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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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AFA and the Virgin America (VX) leadership team (management) met in Seattle, WA yesterday to discuss VX Flight Attendant wages, work rules and other concerns. AFA started out the conversation by requesting that the leadership team match the AFA Alaska pay rates. Disappointingly, the leadership team was unwilling to match the AFA Alaska pay rates without a fully merged agreement and an integrated seniority list (ISL). (More on those two points shortly.)

After negotiating into the late evening, the parties reached agreements on several interim improvements to pay and work rules. This communication will focus on the improvements to pay, and the following will focus on work rules.

Virgin America agreed to make up half the difference between the current VX InFlight Teammate (ITM) pay rates and the AFA Alaska Flight Attendant pay rates (converted to block-hours), effective immediately. Resulting increases to the base rate ranges between 8-17%. The parties also agreed to establish three new steps above Step 10. InFlight Team Leaders (ITLs) will continue to receive an additional 15% on top of the ITM base rate.

VX Wage Proposal Chart >

AFA VX LOA One Time Interim Wage Increase (4/27/2017) >

These new wage rates will be applied retroactively to the first of this year (January 1, 2017). The new pay rates and the retroactive credit will appear on the May 31st paycheck.

AFA believes the VX Flight Attendants are extremely deserving of the AFA Alaska rates, so we are obviously disheartened that Virgin America will not match the rates at this time. However, we are appreciative that the Virgin America leadership team worked with us to provide some immediate relief and to make the new rates retroactive through this year.

Virgin America has clearly stated the AFA Alaska rates are contingent on achieving a merged agreement and an Integrated Seniority List. Although AFA is not satisfied with that position, we are going to make this process as swift as possible so that we can achieve equal pay rates as soon as possible. Consequently, AFA will post vacancies for two VX Merger Representatives and one Joint Negotiating Committee member tomorrow morning; the Master Executive Council (MEC) plans to fill those positions during our MEC meeting in just three weeks. Once those positions are filled, the journey towards a merged agreement and an ISL will continue in earnest.

AFA would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the efforts of our sisters and brothers on the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) negotiating team. Although the improvements that AFA achieved this week are not directly connected to that committee’s negotiations, their foundational work is recognized and appreciated. AFA sincerely thanks the TWU negotiators for their service.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

 

Don’t forget to sign up for Crew Access Training Sessions!

Save the Date(s): Crew Access Info Sessions

Please note the following dates and locations for upcoming Crew Access information sessions~ They begin next week!

For this round we added dates at the Alaska Airlines Flight Ops building, in addition to the dates at the base. We hope this provides more options to accommodate your schedules.

To see the list of times on each day and sign up for a classroom session click on the following link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e4babae2fa1f58-crew6

May 5th and May 12th we are looking to offer reserve training sessions.

If you are on reserve and want to attend please sign up now! 

Also, class lists are finalized the day before~ if you want to attend a class please make sure you sign up prior to the class.

If you have any questions please contact your LEC Scheduling Chairs at sea.scheduling@afaalaska.org

In solidarity,

LEC Scheduling Chair, Martin Vance and LEC Scheduling Vice-Chair, Rita Tillou

AFA and the Virgin America leadership team (management) met in Seattle, WA earlier today to discuss Virgin America (VX) Flight Attendant wages, work rules and other concerns. The parties are in the process of finalizing the details of several improvements for VX F/As, including immediate improvement to wages. We anticipate having more information for you by 6 PM Pacific Time tomorrow.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

On the Cusp of Reserve? The PBS Committee would like to remind you of the following helpful hints:
On the cusp of Lineholder and Reserve?  You may need to ‘Waive’!
Many of you in SEA that are on the cusp of lineholder and reserve may not realize you may need to ‘waive’ certain contractual rules in order to hold a line of pairings.
Waiving down to ‘Allow 24 Hours Off in 7 Days’ and waiving the ‘No Same-Day Pairings’ rule could be the only way for you to hold a line.  If you see others junior to you holding a line and you didn’t, it’s probably because they ‘waived’ those rules.
Check your bidding number on the seniority list on the Inflight webpage at the beginning of each month.  Then check the PBS Info Page for the number of reserve lines in your base for the next month.  This will help you to determine how close you are to still being on reserve.  If you’re in the bottom 50 or so lineholders in SEA then you need to strongly consider entering those ‘waive’ lines if you hope to be awarded a line of pairings instead of reserve.

