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This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

Annual Enrollment is the time to review your benefits and make changes if desired for the upcoming plan year. Annual enrollment began today (10/23/17) and ends 11/13/17.

Optional ADD, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability may be selected during Open Enrollment, to take effect 01/01/2018.

A few highlights for 2018 include:

  • Added coverage for medical treatment for temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) to both Premera Plans
  • Optional Group Legal and Identity Theft insurance available
  • Massage Therapy Benefit added to Consumer Choice PPO ONLY (High deductible plan) – 12 visits/ year

Additional optional Accidental Death and Dismemberment (ADD) insurance, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability (STD) benefits may be selected during Annual Enrollment, to take effect 01/01/2018. As a reminder, Short Term Disability payments are offset by an employee’s Social Security payments. If you are collecting your own Social Security, it may not make sense to select or continue with STD.

If you are planning to start a family in 2018, Open Enrollment will allow you select an extra 20% of Short Term Disability coverage, which will go into effect January 1, 2018. If you are currently pregnant, the additional income replacement will not apply to this maternity leave.

Remember, Travel Benefits Changes occur separately, not during Annual Enrollment.

If you need assistance or have questions, contact a Benefits Committee member for your base. You can also contact the Alaska Air Group Benefits Center with questions, at 1-844-231-3476.

In Solidarity,

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

New Commuter Policy 

On October 1, 2017, the Virgin America Commuter Policy went into effect. Your Council 35 officers highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with the specific policy guidelines prior to using it. This will avoid potential confusion in the event you encounter commuting challenges. The policy indicates the steps required to utilize the provision as well as the discipline that could potentially be issued if not followed correctly.

FAQs

What documentation is required to use the Commuter Policy?
Ground: documentation in the form of screenshots of alerts or similar showing proof of the unanticipated ground issue. Normal rush hour traffic is not covered under this policy.
Air: two (2) paper boarding passes printed from the commuting airport. This can be achieved by checking in at an airport kiosk or requesting a printed copy of your listing from a gate agent. Additionally, the flights must be scheduled to arrive at base (2) hours prior to report time.

How much notice do I need to provide to CSS?
Please provide as much notice as possible when encountering commuting challenges. The minimum requirements are:
Ground: (1) hour prior to scheduled report time.
Air: (2) hours prior to scheduled report time.

What will happen to the Stuff Happens Pass (SHP) during the trial period?
The SHP will be available for use concurrently with the commuter policy during the trial period. Flight Attendants will also be able to accrue SHP during the trial period. If the commuter policy is officially adopted after the trial period, the SHP program will sunset.

Does this policy cover ground transportation issues?
Yes. This policy covers both ground and air commuting challenges.

How many times may I use this policy?
There are no limits to the number of occurrences an F/A can use the commuter policy to cover transportation challenges.

Are there any black-out dates?
Unlike the SHP program, there are no black-out days for using the commuter policy.

Can you clarify that this policy does not cover recurrent training?
The commuter policy does not cover recurrent training, company events, or other events related to maintaining currency. Please refer to VX Work Rules Chapter 2, Section B.10 for information regarding calling in sick, missing, or rescheduling recurrent training.

If a line-holder is released to rest after being assigned RRR on the calendar day of the original report will the line-holder be provided with a hotel?
No hotel will be provided. In-base hotels are only provided if a F/A is displaced re-assignable (DRA) from a pairing.

Will a Flight Attendant on LCC be able to use the commuter policy on a subsequent day of a pairing if they are not able to return to base a second time?
The commuter policy is intended for use once per assigned pairing. Section E.3.d stipulates that corrective action will occur if an FA calls out late due to a commuting issue for the replacement assignment.

If I’m a Flight Attendant using the commuter policy, could I be assigned reserve in another base? For example – I’m a commuter out of JFK and I can’t get to SFO would I ever be asked to sit in JFK to help the operation?
It is management’s right to send one or more reserves to an outstation to help cover the operation. However, in the case of JFK, management has indicated that they will no longer be sending F/As to sit reserve in that city once the base is closed.

If a pairing originates in another city will it be up to the Flight Attendant to get themselves there?
Management has agreed that the company will be responsible for getting the VX F/A to the origination point of the trip. As an example, if an VX F/A is stuck in LAS and the trip assigned originates in LAX, CSS would deadhead (DHD) the F/A from LAS to LAX.

Will Flight Attendant feedback be gathered in anticipation of the trial closing?
Yes. AFA will send another survey out to VX F/As towards the end of the trial to gather feedback about whether the program should continue or cease.

