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There are still many unanswered questions about exactly how the merger with Virgin America will unfold. While the path may be long and drawn out, recently some significant milestones have been reached, and we are finally starting down the path of merging the two airlines.

On December 14, 2016, the corporate transaction was completed, and the airlines are now officially under the Alaska Air Group umbrella.

On December 30, Alaska management filed their “Notice of Merger” with the National Mediation Board (NMB), citing several indicators such as common ownership, Board of Directors, corporate officers and management; financial integration; and centralized labor relations. These conditions signal to the NMB that “like” employee groups from each carrier (such as pilots, customer service agents, dispatchers and Flight Attendants) may be ready to be represented by one labor union. Both Flight Attendant groups will ultimately be represented by AFA.

On January 5, 2017, AFA filed its “Application for Determination of Representation Dispute” (official title) or “Finding of Single Carrier Status.” The NMB has the sole discretion for making this determination and, once made, will mean that AFA will also represent the Virgin America Inflight Teammates (ITMs).

How long will it take the NMB to make this decision? There is no hard and fast rule and no concrete deadline. Looking at the timelines for past determinations suggests that it will be a number of months.

A drawn out timeline is not unusual in airline mergers. Even after we have an agreement on a merged contract, the two groups cannot be combined until management is successful in attaining a Single Operating Certificate and achieving the ability to put both groups under one crew scheduling system. Only then can the groups be combined operationally and under one contract—both of which could be quite some time away in the future.

We will keep you updated on merger-related events as they happen, and we thank you for your continued patience.

In Solidarity,

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

The implementation of Premium Class service has led to several concerns from AFA members that the Master Executive Council (MEC) would like to address.

Selling upgrades in-flight

AFA has been in contact with the union representing the Customer Service Agents and Reservations Agents, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), regarding the selling of upgrades in-flight. AFA and IAM are in mutual agreement there is no scope of agreement violation in our respective contracts as long as Flight Attendants sell the Premium Class upgrades in-flight. Please do not sell any Premium Class upgrades while on the ground. Although selling Premium Class upgrades in-flight is not a contractual violation, AFA will definitely remember these additional duties the next time we’re at the bargaining table!

Premium Class training

Did you know there is required computer based training (CBT) for the new Premium Class service? If not, you are in good company because this is a surprise to many. Although there have been a few references to the training in various management communications since it was first mentioned in the Inflight Bulletin Bundle (IBB) posted on December, 14, 2016, the actual notice of the training being required and paid has not been adequate in AFA’s opinion.

According to the IBB, training may be completed via the Premium Class app on your Inflight Mobile Device (IMD) or on a computer by going to aspremiumclass.com. Management states the paid training must be completed by Wednesday, January 18, 2017, which is a deadline that AFA is disputing. The training will be paid at 1.0 TFP pursuant to §30.C.4.

More than four upgrades?

As of this writing, management has yet to provide guidance in a situation in which more than four customers wish to move to Premium Class. AFA has requested management to provide direction on this issue.

Alcohol control procedures

Flight Attendants have asked AFA to seek guidance from management with regard to alcohol control procedures in Premium Class. This is the information we have received from management so far:

  • All Premium Class (PC) customers receive an alcoholic beverage if they want, including non-revenue.  The customer must meet the usual alcohol service protocol according to the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM).
  • PC customers receive up to two drinks per cart if requested (F/As should not offer two).
  • PC customers may request and be served alcohol in addition to the standard service(s) as long as they do not appear to be intoxicated or in danger of becoming so. [Note: There appears to be conflict between emailed policy clarifications issued by management and the guidance stated in our Emergency Interim Bulletins (EIBs) with regard to how much complementary alcohol is provided in addition to the cart service(s). Do we only serve complementary alcoholic beverages during cart service or do we provide them on request as well? AFA would like management to clarify the policy.]

Important: Report all alcohol-related incidents; include the customer’s seat number and class of service in the report so that we may identify any trends related to PC. In addition, document concerns related to selling upgrades in-flight, more than four upgrade requests at a time and incorrect catering.