Hotel Committee

LEC Chair, Jodi Snow

For a year now the Hotel Committee has been working with management to address concerns with unscheduled layover hotels. Flight Attendant crews have been experiencing terrible issues associated with these alternate hotels. Due to the on-going issues, the committee has partnered with MEC Vice President, Brian Palmer, to bring these concerns forward to the company and have them addressed. The Hotel committee is now confident that the list of alternate hotels is updated and provides reasonable accommodations for the crews. However, situations may still arise where flight attendants experience a hotel not on this list due to high demand in any given city. If you experience a hotel that does not meet our negotiated language, please file a crew care form (see below.)

The Hotel Committee will document properties during upcoming site visits that would be a good fit for the alternate hotel list to keep the list updated.

Two members of the AFA Hotel Committee, SEA FA Olivia Borrows and SAN FA Kanani Vallot, are monitoring situations at hotels and documenting these issues for the committee to address with the company.

Remember, if you have problems with your hotel please document the issue via Crew Care:

CrewCare (Layover Hotel and Transportation Feedback)

 Visit the CrewCare website (AS login required)

If you have a layover hotel or transportation concern, first document the issue by writing it up in the CrewCare system.

  1. Log-in to the inflight website (http://asainflight.alaskaair.com)
  2. Open the menu
  3. Click “Hotels”
  4. Click “Hotel Links”
  5. Click “My Crew Care”
  6. Open the menu
  7. Click “Feedback”
  8. Click “Provide Feedback”

  

  

First Time Using Crew Care?

When you open the Crew Care site for the first time, you’ll need to register with your alaskaair.com email address.  After registering, the system will send you a confirmation email.  From the confirmation email, click the link to confirm your registration.  Once you complete this registration process, you won’t need to do it again.

API has written a user guide for the Crew Care system that you can access by clicking here.

Compensation Discussion with Management

Council 35 President Melissa Osborne and AFA Alaska MEC President Jeffrey Peterson will be meeting management later this week to discuss wage increases. More information will be sent out after the meeting via AFA email and will also be available on the Council 35 page of the AFA Alaska website.

Last Week’s Village Visits

For several days last week, many of the AFA Alaska leaders visited the Villages in SFO and LAX to share information about AFA, answer questions, and provide AFA membership applications.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by!  Additional Village Visits will be scheduled over the next few weeks and will be announced through AFA email and on the Council 35 Facebook page.

JFK, We’re Headed Your Way!

For those of you based at JFK, AFA leaders will be out in your base this weekend.  Local Council President Melissa Osborne, Local Council Secretary James Ikehara, and MEC Vice President Brian Palmer will be at JFK this coming Friday evening and Saturday morning.  Melissa, James, and Brian will be on the concourse meeting with departing and arriving crews and will have AFA pins and information with them.

Become A Member, Have Your Voice Heard!

Completing an application ensures that you have the right to vote in officer elections and on tentative agreements.  If you haven’t already had the chance to complete an AFA membership application, you can download and print one by clicking here.  The AFA membership application is not a form that can be completed online; it must be filled out, signed in ink, and returned to an AFA representative or mailed to AFA.  Signing up to receive AFA email communications is not the same as completing a membership application.

Joint Negotiating Committee and Seniority Representative Positions

We’ll soon be looking for candidates who are interested in serving on the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and serving as Seniority Representatives.  The JNC Member will work with the Alaska members of the JNC to negotiate a joint contract with management.  Seniority Representatives will help to reconcile the Virgin America seniority list and work with the Alaska Seniority Representative to integrate the two lists.

More information about these positions, including information on how to express interest, will be sent out by AFA email within the next several days and will also be posted on the Council 35 page of the AFA Alaska website.

Don’t Forget to Wear Your AFA Pin

The AFA pin is an approved uniform piece and should be worn on the left collar.  If wearing both your AFA pin and anniversary pin, the anniversary pin should be placed closest to the tip of the collar.

Your AFA pin represents our combined strength and unity as we work toward achieving improvements for all of us and should always be worn with your uniform.  If you don’t already have an AFA pin, you can pick one up from an AFA representative during an upcoming Village Visit.

