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Commuter Policy Survey Results

AFA received 183 complete responses to the survey, which resulted in the following outcome:

 

51.4% FOR

34.4% AGAINST

14.2% UNDECIDED

 

As a result, the Master Executive Council (MEC) has agreed to the continuation of the Virgin America Commuter Policy. The Commuter Policy will remain in effect until Virgin America Flight Attendants are covered under a merged agreement with Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants.  For questions about the Commuter Policy please refer to the Commuter Policy FAQ for more details, or contact your Council 35 officers.

FAQs

What will happen to the Stuff Happens Pass (SHP)?

AFA recently advocated to management for the SHP program to remain in effect concurrently with the Commuter Policy, but management was not interested in doing so.  The Commuter Policy, without black-out dates and usage limits, is a more liberal program, and management does not want to offer both.  Therefore, the SHP program will sunset (i.e. be phased out) beginning January 31, 2018, after which the SHP will no longer accrue.  The SHP will be available for use concurrently with the Commuter Policy through the sunset period, and Flight Attendants will be able to use previously accrued passes until January 31, 2019.

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.

What type of documentation is required?

Documentation is required for both air and ground transportation challenges.  Please refer to the Commuter Policy FAQ for more details.

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

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & Jamie

 

Council #19 Holiday Update

First, on behalf of your Local Council Officers and Committee members, we hope that all of our members had a chance to spend time with family and friends, and to celebrate the holiday season. While it caused some chaos, the snow in Seattle added a festive touch. This has been a very busy year, and at times both chaotic and frustrating. We look forward to the end of 2017, and a fresh start for 2018 .

There have been some major challenges with Crew Access, and with the interface with payroll. We are well aware of the anger and frustration. AFA and Inflight Management, up to and including the VP of Inflight are working on expediting resolution of these problems. We know that for many of you it does not feel like we are “doing anything”. That could not be further from the truth. We have filed grievances that were sustained, meaning that the company acknowledged that the errors and contract violations AFA brought forth that are resulting from Crew Access issues were valid and should be corrected. In many instances, the programming to do so has been delayed due to programming and other priorities. We continue to find this unacceptable.

We spend hours tracking down incorrect pay, missing trips, incorrect trip values, and other errors. We’re happy to do so. If you have an issue, please go to support.afaalaska.org, and open a ticket. The more information you can provide, including screenshots, the better. Should you have to do this? No. However, without this information, we simply cant track down your issues to get you the proper resolution. The Scheduling and Reserve Committees are compiling the top 5 problems from all bases, so that Management and AFA can resolve these ASAP.

Maternity? If you are currently pregnant, or planning to start or add to your family, you’ll be pleased to know that Danni Burk Peterson has returned to our Benefits Committee as a Maternity Specialist. There have been many fairly recent changes and improvements to our Maternity Leave policies and benefits. We’ve scheduled a maternity roundtable from 10-2 on February 8th, in the South Tower of the Sea-Tac Towers (same tower as 13 Coins). We’ll send out text alerts with address information closer to the date. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to benefitsassist@hotmail.com, with “Maternity Roundtable” in the subject line and your name.

We look forward to the New Year. Many changes are coming. Starting in 2018, Virgin America officially becomes Alaska Airlines, and their ITM’s become Alaska Flight Attendant’s. The Joint Collective Bargaining Committee continues to work on a single contract, which will bring the Council #35 members into our group. We welcome them!

Change can be challenging, and we’re sure there will be adjustments along the path to a single carrier. We hope that you feel supported, and free to reach out for assistance during the coming year.

In Solidarity,

Terry, Jake, Adam, Megan & Melinda

 

San Diego Committee Update

We would like to welcome Joe Coneglio to the Reserve Committee (chair), Vanessa Woods to Air Safety, Health & Security and Pablo Fregosa to Government Affairs. Reach any of our committee members at http://www.afaalaska.org under the SAN committee tab.

It’s a busy time of year for our scheduling chair JR (Jack) George. To help lighten his load, we ask that you use the local San Diego scheduling email address for all questions: san.scheduling@afaalaska.org, you can also copy in your Officers at san@afaalaska.org.

Please do not send text messages, IM’s or tag us in Facebook, it is too hard for us to monitor. Many times the information needs to be forwarded to other individuals and an email (with snap/screen shots) is the format that helps us, help you!

JCTE

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 also 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 Pay sheet 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.

