Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian
[See also Reduction in Force/Furlough Protections [JCBA]]
Q: What protections are there to prevent management from furloughing Flight Attendants once differences training is complete?
A: Differences training is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2018. The JCBA Supplemental Reduction in Force LOA provides reduction in force/furlough protections through December 31, 2019.
[See also Negotiations: General 2 [misc] and Negotiations: General [misc]]
Q: On the blog, a question was asked regarding whether these negotiations meant that the contract had to be opened. The answer provided was, “Management wanted to negotiate only transition items that would bring the L-VX FAs over to the L-AS CBA.” Can you please expand on what exactly were those “transition items,” and why is it that the JNC took the position that improvements for L-AS absolutely had to be included as well instead of just bringing L-VX into our contract as-is? Because by doing so, is that not what opened us up for concessions like the 2-year extension?
A: Transition items would be any provisions necessary to bring L-VX FAs into the current L-AS 2014-2019 contract: creation of a sick leave bank, attendance policy transition, training, benefits and implementation dates for hours of service, scheduling, reserve, compensation, etc. The JNC and the MEC were concerned that a “transition only” TA would not get ratified by the full membership (L-VX and L-AS) if there were not improvements for the L-AS FAs over and above the existing agreement. A mid-term agreement with a duration that extends beyond the existing amendable date is not a concession in and of itself.
Q: Why did the JNC settle for only 4.5% pay increase?
A: It seems there is a lot of confusion regarding the rate increases in the TA. In Section 21.A [Step Rates of Pay] of the current 2014-2019 CBA, L-AS FAs are currently on contract year 3 (DOS +3) pay rates. The most recent pay increase was on 12/17/2017. We are currently scheduled for an additional 1.5% increase on 12/17/2018, which is the last increase in this contract.
The 2014-2019 CBA has:
The 2018-2021 Merger Agreement has:
At top of scale, this is a ~10.4% increase across the life of the agreement, or an additional 8.7% over and above the current agreement. If you are still receiving step rate of pay increases, the rate increases are even higher. See the rate table below (in TFP):
Q: Was there any reasoning why the JNC put out a communication for this TA a piece at a time? The first communication read raises for everyone including a hefty TFP raise for our Union Leaders. Wouldn’t you you agree that these calculations for AS were a bit misleading? They included the 1.5% raise we would receive at DOS+4 in 2018 as well as the 1.5% raise on DOS in 2019. However those two raises were already given to us under our current contract. The facts are that the extension doesn’t really give the L-AS side much of a pay increase. We were told at the Union meetings in the Spring & Fall of 2017 that “the Union had their walking papers” and “pay at the top of the scale was a priority.“ It appears that those of us on the upper end of our pay scale are again not getting a fair value assessment of the hard years we’ve given our Company.
A: See below.
Was there any reasoning why the JNC put out a communication for this TA a piece at a time? The first communication read raises for everyone including a hefty TFP raise for our Union Leaders.
The JNC put out a communication for the TA a piece at a time because we were developing content and reference material as we went. In other words, we didn’t have every document (e.g. TA summaries, TAs, blog posts, etc.) ready for publication when the JNC sent out the first communication on Monday, February 12th “MEC Unanimously Approves Tentative Merger Agreement for Membership Ratification.” See the JNC blog post “Flight Pay Loss (FPL) Increases for AFA Officers & MEC EAP [JCBA]” for more information about the AFA FPL increases.
Wouldn’t you you agree that these calculations for AS were a bit misleading? They included the 1.5% raise we would receive at DOS+4 in 2018 as well as the 1.5% raise on DOS in 2019. However those two raises were already given to us under our current contract.
There was no intent to mislead anyone. It is true that the 1.5% increase scheduled for 12/17/2018 is already ‘on the books’ in the current 2014-2019 CBA, but there is no 1.5% increase in the current CBA in 2019. So it is not true that two of the raises are already given under the current contract. See the Q&A above for more info.
The facts are that the extension doesn’t really give the L-AS side much of a pay increase.