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 & James

Council 19, SEA, 1st Quarter 2017 Committee Reports

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Benefits and Maternity Committee

LEC Chair, Kathy O’Malley and Vice Chair, Terry Taylor

We have recently had questions and comments regarding Teledoc, a relatively new Premera Benefits option. This service is available to both PPO and Consumer’s Choice PPO plan participants.  The phone number is: 855-332-4059.  It can also be accessed through the Benefits Portal via AlaskasWorld, or at this link: https://member.teladoc.com/premera. There is no fee for the PPO plan, and a $40 fee for Consumer’s Choice PPO plan participants.

What is this service?  It provides 24-hour access to a physician who can provide prescriptions if appropriate, and send them to a local pharmacy for pick-up.  It offers a alternative to emergency rooms or urgent care facilities.  The 24-hour nurse hotline is also still available through Premera, either via the Premera website, or at this phone number: 877-AAG-3525 (877-224-3525).

Injured at work? 

 It is extremely important that you submit an I-21 form as quickly as possible, even if the injury seems minor.  The forms are available on the Inflight Webpage, under ‘Other Leaves.’  This is important for tracking safety concerns, and for documenting injury if medical treatment is required.  If you need to seek medical treatment, you will need a Worker’s Compensation packet for the State in which you are based.  If it is after-hours, you can call crew scheduling to be connected to a Duty Supervisor.  Otherwise, the packets are available in your Inflight Office. A Worker’s Compensation claim does not begin until you seek medical treatment.

Medical/Maternity/Worker’s Compensation Leave of Absence 

Planning and assistance is available through your Seattle Benefits Committee. To get you started, handbooks with a wealth of information, are available on the Inflight Webpage, under Administration. Forms that you may need during your leave are posted under ‘Other Leaves.’ If you have questions, or need assistance, please reach out to a Benefits Committee Member: https://afaalaska.org/sea/committees

Inflight Service Committee (ISC)

LEC Chair, Ross Dejong

Your Seattle ISC committee would like to welcome our newest member Judith Bowman, we thank her for volunteering her time, and look forward to her input. Your committee members have been working on the following:
* Working with the Catering Department to add more sparkling water to the beverage drawers. The committee is expecting an update on this request soon.
* Expect a slightly different beverage napkin to roll out soon. Please note, this is not the final new beverage napkin. A finalized version will be coming out later this year.
* The committee previewed a stir stick/pokie that Virgin currently uses.  The committee believes that this is a much better version than we currently use. The Catering Department will look into purchasing this for Alaska and report back to the ISC with a determination.
* If you are having any issues with heating the pilot meals on the ceramic plates/bowls due to the dishes being too hot for you to handle safely,  please document the issue using your Report It App on your IMD. If the pilot’s complain about the dishes being too hot please ask them to write this up using their procedures.
* ISC committee members are receiving reports that Flight Attendants continue to use downline catering items intended for the next flight and that galleys are not being cleaned and restocked for the next crew. Please be considerate of your fellow Flight Attendants and Pay it Forward.
* Remember that writing up catering issues is easy when you use your IMD. From your outlook email write to catering.feedback@alaskaair.com. Please include in your email, the flight number, station that the catering came from, the date, and a description of the issue. If possible, take a picture and attach to your email. Feel free to copy me, or any of your committee members in so that we can track any recurring problems.
* ISC has been asked to remind all of you of the importance of recording comps into your B.O.B. device. Recording food comps helps to ensure that enough food is boarded for all future flights. Please see the comping guidelines in Good Reader if you are not familiar as to what needs to be recorded.
Thank you for all the great work you do everyday to take care of our guests, Ross

A Message from Local Council President Melissa Osborne

Fellow Teammates,

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for all the expressions of support that I received for the position of Council 35 Transitional President.  I am overwhelmed and honored to be selected to represent you.  This is an exciting opportunity to promote the interests of our teammates in a cooperative effort with the seasoned and well-established Master Executive Council (MEC) at Alaska.  I am very hopeful that we will make tangible progress to improve our compensation when MEC President Jeff Peterson and I meet with management next week.  The next several weeks will be challenging; however, I am eager to face them knowing the amount of support I have received from all of you.

This marks a new and exciting era for VX flight attendants, providing the perfect opportunity to start afresh with unity, optimism and hope.  Mergers are never an easy process, and although it is the desire of AS management and your MEC to provide the smoothest one possible, please know that it is up to all of us to make this endeavor a success.  Your role in this merger matters, and working together, we can help to build a heritage that can make our new Alaska Airlines the pride of the industry.

