may make changes to your travel selection 11/15/17-11/30/17. For questions regarding this issue, please reach out to VX Team Travel.

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts!  You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & Jamie

 

The AFA Alaska-Virgin America Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) just wrapped up this week’s session of merger negotiations, our fifth so far. We met with management from Tuesday, October 24th through Thursday, October 26th in Seattle, WA. Representing management: Vice President of Labor Relations Greg Mays, Vice President of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Inflight & Call Center/Guest Services Jeff Butler, Managing Director of Labor Relations-Air Elizabeth Ryan and Virgin America Manager of Labor Emily Kimmel. Managing Director of Virgin America Inflight Val Jenkins also attended on the first day.

Merger negotiations survey

The JNC thanks everyone who completed the merger negotiations survey. The survey received a healthy response, and the majority of the feedback was very targeted and consistent. Although the JNC realizes everyone is interested in knowing the objectives of the group as a whole, AFA generally does not publish results from negotiations surveys for strategic reasons. We can tell you, however, that there were no surprises. If it makes strategic sense for the JNC to divulge more in the future, be assured that we will be as transparent as possible with you.

The JNC used the survey responses as a springboard in our talks with management regarding your expectations for these negotiations and for improvements to the AFA Alaska contract. Remember that any improvements to the contract will accrue to all pre-merger Virgin America and pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants. The JNC felt encouraged by our initial discussions with management regarding the general themes outlined in your survey responses. These issues will remain hot topics in our continued sessions.

Very busy session…

Otherwise, It was a very busy session and a considerable number of complex provisions were discussed. Because policies and procedures are so unequal and different between the employee groups, crafting provisions that allow for a smooth and equitable transition takes time. Additionally, we are challenged by the constraints of the various Alaska Airlines information technology systems.

The JNC is pleased to report that we put the finishing touches on a letter of agreement (LOA) that separates reliability and performance discipline into two independent tracks for Virgin America (VX) Flight Attendants. Council 35 VX President Melissa Osborne has been advocating for separation of the tracks since AFA was certified as the collective bargaining representative at VX earlier this year, so executing the LOA is the culmination of her continued advocacy. Beginning November 1, 2017, the administration of attendance and performance discipline at VX will essentially mirror that at Alaska. Council 35 is planning an update to VX Flight Attendants in the near future regarding the details.

In partnership with the Master Executive Council (MEC), the JNC is very close to cementing a letter of agreement regarding bidding, trading and pay for the Airbus transition training that will occur in the second half of 2018 for Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants. Boeing transition training for Virgin America Flight Attendants is covered under existing work rules by default, but the JNC is intending to discuss the provisions with management at our next session.

The parties spent considerable time developing a process for the VX Flight Attendants to transition over to Alaska sick leave accrual. The two sick leave programs are currently very different, and the VX Flight Attendants would be significantly disadvantaged if there were a simple ‘turn-key’ cutover to the Alaska sick leave contract provisions. Work on this will continue next session.

Keep in mind that merger negotiations are a different process than regular negotiations. These talks are not under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board or Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, and neither AFA nor management believes that the entire contract is open for discussion. Discussions are focusing on a short list of items. All the provisions in the AFA Alaska contract (scheduled pay raises, etc.) will continue in force for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants; all the provisions in the Virgin America work rules will remain in effect for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants unless modified and/or superseded by the AFA Virgin America letters of agreement.

Our next merger negotiations session is scheduled for November 7-9.

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

The seniority merger process is well underway.  By now, you should have received your Seniority Verification Letter (SVL) at your home address.

If you did not receive it, you may request that a duplicate be sent to you by email.  To do so, send your request to the following email address: seniority@afacwa.org.  Your request must include your Name, Employee Number, Council/Base, and your Email Address.

To help explain where we are in the seniority merger process, we have included a timeline of events.  Note that the next date is November 24, the due date to notify us of any inaccuracies.  That is followed in January 2018, when we will work on the credit for training days and how to resolve same-day seniority dates.

Timeline of Events

Click to enlarge

May 22, 2017 AFA named as union for VX.  Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) Reps named for both AS & VX
July 19, 2017 SMIC kickoff training at AFA HQ in DC. Request sent to AS HQ for necessary employment data for AS & VX FAs
September 29, 2017 AS HQ provided AS & VX seniority lists that included seniority dates and dates of birth
October 10, 2017 Seniority Verification Letter (SVL) mailed to all FAs home address to confirm pre-merger seniority bidding date and birthdate
November 24, 2017 Deadline to respond to SVL, if inaccuracies exist.
January 2018 SMIC works to resolve any issues with pre-merger seniority bidding date and/or birthdate
January 2018 SMIC determines adjustments for initial training days and method for integrating same day seniority dates
January 2018 SMIC merges AS & VX seniority bidding list and publishes methodology used to merge of the joint list
Future Single Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified and final seniority bidding list published

As we move through the process, we will provide additional updates.

In Solidarity,

Your Seniority Merger Integration Committee – Sandra Morrow (AS), Rolando Teran (VX), Lynne Voigtsberger (VX) and Marie Maxwell (AS)

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

After working to create a technical fix for the vacation trading system, management has advised us that they will be opening vacation open time trading tonight, Thursday, October 26.  Each base will open in hourly increments as shown below.

SAN 7 PM
PDX 8 PM
ANC 9 PM Pacific (8 PM ANC local time)
LAX 10 PM
SEA 11 PM

Further Conversation with Management to Be Had

Your AFA leadership is extremely disappointed and frustrated with the IT failure surrounding the delay in the start vacation open time trading. This is yet another occurrence in a long list of IT-related issues that continue to plague various company-related systems and negatively impact Flight Attendant quality of life.  We plan to have further discussion with management regarding this situation soon and will provide an update after that conversation has taken place.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Council 19 Base Meeting

Please remember that the Council 19 Base Meeting is scheduled for November 1st, 1pm-4pm at the Hampton Inn and Suites (across from the Flight Ops/Training building), 18850 28th Avenue South, SeaTac WA 98188. The meeting will be held in the Galaxy Conference Room .

 

AGENDA

  • Merger & Joint Collective Bargaining Updates
  • Crew Access Updates
  • Committee Reports
  • Q & A

Human Rights & Equity Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025

On Tuesday, September 16, 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 Nyachan Chuar (ANC), LaLa Davis (LAX-pmAS), Bruni Agosto-Pinal (LAX-pmHA), Aaron Miller (PDX), Erika Daniel (SAN), and Trista Vanta (SFO). […]

AFA News in Review – September 19, 2025

In This Edition Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month Originally posted September 15, 2025 Join us in celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, a time dedicated to honoring the vibrant cultures and significant contributions of Hispanic-Latinx Americans. Discover the history, participate in special events, and grab your commemorative Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month AFA Pin […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the first group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have […]

Election Notice: Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Officer Elections

The term of office for our current Alaska + Hawaiian Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers will conclude on December 31, 2025. The voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) will elect new MEC Officers at the November Regular MEC meeting. This communication serves as notice of the election in accordance with the MEC Policy and Procedure Manual. […]

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