We thank all of you who have alerted us to the concerns with new Premium Class service. There appears to be several questions left for management to answer regarding Premium Class. AFA will continue to pressure management to provide Flight Attendants with sufficient supplies and accurate information to ensure that you have the resources you need.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC Inflight Service Committee Chairperson Stephanie Garnett; and MEC Air, Safety Health and Security Committee Chairperson Seth Heiple

Parking lot change for Recurrent Training Effective Today!

Due to changes with the Flight Training Center (also known as Flight Ops) parking lot, Flight Attendants who drive to Recurrent Training are now required to park in an alternate parking lot at the MVP parking facility.

Parking information for Flight Training Center (FTC)

RT Class Monday-Friday

Parking is available at the MVP lot located at 18831 International Blvd., Seatac, WA 98188.  You will be signing in for the shuttle and no parking pass is necessary. An MVP shuttle runs on a schedule between the lot and the FTC main building entrance:

·      AM Departure from MVP 7:20, 7:28, 7:36, 7:44

·      PM Pickup at FTC 5:00, 5:08, 5:16

FAs will use a sign in sheet at MVP when boarding the shuttle in the AM

·         They will need their crew badge and will sign in with Name, Artic, Date and Time

·         There will be 2 dedicated shuttles – one from MVP and one form the airport

 

RT Class Saturday

Parking is available at the FTC with a printed permit.

To download Saturday parking permit go to the Inflight Website, Training, Recurrent Training 2017 page:

“FTC Lot Parking Permit for Seattle RT Saturday”

If you have any questions please contact the Inflight Training Department.

In the Air

Fact

Airplane cabins are notoriously dry, with humidity levels dropping to as low as 10%.  At this point the mucous membranes in the nose and throat dry up, and we become more susceptible not only to infections, but headaches, cramps, fatigue, as well as dry skin.  Coffee and sodas are diuretics and can dry you out.  Water increases your energy, assists in weight loss, flushes toxins, relieves you of fatigue & boosts your immune system.  The best defense against dehydration is to drink lots of water.

Tip

Drink plenty of water before, during and after your flight.  Recommended:  8 ounces every hour.

Fact

Airplanes are filled with germs.  Your skin is your best defense at blocking germs from entering into your system.  Mucous membranes, cuts, wounds, cracks to the skin are excellent portals for the entrance of germs into your system.

Tip

Hygiene

The CDC refers to hand washing as a “do-it-yourself vaccine,” making it an excellent line of defense against preventing sickness.  The friction of rubbing your hands together is part of the mechanical process of removing germs, bacteria and viruses from your skin.  It is recommended that you wash your hands frequently and for a minimum of 30 seconds.  Use lotion frequently to avoid dry cracked hands, fending off yet another portal of entry for bacteria and viruses.

Resist the urge to touch your mouth, eye area or nose. Robert Schwartz, MD, chairman of family medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine states, “The main way a virus gets into your system is via the oral and respiratory nasal route.”  Wash your hands after blowing your nose.  Dry eyes?  Use moisturizing drops.  Not only will this relieve the irritation but it will also alleviate the tendency to touch your eyes.  If you have a cut or open wound, keep it covered and dry with a bandage.  If it gets wet, change the bandage.  Moisture is a great medium for bacterial growth.

Lavatories

Close the lid to the toilet prior to flushing.  Flushing sprays germs and bacteria from the inner bowl into the air (basically, microorganisms of what was deposited prior to flushing). Don’t forget to use a paper towel for lowering lid, touching the faucet, door handle, etc.

If taking in a make-up bag or toiletries, make sure the counter is dry and then lay a paper towel down to protect your items from contact with the counter.  If brushing your teeth, use bottled water in a cup for rinsing, then dispose of the cup in the trash (using a paper towel to open the trash).

Galleys

Use sanitizing wipes to wipe down the interphone, jump seat area, seat belt buckles, and galley counter tops.  Do not place trash or shoes on the galley counter tops.