I look forward to meeting many of you in the Villages in the months to come, as your new Council 35 introduces you to AFA and all the benefits that the membership enjoys.  I will make every effort to address all your concerns and encourage you to utilize the prescribed lines of communication with our new representatives at AFA.  Please feel free to contact me to discuss any concerns that you may have or to offer constructive suggestions.  I will make every effort to provide timely and newsworthy updates to keep you abreast of progress.

Thank you, again, for your support.  I take this responsibility seriously and I will do my very best to merit the confidence that you have placed in me.

In Solidarity,
Melissa Osborne
Transitional Local Council 35 President

 

A Message from Local Council Secretary James Ikehara

Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for all of your support to serve as your Transitional Secretary. It was very humbling to receive your well wishes, and I greatly appreciate your confidence in me as we work with the MEC and Alaska Airlines towards the integration of our work groups. As Melissa stated, it is up to all of us to restart this process with a sense of unification, and to work together to achieve the common goal of improving our work rules and compensation to be on par with our fellow flight attendants at Alaska Airlines.

I am eager to work for and support Melissa during this exciting time frame, and will do everything possible to ensure all of you are kept informed of the latest information. As always, please feel free to reach out to me to discuss any issues regarding our negotiations.

Once again, many thanks and I look forward to seeing all of you on the line or in the Village.

In solidarity,
James

Pursuant to the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws Article III.A.2 [Local Councils and Local Executive Councils: Establishment of Transitional Local Councils for Newly Organized Carriers], International President Sara Nelson has appointed Temporary Transitional Officers to represent AFA Transitional Local Council 35 Virgin America. AFA solicited input from Virgin America (VX) Flight Attendants for names of potential appointees and each potential appointee must have received a minimum of two recommendations and signed a commitment to serve. President Nelson commends VX F/As for the level of interest and engagement regarding the two positions, and she sincerely thanks all those who were willing to represent the newly formed council.

Melissa Osborne has been appointed as Temporary Transitional Local Council president and James Ikehara as secretary.

Temporary Transitional Local Council President Melissa Osborne

Melissa Osborne has been a San Francisco-based Flight Attendant with Virgin America for nine years. In addition to her flying duties, she served in a variety of roles to include Inflight Instructor, Red Carpet Facilitator, Refresh Design Team, Inflight Team Leader and Air Transportation Supervisor. She came to Virgin America after enjoying 7 years at Aloha Airlines, which ended with the company going out of business in 2008. Based in Honolulu, Melissa also served as support to the grievance chair at AFA Aloha, which included contract research and participation in arbitration hearings. In addition to almost 17 years in the airline industry, she served as a public school teacher in Hawaii, California and Arizona. Melissa has been living in Phoenix for the last 5 years and spends free time with her three children and dog. She enjoys gardening, cooking, kayaking and working on home improvement projects.

Temporary Transitional Local Council Secretary James Ikehara

James Ikehara has been a San Francisco-based Flight Attendant with Virgin America for five years. In addition to his flying duties, he has participated in various activities of the Promo Team, and was a member of the A320 ETOPS Cadre. In May, he will also help to certify the A321 as a member of the A321 ETOPS Cadre. Prior to coming to Virgin America, he worked for Visa, Inc. at their Foster City headquarters for almost 21 years, with the last 10 years as their Director of the Executive Briefing Center. James lives in San Francisco and spends his leisure time playing in his violin and viola in the Bohemian Club orchestra at their city club, as well as attending their two yearly events at the Bohemian Grove in the Russian River.

Term of office, elections, membership drive and other engagement opportunities

Melissa and James will serve as Local Officers until AFA can hold an election to fill those positions. AFA will also be conducting a membership drive at Virgin America over the next 30-60 days. Every effort will be made to ensure at least 50% of the VX F/As become AFA members prior to initiating nominations and elections, which will occur no later than 60 days from today pursuant to Article VIII.C.1.a [Nomination and Election of Officers: Local Council Officers and CWA Convention Delegates].

Click here to download an AFA membership application >

Virgin America Flight Attendants who are interested in assisting with the membership drive or getting involved in any way should take a few moments to complete the volunteer interest form. Any other AFA Alaska members who are interested in volunteering may email vx@afaalaska.org.