Recurrent Training

If you are having any significant problems with the Cornerstone app, please reach out to one of your Officers and take screenshots if possible. We are always a little concerned when new apps or updates are launched and want to hear how the process is working and that there are no huge issues.

Speaking of recurrent training, FAs traveling to recurrent from SAN were not getting paid correctly since possibly the implementation of our current CBA 12/14.

Brice brought this to the companies attention last April. We were receiving 11 tfp when traveling to LGB, but you should have been paid 18.6 (5.8 to travel up, 6 for recurrent, 5.8 to travel back, +1 for an extended duty day = 18.6 tfp plus $75 for doing the at home workbook). An audit has been completed and the pay corrected, but we recommend that you look at your pay sheet and verify for yourself.

End of Year Reminders

Remember to convert your unused guest passes before the end of day December 31st.

Record Improvement S32.G.4– should be applied by mid January, For those of you that had 4 or fewer points at the end of 2017, and you had zero points assessed in NOV, DEC you will be starting 2018 with zero points. Please allow about two to three weeks for the attendance Supervisors to apply your Nov/Dec record improvement. Once this has been done, let us know if there are any discrepancies.

AFA Council 15 San Diego Facebook Page

Since the base opened we have been using the SANFA Facebook page, this page is used both for trip trading posts as well as AFA posts. Being as its easy for things to get lost with so many postings, Your AFA Officers started a new “Official” Facebook page called AFA Council 15 San Diego click on the link and like our page, there you can find all the latest news from AFA without having to search through numerous trip trading posts.

Text Notifications from AFA

To reach more of our base (including those who are not on social media or don’t check their email often), your LEC Officers started a new way of communicating with our members in San Diego through text message alerts. This program is completely optional. But we feel that it’s a great tool to get information out to everyone quickly. We will not overwhelm you with texts. And we do realize some people may have to pay for texts, so again this program is optional and the information will be available as always on the AFAalaska.org website, emails, and on our Facebook page.

The enrollment process is simple, all you need to do is send a text message from your personal phone.

Open your text messaging application. In the send to field enter 81010 and then enter @AFALEC15 in the body of the text and press send.

You will then receive a reply asking you to enter your full name. Once you send your name, your officers will receive notification and then you are all set to receive texts.

Please ignore the 3rd question where it asks if you are student or teacher we are borrowing this technology from school districts as to save costs from designing a system or paying a company to send mass texts and you do not need to download the app.

We hope you like our new service. And as always, we welcome your feedback / questions Please help us spread the word and get your fellow crew signed up.

​

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and we wish you a Healthy and Happy New Year!

As previously mentioned in a communication from the AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC), pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants will soon be participating in the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP).  ASAP is an FAA program that allows Flight Attendants to self-disclose unintentional violations of CFRs or company safety policy without fear of disciplinary action from management or enforcement action from the FAA.  The intent of the program is to improve procedure, processes, and training through increased reporting of safety-related incidents that might otherwise go unreported.

Management will soon be putting out more information about ASAP, including a required computer based training (CBT) and information about the start date of the program for pre-merger VX Flight Attendants

Your AFA ASAP Representative

As part of the program, all ASAP reports received are de-identified (names and identifying information removed) and then reviewed by an Event Review Committee (ERC) made up of one representative each from AFA, the Company, and the FAA. Brad Young has been appointed as the AFA ASAP ERC Representative for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants.

About Brad

Brad has been a San Francisco-based Flight Attendant with Virgin America for 8 years.

In 2012 and again in July of 2013, Brad assisted with a handful of fellow Flight Attendants in approaching, educating, signing and achieving enough cards for a successful vote to help bring representation to the Virgin America Flight Attendants.

“The Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is a critical component in the success of the Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants and there is no better time to be involved in this unique and successful program to involve the Virgin America Flight Attendants.   With the assistance of AFA, my role in the ASAP will take us all to the next level of airline safety and security out on the line for our workgroup,” says Brad.

Brad graduated from Sierra College with a degree in Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement and Psychology.  Prior to joining Virgin America, Brad worked for the State outside Sacramento, California.  Brad is currently studying several degree courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Aviation Security and Safety Management.

Brad currently resides in San Jose, California where he enjoys being outdoors, being an aviation history nerd, landscape photography, cooking and studying to get his Private Pilots License (PPL) for recreation.

Learn More About ASAP

In addition to the company’s CBT that will be released soon, you can find more information about the program on the ASAP page of the AFA Alaska website.  ASAP resources are also available on the FAA website.

