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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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Just when you thought implementation of the new contract was going (relatively) smoothly…

According to the Contract Implementation Schedule, Open Time was scheduled for implementation in July for the August bid month. Unfortunately, AFA received notice from management yesterday that implementation of the new Open Time trading system will be delayed at least one month.

 

You may access an electronic copy of the notice (that lists all the technical reasons for the delay) here.

 

Reasons why it is taking so long

AFA has participated in almost all of the implementation meetings and updates and we can assure you that management and Jeppesen (the provider of Maestro and eMaestro) have been working on updating the crew tracking and trading system ever since the contract ratified.  There are several reasons why it is taking so long to reprogram the system:

 

  • Alaska will begin transitioning to a new crew tracking system later next year but until then we have to manage to get along with our current system.

 

  • Maestro/eMaestro is antiquated and fragile. All parties are being cautious with any changes because there is concern that significant new programming will destabilize the system enough to completely crash it. For those of you who have been around long enough, can you imagine having to go back to email trades? Not good!

 

  • There are very few programmers left at Jeppesen who even work with the underlying framework of Maestro/eMaestro. Only two carriers use this system (one being Alaska). That means there are limited resources that can be allocated to reprogramming.

AFA and management believe it is prudent to wait another month

Alaska Airlines management and AFA do not want to go live with a new Open Time trading system that has the possibility of crashing not only Open Time but also electronic trip trading in general. Although this is a disappointing development, we want the new Open Time system to be a success. Therefore AFA and management believe it is prudent to wait another month in order to provide more time to properly debug the system. As a reminder, the trial period of the new Open Time trading system begins once the system is actually implemented.

 

* * *

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Scheduling chairperson Jake Jones

6.12.15 OT Delay letter to AFA

MEC 5B Logo

 

 

 

What is taking so darned long?

AFA is still working as quickly as possible with management to finalize the contract in preparation for publication. So what is taking so darned long?

 

This is the first negotiations to revise and clean up the contract basically cover to cover since 1994

One challenge is that although there have been several rounds of negotiations since we inherited our contract from Southwest Airlines in 1994, this is the first negotiations to revise and clean up the entire contract basically cover to cover. Based on the negotiations surveys and input from your Negotiating Committees and the Master Executive Council (MEC) leadership, this round of negotiations was mandated to include more “heavy maintenance” than in the past.

The Alaska Airlines management and AFA negotiating committees did their absolute best to meet this mandate prior to publication of the Tentative Agreement. However, the reality is that once the TA2 document went “live” as a working contract the parties found several passages that deserved clarification. Our thought process is that we all have to live with this document for at least another four and a half years, so it’s important we get the printed contract just right in order to maximize readability.

 

Limited management resources due to Beyond Service Experience

Another challenge is limited management resources due to Beyond Service Experience (BSE). Although BSE is technically unrelated to contract cleanup work, Inflight management is fully immersed in BSE in addition to running the airline. Consequently, scheduling adequate time for cleanup work has been a challenge for the past several months. This isn’t a criticism of BSE but we’re simply explaining the reality of limited time with Inflight management due to BSE. Regardless of BSE, both parties are highly motivated to complete the contract document.

 

Dispute over the Quarterly Productivity Premium

A third challenge is the dispute over the Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP). AFA communicated to you about this issue in the “Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP) Update – April 24, 2015.” In addition to the original issue with QPP there have been some other tangential disputes related to QPP that have arisen since that communication. However, both parties have been working very hard to resolve QPP outside of the arbitration process. Please be assured your MEC will be fully briefed on any terms and will decide how to proceed. Ideally the parties would like to incorporate any modifications to QPP into the final print version, so we’re holding off on finalizing the contract document for just a little longer to see how QPP plays out.

 

Stranded Pay in Section 21.N

The final challenge is Stranded Pay in Section 21.N. Frankly, the parties ran out of time to deal with Stranded Pay at what became our final negotiating session in Chicago. As a reminder, the parties were under significant pressure from the National Mediation Board (NMB) to reach a deal in Chicago “or else.” (What the “or else” meant in our minds was the very real possibility of no more mediation sessions for quite some time.) With the addition of all the new Minimum Pay Rules, what was already very complicated in Stranded Pay under the old contract became even more complicated. Not only that but there is significant grievance history on Stranded Pay. Both parties believe modified language to 21.N is warranted so that everybody understands how Stranded Pay works.

 

The good news…

The good news is that we really are very, very close to moving to the next steps in the process. Those steps would include a final walkthrough with the MEC for approval and then the document would be indexed. At that point the final document would be sent off the printer for publication and the electronic version would be made immediately available on the AFA Alaska website as well on the Inflight Mobile Device.

