Dues Check Off Forms Still Needed!
Approximately 60% of SFO-based flight attendants have submitted their forms, which leaves approximately 400 forms outstanding.  Falling into arrears for failing to pay dues could result in separation from the company, as payment of dues is a condition of employment (which can be referenced in §26 of the JCBA). Those that have been identified as past due have received notices in their V-files and via email.  To pay late dues, please visit the AFA Online Payment Center. The dues requirement for AFA members is currently $50 per month.  The dues obligation for L-VX Flight Attendants began July 2018.

Sign up for Automatic Payroll Deduction
The easiest and recommended method to pay dues is through payroll deduction.  You can sign up for automatic payroll deduction of dues by completing a Dues Check Off form.  This form can be downloaded from the AFA Alaska website or you can pick up a copy in the file room in the SFO Village.  Once you’ve completed the form, mail it to AFA International Membership Services (the address is on the bottom of the form) or place it in the AFA lock box (located in SFO file room) and we’ll mail it in on your behalf.  For more information about dues please see our April 30 communication AFA Dues for Legacy Virgin America.

AFA Alaska Online Support Center
To contact AFA and the most appropriate committee for your concerns, please submit an Online Support request.  By submitting a “ticket” and designating a department, this ensures the fastest response from the appropriate committee member.  You may also upload files to your ticket to help provide the most detailed information to the reps assigned to your case.

Alaska Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and AFA EAP—What’s the Difference?
The Alaska Airlines Employee Assistance Program (Active) is a company-wide benefit and a valuable resource for employees who encounter a personal situation that requires  specific support.  In addition to Active, Flight Attendants also have the added benefit of an AFA sponsored EAP. AFA EAP is a peer support program and committee members are Flight Attendants that volunteer to participate in an extensive training program to be qualified in the role.  If you experience an event at work or have personal challenges that are effecting your work life, you may reach out to AFA EAP for support and assistance.

Professional Standards—What is it??
A sub-program of AFA EAP is Professional Standards.  This is a peer support resource that facilitates mediated de-escalation discussions between Flight Attendants that have encountered a challenge in their work relationship.  Rather than “turn in” a fellow Flight Attendant, you may contact AFA EAP/Professional Standards and request a mediated conversation to resolve the issue.  This program is also available at ALPA, the pilot Union, therefore mediation for pilot/Flight Attendant disputes can also be arranged. AFA EAP/Professional Standards provides an opportunity for Flight Attendants to resolve disputes without company Human Resources (HR) and/or management involvement, which could potentially lead to discipline. All information brought to AFA EAP/Professional Standards is held confidentially.

Scheduling vs. Reserve Committees
AFA has two committees to assist Flight Attendants with scheduling challenges.  If you are a line-holder, the scheduling resource would be the Scheduling committee.  However for Flight Attendants on reserve, The Reserve committee would be the most appropriate resource for assistance with scheduling difficulties.  The Reserve committee is also a source for probationary and new-hire Flight Attendants with questions and concerns about their new careers as a Flight Attendant. To contact the appropriate scheduling committee, please submit on Online Support request or contact to the committee members directly:

• SFO Scheduling Committee (line holder scheduling issues):  Virginia Fritz (chair); Jaqui Bellenie
• SFO Reserve Committee (reserve scheduling issues, probationaries and new hire support):  Rachel Sebastian(chair)

New Council 35 Committees Members
Please welcome the following committee members and chairs into the following Council 35 SFO committees:

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards:  Denice Perez-Lopez
Denice started working as a Flight Attendant in 2006 with Air Wisconsin Airlines. In 2015 she started with Virgin America. When the opportunity to serve her fellow Flight Attendants as an EAP rep emerged she didn’t think twice. Her purpose is to help her peers achieve a suitable work-life balance.  Denice likes to spend her time off hiking and camping with her husband Scott and their rescue dog, an Australian Shepherd named Murphy.

Grievance:  Shannon Dessert
Influenced by her family’s passion for travel Shannon began her career in the airline industry as a Customer Service Agent with Alaska Airlines in 1995.  After a few years she moved to the training department where she realized her love of helping others to achieve their goals.  Ten years later, opportunities came knocking and Shannon moved on to JetBlue Airways and eventually Virgin America as a Flight Attendant in San Francisco in 2010.  Again, looking to help others she became a member of the Rule Book Review, Peer Review, Fatigue Review and Inflight Service Representative Committees.  Shannon did a Special Assignment helping FAA compliance in the Drug and Alcohol Department in 2014.  She was an Infight Team Lead and an Air Transportation Supervisor working with the new hire training classes as well as conducting Service Training Flights and IOE’s. Shannon has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography and is currently exploring Master’s programs to continue her own personal growth.  In her spare time, she enjoys volunteer work, visiting family and friends and scrapbooking her many travels.  With her experience at both Alaska Airlines and Virgin America, Shannon looks forward to working hard to support her fellow teammates on the Grievance Committee.