 

Fact

Travelling with a cold or sinus infection can cause permanent damage to your hearing.  Not to mention the fact that you are contagious and your co-workers don’t want what you have!

Tip

Don’t fly when sick.  However, if you find yourself on a flight, and experience sinus and or ear pain, a decongestant nose spray may provide relief. Recommended:  Keep a nasal decongestant spray in your bag when you fly.  More importantly notify your supervisor, contact Global Lifeline and don’t continue your trip until you are released to fly.

 

Fact

Seasonal immunizations and certain other immunizations, such as flu shots, flu mist, pneumonia immunizations, whooping cough and adult shingles immunizations, are available not only from your health care provider, but are also provided by most pharmacies or other mass immunizer locations.

Tip

Be proactive and stay healthy!

 

Fact

The benefits of exercise include:

  • Boosts the immune system.
  • Increases energy levels.
  • Decreases stress.
  • Improves moods.
  • Promotes better sleep.

All of which are critical to the stress and challenges we face as Flight Attendants.

Tip

Pack a pair of tennis shoes and work out or comfortable clothes and:

  • Utilize the gym at your layover hotel.
  • Go for a walk or run.
  • If you’re a shopper, do some power walking at the mall.
  • Rent a bike if available on your layover.
  • Yoga or stretching exercises in your hotel room.
  • Get out and explore the fun activities that are unique to your layover city.

Note of caution:  Always be aware of your environment for safety concerns (situational awareness), and when possible, pair up with a crewmember or your entire crew for outdoor excursions.

 

Fact

The benefits of healthy eating are:

  • Increased productivity
  • Enhanced mood
  • Longer life
  • Improved sleep
  • Maintain a healthy weight

Tip

Plan ahead and save your wallet, save your waistline:

  • Pack healthy food to take with you on your trip. Some hotels have a refrigerator in the room to keep your food fresh.
  • When you make a meal at home and have leftovers, place serving size portions in plastic containers and freeze. Do this whenever you have leftovers so that when you’re getting ready for a trip, grab one or more and place in your insulated food bag.  Take out on the plane, place in a tin, and pop it in the oven.
  • Costco and Trader Joe’s have some great, prepared salads and meals to keep on hand and grab as you walk out the door.
  • Smoothies and healthy shakes can be frozen and ready to go when you are.
  • Fruits and raw vegetables are easy and good for you!

These are only a handful of suggestions.  Your best resources are other Flight Attendants.  Ask or observe what they do; you will always learn something new from your fellow F/As.

 

On The Ground

Fact

It’s believed the dirtiest item in a hotel room is the remote.  Not far behind are doorknobs, phone receivers, toilet flushers, faucets and ice buckets.  Added to the list are the bedspreads.  Sheets are washed prior to your check in.

When it comes to bedbug infestations, even the most upscale hotels with the strictest sanitary practices aren’t immune. And unfortunately, most do battle bedbugs from time to time thanks to an ever-changing international clientele.

Tip

When packing for your trip throw in disinfectant wipes, a travel size disinfectant spray (may not be used on the aircraft), a clear bag and a pair of slippers for your hotel stay.  When you arrive, inspect the room for safety.  Use the buddy system and look out for each other while one F/A stands outside in the hall and you look under the bed, in the closet, the bathroom, and behind the drapes, to make sure you’re the only one in the room.  Don’t use the safety lock until you’ve done this in case you discover you have company and need to make a quick exit.  Once you’ve deemed the room secure, go with the other F/A and watch out while s/he does the same. (Safety First)

Inspect the room for health hazards, starting with the bathroom. With a tissue, lift the toilet seat and spray both sides of the seat with disinfectant, even if it looks spotless. Next, use disinfectant wipes on frequently touched hot spots: faucets, toilet lever, doorknobs, light switches, the phone, and clock.  Don’t bother trying to clean the crevices of the remote control. Instead slide it into a clear plastic bag. Use it this way during your stay, inside its protective cover.

