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A message from your Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

The New Year is not just a ritual. It is the celebration of new hopes and dreams. It is an opportunity to start with a clean slate. Typically, New Year resolutions tend to focus on weight, general health and finances.   But, what might the new year offer us if we used it as an opportunity to commit to improvements in our emotional and mental well-being.  Below are seven positive mental health resolutions that you can borrow for your new year.

  1. “I will treat myself with respect and speak nicely about myself.” Try taping a list of positive characteristics about yourself in various places throughout the house to remind you of these affirmations.
  2. “I will be physically active on a daily basis.” Multiple studies show a link between exercise and improved mental health.
  3. “I will act and not react.” Many times we feel like everyone is “pushing our buttons”. When this happens, we are caught up in a reaction cycle. If you know you’ll be around someone who says negative things, plan for this and have a list in your head of disarming statements. You might even consider modifying your plans to limit exposure to negative people.
  4. “I will learn to relax and enjoy.” Many times we become so busy we forget how or even when to take care of ourselves. Find or “re-discover” an activity that is relaxing and enjoyable to you. Dedicate time to this daily or at a minimum, weekly.
  5. “I will be mindful.” Being mindful is about staying in the moment. We cannot change yesterday and we cannot predict tomorrow. We do, however, have control over our attentiveness in the here and now. So, commit to being aware in the moment, and enjoy that moment.
  6. “I will work towards being the person I want to be.” When we see life as a journey and a time to continue to be the person we desire to be, we find hope and fulfillment in our tomorrows.
  7. “I will resolve to be mentally healthy”. There is still a stigma about seeing a mental health professional.  However, it is truly one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves. A therapist gives us an unbiased ear and can also help us to understand why we do the things we do … think of seeing a therapist as a mental health oil change. If you need assistance finding a referral, give your AFA EAP a call.  Your local AFA EAP committee members are listed at www.afacwa.org/eap.   We are just a phone call away.

These suggestions have been adapted from an email written by Chip Coffey, the Director of Outpatient Services at St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center. 

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

For those of you who are interested in joining the upcoming LEC Base meeting on December 7th virtually please take a minute review the following steps:

1.   The following link is your registration link:

https://goo.gl/forms/OPiiwWOQ03j7b3pq2

2.   Starting at 12:30 Wednesday, December 7, this link will be live and you will need to register here to record your attendance for the meeting.

3.   After you complete the form and submit it, you will receive a new link to the live meeting.

4.   Please note that you will see a blank screen until the meeting goes live.

Again, we will open the registration process at approximately 12:30, but the meeting does not being until 1:00pm.

After the meeting has concluded you can email sea@afaalaska.org for a link to view the meeting.

We realize there will be questions on the process. Please email us at sea@afaalaska.org or call Laura, Linda, or Adam for assistance.

For those of you attending the meeting in person:

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Seattle SeaTac Airport
19621 International Blvd
SeaTac, WA 98188, USA

Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Located across the street from Alaska Corporate~ Free parking!

Virtual Meeting Information:

System Requirements

AFA Alaska uses YouTube to stream live broadcasts such as our Local Council meeting.  In order to watch the broadcast, you’ll need to be able to view YouTube videos on your computer or mobile device.  Check to make sure that you can access YouTube on your computer or device at http://www.youtube.com.  A YouTube app is also available for iOS and Android users.

Using Live Chat During the Meeting

To interact using live chat during the meeting, you’ll need to be signed in to YouTube using a Google account on a computer. Please note that live chat is not available on mobile devices. No need to worry if you only have a mobile device, we’ll have other ways for you to ask questions and give feedback during the meeting.

If you don’t already have a Google account, you can sign up for one for free.  Instructions for creating a Google account can be found at http://support.google.com. This is a new process and we understand that there may be questions. Please email or call Laura, Linda or Adam for assistance.

Council 19 Members,

Your LEC Officers would like to notify you that the Local Officer Election process for the next term of office begins January of 2017.

If you are interested in running for a local council office you can find information located in the AFA Constitution and Bylaws under Article III and Article VIII.C,  http://www.afacwa.org/constitution_bylaws.

You can also reach out to any of your LEC Officers or Council Representatives for more information:

LEC President Laura Masserant

LEC Vice President Jake Jones

LEC Secretary Linda Christou

Council Representative Stephanie Adams

Council Representative Adam Clarey

Also, if you are interested in shadowing any of the positions your LEC Officers are happy to schedule this time with you.The chart below explains the election process for Council 19~ ALA 19.

