Click the link below to view the minutes from the March 9th Quarterly Reserve Meeting with Scheduling Management.
AFA has become aware that the combi that was being used as a freighter these past few weeks is actually contracted by Fed Ex. We reached out to management with our findings and have been working with them to get all of this figured out. Here is what we know at this time:
- Fed Ex has contracted Alaska Airlines to provide freight service for a period of time (not yet confirmed by management).
- This flying appears to be operating 6 days/week (everyday except Saturday).
- This flying was originally being placed into OT and picked up, but management has agreed this is a Charter and will be placing it out to be bid in First Class. These trips is still visible in OT, but can’t be picked up any longer as they now have a charter designation.
- For those FAs who do not have access to First Class, CS will accept an email sent to FA.Charter.Bids@firstclass.alaskaair.com. Look for a communication from CS with the information/format that should be included in the email when bidding for the Charter.
- Those who have previously flown this pairing will be paid charter pay for the trip(s) they flew.
- For the remainder of March, CS will place the pairing into First Class to be bid a week at a time as this is when the information feeds into their system.
- For the month of April AFA has requested all the flying be built and placed into First Class for the entire month to be bid and awarded accordingly as it is being indicated this pairing can’t be put into Navtech for April bids.
- Tracey and her team continue to work to help us find out information about this flying and will be putting out some instructions relating to checking-in and parking for this Charter.
We know this situation is less than ideal, and we will continue to research and ask for clarification, information and details on this flying. We will also continue to request this flying be built and placed into the bid packet as outlined contractually.
In Solidarity,
Your LEC Officers
Welcome to the March edition of your Local Council 30 Newsletter, Arctic Ascent!
This monthly newsletter has important dates, ANC FAQs, Inflight Service changes, Reserve and Scheduling tips, and other information we hope will help you on line.
Dates:
|
March 30th, |
Pairings Discussion |
Alaska Airlines Regional Headquarters |
| April 7th, 10:00am-1:00pm |
Bidding 101 |
Alaska Airlines Regional Headquarters |
|
May 5th, |
Bidding Tutorials: 1) Bidding 101 2) Beyond the Basics |
Alaska Airlines Regional Headquarters |
|
May 8th, |
Local Council 30 Meeting |
Alaska Airlines Regional Headquarters |
FAQs:
Sida Badge Clarification:
- You must clear TSA screening when you are deadheading.
- You must clear TSA screening when you are non-reving, jumpseating, meeting a flight, or shopping/eating in the airport.
- You may only access the secure area with your SIDA badge when you are working crew (not DHD).
Text Notifications:
- Council 30 now has Text Notifications! This bulletin explains how to sign up.
Charter – Combi as Freighter
- CS would prefer you bid for the Charter in First Class. If you can’t use First Class, send an email as discussed in info bulletin 2017-0039.
Inflight Service:
Straws added to First Class. Use straws if possible; they are cheaper than pokies!
Extra chocolates added to EWR, ORD, and DCA flights.
Icy Bay IPA replaced Fremont IPA this month.
Crew price for Pringles and M&Ms now added to BOB app.
Ramekins for salad dressing added to Hawaii and TransCon flights.
First class meal ratios changed to 70% meat, 30% vegetarian.
Send catering feedback to Catering.Feedback@alaskaair.com, CC Betsy Demay.
Reserve:
The Reserve Self-Assignment timeline in ANC has been fixed. Reserve Self-Assignment is now contractual, 10:00am-2:00pm PT or 9:00am-1:00pm AKST the day prior to an assignment.
- A patch for Crew Access fixed Self-Assign for APSB; you no longer call CS.
- Self-Assigned APSB do not count toward maximum four from CBA § 11.F.14.
- You are still contactable during normal hours after Self-Assigning a trip.
- Your Self-Assigned trip may only be changed for operational necessity.
- Please notify Matt Cook if your trip is changed so he may monitor.
The tentative timeline for posting/trading/splitting reserve on Crew Access is April.
Don’t forget: check your Alaska email at the end of every trip for further assignments!
If you have any Reserve questions or concerns, please email Matt Cook.
Scheduling:
Because of pairing number issues, April bids are extended to March 11th at 9:00 PT.
Due to changes in active FAs for April, the posted line average is 78.0, not 76.5.
CS turned off updates to phone calendars because of the multitude of discrepancies.
- The calendar will not update until IT has resolved various issues.
- In the meantime, view your schedule on Crew Access>Roster or Calendar.
Print and view your trip easily by clicking the Trip Number hyperlink in your Roster.
The new bidding system is anticipated to begin use in July for August bids.
- There will be a three month overlap/parallel bid with both systems.
- More details will be sent as we get closer to the launch.
We return to our contractual Trading Timeline this month:
|
Posting Trips: |
FA – FA Trades: |
OT & Recurrent Trades: |
There was an issue with the pairing numbers in Navtech PBS that impacted some of the bases and required a fix. It is our understanding this did not impact the ANC pairings. That being said, it is still a good idea to double check your bids if you entered any pairing numbers in you bid for April. As a result of this issue, the bidding window will now be extended and will close on March 11th at 0900 PT.