Don’t sit or place any belongings on the bed until you’ve checked them.  Check your mattress, bed frame, and headboard — you’re looking for small brown stains. Bedbugs are hard to see (they hide during the day and can run away quickly when disturbed), but they leave behind brown bloodstains when they process the blood of their victims. Be sure to check under the sheets and mattress pad, too.

Limit direct skin contact with the carpet and furniture so you don’t pick up any potential fungus. That means wear socks or slippers and be fully clothed when sitting on chairs or the sofa.

Before a shower, squirt shampoo in the tub and run the water on hot for a minute to decrease the number of germs where you’ll be standing, even if the bottom of the tub looks clean.  If you have a cut on your foot, though, bandage it and wear flip-flops.

 

Fact

Sleep is vital to our health and wellbeing, but can be very elusive in our work environment due to a multitude of factors.  Some examples are:

  • Time zone changes.
  • Irregular work hours.
  • Anxiety of waking up on time for an early check in.
  • Stressed out from the events of the day.
  • Problems at home and being away and unable to solve them.
  • Room near the elevator or ice machine.
  • Noisy neighbors.

Tip

Depending on the time of day and what your schedule is, here are a few suggestions:

  • If you need to take a nap, try to keep it short so you’ll sleep better at night.
  • If you need complete darkness when you sleep use the pant hangers from the closet with the clips to clip drapes together and prevent light from entering your room.
  • Request a room away from the elevator and ice machine.
  • Contact the front desk to report noisy neighbors or request a room change.
  • Wear ear plugs/eye masks.
  • Set the room clock, your cell phone clock and request a wakeup call so you can sleep easily knowing that you won’t miss your check in.
  • Dim the light display on your hotel clock and make sure the time set is the correct time.
  • Pack the night before except what you’ll need in the morning. One less thing to worry about.  Especially if you hit the snooze button too many times.
  • Try mediation or relaxation techniques for stress.
  • Make a list of what you’ll do when you get home. Then put it away.
  • Use a white noise or sleep machine.
  • No computers or electronics in bed.
  • If you have a device running iOS (iPhone iPad) turn on “Night Shift” which reduces the amount of blue light emitted from your display. It can be found under Settings -> Display & Brightness -> Night Shift and can also be found as a toggle in the iOS Control center.
  • Ask fellow FAs what their secrets are for getting a good night’s sleep.

Updated 02/07/2017

As previously announced on December 9, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the majority of the MEC Committee Chairperson positions in early 2017.

All Candidates Advanced to Final Interviews

As part of the interview process, a series of screening interviews were scheduled to occur on January 4 by videoconference.  The purpose of the screening interviews was to narrow each position to two finalist candidates who would be invited to interview with the MEC in person at the February MEC Meeting.  Since only a few positions yielded more than two candidates, the MEC has decided to bypass the screening interviews and advance all candidates to an in-person interview at the February MEC Meeting.

More Information About the Candidates

Below is a list of candidates for each position.  For positions with more than one candidate, resumes for those candidates who have opted in may be viewed below.

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson

Seth Heiple

Benefits Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

EAP Chairpersons (2 positions)

Elizabeth Dillon

Jeanne McCleave

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Laura Hinojosa

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Jodi Snow (click here to view resume)

Dori Marron (click here to view resume)

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Jarod McNeill

Retirement Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Jake Jones (click here to view resume)

Erik Velez (click here to view resume)

Zac Weeks (click here to view resume)

Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson (PBS Subcommittee Chairperson)

Stephen Poynter (click here to view resume)

Shawn Grill (withdrawn 02/03/17)

PBS Subcommittee Member

Rebecca Asbell (click here to view resume)

Adam Clarey (click here to view resume)

Sheri Rochel (click here to view resume) (clarified intent to be considered for Subcommittee Member position instead of Chairperson, 02/07/2017)

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Bob Moore

Special Consideration for MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

In accordance with §27.P.2.c.1 of the collective bargaining agreement, the MEC will be soliciting input from Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider regarding the selection of the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson position.  Though Andy is contractually entitled to provide feedback, final selection will be made by the voting members of the MEC.

Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback about the candidates or the MEC Committee Chairperson interview process, please contact your LEC President.  You may contact your LEC President by email at:

ANC Council 30 President Lisa Pinkston – lisa.pinkston@afaalaska.org

SEA Council 19 President Laura Masserant – laura.masserant@afaalaska.org

PDX Council 39 President Cathy Gwynn – cathy.gwynn@afaalaska.org

LAX Council 18 President Tim Green – timothy.green@afaalaska.org

SAN Council 15 President Brice McGee – brice.mcgee@afaalaska.org

In Solidarity,

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

Happy New Year Council 19 Members!

Your officers hope that you enjoyed your holiday and that you are looking forward to an amazing 2017!

First of all, the NO JA PLEDGE worked well~ even extending to December 31, 2016. We are pleased that everyone was able to enjoy the holiday without the added stress of JA’ing.

For those of you who worked over the holiday we hope that you enjoyed this special time with your crew. We are truly a family at Alaska and when we can’t be home we do experience the joy of celebrating holidays, birthdays, and special events in our lives with our Alaska family.

ISC LEC Chair Announcement

As of December 31, 2016, Linda Christou stepped down as the Seattle ISC Chair due to her new role as the MEC Secretary-Treasurer. For many years Linda has fought hard to bring awareness to catering issues. She has been a one-women force to be reckoned with in the catering division and we all need to thank her for her undying dedication and desire to make our jobs a little easier during service.

Thank you Linda!

Council 19 Officers are pleased to announce that Ross DeJong is the new ISC LEC Chair. Ross is a 26-year Flight Attendant with culinary experience. We are very excited to have Ross as the ISC Chair and bring his unique experience to the role.

Welcome Ross!

Reserve Committee Addition

Please take a minute to welcome Antoine Rouse to the Reserve Committee! Antoine has been a vocal advocate for the Seattle reserves on the Council 19 Reserve Facebook page, even though he recently passed probation. Antoine has, in a small amount of time, mastered Section 11 of the CBA and is a strong voice for the Seattle Reserves. We are pleased to have him on the committee and look forward to his work with AFA.

Welcome Antoine!!!

Help with filing Activity Claim Forms

The past few weeks has seen a huge amount of delays, irregular ops, cancellations, etc., due to weather. MEC Scheduling Chair, Jake Jones, has done an exceptional job following up with the crews when flights are: Over 120 minutes delayed, tarmac delays over 60 minutes, over 14 hrs duty day, stranded overnights, and diversions. As the LEC President, I am cc’d in on every email sent to affected crews. On one day alone I received over 100 emails with follow up information on impacted crews. In his contact emails, Jake also includes an Irregular Ops handout. This form can be found on the Council 19 page at: https://afaalaska.org/sea/irregular-ops-informational-handout

However, it became clear to us that many of you don’t even know where to find the Activity Claim Form (ACF).

To access the form go to the Flight Attendant webpage, go to administration, click on pay and benefits, select activity claim form.

Your Seattle Scheduling committee chairs and officers do their best to help unscramble the web of pay when it comes to cancellations, pay protection, stranded pay, and delays, to name a few. It’s not always an easy puzzle to put together. It’s important that you file your ACF and keep track of it. Let us know if you believe there was an error on your form and we can follow up with payroll.

If you have any questions with your schedule, pairings, or pay you can contact your Seattle scheduling chairs at sea.scheduling@afaalaska.org

CourseMill Recurrent Training App

The MEC is working hard to have management correct the issues with the 2017 RT homestudy module. If you are having problems downloading the modules please know that you have resources available to assist. This is not an easy fix and will take time to download the troubleshoot. Please let your LEC President know if you are experiencing issues.

In the meantime, please email and/or call inflight Training management or the Mobile Help Desk to get your CourseMill app working.