Click here to access the Council 35 Involvement Interest Form (Virgin America only) >

Member of the Master Executive Council (MEC)

By virtue of office, the Council 35 president is now a member of the AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC). Each local president (15 SAN, 18 LAX, 19 SEA, 30 ANC, 39 PDX and now 35 VX) along with the MEC president, vice president and secretary-treasurer make up the MEC, which is the executive-level leadership structure at AFA Alaska. The MEC meets approximately monthly. Our next meeting is in Seattle this coming week: Tuesday-Wednesday April 25-26, and Melissa will be representing Virgin America Flight Attendants in that meeting.

Virgin America Flight Attendant Compensation

AFA is aware that non-represented employees at Virgin America typically receive wage increases around this time of year. We are very concerned that VX Flight Attendants have not received a wage increase in several years, which currently places VX F/A pay at the bottom of the industry. Consequently, AFA and Alaska Airlines management have agreed to meet on Thursday, April 27th in order to discuss this and other subjects. Along with MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Council 35 VX President Melissa Osborne will also represent VX F/As in those discussions.

We know Virgin America Flight Attendants have many more questions. AFA is planning on additional communications in the coming days and weeks. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Congratulations to Melissa, James and all the Flight Attendants at Virgin America!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Your AFA International Officers – Sara Nelson, Deb Sutor and Kevin Creighan

Good morning Council 35!  Today begins the first of several days of Village Visits by AFA Alaska leaders.  At LAX, Council 18 President Tim Green will be on hand starting at 7 AM. In SFO, MEC Vice President Brian Palmer will be in the village starting at 9:30 AM.  They’ll have AFA information, pins, and membership applications available.  Be sure to stop by!

For those of you at JFK, we’ll be scheduling a visit in the near future.

The National Mediation Board (NMB) issued its determination today that AFA is the collective bargaining representative for Virgin America Flight Attendants!  As mentioned in a previous communication, Virgin America Flight Attendants will be part of AFA Transitional Local Council 35, which will represent Flight Attendants from JFK, LAX, and SFO.  Council 35 will be part of the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council.

Now that AFA is the representative for Virgin America Flight Attendants, it’s time to take the next steps and get connected, stay informed, and become an AFA member!

Next Steps

Get Connected

Stay connected with the latest news and information by signing up for AFA Alaska email communications at afanewsletters.org/subscribe.  On the sign up page, enter your personal email address (no work email, please) and choose Alaska Air C35 (VX).

Prefer to stay connected on social media?  You can find AFA Alaska on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Also be sure to like the AFA Council 35 page on Facebook!

Stay Informed

You can always find the most up-to-date information on the AFA Alaska website at http://afaalaska.org.  Add a bookmark or add it to your favorites for easy access.

If you’re an iOS device user, you can save our mobile website as a shortcut on your home screen and access it just like you would an app.  Just open Safari and type afaalask.org into the address bar.  Once there, follow the instructions on the pop-up to save the web app to your home screen.

If you’re not an iOS user, you can still access our mobile website using your favorite browser on the device of your choice.

Become a Member

One of the most important things to do now that Virgin America Flight Attendants are represented by AFA is so complete, sign, and submit an AFA membership application.  By submitting your membership application, you’ll be guaranteed the right to participate in AFA elections, vote on a tentative agreement, and hold committee positions and elected office.

As an AFA member, you won’t be required to pay dues until you vote on and approve a contract.

AFA Representatives Will Be Visiting Soon

Over the next several weeks, AFA Alaska representatives will be spending time in the Villages in SFO and LAX with information about AFA and to answer questions that you may have.  We’ll also be scheduling AFA representatives to visit JFK.  They’ll also have membership applications and AFA pins available.  More information will be available on the Council 35 Facebook page and the Council 35 page of the AFA Alaska website.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please send us an email at vx@afaalaska.org.

 

In Solidarity,

Your AFA Alaska MEC Officers – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer and Linda Christou

AFA News in Review – September 19, 2025

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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. […]

SEA Domicile Negotiations – September 2025 Update #2

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants Negotiations Update Our SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee met with the company on September 11 to review their response to our September 5 proposal.  We feel that it is important to acknowledge the challenges within our company as Alaska management is struggling to understand our Collective Bargaining Agreement […]

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