Can you confirm that if the commuter policy is not extended through January 2018, that the SHP program will remain in effect without a sunset?
The proposed commuter policy stipulates that if the commuter policy is cancelled, the SHP program will remain in effect

It is recommended that you read the Commuter Policy thoroughly and keep a copy of it readily available for reference. If you have any questions about the requirements or need additional assistance understanding the policy, please reach out to your Council 35 Officers at vx@afaalaska.org.

In solidarity,

Melissa & Jamie

The AFA Disaster Relief Fund is now open given the Presidential major disaster declaration, and individual assistance has been designated for Sonoma County.

We know that disasters can change lives forever. While we can’t stop destructive events from happening, we can, as a Union, assist our members with their recovery. AFA established the Disaster Relief Fund after September 11th to assist our members whose lives were placed in harms way. AFA members and retirees, whose primary residence is in the counties listed at www.afacwa.org/drf are eligible for $200.00 from the AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund. It is a gift made possible by the generosity of your fellow union sisters and brothers with AFA.

If you would like to apply for AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Funds, visit www.afacwa.org/drf and download the Disaster Relief Fund Application. There are multiple ways of submitting your application including:

  • Fax it to the International AFA EAP Department at 202-434-1411
  • Mail it to AFA-CWA EAP Department, 6th Floor, 501 Third Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001-2797.
  • Email the application information to lfoster@afanet.org
  • Phone in the necessary information to 1-800-424-2406.

If you wish to make a contribution either by check or electronic payment, please visit www.afacwa.org/drf for more information on donating.

In Solidarity,

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

The following preliminary seniority lists were received from the Company and were used by the Seniority Merger Integration Committee to generate the Seniority Verification Letters (SVL) mailed on October 10, 2017. Posting of these lists satisfy the requirements of Section X.C.2.d of the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws.

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Preliminary Seniority List > (password protected)

Virgin America Flight Attendant Preliminary Seniority List > (password protected)

(Password is located here in the emailed version of this communication.)

Due to the sensitive nature of this information, both lists are password protected. Please do not share or repost the password.

If you have any questions, contact the Seniority Merger Integration Committee at seniority@afacwa.org.

In Solidarity,

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

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

*Reminder*

Your AFA Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has developed this survey to solicit feedback regarding your expectations for merger negotiations. Your participation is extremely important. Providing your union leaders with your input and support will better help us to represent you at the bargaining table.

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 management nor AFA believes the entire contract is open for discussion. Therefore, discussions are focusing on transitioning the Virgin America Flight Attendants to the Alaska contract and on a very short list of potential improvements to the Alaska contract that will benefit Flight Attendants from both groups.

The survey is now open to all Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Flight Attendants and will close on Friday, October 13, 2017, at 9am Pacific Time.

(Survey link is located here in the emailed version of this communication.)

For security reasons, the survey link will be included only in the emailed version of this communication and distributed to personal email addresses on file in the AFA Newsletter Sending System. The survey link will not be available on the afaalaska.org website nor on social media, and AFA requests that you do not repost the link.

If you have any questions or if you need the survey link sent to you, email the Joint Negotiating Committee from a personal email address. If you have a requesting a survey link, please provide the following for verification purposes: your name, employee number and current domicile.

In Solidarity,

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

The Seniority Merger Integration Committee (SMIC) has finalized the Seniority Verification Letters (SVL) that are being mailed today: October 10, 2017.  Over 5,000 letters are being sent to Alaska Airlines (AS) and Virgin America (VX) Flight Attendants, and they will begin arriving at mailing addresses on file with the Company within a week.

While letters are being mailed to everyone, the SMIC recognizes that F/A’s living and receiving mail outside the U.S. might face delayed deliveries.  To better ensure a timely delivery to F/A’s living and receiving mail outside the U.S., a copy of the letter will be placed in the company mailbox/v-file of anyone with a non-U.S. mailing address.

If you do not receive a Seniority Verification Letter (SVL) by October 23, 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.  You will receive a response within five business days.

In Solidarity,

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

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

Reporting Issues vs. Contract Questions

A new email is available for reporting Crew Access issues (incorrect illegality, unable to swap, etc.). For issues specific to Crew Access functionality, please email: mgmt.facrewsked@alaskaair.com.