Grievance:  Ashley Toles
Ashley became a flight attendant with Virgin America in 2015. She has been at the SFO base since then and has enjoyed meeting and working with some of the best people she has ever met.  Ashley completed her undergraduate education at University of California, Santa Barbara and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Early Modern British Literature. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law where she developed her passion for fighting for justice.  Before becoming a flight attendant, Ashley was Co-President of the General Assistance Advocacy Project, a local San Francisco drop-in legal clinic for the homeless. She advocated on behalf of indigent San Franciscans at both state and county hearings, defending her clients’ rights to retain their public benefits, including SSI, county welfare, food stamps, and Medi-Cal. Ashley also interned at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office where she represented indigent people who were accused of crimes. Ashley enjoys helping people and has always been a fierce advocate for her clients. Ashley feels very excited and fortunate to be able to represent her fellow flight attendants with the grievance process. Her goal is to protect flight attendants against arbitrary and unjust disciplinary action and make sure that management is upholding and abiding by the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. Advocating for people is one of Ashley’s favorite things to do and she is elated to be able to serve her fellow flight attendants in this capacity.

Scheduling:  Jaqui Bellenie
Jaqui’s fascination with planes began at a very early age in England with annual family outings to air displays.  She began her Flight Attendant career with Virgin America in June 2008, upgrading to the Inflight Team Leader position in late 2009. In 2013 Jaqui trained to be part of the Rulebook Dispute Resolution team, hearing scheduling issues and helping to resolve them in a group setting.ETOPS and A321 cadre followed in 2015 and 2017. Amazing experiences for her, working alongside the FAA, understanding their policies and procedures and breaking an aviation record along the way.  The first A320 ETOPS to fly from SFO to HNL.With 10 years as a Flight Attendant under her belt Jaqui feels she has sufficient bidding and scheduling experience to be an asset to the scheduling committee.In her spare time Jaqui can be found in the East Bay working on her fixer upper house, and growing vegetables in her back garden. She enjoys running and cycling whenever she can.

Retirement:  Ed Alcantara (chair)
After what he described as “one of the hardest, yet rewarding endeavors he has done in his entire life”, Ed Alcantara earned his wings in 2011, with then, Virgin America.  While with Virgin, Ed was proud to serve his fellow teammates under the Care to Share Program from 2015, until its dissolution.  He also quietly worked with other work groups within the company under the 401k focus group wherein they worked to transfer the guardianship of the account to Fidelity Investments. As the AFA Retirement Committee Chair, he hopes to help make sure that his fellow employees are aware and knowledgeable of everything that would help them work towards retirement.  Also a small business owner, he often times spends his free time travelling, trying to outsmart Flica, hosting karaoke parties or gushing (or ranting) about the Golden State Warriors.

Uniforms:  Lisa Mueller (chair)
Lisa got her start in the airline industry with Virgin America in Chicago where she wore many different hats including operations, guest services, Green Team Lead and creating the Vsis/Vbro mentoring program. She then joined the inflight team based in JFK, and then transferred to SFO and became an Inflight Team Leader. Lisa also has a passion for design. Outside of the airlines, she is an architect with a focus on sustainability, and a makeup artist working many high fashion shows.

More Opportunities to Serve
If you are interested in participating in a committee or getting involved, please visit the volunteer page of the AFA website for more information about each committee and their responsibilities or reach out to the chairperson of the committee you are interested in to answer your questions. To see a list of committees and chair contact information, please visit the SFO Committee List.

Are You an AFA Member?
As of today, only a small percentage of L-VX F/As have not signed up to become members.  As a reminder, the Membership Application cannot be completed online.  The hard copy paper form must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in Washington D.C. You can download and print an application, or pick one up from the bag/file rooms the next time you pass through the SFO Village.   Only AFA members may attend Membership Meetings, vote for officers, hold a position as an AFA officer or committee member or vote on Tentative Agreements (TAs).  It’s important to note that at Alaska Airlines, you are obligated to pay AFA dues regardless of your membership status and becoming a member is a condition of employment, referenced in §26 of the JCBA.