Lisa.McCarroll@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6251

Jennifer.Sovey@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6491

Amanda.Westendorf@alaskaair.com or 253-569-6977

Psalm.Terry@alaskaair.com

Ranjita.Prasad@alaskaair.com

Mobile Help Desk: 1-877-238-1077, option 4 or support@enterprisemobile.com.

For a complete listing of the Council 19 Officers and Committee members please click the following link:

 https://afaalaska.org/sea/committees

Irregular Operations

You may have experienced irregular operations with your flight today and we wanted to share some helpful contractual information that may apply to your situation. If you have specific questions please contact your appropriate Council Officers or Scheduling Committee. If you are a Reserve and have a specific question related to Section 11 of the contract please reach out to your reserve committee chairs in your domicile.

Domicile Officers Scheduling Committee
ANC anc@afaalaska.org Anc.scheduling@afaalaska.org
PDX pdx@afaalaska.org Pdx.scheduling@afaalaska.org
SAN san@afaalaska.org San.scheduling@afaalaska.org
LAX lax@afaalaska.org Lax.scheduling@afaalaska.org
SEA sea@afaalaska.org Sea.scheduling@afaalaska.org

Tarmac Delay in Excess of 60 minutes:

Section 21.J. – Ground and Block Delays, requires activity claim form

Diversion:

Section 21.J.3 – Ground and Block Delays, also see Addendum to Section 21, question #1, requires activity claim form.

Irregular Operations:

Section 8.F. – Flying over duty of 12:30, minimum 1 tfp paid at 2.0x the rate. File activity claim

Section 8.G. – Projected or actual 14 hours, if at domicile/co-term may be replaced. Outstation may require you to remain on sequence.

Section 8.H. – Compensatory “Double Out” Rest. Flying in excess of 12 hours 30 minutes requires rest double the time spent on duty upon return to domicile. You may choose to remain on trips that fall within the double out rest period, within legalities, and be compensated 1.5x the rate of pay for affected duty period(s) in the subsequent sequence.

  • Important FYI. If your duty day did exceed 14 hours, crew scheduling is required per CFR 121.467 b.7. to provide at least 12 consecutive hours of rest when a FA has duty more than 14 hours but less than 20 hours.

Section 8.I. Night Rule. If you are on duty at 4:29 local time (initial departure station time of that duty period) and have an irregularity in your pairing you may qualify for pay protection, removal from sequence or additional compensation for remaining on the trip.

Section 8.K. – Reduced RON Rest under 9 hours 30 minutes:

  1. If a Flight Attendant on a multi-day sequence receives less than nine hours and thirty minutes (9:30) rest from release to report, the Flight Attendant may // be required to remain on the sequence and be paid at two and one-half times (2.5x) // the trip rate for flights flown, including any surface deadhead, for the entire sequence in addition to any applicable Minimum Pay Rules and/or Sit Pay at straight time.

    2. If the Flight Attendant is replaced at the SIP by Crew Scheduling the Flight Attendant will be paid for the entire sequence at straight time.

    3. For a Reserve, s/he will be paid at one and one-half times (1.5x) // the trip rate for flights flown, including any surface deadhead, for the entire sequence in addition to any applicable Minimum Pay Rules and/or Sit Pay at straight time above guarantee and // will be credited at straight time toward guarantee.

Section 8.L. – 48 hours rest every 7 days. If you did not waive your 48/7 and want it restored you must contact Crew Scheduling to receive the restoration.

Section 8.M. – Domicile Rest. 11:30 rest, may operationally be reduced to 10:30 rest. If you waive your rest below 11:30, then you could be reduced to 8 hours rest (CFR).

Section 8.N. – Waiver of Contractual Rest. A Flight Attendant who waives any contractual required rest, and who then operationally would fall below the CFR-required rest period, will be pulled from sufficient flights to resolve the CFR illegality. The FA will not be pay protected. If you are stranded due to the illegality, file for stranded pay.