That really depends on one’s definition of what constitutes “much of a pay increase.” Pay increases across the life of the agreement range from ~10.4% to 54.7% when factoring in moving through the step rates of pay. See the chart in the Q&A above for more info. The other factor to consider is that this is a mid-term JCBA. L-AS FAs would not otherwise be due any pay increases other than the 1.5% scheduled for 12/17/2018 (i.e. not the 4.5% now, not the 1.5% in 2019 and not the 2.5% in 2020).
We were told at the Union meetings in the Spring & Fall of 2017 that “the Union had their walking papers” and “pay at the top of the scale was a priority.“ It appears that those of us on the upper end of our pay scale are again not getting a fair value assessment of the hard years we’ve given our Company.
Pay at the top of the scale was and still is a priority. However, there are multiple priorities in this merger, and sometimes even bargaining priorities must also be prioritized. The unfortunate reality is that management was unwilling to agree to targeted increases to the top of the scale. The JNC had to weigh that priority with the fact that a protracted merger negotiations may not be the optimal result for the membership as a whole–particularly because all L-VX FAs are hanging in the balance. See “Merger Negotiations Background” for more info about bargaining rationale.
[See also Negotiations: General [misc]]
Q: Please explain who were the specific people at the negotiation table for both the union and company. Did the Company have legal representation/counsel present to review and advise the Company during the negotiation process? Did the Union have legal representation/counsel to review and advise the union during the negotiation process. If the Union had legal counsel during negotiations to review and advise is that information made available to us as Flight attendants of who that counsel is?
A: For the AFA JNC: MEC President Jeff Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo. AFA Director of Collective Bargaining Joe Burns also joined the JNC for some of the key sessions in which the parties discussed comprehensive economic proposals.
AFA Director of Collective Bargaining Joe Burns is also an attorney. Keep in mind that Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo, although not an attorney, is a professional negotiator and has been bargaining for AFA since the 1990s. The full resources of the AFA Collective Bargaining, Research and Legal departments were made available to the JNC throughout the process, including AFA General Counsel Ed Gilmartin.
For the Company: Vice President of Inflight & Call Center/Guest Services Jeff Butler, Vice President of Labor Relations Greg Mays, Managing Director of Labor Relations Elizabeth Ryan and Manager of Labor Emily Kimmel. They were joined at various points by subject matter experts such as Managing Director of Inflight Operations Valerie Jenkins, Financial Planning & Analysis Manager Brittany Schaub, Director of Retirement Services Chrystie Dickens, Retirement Benefits Analyst Jaime Smalley, Virgin America Supervisor of Crew Pay Peter Silberstein.
Management did not have any legal representation/counsel present during any bargaining sessions. To the best of our knowledge, management did not have any legal representation/council present in their caucus room when we were not in joint session. The JNC is aware that Alaska Airlines Legal reviewed the JCBA Supplemental Reduction in Force LOA and advised management via email.
Q: I hear many L-AS FAs voicing skepticism about this merger TA primarily due to the extension of our current contract and the lack of resolution on our current open time agreement. What is the status of our new open time agreement? Perhaps some more information as to why the JNC and the Company agreed on a 2 year extension to the current agreement.
A: The JNC believes it is understandable L-AS FAs are frustrated about the lack of resolution regarding Open Time. Be assured that the MEC and the Negotiating Committee are equally as frustrated about the situation, and they have not forgotten about it. Open Time is a ‘meaty’ enough topic in its own right that the MEC will prepare a standalone communication to address the issue shortly. The duration of the mid-term JCBA was addressed in the JNC blog post “Negotiations: Why a Midterm JCBA? [misc]” and also in “Merger Negotiations Background” under “Bargaining Rationale.”
For ANCFAs:
Q: Do I have to give up my ANC SIDA badge to get the $75.00 parking stipend if I am a commuter from FAI and want it for use of the elevator, but I do not park in the employee lot?
A: Yes! As of 2/27/2018 management now agrees that you may keep the ANC SIDA badge and still be eligible for the $75 parking stipend. if you decline Company-provided parking. You may be required to confirm that you will not utilize parking in ANC.
Q: As a commuter from SEA, ANC supervisors told me I could not give up my ANC SIDA badge, which includes parking, so I have been unable to get SEA parking. Will I be eligible to get the $75 stipend/month since I do not park in ANC?