Questions?

ASAP-related questions can be directed to pmVX ASAP ERC Representative Brad Young at bradley.young@afaalaska.org

In Solidarity,

Melissa, Jamie, and Brad

New FAA Memorandum of Understanding outlines program for both pre-merger Alaska and Virgin America Flight Attendants

AFA is pleased to announce that a new Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed by management, the FAA, and AFA, renewing the ASAP program for another two years.  The new MOU includes a provision to roll out an ASAP program to pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants in the near future and then integrate the pre-merger Virgin America ASAP program into the pre-merger Alaska ASAP program once a single collective bargaining agreement and integrated seniority list have been achieved.

Click here to view the new ASAP MOU

Along with the ASAP MOU, an accompanying letter of agreement (LOA) has been signed that specifically apply to the Flight Attendants at each specific pre-merger airline.  The LOAs spell out additional protective provisions of the program that complement the MOU.

Click here to view the ASAP additional provisions LOA for pre-merger Alaska F/As
Click here to view the ASAP additional provisions LOA for pre-merger Virgin America F/As

IMPORTANT: ASAP Reporting Timeline Change for Pre-Merger Alaska Flight Attendants

One important change to the ASAP program involves the timeframe for filing a report under the protective provisions of the program.  Previously, ASAP reports needed to be filed no later than 24 hours after the end of the sequence during which the event occurred.  Recently, the FAA has moved to a new standard template MOU that changes that timeline; this template was used to renew the AS ASAP program.  Under the new ASAP MOU, reports must be submitted no later than 24 hours after the end of the duty period during which the event has occurred in order to qualify for the protective provisions of the ASAP program.

Coming Soon: ASAP for Pre-Merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

AFA and management have also agreed to establish an ASAP program for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants.  Please note that even though the ASAP MOU and LOA have been signed, the ASAP Program for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants is not yet in effect.  A timeline for implementation is currently being discussed with management and more information will be communicated regarding training as well as the date the program will be effective.

Questions?

Pre-Merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

If you have questions about the ASAP program, please contact AFA ASAP ERC Representative Ronda Ruderman or a member of your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC).

Pre-Merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

If you have questions about the upcoming ASAP program, please contact your Local Council Officers.

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 AFA Alaska-Virgin America Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) just wrapped up this week’s session of merger negotiations, our seventh so far. We met with management from Tuesday, December 12th through Thursday, December 14th 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, Virgin America Manager of Labor Emily Kimmel and Alaska Airlines Financial Planning & Analysis Manager Brittany Schaub. Alaska Airlines Director of Retirement Services Chrystie Dickens and Retirement Benefits Analyst Jaime Smalley also joined to discuss 401(k).

The parties are down to the point in negotiations where we are exchanging comprehensive proposals and discussing primarily economic issues. AFA and management exchanged several proposals this session. However, management’s last pass to the JNC did not go far enough to address important concerns for our members, and it is not a deal that we believe our members would ratify.

The JNC’s message to management is that reaching a ratifiable merger agreement is our chance to unify the Flight Attendant groups and move forward together. We hope management takes our message to heart. Our next merger negotiations session is scheduled for January 9-11, 2018.

In Solidarity,

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

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.

Reminder-Commuter Policy Survey Now Available

On December 5th, the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council (MEC) sent VX membership a survey to determine the effectiveness of the VX Commuter Policy.  Flight Attendants, and especially commuters, are strongly encouraged to participate in the survey to determine the future of the program for VX Flight Attendants. The survey will close Wednesday, December 13 at 9AM Pacific time.  If you did not receive the email containing the link to the survey, please contact your Council 35 officers for a new link at vx@afaalaska.org.

Good-bye Seatbelts!

A nice start to the holiday season began December 1 when management released the requirement for Flight Attendants to cross seat-belts and clean the aircraft after each flight.  Since April, AFA has been advocating for this minor but highly impactful improvement to the duties and responsibilities of Virgin America F/As.  Happy Holidays!

Amnesty Program for IFM Compliance

Council 35 officers have been strongly advocating for amnesty for Flight Attendants that self-disclose IFM compliance issues.  Management has indicated they will be allowing Flight Attendants that self-disclose a reprieve from discipline under certain circumstances.  If you have any questions regarding your IFM and maintaining currency, please contact your Council 35 officers for assistance.