If you have any contract or pay questions, we encourage you to file a report using the AFA Online Support Center. This ensures your question is routed to the correct AFA representative and tracked for informational purposes. Access the AFA Online Support Center here: http://support.afaalaska.org/

Irregular Operations

Whenever flight attendants experience irregular operations, union representatives reach out to offer assistance and ensure the flight attendants know what to request through an Activity Claim Form. For your convenience, we have attached the Irregular Operations document we send to affected crews. Keep in mind this is a quick reference guide of contract provisions. We advise you spend time familiarizing yourself with the contract as well.

Double Checking Pay

Many flight attendants have questions on how to accurately double check pay/TFP totals. While the union agrees flight attendants should not need to double check and request their hard earned pay and TFP, we also want you equipped with the best information possible.

If you choose to check your pay or TFP totals, use your Crew Paysheet as your main resource. Use the Pay Sheet Description and Crew Pay Sheet Codes to interpret your paysheet. You may then compare this to the totals on your actual paycheck each month.

Transition Training

Currently, transition training is scheduled to begin July 2018 and run through November 2018. Alaska FAs will learn the Airbus aircraft and Virgin America FAs will learn Boeing. More information and details will be released once management and AFA discuss the process.

Crew Access

Trading with Codes

There have been many questions recently about trading in Crew Access with TO and non-coded trips. We have attached a document explaining what trades are legal/allowed on Crew Access. Please keep in mind that multiple trades, previously allowed on eMaestro, are not allowed on Crew Access.

‘Published’ vs. ‘Release’ roster report

The Published Roster report is current and should reflect the trips you have flown/are scheduled to fly in a month period. The Roster Release report shows the trips you were originally awarded from PBS, and does not reflect any changes to your schedule.

The TFP ‘Circle’

The TFP ‘circle’ at the top of Crew Access shows your monthly TFP totals. Keep in mind this number only reflects your TFP through the current day of the month. To avoid any error, we advise you to use the published roster report for an accurate TFP total for the month.

Trading Recurrent

Recurrent training may be traded with any open recurrent day in OT, the same as you would trade any trip. You may also direct trade recurrent dates with another flight attendant the same as you would direct trade a trip. Notice the ‘trip number’ for recurrent in the picture below.

Please note: when trading recurrent, you will need to contact CS to remove travel days from your schedule in order to pick up trips on those dates. You will also need to cancel any hotel reservations. SAN FAs – currently, trading recurrent must be done after “out of domicile” trades are allowed.

If you have any questions, please email your Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson.

Fly safe! – MEC Scheduling Committee

Your AFA Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) has developed this survey to solicit feedback regarding your expectations for merger negotiations. Your participation is extremely important. Providing your union leaders with your input and support will better help us to represent you at the bargaining table.

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 management nor AFA believes the entire contract is open for discussion. Therefore, discussions are focusing on transitioning the Virgin America Flight Attendants to the Alaska contract and on a very short list of potential improvements to the Alaska contract that will benefit Flight Attendants from both groups.

The survey is now open to all Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Flight Attendants and will close on Friday, October 13, 2017, at 9am Pacific Time.

(Survey link is located here in the emailed version of this communication.)

For security reasons, the survey link will be included only in the emailed version of this communication and distributed to personal email addresses on file in the AFA Newsletter Sending System. The survey link will not be available on the afaalaska.org website nor on social media, and AFA requests that you do not repost the link.

If you have any questions or if you need the survey link sent to you, email the Joint Negotiating Committee from a personal email address. If you have a requesting a survey link, please provide the following for verification purposes: your name, employee number and current domicile.

In Solidarity,

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

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

AFA is not okay with the situation

The Master Executive Council (MEC) sent out a “Trip Trades/Pickups and Screenshots” communication on September 20, 2017, that generated a number of concerns from the membership. We wish to clarify the intent of that communication and to assure you that AFA is definitely not okay with the situation.

Our new crew tracking system is a hot mess

Let’s be honest: From the Flight Attendant perspective, our new crew tracking system is a hot mess. As just one example, pairing values sometimes change due to reasons unknown as of this writing. Crew Administration has been taking the position that in order to guarantee pay when a pairing value has changed on the roster or is different than listed in the bid packet, then there needs to be a screenshot as proof. Otherwise, Crew Administration generally has not been paying the difference.

Documentation (e.g. screenshots) is generally needed as evidence in order for claims to be successful

In order for AFA to successfully achieve pay protection for a Flight Attendant pursuant to CBA §10.W [Scheduling Errors], management has usually been requiring objective evidence to substantiate the pay claim. One of the easiest ways for a F/A to provide evidence to AFA in order to help us advocate on your behalf is to take a screenshot of the pairing.