New Email Address for Council 35
As of July 31, 2018, Council 35 will be representing SFO-based Flight Attendants only. All L-VX F/As based in LAX are now represented by Council 18. Therefore the previous email address vx@afaalaska will be retired.  To contact Council 35 officers in SFO, please email us at sfo@afaalaska.org.  To contact Council 18 officers in LAX, please email lax@afaalaska.org.

FAQs 

How do I report hotel issues?
API is the hotel vendor responsible for hotel selection and assignment at Alaska Airlines.  API offers Crewcare as the platform to report any challenges you have experienced with any of our hotel properties on a layover.  On your first visit to the site you will need to register your Alaska email address.  Once registered, please document any incidents that you have with a hotel in Crewcare. This feedback provides hard data of issues and trends we can address with the vendor to remedy.  Positive feedback is also welcome, so please send any compliments via Crewcare as well.  For more information, please visit the Hotel & Stationsection of the inflight page on Alaskasworld. You will find the depository for all relevant layover information regarding hotel transport, phone numbers, food and beverage discounts and hotel amenities that are offered onsite.  Please reach out to the Council 35 Hotel Committee Chairperson, James Bozanich for more information and assistance with hotel concerns.

When can I submit for transportation reimbursements?
According to the JCBA §22.B which went into effect at date of ratification (DOR), Flight Attendants may submit for travel reimbursement 35 minutes after block-in or within 10 minutes from the scheduled departure from the hotel.  Additionally, the company has agreed to pay for reimbursements for transportation to/from hospital/medical facility when an Flight Attendant encounters a medical issue on a layover or is selected for a drug test and the scheduled crew transportation has departed.

How do I contact Council 35 officers?
The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email.  Emails are easier to forward for follow up and to have a record of information.  Using your personal email account, please know that  concerns received by Council 35 are held in confidence, and will not be shared for follow up without the permission of the original sender.  Avoid using your alaskaair.com email to share concerns as those accounts are not private and subject to audits. To get the fastest and most thorough response, please email sfo@afalaska.org.  All officers can respond to emails sent to that address which facilitates a more efficient use of resources.  Please allow at least 24 business hours for a response to any method of contact.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa, Aladrian & James

Q3 CBT: Inflight Service Updates Due September 30, 2018

Approximately 250 SFO-based Flight Attendants have not completed the 3rd Quarter Computer Based Training (CBT)  Q3 CBT:  Inflight Service Updates.

Failure to complete the required CBT by the deadline may result in steps of progressive discipline and a meeting with management. If you have completed the Q3 CBT, please disregard this message.

Instructions to complete the CBT

 To Access the  ‘Q3 CBT: Inflight Service Updates’ on IMD:

• Open/Log-in – Cornerstone App
  All Uncompleted/Assigned courses will show on the main page.

• To Verify Completion
  Click on the 3 dots in the upper right-hand corner.
  Select ‘Completed’ to display a list of completed courses.
  Select ‘Active’ to display a list of all uncompleted courses.
  
• To Access the  ‘Q3 CBT: Inflight Service Updates’ on Computer/Tablet:
  Log-in – Flight Attendant Page> Training> General Training (Boeing/Airbus specific)> Cornerstone
  ‘Active’/uncompleted courses should show on the main page.
• To Verify Completion:
  Click on Transcript and Locate the Drop-down Menu:
  Select ‘Completed’ to display a list of completed courses.
  Select ‘Active’ to display a list of all uncompleted courses.

Suggestion:  Take screen shots of your completed courses.

If you have any concerns or issues regarding the CBT, please contact your assigned SFO supervisor.

Local Executive Council 35 Committees

As of July 31, Council 35 ceased to be considered a transitional council and is now recognized as a Local Executive Council for San Francisco-based Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants.  This change provides a full complement of officers and specialized committees are established.  As we have already introduced your new officers in a previous communication, please welcome the following chairpersons into the newly created Council 35 SFO committees:

Benefits: Robert Fung

Robert started his career as a San Francisco based Flight Attendant with Virgin America in 2008. Additionally, he worked as a special assignment Flight Attendant assisting in uniform fittings, recruiting and various public events. Prior to entering the world of Inflight, he worked in the mental health insurance industry and higher education sector. True to his Bay Area roots, he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University. In addition, he earned a Master’s Degree in Organizational Behavior with dual concentrations in Human Capital Analytics and Human Resource Management from New York University while flying full time.

With a passion for travel and photography, Robert has visited over 50 countries and can often be seen traveling with his camera on layovers.