Social Media

Management has indicated that they will be enforcing the current Virgin America social media policy to mitigate perceived undesirable behavior on social media sites. Many members have expressed to Council 35 that they are unclear which social media policy applies to Virgin America.  Management has clarified that Virgin America is still under the VX social media policy found on VX Connect. This policy will be in effect until we transition to AS company policies early 2018.  After the transition, VX employees will fall under the AS social media policy.  If you have any questions about any social media activity, please feel free to contact your Council 35 officers for assistance and guidance.

Commuter Policy Survey Now Available

Yesterday, the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council (MEC) sent VX membership a survey to determine the effectiveness of the VX Commuter Policy.  Flight Attendants, and especially commuters, are strongly encouraged to participate in the survey to determine the future of the program for VX Flight Attendants. If you did not receive the email containing the link to the survey, please contact your Council 35 officers for a new link.

Down-gauge/Up-gauge of Aircraft

It was brought to AFA’s attention over Thanksgiving week that Crew Scheduling has implemented new procedures to handle aircraft changes involving the 321 aircraft (A/C).  It appears that this procedure was developed in response to situations when A/C swaps created additional crew members. Management has agreed to include AFA in discussions to find a solution to managing this procedure and how to mitigate the negative impact on Flight Attendants.

Save the Date—Membership Meeting

The next Council 35 membership meeting is scheduled for April 3, 2018 and will be co-hosted by United Airlines Council 11.  The agenda will be the AFA Board of Directors meeting scheduled April 9-11, 2018.  Please stay tuned for more information.

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 34 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

Will we get paid the same as Alaska Flight Attendants when we achieve Single Operating Certificate (SOC)?

Single Operating Certificate is the process that the company experiences to bring systems together to create a single airline recognized by the FAA and DOT.  Currently Alaska Airlines is scheduled to achieve this in January 2018.  This does not mean that all the work groups will be fully merged and integrated at that time.  For the Flight Attendant work group to be fully merged, we must have an Integrated Seniority List (ISL) and be covered under a single contract.  We do not have a date set for either of these two items to be completed.  VX teammates will see some benefit changes through the process of achieving SOC, however anything connected to the Flight Attendant contract will not be enjoyed until it’s negotiated and ratified.

Can we use carts to block during Flight Deck door opening procedures?

Having to maneuver a cart unnecessarily in the already tight first class galley space adds to possible F/A injuries. There’s also the issue of possible turbulence occurring while using the cart to block and the F/A having to stow the cart and then take their jumpseat which adds an unnecessary safety risk. Therefore, AS has taken the position that it is safer to keep the carts stowed during the F/D door opening procedures.

I’m on a leave at VX and have questions about the transition to AS benefits. Who can I contact regarding the new AS programs?

Starting 1/1/18 all VX employees will be on the AS health and leave benefit programs.  For more information, or if you have questions regarding transitioning of leaves, please contact: myalaskabenefits.com or by phone 1-844-231-3476.

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

This message is for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants

AFA and the Virgin America (VX) leadership team (management) agreed to test the Commuter Policy through January 2018. As a reminder, the Commuter Policy is paired with a third Short Call Reserve (SCR) reserve availability period and a sunset clause for the Stuff Happens Pass (SHP). A sunset clause for the SHP means the SHP would be phased out if the Commuter Policy were extended beyond January 2018. See the VX F/A Commuter Policy LOA (9/14/2017) for details.

AFA is polling the Virgin America Flight Attendants to determine if there is sufficient interest in continuing with the Commuter Policy beyond January 2018. For security reasons, the survey link will be included in this communication but only via email to personal addresses on file in the AFA Newsletter Sending System. The survey link will not be available on the afaalaska.org website or on social media, and AFA requests that you do not repost the link.

The survey is now open to VX F/As only and will close on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at 9am Pacific Time.

[Survey link is located here in the emailed version of this communication.]

 

If you have any questions or if you need the survey link sent to you, email your Local Council 35 officers or from a personal email address. If you are requesting a survey link, please provide the following for verification purposes: your name, employee number and current domicile.

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 was created by the International Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Department

Background

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final notice that four commonly prescribed medications will be added to the DOT testing program effective January 1, 2018. These four medications fall under a category of drugs known as opioids. They include:

  • Hydrocodone (example: Vicodin, Lortab, Lorcet, Maxidone, Norco, Zydone)
  • Hydromorphone (example: Diluadid, Exalgo, Hydromorph Contin, Palladone)
  • Oxycodone (example: Percocet, Percodan, OxyContin, Roxicodone, Endocet, Xtampza, OxylR)
  • Oxymorphone (example: Opana, Numorphan).