A: Yes! As of 2/27/2018 management now agrees that you may keep the ANC SIDA badge and still be eligible for commuter parking in another domicile/co-terminal or for the $75 parking stipend if you decline Company-provided parking altogether. You may be required to confirm that you will not utilize parking in ANC.
Your Master Executive Council (MEC) is incensed that management has chosen to strand multiple crews on the East Coast tonight due to Winter Storm Riley. AFA has repeatedly reminded management over the past several extreme weather events that the Association is more than willing to enact CBA §8.S [Natural Disasters…] in order to turn Boeing crews out of affected stations. Instead, executive operations management (i.e. the Director of System Operations and System Operations Control) is consistently waiting to make decisions until too late in the day when all crew recovery options are essentially lost. This goes for Boeing and Airbus crews.
Crewmembers going into a layover are not going anywhere once they have been picked up by hotel transportation and/or the departing aircraft takes off. Note to management: Any beverage cart jockey can tell you that waiting until 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET to ‘call the ball’ won’t cut it—the vast majority of East Coast flights are long gone. When flights are subsequently cancelled for the next day(s), all stranded crew are along for the ride—for better or for worse.
AFA has made numerous attempts in the recent past to get management to be more proactive when assessing potential extreme weather events. We have tried conducting the appropriate conversations going through the proper channels. Obviously that approach isn’t working, so now we’re going to resort to public shaming. Believe us, it’s not what we prefer.
AFA sincerely hopes everything works out for our stranded crews on the East Coast. Please know we would have supported getting you out if we had been consulted in time to do something about it. Now that AFA has been asked about enacting §8.S on the Boeing side, we have approved the provision in anticipation of Winter Storm Riley. Unfortunately, it’s way too late to make any difference.
Just remember: This stranding has been brought to you courtesy of Alaska Airlines management.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee; and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones
Have you heard of the “me too. campaign”?
You are not alone. Over 20 million people have reported sexual assault since 2000.
AFA-CWA International has put together a short 3 minute survey on sexual harassement that may have been experienced in our workplace. Please take a moment to complete the survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FAmetoo
Council #19 February Base Update
Grievances
We have had a very busy start to 2018. We have had a flurry of activity due to the Oral and Written Warning Grievances filed for those who were unable to complete the CBT Compliance Training. There were multiple IT issues for those who had difficulty completing the training by the deadline. The problems seem to be continuing with the Cornerstone Recurrent Training program. If you are or have had difficulties using the Cornerstone application for the Computer Based Training or the Recurrent Training version, and if you have records or screenshots of your attempts to solve the problems through supervisors, Spot On or IT, please forward them to grievance@afaalaska.org. We are hopeful that the Desktop version will prove more reliable.
Benefits
On February 18th the Seattle Benefits Committee held a Maternity Roundtable for those Flight Attendants who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant. The meeting was well attended. Seattle Benefits Chair, Kathy O’Malley, Benefits Maternity Chair Danni Peterson, Seattle Benefits Committee Member LeAnne Canton, MEC Grievance Chair Stephanie Adams and MEC Benefits Chair/Council 19 President Terry Taylor were present to discuss recent changes to Maternity Leaves and to answer questions. If you have maternity related questions, feel free to contact Danni Peterson at dannipeterson252@gmail.com.
Having a problem? Not sure who to contact?
There is a complete list of Seattle Committee members available at afaalaska.org/sea/committees. You will also fined laminated cards in the Seattle Inflight Office that lists all of the Committee Chairpersons and Officer phone numbers. We will have some available at the TA Roadshows and PBS sits, as well.
You can also go to support.afaalaska.org and open a ticket. This is very helpful if you have a reserve, pay or scheduling issue. You can attach supporting documents so that we can resolve your issues as quickly as possible.
Are you finding the new PBS format confusing?
New NavTech PBS System – Base Sits – Get expert help!
March 5: 5am-6pm – Inflight Office (Mezzanine Level)
March 6: 10am-6pm – Inflight Office (Mezzanine Level) and 5am-4pm – C Concourse break room for Reserves.