In accordance with Article VIII of the Constitution & Bylaws, all Local Councils in Election Category II must nominate and elect officers for the term beginning July 1, 2017 and ending June 31, 2020 (three year term).  Article IX of the Constitution & Bylaws and Union Voting Procedures (Section IX of the Policy Manual) shall govern nominations and elections.

Attached you will find the nomination and election schedule for Category II.  For all domestic Councils the process will commence in January and finish by late April.

All active Flight Attendants, regardless of dues standing will be mailed the voting instructions and activation code. In addition, apprentice members completing their first 4 full months of active membership on or before the count date will receive a ballot packet.   

New activation codes are issued for each nomination, election, and contract ratification ballot.

Step-by-step instructions, for both the nomination and election process, can be found on the AFA-CWA Election website www.afacwa-elections.org along with the Category II Election schedule. The AFA-CWA Election Handbook and the Commitment to Serve form can also be found on the AFA Election website.

dates

Council 19 “Virtual” and “Local” AFA Base Meeting

December 7, 2016 ~ 1:00-3:00 pm

Link to agenda:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NHSWZs-CiGeZigW4zMyG80bMbTNr7xndBIL_y5d6IHg/edit?usp=sharing

Local Meeting Location:

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Seattle SeaTac Airport
19621 International Blvd
SeaTac, WA 98188, USA

Located across the street from Alaska Corporate~ Free parking!

Virtual Meeting Information:

System Requirements

AFA Alaska uses YouTube to stream live broadcasts such as our Local Council meeting.  In order to watch the broadcast, you’ll need to be able to view YouTube videos on your computer or mobile device.  Check to make sure that you can access YouTube on your computer or device at http://www.youtube.com.  A YouTube app is also available for iOS and Android users.

Using Live Chat During the Meeting

To interact using live chat during the meeting, you’ll need to be signed in to YouTube using a Google account on a computer. Please note that live chat is not available on mobile devices. No need to worry if you only have a mobile device, we’ll have other ways for you to ask questions and give feedback during the meeting.

If you don’t already have a Google account, you can sign up for one for free.  Instructions for creating a Google account can be found at http://support.google.com.

If you have any questions about this process let your LEC Officers know. We will be sending out additional information on how to access the virtual meeting the first week of December.

In Solidarity,

Your LEC Officers

With 2016 coming to a rapid close, your Officers extend hearty thanks for all your hard work this year.  Your efforts to make SAN shine as a stellar base have made us the envy of the company.  Keep up the good work!

Your Officers meet regularly with Base Management and this week we focused on sick leave, as usage tends to increase this time of year. Familiarize yourself with our sick leave policy, Section 16 in the CBA, and the resources available to you. Your very knowledgeable Benefits Chair is Sonia Quackenbush.  She is your point person for all inquiries regarding sick leave and medical benefits and medical leaves.

Per §32.G.4, if you have 4 or fewer accumulated points and do not have any chargeable occurrences in November and December, your points will be removed and you will start 2017 with 0 points.  This is a great 4th quarter opportunity!

A great tip is to keep all receipts related to your sick call.  This may include prescriptions, OTC medications or office visit copay and will serve as proof should you ever be questioned about your sick leave usage. You do not have to divulge the nature of your illness, but having that proof is in your best interest.

This is a great segue to briefly discuss the handling of calls from Management. Our CBA states that they should not be calling you in before the start of a trip due to potential stress induced by the meeting. Your Officers feel that any meeting should take place on your day off with 4tfp compensation (§19.A.1.a). If for scheduling reasons, you do agree to meet at the end of a sequence, make sure you do not exceed the 10:30 duty day and you may not receive the 4tfp compensation that you would have received had you agreed to meet on a day off.  If they want to meet with you on day you are scheduled to fly, request that your trip be dropped and pay protected in lieu of the 4tfp.

Should you receive a call from any Inflight Supervisor, you are required to respond within a reasonable amount of time. It is advised to immediately clarify if the conversation could lead to a Record of Discussion (ROD) or Disciplinary Action. If the answer is in the affirmative, you can request a Union Representative to be involved in any further conversations and end the call.  If the Supervisor indicates that the conversation will not lead to an ROD or discipline, you may opt to continue the conversation over the phone or in person.  However, if at any time, you feel the questions to be leading or make you feel uncomfortable, you may request union representation and end the conversation.

Your Union Rep will act as your advocate and a second set of ears to ascertain that your point is received the way it was intended and not misconstrued and possibly used against you.  Should the company contact you, send us a text or email informing us of the request, since we are not always aware that you were contacted. You can reach your 3 Officers using  SAN@afaalaska.org

Social Media –  please be aware that the company can access (and has) all social media outlets during investigations, this includes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. etc. Please be aware and careful of what you post for ALL to see. Privacy settings and secret groups do not ensure 100% privacy

In closing your leadership team in San Diego hopes all of you have a wonderful holiday season.

 

In Solidarity,

Your LEC Officers

Inflight management has been actively pursuing a mentorship program over the past year

As many of you know, Inflight management has been actively pursuing a Flight Attendant mentorship program over the past year in order to supplement Initial Training. Management has allocated significant resources towards implementing a program—even going so far as to hiring outside consultants. Several of you have had an opportunity to help develop the mentorship program by providing feedback as participants in system-wide focus groups. The Master Executive Council (MEC) thanks all those who have supported the effort.

Mentorship program would require contractual waivers

Numerous aspects of a mentorship program—even a trial program—would require deviations from current contractual provisions. In other words, AFA and management would have to agree to contractual waivers in order to launch such a program. Although the MEC has been impressed with the developments so far, we are declining to move forward at this time. Why?

Why the MEC is declining to move forward

The MEC appreciates management’s enthusiasm for a mentorship program, but Inflight management has been too enthusiastic in its communications on the topic. Management has gone so far as to write on more than one occasion that a mentorship program will be launching in the near future—despite the fact that the MEC has not agreed to do so. The MEC lodged our objections to these communications verbally and in writing, but even so management sent out another one saying the exact same thing shortly thereafter. What are your AFA leaders to make of that?

Besides feeling that management is being overly presumptuous, the MEC cannot justify implementing a somewhat costly new program right now. In our humble opinion management has yet to adequately address a multitude of issues important to the membership: turning off all trip trading for up to 78 hours during the upcoming Jeppesen Crew Exchange cutover, on-going implementation delays for Reserve self-assignment and repositioning, serious problems with vacation bidding and vacation Open Time trading, lackluster new Inflight web site, no calendar sync external to Outlook, et cetera. When we start to see movement in the right direction from management, the MEC is willing to reconsider our position.

In Solidarity,

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

The AFA Negotiating Committee met with management November 14-17 this week in Portland to negotiate a new Open Time system. Representing Alaska Airlines management: Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider, Managing Director of Labor Relations Elizabeth Ryan, Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Kieran Whitney, Manager of Inflight Operations Performance Mike Link and Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis Brittany Schaub. Vice President of Labor Relations Greg Mays also made a guest appearance on Monday to kick off the week.

Under §12.F.9 [Exchange of Sequences: Open Time Trial] of our contract, AFA officially cancelled the Open Time trial in July. The contract provides that once the trial is cancelled, we will go “back to book”. “Back to book” means reverting to the Open Time system used in the 2006-2010 agreement and related 2010-2012 extension as modified by the “Withholding Open Time” arbitration award. You will find the language associated with “back to book” (BTB) Open Time in BTB §12.F [Exchange of Sequences Back to Book: Open Time Trading] of your contract. A copy of the “Withholding Open Time” arbitration award is also at the back of the contract.

Management is currently working on programming the old BTB OT system in the new Crew Exchange. As soon as programming is completed, we will go back to book. This is meant as a placeholder while the parties negotiate a new Open Time system.

The difficulty in negotiating any Open Time system is that management and Flight Attendants have interests that can be challenging to harmonize. From our survey and from our own experience, we know that Flight Attendants want more flexibility—whether to fly less or more, to get certain days off, or to improve the trips on their lines. Management wants to be able to run the operation without increasing its liability for uncovered flying, and to minimize premium pay, junior assignment and the potential for flight cancellations.

The week started out very collaboratively with both parties spending many hours crafting several different conceptual proposals. However, the Negotiating Committee became disheartened on Wednesday after management proposed changes to Open Time that in our opinion would be significantly worse for Flight Attendants than either the current system or the old system. There is no value in negotiating an Open Time agreement that would be worse than “back to book,” since “back to book” will apply if no new agreement is reached.

Consequently, we left the session disappointed.

The parties agreed to meet again on December 7-8 in Seattle. In the meantime, the Negotiating Committee will continue working on possible solutions. We welcome your thoughts and feedback at negotiations@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput

Let’s face it: Staffing last December turned into an absolute mess. Consequently, the AFA Master Executive Council (MEC) and Alaska Airlines management have had multiple conversations over the past several months about how to improve the experience this December.

We are pleased to announce that management took to heart the advice of the MEC and the AFA Scheduling Committee, and the parties have agreed to the following between December 15th and December 25th (inclusive of the 15th and the 25th):

  • No junior assignment (JA) off of any trips originating between December 15th and December 25th; and
  • Inflight management employees holding an FAA Flight Attendant certificate may perform Flight Attendant duties and be part of the minimum crew in order to avoid invoking JA provisions (temporary change to CBA §3.D [Scope of Agreement: Scope]).