Opioid medications are typically prescribed for the management of pain after injury, surgery, dental procedures and diagnosis of a medical illness with painful symptoms.

Important Regulatory Clarifications

  • Starting January 1, 2018, DOT testing will now for the very first time detect the use of these specific medications.
  • If the testing lab confirms the presence of these medications in a Flight Attendant’s drug test, the Flight Attendant will be contacted by a Medical Review Officer (MRO) to determine if the Flight Attendant has a legally valid prescription within the overall meaning of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA).
  • DOT has made it clear that it will not issue guidance to the MROs on how long a prescription may be considered valid for the purpose of providing a legitimate medical explanation for a laboratory positive. Specifically, DOT states “it would not be appropriate for the Department to substitute its judgment for that of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which is the Federal agency with the authority to determine what constitutes a valid prescription under the CSA. The DEA has not set a maximum duration for the length of time a prescription can be considered to be legally used by the person to whom it was prescribed…. Consequently, DOT will not create a time limit on the use of a legally valid prescription. Instead, MROs will make individualized determinations for each donor.”
  • Regardless of whether medical marijuana is prescribed by a physician, it cannot be the basis of a legitimate medical explanation. It will be verified by the MRO as a test positive.
  • When verifying the prescription an employee provides to the MRO, the DOT is now recommending “MROs should speak with the pharmacy and not simply rely on a photograph of the prescription label”.
  • If an MRO has concerns about an employee’s ability to safely perform her/his duties while taking a prescription, a new process has been put in place by DOT to ensure that “an employee is not caught off guard by the MRO’s decision to report the medical information regarding a legally valid prescription to a third party”. Effective January 1, 2018, the MRO must give the employee five (5) business days to have her/his prescribing physician contact the MRO to determine if the medication(s) can be changed to one that does not make the employee medically unqualified or that does not pose a significant safety risk before reporting the safety concern to a third party. If the MRO does not receive such information from the prescribing physician, the MRO would then report to third parties. Previously, the MRO would report to the third party and then engage with the prescribing health care provider.

Resources to Help You Balance Safety and Medication

There are a number of resources under the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol (FADAP) Website (www.FADAP.org) to help you balance safety and the use of prescription medications including the 4 new medications for which DOT will test effective January 1, 2018.

Medication Safety Film for Flight Attendants: View this short film to understand the safety issues and best practices around medication use by Flight Attendants. ->

Medication and flying article “What Medications Can I Take While Flying?” Read this three-page article to get a more rounded understanding of the issues surrounding medication use by Flight Attendants and best practices. ->

“Flight Attendant Essential Job Functions” wallet card: There is no list of DOT banned prescriptions for flight attendants, other than prescription marijuana. The decision of which medications you can take and safely perform your Flight Attendant duties is generally determined by your health care provider (including dosage, frequency and timing of use in relation to your work schedule).

To help you inform your provider of your safety sensitive duties, provide your health care provider with your job description for incorporation into your medical file. ->

You can also download wallet size lists of Flight Attendants’ essential job functions for your provider’s quick reference each and every time a medication is discussed. ->

Health Care Provider’s Medication Note: Should your health care provider prescribe a medication containing an opioid or amphetamine (both of which are detectable under DOT testing) have your provider sign this note for your submission just in case you are challenged about the safe use of the medication. ->

* * *

Have more questions? Contact AFA International EAP at 800-424-2406.

In Solidarity,

Your AFA EAP

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, December 11, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Conner Gallager (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

On Thursday, December 4, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work in representing our Flight Attendants and advocating for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Naomi Parcell (ANC), Ross DeJong (SEA), Todd Horn (PDX), Raymond Ramirez (SFO), Johanna Thomas (LAX pmAS), and Andrew Malone (SAN). MEC […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 10 – December 2025

The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met with management this week to continue bargaining sessions in Seattle, WA. Discussions focused on narrowing issues in Leaves of Absence, Association General, and reviewing vacation provisions as part of the joint contract process.

Human Rights & Equity Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

On Monday, December 8, our AFA Human Rights & Equity Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing activism to raise awareness and create positive change within our workplace and community. Your representatives attending the meeting included Louise Borras (LAX-pmAS), Bruni Agosto-Pinal (LAX-pmHA), Aaron Miller (PDX), Trista Vanta (SFO), and Yan Yan Teague (SEA). MEC Human […]

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