Committee Chair Coordinator:  Aladrian Hillmon

Bio can be found here.

Communication:  Melissa Osborne

Bio can be found here.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards:  Zarah Shaw

Zarah started her Flight Attendant Career at Virgin America in 2011. Before joining the airline industry, Zarah studied Biopsychology at Mills College in Oakland, with an emphasis in Human Behavior.  During her career, she has been actively involved in many areas of interest to include the Hotel Committee and spent several months on Special Assignment working with catering and Service Standards. After being promoted to an Inflight Team Lead, Zarah went on to become an Air Transportation Supervisor. Since the merger with Alaska Airlines, Zarah has continued her involvement by becoming active in the Union. She started as a Grievance Representative, and progressed to become the pioneer member of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). She has since trained in Peer Counseling (EAP), Professional Standards (PS), CIRP training, and completed the AFA Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP).

Grievance: Melissa Osborne

Bio can be found here.

Hotels: James Bozanich

James has always had a fascination with aviation and travel, and started his career with the airline in 2009. Since then, he has sought out opportunities within the company to grow in a variety of roles to include Inflight Instructor, Air Transportation Supervisor, and a participant in the Virgin America – Virgin Australia Exchange Program.  He now wants to focus on helping the well-being of our combined Alaska family and learn about AFA.  After almost a decade of regular layovers, and a desire to experience as much as possible at each destination, he feels he can best support our workgroup on the AFA Hotel Committee.  James feels hotels that are safe, convenient for exploring, and that offer the services crews want should be the absolute baseline.  He wants to advocate for, and support those crew members that are not delivered this standard.  He looks forward to serving our members in this capacity.

Membership: James Ikehara

Bio can be found here.

Reserve: Rachel Sebastian

Rachel has been a flight attendant for over a year, staring her flying career with Virgin America in SFO. Prior to being a flight attendant, Rachel worked in the television industry as a reporter. She continues to write stories on her layovers. Rachel wanted to get involved as Reserve Chair in SFO because she understands how hard reserve life can be, and wanted to be a resource for her fellow flight attendants who are on reserve. When she isn’t flying, Rachel is probably fixing up her 1928 bungalow or spending time with family in Portland. Rachel is looking forward to supporting her fellow flight attendants through her work at AFA.

Air, Safety, Health and Security (ASHSC): Brad Young

Brad Young has been a San Francisco-based Flight Attendant for 9 years, prior to the Alaska Airlines merger.  As the Air Safety, Health & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson for Council 35 in San Francisco, Brad continues his strong involvement with the new Alaska SFO base and its members and works closely with management representing the Flight Attendants safety-related needs and concerns.  Brad has also been helping in numerous projects as the Airbus Subject Matter Expert; involved in Policy and Procedure changes and implementation of various safety-related projects for the Airbus Flight Attendants during the merger and integration. Brad also continues his role in the Aviation Safety Action Plan (ASAP) program representing AFA Alaska Flight Attendants. Brad currently resides in San Jose, California where he enjoys hiking, being a huge aviation enthusiast, and studying to get his Private Pilot’s License (PPL) for recreational pleasure.

Inflight Service (ISC): Raymond Ramirez

Raymond started out in the interior design field, but decided to pursue his passion for travel when he applied for Virgin America in 2009. He is also a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and is a big fan of mixology, comedy, and marathoning. In 2010 he upgraded to the position of Inflight Team Leader, and he also joined the Service Advisory Committee. Then in 2012 he was one of the first to join Air Transportation Supervisor program, where he taught inflight service procedures and performed IOEs for nearly 100 flight attendants. Raymond understands the importance of service consistency, delivering the brand expectations that passengers expect, and making sure crews are provisioned with the proper resources for every flight. He is very excited to support the AFA Inflight Service Committee, but also determined to make this next transition phase as easy as possible for everyone.

Scheduling: Virginia Fritz

Virginia was determined to be a flight attendant since she was a child. In her first opportunity to join the skies she was a Flight Attendant for an airship. After that she was a CSA at Virgin America and then made her way back to the air as a Flight Attendant at Virgin America and now Alaska Airlines. Virginia has a passion for details related to aviation and looks forward to applying that passion and research to any scheduling issues that may arise for Council 35 and  members based in SFO.

More Opportunities to Serve

If you are interested in participating in a committee or getting involved, please visit the volunteer page of the AFA website for more information about each committee and their responsibilities or reach out to the chairperson of the committee you are interested in to answer your questions. To see a list of committees and chair contact information, please visit the SFO Committee List.