In Solidarity,
Your Local Council 30 Officers and Scheduling Committee
Given the complications inherent in communication with our mobile workgroup, we have a new way to help stay in touch and keep you informed. You may now subscribe for optional text message alerts from your local LEC Officers and Chairpersons. This is a great way for us to send important information to you quickly, without the hassle of social media or email.
We will not overwhelm you with texts, and again, it’s completely optional. All the information we share through text will still be available on AFAAlaska.org, the Anchorage Council 30 Facebook page, and in our regular emails.
The enrollment process is easy; just send a text message from your personal phone:
- Open your text messaging application
- In the “send to” field enter 81010
- In the body of the text enter @ANC30
- Press send
You will receive a reply asking you to enter your full name. Once you send your name, you will receive a text from a number for Lisa Pinkston and a number for Justin Wetherell. You may save both numbers in your phone. Most text notifications will come from your Communications Chairperson – Media, Justin Wetherell.
We are borrowing this free technology from school districts, so please ignore the question asking if you are student, parent, or teacher. Also, disregard the link to download the Remind app on your phone. You do not need the app to receive texts.
We hope you like our new service. Send feedback and questions to Justin Wetherell. Please help us spread the word and get your fellow crew signed up!
In Solidarity,
Your Council 30 LEC Officers and Communications Chairperson – Media
Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,
We have been hearing from a great number of you that you would like the ability to receive updates and/or important information in a quicker form other then email or going to the Alaska AFA webpage. We have been keeping a close eye on a text service that SAN and LAX implemented a few weeks ago, and we are impressed with what we have seen so far.
Starting now, Seattle will be offering the same service. Please note, we will not text you with “every little item”. We will try to limit the amount of texts that we send for issues that we feel are of a higher importance. Please remember that this service is completely optional. All information that we share via this text service will still be available at http://afaalaska.org, our regular emails and our Facebook page.
The enrollment process is easy, just follow the directions below:
- Open your text messaging application
- In the “send to” field, enter 81010
- In the body of the text enter @sea19
- Press send
You will receive a reply asking you to enter your full name. Once you send your name, you will receive a text stating that you have joined “Alaska AFA Council 19”. If you ever want to stop receiving the texts, simply reply @leave and you will no longer receive them.
Please note, we are are borrowing this free technology that is made available primarily to school districts and there is no cost to AFA to use it. Please disregard if it asks you if you are a student, parent or teacher. Also, it may ask you to download the Remind app to your phone, you do not need this to receive the text messages.
We hope you like this new optional service. Please let us know what you think by emailing sea@afaalaska.org.
In Solidarity,
Your Council 19 LEC Officers and Jarod McNeill, Communications
Cancelled!
Meet the Candidates Forum
March 29th, 2017
Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,
Due to scheduling conflicts, the Meet the Candidates Forum on March 29th, 2017, is cancelled.
However, you still have several ways to contact candidates and ask questions:
1. Many of the candidates have an election Facebook page,
2. Candidates have an opportunity to send out their campaign letter via the AFA Newsletter system,
3. You may find candidates in the airport handing out campaign literature,
4. You can always directly contact candidates and ask questions.
Remember, polls open March 22, 2017 and close April 11, 2017 and once you vote you cannot change it!
Make sure you take the time to educate yourself on the candidates and remember to VOTE!
In solidarity,
Council 19 LEC Officers
Open Time negotiations this week
The AFA Negotiating Committee (NC) and Alaska Airlines management met again February 28-March 1, 2017, in Portland to negotiate a new Open Time system. As you may recall, our current open time system was implemented on a trial basis. AFA chose to end the trial, which put us into negotiations for a new system. Our contract states that we will revert “Back to Book,” which was the Open Time system in effect under the previous contract. For information, see “Back to Book” following the signature block below.
Meanwhile, the parties will negotiate a new system. However, this cannot be accomplished until some computer programming is done, which may take several months. The current system remains in effect until then.
We are very close to reaching a tentative agreement
The NC is pleased to report that we are very close to reaching a tentative agreement (TA) with management. Both sides have worked hard to create an Open Time system that is easier to understand than the current one, gives Flight Attendants more schedule flexibility and does not negatively impact the operation. The parties will meet again on April 18th in Seattle, and we hope to be able to announce a TA after that session.
Master Executive Council approval, membership ratification and roadshows
If everything goes according to plan, the NC will present the Open Time TA to the Master Executive Council (MEC) at the scheduled meeting April 25-26. The Local Executive Council (LEC) presidents will vote whether or not to accept the TA for membership ratification. If the MEC approves the TA for membership ratification, all members in good standing (dues current) will have the right to vote on it. Assuming the TA is approved by the MEC for a membership vote, the NC is anticipating roadshows sometime during the month of May.
The Negotiating Committee thanks you for your support and patience, and we hope to see you at a roadshow somewhere around the system in May!