Similarly, if F/As wish to bring forward complaints to the state or to file a lawsuit, then documentation (e.g. screen shots) is generally needed as evidence in order to be successful. When you also consider that F/As can only look back 60 days on their respective rosters, then screenshots seem like one of the easier methods of verifying activity. AFA’s primary goal here is to get you paid correctly as soon as possible, which is why we recommended screenshots in the previous communication.

The law says the burden of proof for wage claims lies with the employer, not the employee

That being said, AFA believes the scheduling and payroll situation is completely unacceptable. Your AFA leaders and representatives advocate to management on a near-daily basis that Flight Attendants are being denied the tools to successfully manage their schedules and to verify their pay. Thankfully, AFA and management recently arrived at the same understanding on one very important point: The law says the burden of proof for wage claims lies with the employer, not the employee.

Consequently, AFA is advising F/As that you should not be required to provide screenshots to management in order to be properly compensated. However, AFA will continue to ask members who request our assistance with pay discrepancies to supply us with screenshots and any other available documentation so that we can research and resolve your disputes.

Jeff Butler’s October 3rd “JCTE and Payroll” email is a step in the right direction

The MEC appreciates Vice President of Inflight & Call Center Services Jeff Butler acknowledging the issues in his October 3rd “JCTE and Payroll” email, which is a step in the right direction. AFA is committed to continuing to work with management and advocating on your behalf to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams and MEC Grievance Committee Representative Christina Frees

A message from your AFA Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

You may be struggling to understand how a shooting could occur and why such a terrible thing would happen. There may never be satisfactory answers to these questions.

We do know, though, that most people will experience a variety of emotions following such a traumatic event. These feelings can include shock, sorrow, numbness, fear, anger, disillusionment, grief and others. You may find that you have trouble sleeping, concentrating, eating or remembering even simple tasks. This is common and should pass after a while. Over time, the caring support of family and friends can help to lessen the emotional impact and ultimately make the changes brought about by the tragedy more manageable. You may feel that the world is a more dangerous place today than you did yesterday. It will take some time to recover your sense of equilibrium. Meanwhile, you may wonder how to go on living your daily life. You can strengthen your resilience — the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity — in the days and weeks ahead.

Here are some tips:

Talk about it

Ask for support from people who care about you and who will listen to your concerns. Remember, your AFA EAP is available for confidential assistance.  Visit http://afaalaska.org/eap or call (800) 424-2406 for your local committee members.

Strive for balance

When a tragedy occurs, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and have a negative or pessimistic outlook. Balance that viewpoint by reminding yourself of people and events which are meaningful and comforting, even encouraging.

Turn it off and take a break

You may want to keep informed, but try to limit the amount of news you take in whether it’s from the Internet, television, newspapers or magazines. While getting the news informs you, being overexposed to it can actually increase your stress.

Honor your feelings

Remember that it is common to have a range of emotions after a traumatic incident.

Take care of yourself

Engage in healthy behaviors to enhance your ability to cope with excessive stress.

If you have recently lost friends or family in this or other tragedies

Remember that grief is a long process. Give yourself time to experience your feelings. It is important to get professional help if you feel like you are unable to function or perform basic activities of daily living.  Your AFA EAP can help you with a referral.

 

This tip sheet was made possible by the American Psychological Association. 

Council 47 (LAX pmHA) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 12 PM PT today for the election of Council 47 LEC Officers, representing Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants based in Los Angeles. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Joshua AokiLEC Vice President: Paul IkiokaLEC Secretary: Beth Hayes View the certified election results here >> These newly elected […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Interviews—December 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants In accordance with Article VI.C of the AFA Alaska MEC Policy and Procedure Manual, the terms of office for the MEC Committee Chairpersons and other MEC-level positions align with those of the MEC Officers. Since the current term for the MEC Officers will conclude on December 31, […]

Merged MEC Committee Interviews—December 2025

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants The integration of our Master Executive Councils (MECs) is progressing steadily. Several committees have successfully merged over the past few months, and we are now planning for another committee to merge on January 1. As part of the committee merger process, our MEC will […]

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

November 1 marks the beginning of Native American Heritage Month in the United States. Also known as National Native American Heritage Month, this celebration originated from efforts to recognize an American Indian Day in the early 20th century. In 1916, New York became the first state to officially proclaim American Indian Day following a declaration […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, October 28, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), […]

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