Dues Check Off Forms Still Needed!

The first dues payment for Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants occurred in the July 15 paycheck.  Approximately 60% of SFO-based flight attendants have submitted their forms, which leaves approximately 400 forms outstanding. Flight Attendants that missed the deadline for payroll deduction will receive an invoice for months that were unpaid.  Falling into arrears for failing to pay dues could result in separation from the company, as payment of dues is a condition of employment (which can be referenced in §26 of the JCBA).

You can sign up for automatic payroll deduction of dues by completing a Dues Check Off form.  This form can be downloaded from the AFA Alaska website or you can pick up a copy in the file room in the SFO Village.  Once you’ve completed the form, mail it to AFA International Membership Services (the address is on the bottom of the form) or place it in the AFA lock box (located in SFO file room) and we’ll mail it in on your behalf.  For more information about dues please see our April 30 communication AFA Dues for Legacy Virgin America.

Commuter Policy Separate from the Reliability Program

The VX Commuter Policy, which was implemented in January of this year, provides guidelines for commuters that encounter difficulties getting to work on time.  In the event you encounter commuting challenges, and you are unable to provide the required documents, the consequences will result in a performance issue, which is not connected to the Reliability Program.  Use of the commuter policy should not affect an F/As reliability, nor should any points be assessed for failing to meet all of the criteria.  When calling CSS to report your difficulty, please specify that you are using the Commuter Policy provision to ensure the correct code is applied to your line.  Your Council 35 officers recommend that every effort be made to use the Commuter Policy and avoid using sick leave to alleviate commuting challenges. Consequences of failing to meet all of the criteria for the Commuter Policy can be referenced in § E Interplay with the Reliability Policy and Corrective Action.

Reliability Program Follow Up

Council 35 Officers will be offering support and guidance to all members with Reliability Policy discipline. If you receive an email from management regarding a recent reliability activity that triggered a step of discipline, please feel free to reach out to your Council 35 Officers for assistance and guidance.  Please look for Attendance Support follow up emails from AFA starting September 1.

Stuff Happens Pass (SHP)

As of January 31, 2018, when the VX Commuter Policy was officially implemented, the SHP program began its sunset.  All F/As ceased accruing passes used after January 30, 2017.   As a result, AFA has seen an increase in denied SHP from inflight management.   When calling in SHP to CSS, 4 points and a No Show (NSH) code will automatically be put on the F/As line.  If the SHP is not approved by the F/A’s supervisor (sometimes days later), the NSH and corresponding points remain.  Many F/As have called CSS to use the SHP only to discover later that they did not have an SHP in their bank.  If you believe you have an SHP available for use, your Council 35 officers recommend that you get verification of your SHP eligibility in writing from your supervisor prior to calling CSS to use it.  As a reminder, the SHP program will fully sunset on January 31, 2019.  For more details on the SHP, please review § H Stuff Happens Pass Sunset Clause of the VX Commuter Policy.

Are You an AFA Member?

 As of today, only a small percentage of L-VX F/As have not signed up to become members.  As a reminder, the Membership Application cannot be completed online.  The hard copy paper form must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in Washington D.C. You can download and print an application, or pick one up from the bag/file rooms the next time you pass through the SFO Village.   Only AFA members may attend Membership Meetings, vote for officers, hold a position as an AFA officer or committee member or vote on Tentative Agreements (TAs).  It’s important to note that at Alaska Airlines, you are obligated to pay AFA dues regardless of your membership status and becoming a member is a condition of employment, referenced in §26 of the JCBA.

New Email Address for Council 35

As of July 31, 2018, Council 35 will be representing SFO-based Flight Attendants only. All L-VX F/As based in LAX are now represented by Council 18.  Therefore the previous email address vx@afaalaska.org will be retired.  To contact Council 35 officers in SFO, please email us at sfo@afaalaska.org.  To contact Council 18 officers in LAX, please email lax@afaalaska.org.

FAQs 

How do I contact Council 35 officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email.  Emails are easier to forward for follow up and to have a record of information. Using your personal email account, please know that  concerns received by Council 35 are held in confidence, and will not be shared for follow up without the permission of the original sender.  Avoid using your alaskaair email to share concerns as those accounts are not private and subject to audits. To get the fastest and most thorough response, please email sfo@afalaska.org. All officers can respond to emails sent to that address which facilitates a more efficient use of resources.  Please allow at least 24 business hours for a response to any method of contact.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa, Aladrian & James