>>> You may view the “December 2016 No Junior Assignment Pledge Memorandum of Understanding” by clicking here. <<<

This agreement may be extended through the end of the year by mutual consent of AFA and management if all goes well.

If you haven’t seen the “2016 Holiday Staffing Message from Crew Scheduling” video, check it out here: http://bit.ly/2016CrewSchedulingHolidayPlan.

The MEC is disappointed that management failed to recognize AFA leadership’s efforts to reach the “No JA pledge,” but we are pleased to see the Scheduling Committee’s contributions mentioned in the communication. We thank management for being willing to take on additional risk in order to avoid JA around the holidays.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact one of your local AFA officers or Scheduling Committee members. Wishing you a much less stressful holiday season than last year!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee; and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones

 

afa-mou-2016-11-03-december-2016-no-ja-pledge

Vacation Open Time trading re-opened on Wednesday, November 2nd and went reasonably well despite several unresolved glitches affecting some Flight Attendants who transferred bases in the past couple years. The Master Executive Council (MEC) sincerely thanks Inflight Crew Administration and the Info & Technology (IT) department—and AFA MEC Scheduling Chair Jake Jones—for making it work on that day.

That being said, the MEC recognizes that all these efforts after the fact neither make up for TFP lost due to wasted schedule adjustments, nor for restoring open vacation days, nor for lost opportunity for those who could not adjust their schedules to be available for trading on November 2nd.

At the request of your AFA leadership, MEC President Jeff Peterson sent the following email to Alaska Airlines Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider:

Andy~

Due to the issues with Vacation Open Time trading in combination with all the other IT-related implementation challenges affecting flight attendants over the past couple years, AFA members and leadership are beyond frustrated. We strongly believe it is time for management to step up and address these frustrations in a much more concrete way than simply offering yet another apology.

Consequently, the Master Executive Council calls upon management to compensate every flight attendant with 4.0 TFP in recognition of these many inconveniences.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Peterson

President, Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council | Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO

Andy’s response:

Jeff and the MEC,

Your frustrations are fully justified in this situation. I know that you get inundated with calls when things like this go wrong. I am sure you have heard from FAs who took time off with the goal of trading for prime vacation days that have been inconvenienced.  And I know that the bidding date change was an inconvenience too.  I have fielded many questions and I share the frustrations. The difference is that your members look to you to hold us accountable for our errors.

Your first response has always been to work with us to address and solve the immediate issues.  I am grateful for your willingness to partner with us to find solutions and to help us troubleshoot and fix programming glitches and other errors. You know our systems much better than I do and your input is invaluable.  I know Jake was helping the programmers in the middle of the night last night so that things would run better today.  Thank you, Jake.

We honored any trade that went through on Monday and opened the trading today with the same number of slots that we had when we opened Monday. I had hoped that we could determine who was trying to bid on Monday to see if we could work schedules to get them time off for bidding today. Unfortunately there was no way to know who they were.

While I understand the goal of the “make whole” request, I can’t justify it.  As we work to update our technology and provide better tools for our Flight Attendants, we will inevitably have problems.  I have requested a detailed plan from our IT team to outline the steps they are taking to ensure issues are minimized and I will gladly share that with you and take your input.  No one needs the headaches that these errors cause and I know that [the IT department leaders] are committed to fix their processes.

Jeff, let’s discuss more at our tie in tomorrow.

Although the issue was discussed further at their standing tie-in meeting, nothing substantive came from that conversation.

Are you as frustrated as the MEC is with this response? Feel free to contact Andy directly and respectfully share your perspective. If you are sending an email, make sure to copy in your AFA Local Executive Council (LEC) leadership (e.g. anc@afaalaska.org, sea@afaalaska.org, pdx@afaalaska.org, lax@afaalaska.org or san@afaalaska.org).

Very disappointing!

In Solidarity,

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

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

Due to Vacation Open Time date change, we have decided to cancel the LEC Base Virtual meeting tomorrow and will reschedule the meeting for December 7, 2016.

The meeting will be held at the same time: 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

Also, we have received feedback from members that they would also like to attend the meeting in person. Your officers will try to accommodate this request and find a place to host both an in-person and virtual meeting.

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to seeing you next month!

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

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

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

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

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 10 – December 2025

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

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

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

Staying Balanced During The Holidays

Let joy, not pressure, lead the way. The holiday season is a special time for joy, connection, and celebration. But let’s be honest—it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, even for the most grounded among us. With family gatherings, work commitments, and financial worries, finding balance isn’t always easy. Here are some practical tips to […]

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