Section 10.E.1.a. – Flying into a day off, minimum days off. You must block in after 12:01 into your day off with a release of 12:16 or later and the irregularity must take you under the 12 days off at the time of the incident. For Reserve you are guaranteed 12 days in a 30 days bid month and 13 days in a 31 days bid month. Additional 4 TFP on top of all other compensation is due if you qualify.

Section 10.R. – Reassignments. This is where you will find contractual information for pay, legalities and order of reassignment.

Section 10.R.7. – Unscheduled overnights. If a stranding leads to a RON that results in flying during a duty period starting on a scheduled day off, you are paid as if you were Junior Assigned per Section 9.D.1.d.. The compensation is 2.5x the rate of pay, but excludes sit premium and minimum pay rules.

Section 10.S. – Pre-cancellation. Find out about your options when your flight downgrades or cancels.

Section 16.A.4. (sick leave not accrued on stranded) – This is just an FYI, that you will not accrue sick leave on your stranded pay.

Section 21.N. – Stranded pay. Also see Addendum to Section 21, question #9. Stranded pay is negated by pay protection. You get the greater of the strand or the pay protect. Each crew member must file their own activity claim form for the appropriate pay. There are two applications of stranded pay:

Regular stranding – your departure is delayed 2 hours 1 minute from scheduled. You get stranded from the time you were scheduled to depart until you actually depart the station or domicile/co-term. Each subsequent 4 hours you receive an additional 1 TFP of stranded pay.

Stranded overnight – you become stranded overnight in a station. You accumulate the stranding from the time you were scheduled to return to the station or domicile/coterm until you actually return. Same application of first 2 hours and 1 minute, then each subsequent 4 hours you receive additional 1 TFP of stranded.

Section 21.J. – Covers diversions, over block and delay pay.  If your actual block time exceeds your scheduled block time by eleven minutes (:11) or more, you are paid one- half (0.5) TFP per hour, prorated and rounded up to the nearest one-tenth (0.1) TFP, at the Flight Attendant’s step rate including the first eleven minutes (:11) for block and ground delays. Block delays will be paid automatically with a few exceptions that you must submit an Activity Claim Form for:

a. Block delays over sixty minutes (:60).

b. Block delays on a flight that crosses midnight (12:00 AM) at any time. Section 21.J. [Block and Ground Delays] [See Arbitration #37-94 (Gaunt 2/5/96).

Section 21.M.3. – Pay protection. You have the ability to pick up on top of pay protection and you receive both the pay protection and picked up flying.

Section 21.Q. – Flying greater than scheduled. If given a reassignment on a scheduled day of work, you are paid 1.5x the rate of pay on flying that exceeds what you were scheduled on a day by day basis. Also, see Section 10.R.5. for reassignments.

Section 21.R. – Quarterly productivity premium. What counts? Everything, except sick leave and vacation. This includes but is not limited to pay protection, jury duty, sit premium, minimum pay rules, bereavement, stranded pay, delay pay, overblock pay and any other compensation paid in TFP.

Activity Claim Form – Go to the flight attendant webpage, click administration, click benefits and pay, click activity claim form.  Fill out the form with the flt #, sequence # (pairing number), month and day. Fill out what you believe you are due. If unsure, put 1 TFP in “Other/General”. Then write out the situation in the comments. The pay analyst will reply to your request for compensation usually within a week.

Please note this is a quick reference guide and summary to the CBA provisions and there may be individual circumstances which differ.  Please reach out to your local officer for clarification.

Keep a copy of this with you by downloading the following link:

irregular ops

Happy New Year to all! If you are a January 2017 Recurrent Training (RT) student, the new year may not feel quite so happy as it could be due to problems with downloading the now-infamous courses #2 and #5 on the CourseMill App. AFA has made numerous attempts to get clear direction from Inflight management regarding how to fix the app; unfortunately, they have failed to respond to many of our inquiries or else have given unsatisfactory responses the few times when they have actually gotten back to us. We know it has been the holidays and all, but seriously?!