March 7: 5am-6pm – Inflight Office (Mezzanine Level)
March 9: 5am-1pm – Inflight Office (Mezzanine Level) and 5am-4pm – C Concourse break room for Reserves.
April 5: 8am-5pm – SeaTac Office Tower, South Tower, LP Level, Earhart Room
April 9: 8am-5pm – SeaTac Office Tower, South Tower, LP Level, Earhart Room
Mary 4: 8am-11am – SeaTac Office Tower, South Tower, LP Level, Earhart Room
May 8: 8am-5pm – SeaTac Office Tower, South Tower, LP Level, Earhart Room
This is the building that 13 Coins is located in on International Blvd., across from the airport. Free parking is available in front or behind the building. If parking behind, tell the guard that you are attending an Alaska Airlines event.
Seattle TA Roadshows are Scheduled:
The roadshows are for current AS/VS Flight Attendants only. Please do not bring non Flight Attendant guests or spouses. You may bring infants/small children if child care is problematic.
March 8: 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm
March 10: 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm
All roadshows will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton, Seattle Airport South. 22406 Pacific Highway South, Des Moines, WA 98198.
Council #19 Base Meeting
We will be holding our Council #19 Base Meeting on March 27th from 1pm-4pm. The first two hours of this meeting will be a joint meeting along with Horizon Council #16. The majority of the agenda items will be advanced Board of Director’s meeting agenda items, as this is required in the AFA Constitution and Bylaws, however, we will devote the last hour of the meeting to taking questions regarding the TA. There will be a Joint Negotiating Committee Member present at the meeting.
The meeting will be at SeaTac Towers (same building as 13 Coins), Lower Plaza Level in the Earhart Room.
New Classes
Class 18-1 graduated last week and will be starting on Reserve March 2nd. You will see some of them flying prior to them, so please wish them a warm welcome to our Alaska Family.
Are You Connected?
Make sure to follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AFA-Council-19-Seattle-538630496190284/
You can receive the most important Council #19 updates via text! Register at: https://www.remind.com/join/sea19
In Solidarity,
Terry, Jake, Adam, Melinda and Megan
With the upcoming merger tentative agreement (TA) vote, it’s important to exercise your right to cast your ballot. Please review the information below to ensure that you will be able to receive your ballot in a timely manner and will be eligible to vote.
| 03/13/2018 | Ballots mailed to address on file with AFA International |
| 03/16/2018 | Polls open/voting begins |
| 04/03/2018 | Polls close/voting ends |
A Flight Attendant must be a member to cast a vote. If you are a non-member, you can make yourself active by completing a membership application and returning it to AFA Membership Services. Please contact AFA Membership Services for assistance at (800) 424-2401, option 7.
Pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) Flight Attendants must also ensure that all membership dues are current and up-to-date. If you have received an invoice from AFA Membership Service for missed payments, please contact AFA Membership Services to make payment arrangements. Dues payments can also be made online.
If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact AFA Membership Services for assistance at (800) 424-2401, option 7.
Pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) Flight Attendants who have not been employed for 4 full calendar months as of 04/03/2018 are not eligible to vote and cannot make themselves eligible to vote, nor will they receive the voting instructions. However, if a new hire Flight Attendant has completed 4 full calendar months of employment on or before 04/03/2018 they are eligible to vote during the entire voting period.
Pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) Flight Attendants do not have a first contract in place and need only complete a membership application to be eligible to vote regardless of date of hire.
If you’ve recently moved or have a new address, please submit an address update to AFA International using the change of address form at www.afacwa.org/coa. Please note that updating your address with the company does not automatically update your address with AFA; a separate change of address must be submitted using the link above.
AFA Membership Services will be uploading the roster into the ballot system on or about March 7. Until then, you may submit an address update via the AFA Membership Services change of address form. Ballots will be mailed on March 13 and will be sent to the address that was on file with AFA at the time the membership roster was uploaded.
You can find additional information on the merger TA voting page of the AFA Alaska website. If you have questions about membership status or voting eligibility, please contact AFA Membership Services at (800) 424-2401, option 7.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee
