Latest News – Page 159

April 29, 2017 08:20

Many Flight Attendants received a notification from the Peoplesoft system account with Employee Records: “This email is to inform you that a contract increase has been processed for you that has changed your rate of pay. As of 05/01/2017 your rate has increased to $xx.xx. If you have any questions about your increase please email Employee Records….”

AFA believes this message is an error because it refers to a contractual rate increase for “DOS + 3” (CBA §21.A), which is due in December 2017. We are attempting to verify with Alaska Airlines management now. Stand by for more info!

In Solidarity,

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

April 29, 2017 05:00

The next step in the integration process is to appoint a Joint Negotiating Committee Member and two Merger Representatives. Information about each of the positions as well as how to express interest can be found below.

Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Member (1 position)

Pursuant to Section X.D [Merger Policy and Related Employee Protective Provisions: Contractual Protection] of the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws (C&B), the AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) is seeking one Virgin America AFA member to serve on the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for merged contract negotiations.

Purpose of the JNC

The purpose of the JNC is to obtain interim safeguards, including a fence agreement with management (which maintains separate Inflight operations for a specified period of time), and merging the collective bargaining agreement(s) and/or respective work rules. Many issues will need to be decided in order to provide for a smooth transition into one, combined carrier.

Scope of the JNC

From AFA-CWA C&B Section X.D.4: “The members of the negotiating committee shall have complete and full authority to resolve any and all trackage* disputes between the flight attendant groups including those arising from the interpretation or implementation of any agreement embodying interim safeguards.”

*Trackage is a somewhat antiquated term originally associated with the railroad industry.

Duties of the JNC

Attend initial training of new JNC members.
Conduct a review of the respective agreements (or work rules) to identify commonalities, differences, areas of cultural preference, benefits of each agreement (or work rules), and unique issues associated with specific air service.
Review collective bargaining agreements and employment terms at comparable airlines.
Create the Union’s opening position (“opener”) for merger negotiations.
Interface with counterparts at Alaska Airlines and engage in discussions to reach mutually acceptable provisions on merging the two Flight Attendant groups.
The MEC President is an ex-officio (i.e. “by right of holding another office”) member of the JNC.

Expectations/Qualifications

Appointed by the AFA Alaska MEC and terms are served to completion at the approved of the MEC. Takes direction from the chairperson of the JNC (i.e. in this case the AFA Alaska MEC President) with input from the AFA International Collective Bargaining Department (i.e. staff negotiator) and Legal Department (i.e. staff attorney). After successful ratification of the JCBA will continue to serve as a contract interpretation resource for the JCBA.
Maintain a complete record of negotiations including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA.
Public interactions (including social media) must reflect favorably on AFA Alaska. If requested by AFA Alaska, JNC members must be willing to reasonably limit social media interactions for the duration of JCBA preparation, negotiations and implementation.
Ability to tolerate controversy amongst one’s peers.
Willing to travel for training, preparation, negotiations, roadshows and other meetings as needed.
Must be willing to adjust her/his schedule as needed, sometimes with very little notice.

Flight Pay Loss/Expenses

6 block-hours for each 8 hours of work.
Travel time is unpaid; exceptions will be treated on a case-by-case basis.
Meal & incidentals and other expenses to be reimbursed according to AFA Alaska Policy Manual and AFA-CWA C&B.

Merger Representative (2 positions)

One of the most important aspects of any merger of airlines is the integration of the seniority list. The AFA Constitution and Bylaws provides for the Master Executive Council (MEC) to appoint two merger representatives from each airline. Merger representatives have complete and full authority to act on behalf of the Flight Attendants of their respective airline for the purpose of compiling necessary employment data and a single flight attendant seniority list. More information about duties and responsibilities of merger representatives are spelled out in Section X.C of the AFA Constitution and Bylaws.

Duties and Responsibilities

Determine seniority numbers for each Flight Attendant by reviewing and determining date of bidding for seniority, initial training date, number of days of initial training, and if seniority was accrued for training (and if so, how many days were accrued).
Evaluate all protests to determined seniority, determine validity, and adjudge accordingly.
Compile and certify a combined system seniority list.

Qualifications

Must be a current Virgin America Flight Attendant and AFA member.
Ability to analyze written data and information with high attention to detail.
Ability to commit time necessary to complete assigned responsibilities, including flexibility to meet on short notice. Some travel will be required.

How to Express Interest For the Positions

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest letter and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 5, 2017 at 5 PM PDT.
Linda will contact applicants to coordinate an interview with the MEC. Depending on the number of applicants for each positions, telephone interviews may be conducted. If needed, telephone interviews will be conducted on Tuesday, May 9.
Interviews for finalist candidates will be held on at the MEC meeting on Tuesday, May 16 or Wednesday, May 17.

Questions

Any questions regarding JNC or merger representative positions should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

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

April 28, 2017 19:00

AFA and the Virgin America (VX) leadership team (management) met in Seattle, WA yesterday to discuss VX Flight Attendant wages, work rules and other concerns. After negotiating into the late evening, the parties reached agreements on several interim improvements to pay and work rules. Improvements to work rules will be detailed in this communication; pay was discussed in an earlier communication.