In Solidarity,
Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput
Back to Book
AFA has received several requests from our members to refresh the group on the “Back to Book” provisions. We are definitely intending to put together a membership release dedicated to that topic as soon as we get a chance. As you can imagine, the Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) cutover and the subsequent fallout has kept AFA busier than usual. If you would like to familiarize yourself with “Back to Book,” refer to Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) §12 Exchange of Sequences: Back to Book, which follows the regular CBA §12 of your contract; most of the related provisions are in CBA (BTB) §12.F [Trades with Open Time]. See also AFA Grievance No. 36-99-02-18-11 “Withholding Open Time Award” at the back of the contract immediately following LOA 6 [Contract Implementation Schedule].
Council 19 Members,
On March 2, 2017 AFA International certified the nominations for the upcoming Council 19 LEC election. Please take a minute to read through the list of candidates and the important information listed below.
If you didn’t receive a nomination ballot, make sure you verify your mailing address with AFA International:
http://www.afacwa.org/change_of_address
Also, you can call to verify your voting credentials:
Credentials for Voting
If you have not received your Voting Instructions by March 22, 2017, please contact the AFA Ballot Helpline at 1-800-424-2401 EXT 706 (press 1 then 706). If the call is not answered, please leave a message. All calls received by 5 pm ET will be returned the same day.
The AFA Ballot Helpline can provide you with a new 16-digit activation code. This will allow you to enter the voting system and cast your vote. The 16-digit code will be sent via email along with instructions for voting via the internet or telephone.
When calling to obtain a new 16-digit activation code please verify your email address and current status with AFA. If you must leave a message, please make sure you leave your name, airline, employee ID & telephone number along with your email address. The email should be in your inbox however be sure to check your spam/junk folder just in case.
Final list of candidates for the upcoming Council 19 Election:
This information is posted on the election website at http://afacwa-elections.org/councils/ala-council-19-sea/.
If you have any questions about the election process you can contact AFA International for assistance.
In Solidarity,
Council 19 Officers
Merger Negotiations Protocol Agreement meeting
Your AFA Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) members, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Lindsey Steele and MEC President Jeff Peterson, met with Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider and Managing Director of Labor Relations Elizabeth Ryan on February 15, 2017, at the Doubletree Seattle Airport to discuss a merger negotiations protocol agreement. AFA Senior Staff Attorney and Negotiator Kimberley Chaput filled in for our regular professional negotiator, Paula Mastrangelo, who had a scheduling conflict. A merger negotiations protocol agreement essentially sets the framework for merger negotiations, covering such items as frequency and location of meetings, table etiquette and expectations and how Alaska and Virgin America would operate until we have a joint agreement.
AFA had drafted the protocol agreement in advance of the session. Management reviewed it and prior to the meeting told us that they did not have any noteworthy concerns besides the references to a “joint collective-bargaining agreement.” We arrived at the session anticipating that it would merely consist of finding a mutually agreeable alternative term, signing the document and discussing any new information about the merger.
Dispute over each party’s understanding of their respective obligation to bargain
However, management presented AFA with a revised draft protocol agreement containing language that led to a discussion about each party’s understanding of their respective obligation to bargain and the scope of such bargaining. Management’s primary claim is they are not contractually obligated to negotiate a joint collective-bargaining agreement (JCBA). It is clear from the session that management wants to negotiate solely on the mechanics of bringing the Virgin America Inflight Teammates (ITMs) under our current agreement and nothing more. Management’s position at the table also echoes previous statements that executive management has made on the subject. Our position is that we are putting together two work groups and need to reach agreement on all topics. AFA has indicated to management and in previous membership releases that there must be improvements for the Alaska Flight Attendants as well as for the Virgin America ITMs.
When pressed for justification, management cited a federal circuit court case to support their position, but AFA’s reading of the case indicates that it actually supports our position there is a duty to bargain. Moreover, management claims that since Alaska is the surviving carrier and not a successor, CBA §4.C [Status of Agreement: Labor Protective Provisions], which sets forth the obligation to bargain, does not apply. The parties reached a temporary stalemate of sorts, so AFA agreed to further review related case law and precedent prior to the parties reconnecting to determine next steps.
Differing bargaining objectives
AFA and Alaska Legal have since had an opportunity to discuss the dispute. From the preliminary conversations we have had so far, it is becoming obvious the parties do not agree on our respective bargaining objectives. However, management acknowledges that we have to negotiate some kind of merger agreement–although what exactly that might look like remains to be seen.
Merger negotiations will not begin until well after the NMB’s decision on single-carrier status and representation
Keep in mind that actual merger negotiations will not begin until well after the National Mediation Board (NMB) issues a decision on single-carrier status and representation. AFA does not know exactly when that will be, but we are anticipating a ruling in the next few months. Once that occurs, AFA will move forward to the next steps in the process. Just one example of many: We will eventually add representation from the Virgin America ITMs to the JNC.
AFA and management are currently discussing how to get the protocol agreement back on track, and AFA will continue to update you on our progress.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee
Your Joint Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput (substituting for AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo)
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