This is the fix management currently has posted in alerts on the Inflight Webpage under “Training”:

“If you are having trouble downloading your 2017 Recurrent Training mobile courses 002 or 005, please try the following: 

  • Ensure you have good Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Delete the CourseMill app (Hold down icon and tap the “x”)
  • Reinstall the CourseMill app from the Apple App Store
  • Enter your activation code when you re-launch the app (the IT Help Desk or a member of inflight management can look up your activation code)
  • When it prompts you to download all of your courses again, select “No”. Then, click on course 002 and download it individually. Do the same with course 005
  • When downloading the courses, make sure the screen doesn’t turn off, by periodically touching it to keep it “awake”
  • Courses 002/005 may still crash, however if you try deleting and reinstalling the app again, you should be able to get through both courses
  • If you want to view previous courses you’ve already completed, you can then choose to download those courses as well; you won’t lose any saved information of previous courses you’ve already completed

Thank you for your patience as we work on this issue.

Inflight Training”

AFA does not endorse the proposed fix, but we have some anecdotal reports that it has worked for some Flight Attendants. All the excessive time spent uninstalling, reinstalling and downloading is unacceptable. AFA presently has an open grievance regarding this issue, which we are attempting to arbitrate in February.

We have been informed that any Flight Attendant who shows up to Recurrent Training without his or her 2017 RT electronic homestudy completed will be asked to leave class without pay. AFA will continue to advocate for Flight Attendants who are unable to complete training due to a CourseMill app failure.

In the meantime, please email and/or call inflight Training management or the Mobile Help Desk to get your CourseMill app working.

Lisa.McCarroll@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6251

Jennifer.Sovey@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6491

Amanda.Westendorf@alaskaair.com or 253-569-6977

Psalm.Terry@alaskaair.com

Ranjita.Prasad@alaskaair.com

Mobile Help Desk: 1-877-238-1077, option 4 or support@enterprisemobile.com.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee; and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams

In accordance with Article VI.C of the AFA Alaska MEC Policy and Procedure Manual the MEC officers will be reviewing the MEC chair appointments and interviewing the current Chairs who would like to continue in their position as well as several new applicants.

Below you will find the Chair positions we will be reviewing. The 5 LEC presidents who make up the voting body of the MEC will be making the decision. Each President has 1 vote for each position.

We would appreciate your input as to who the SEA base would like to support. You can email your LEC President, Laura Masserant, with your input.

Chair Positions and Applicants:

ASHSC Chairperson

Seth Heiple

 Benefits Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

 EAP Chairpersons (2)

Elizabeth Dillon

Jeanne McCleave

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Laura Hinojosa

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Jodi Snow

Dori Marron

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Jarod McNeill

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Jake Jones

Erik Velez

Zac Weeks

PBS Committee Chairperson

Stephen Poynter

Sheri Rochel

Shawn Grill

PBS Committee Member

Rebecca Asbell

Adam Clarey

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Bob Moore

In accordance with Article VI.C of the AFA Alaska MEC Policy and Procedure Manual the MEC officers will be reviewing the MEC chair appointments and interviewing the current Chairs who would like to continue in their position as well as several new applicants.

Below you will find the Chair positions we will be reviewing. The 5 LEC presidents who make up the voting body of the MEC will be making the decision. Each President has 1 vote for each position.

I would appreciate your input as to who the SAN base would like to support. You can email me directly at Brice.McGee@afaalaska.org

 

Chair Positions and Applicants:

ASHSC Chairperson

Seth Heiple

Benefits Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

EAP Chairpersons (2)

Elizabeth Dillon

Jeanne McCleave

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Laura Hinojosa

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Jodi Snow

Dori Marron

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Jarod McNeill

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Jake Jones

Erik Velez

Zac Weeks

PBS Committee Chairperson

Stephen Poynter

Sheri Rochel

Shawn Grill

PBS Committee Member

Rebecca Asbell

Adam Clarey

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Bob Moore

 

In Solidarity,

Brice, Melanie, & Stephen

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