Summary of provisions in the “Interim Improvements” letter of agreement (LOA):

Adoption of the Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant personal electronic device policy
Reimbursement of expenses for passport renewal
Union Business provisions establishing a solid foundation for AFA Local Transitional Council 35 Virgin America
Walk/waive option reduced to 16 hours from the current 18 hours
Reserve pick up on days off
“Last resort” Red Eye tagging of Lineholders/Reserves
Window for Swaps and Drops reduced to 12 hours from the current 18 hours
Requirement of adequate notice to AFA regarding any proposed work rule changes and an opportunity for input to such changes
Commitment to discuss implementing a grievance procedure for disciplinary issues

AFA VX Interim Improvements Letter of Agreement (4/27/2017) >

AFA appreciates the Virgin America leadership team’s partnership in identifying and implementing these interim work rule improvements.

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

Contact your local president (AS) or your Council 35 VX officers if you have any questions or concerns.

In Solidarity,

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

April 28, 2017 18:00

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

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

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

VX Wage Proposal Chart >

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

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

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

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

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

In Solidarity,

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

April 28, 2017 14:41

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

Save the Date(s): Crew Access Info Sessions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In solidarity,

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

April 27, 2017 18:00

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

In Solidarity,

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

April 26, 2017 16:15

On the Cusp of Reserve? The PBS Committee would like to remind you of the following helpful hints:

On the cusp of Lineholder and Reserve? You may need to ‘Waive’!

Many of you in SEA that are on the cusp of lineholder and reserve may not realize you may need to ‘waive’ certain contractual rules in order to hold a line of pairings.

Waiving down to ‘Allow 24 Hours Off in 7 Days’ and waiving the ‘No Same-Day Pairings’ rule could be the only way for you to hold a line. If you see others junior to you holding a line and you didn’t, it’s probably because they ‘waived’ those rules.

Check your bidding number on the seniority list on the Inflight webpage at the beginning of each month. Then check the PBS Info Page for the number of reserve lines in your base for the next month. This will help you to determine how close you are to still being on reserve. If you’re in the bottom 50 or so lineholders in SEA then you need to strongly consider entering those ‘waive’ lines if you hope to be awarded a line of pairings instead of reserve.

Hotel Committee

LEC Chair, Jodi Snow

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

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

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

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

CrewCare (Layover Hotel and Transportation Feedback)

Visit the CrewCare website (AS login required)

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

Log-in to the inflight website (http://asainflight.alaskaair.com)
Open the menu
Click “Hotels”
Click “Hotel Links”
Click “My Crew Care”
Open the menu
Click “Feedback”
Click “Provide Feedback”

First Time Using Crew Care?

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

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

April 25, 2017 20:00

Compensation Discussion with Management

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

Last Week’s Village Visits

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

JFK, We’re Headed Your Way!

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

Become A Member, Have Your Voice Heard!

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

Joint Negotiating Committee and Seniority Representative Positions

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

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

Don’t Forget to Wear Your AFA Pin

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

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

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts! You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & James

April 24, 2017 07:43

Council 19, SEA, 1st Quarter 2017 Committee Reports

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Benefits and Maternity Committee

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

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

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

Injured at work?

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

Medical/Maternity/Worker’s Compensation Leave of Absence

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

Inflight Service Committee (ISC)

LEC Chair, Ross Dejong

Your Seattle ISC committee would like to welcome our newest member Judith Bowman, we thank her for volunteering her time, and look forward to her input. Your committee members have been working on the following:

* Working with the Catering Department to add more sparkling water to the beverage drawers. The committee is expecting an update on this request soon.

* Expect a slightly different beverage napkin to roll out soon. Please note, this is not the final new beverage napkin. A finalized version will be coming out later this year.

* The committee previewed a stir stick/pokie that Virgin currently uses. The committee believes that this is a much better version than we currently use. The Catering Department will look into purchasing this for Alaska and report back to the ISC with a determination.

* If you are having any issues with heating the pilot meals on the ceramic plates/bowls due to the dishes being too hot for you to handle safely, please document the issue using your Report It App on your IMD. If the pilot’s complain about the dishes being too hot please ask them to write this up using their procedures.

* ISC committee members are receiving reports that Flight Attendants continue to use downline catering items intended for the next flight and that galleys are not being cleaned and restocked for the next crew. Please be considerate of your fellow Flight Attendants and Pay it Forward.

* Remember that writing up catering issues is easy when you use your IMD. From your outlook email write to catering.feedback@alaskaair.com. Please include in your email, the flight number, station that the catering came from, the date, and a description of the issue. If possible, take a picture and attach to your email. Feel free to copy me, or any of your committee members in so that we can track any recurring problems.

* ISC has been asked to remind all of you of the importance of recording comps into your B.O.B. device. Recording food comps helps to ensure that enough food is boarded for all future flights. Please see the comping guidelines in Good Reader if you are not familiar as to what needs to be recorded.

Thank you for all the great work you do everyday to take care of our guests, Ross

April 21, 2017 16:00

A Message from Local Council President Melissa Osborne

Fellow Teammates,

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

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

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

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

In Solidarity,
Melissa Osborne
Transitional Local Council 35 President

A Message from Local Council Secretary James Ikehara

Hello everyone,

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

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

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

In solidarity,
James