 

Typical turnaround time for a published contract is somewhere between three months to over a year

As a reminder, the Master Executive Council (MEC) asked AFA International how long it typically takes to publish a contract following ratification and were informed that we’re well within the ballpark: ranging between three months to over a year. We’re still doing our absolute best to minimize the turnaround!

 

* * *

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

MEC 5B Logo

Congratulations to Tim Green, our new LOCAL SCHEDULING CHAIR. He will be the person advocating for our LAX flight attendant schedules and overseeing scheduling issues.

With our new contract we formed a new MEC Scheduling Committee. Jake Jones was appointed by the MEC as the new MEC Scheduling Chair. Our LEC Scheduling Chair Tim Green will be working with him and other chairs from all other bases.

We are also excited that LAXFA Sherrijon Gaspard has been selected as AFA’s Pairing Analyst. She took over Jeff Stein’s position earlier this year.

We want to thank Tim, Jake, and Sherrijon in advance for all of their hard work ahead. Please reach out to either of them with any of your suggestions and concerns. They would love to receive your feedback.

Tim Green ScheduleLAX@yahoo.com

Sherrijon Gaspard sggaspard@gmail.com

The AFA International office is in the process of documenting the actions and decisions taken at this year’s Board of Directors (BOD) meeting.

 

While not complete, some of the key documents from the BOD are now online.  Please feel free to go to the BOD website (http://afa-bod.org/) where you will find the International president’s report, remarks of the three International officers, a listing of all agenda Items, a listing of all resolutions, and information about how AFA uses dues money to fund Flight Attendant priorities (“Your AFA Dues: Funding Our Flight Attendant Priorities”)*.

 

AFA will have other items to post to the BOD website in the coming weeks.  This includes items such as a dues pie chart and accompanying text (“Where Do My Dues Go?”)*, BOD awards (text and photo for each), videos & photos (delegates & staff), speakers bios, and links to organizations (e.g. Airline Ambassadors, TTD, UniteHERE, RAFA, CWA, etc.).

 

*The Master Executive Council (MEC) will be publishing this information over the next few days.

 

We hope you find this information useful.  If you have any questions, contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers.

 

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

MEC 5B Logo

What is going on with “Shoegate”?

 

In a recent bulletin, Inflight management announced a new manual revision is at the printers and will be distributed June 17th along with several Emergency Interim Bulletins (EIBs) that are forthcoming in the next few weeks. The Master Executive Council (MEC) anticipates that one of the EIBs will contain new language in regards to the Company uniform and appearance standards. AFA has been working with Inflight management to develop a new policy that is acceptable to both parties but unfortunately we were not able to fully reach agreement.

 

Consequently AFA will almost certainly be filing one or more grievances based on the final language of the impending manual revision. The MEC knows everybody is very frustrated with the developments over the past several months and we will provide another update once the grievance(s) has been filed.

 

In solidarity,

 

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Grievance chairperson Jennifer Wise MacColl and MEC Uniform Committee chairperson Bob Moore

MEC 5B Logo

Congress is set to start voting on Fast Track Legislation soon. Our congressional representatives need to hear from you! Fast Track paves the way for the biggest trade deal ever – the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), negotiated in secret, with the rules of the deal written by multinational corporations and investors. We can expect the same results as we’ve seen with NAFTA and similar so-called Free Trade Agreements. We need trade agreements that improve the lives of workers here and in the countries with whom we trade. Please take these two steps right now:

  1. Send an email to your congressional representative: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9939
  2. Call (855) 712-8441 to be patched through from the AFL-CIO to your congressional representative.

It only takes a couple of minutes and could mean the difference between a vote that helps our jobs or harms them!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Government Affairs Chairperson Bev Bullock

This is a message from your AFA Alaska Government Affairs Committee.  For more information about Fast Track, the Trans Pacific Partnership, or how to take action, contact your Local Government Affairs Committee Chairperson.  You can also visit http://www.stopfasttrack.com or check out a short video (just over 2-½ minutes) at https://youtu.be/DnC1mqyAXmw.

MEC 5B Logo

Our union is built on a strong foundation that starts in your base at your Local Council.  Within your Local Council, you directly elect the officers who serve you and represent you at all levels of AFA.  Those same officers, along with your appointed committee members and chairs, are also your best point of contact when you need AFA support.

Whether you need a question answered, information clarified, or have a pressing situation that you need help with, these AFA leaders and representatives stand ready to assist you.  Here are some tips to get help when you need it:

Have a specific question?  Start with your Local Committees.

Local Committees are made up of fellow Flight Attendants from your base that specialize in helping you with specific areas of importance.  They are an expert, a resource, and a voice in the work of their committee.  You can contact the committee chair or any member of the committee for help.

AFA Committees

Want to know more about what each committee does?  Visit http://afaalaska.org/committees and click on the committee you’d like to know more about!

Bigger issue?  Your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers are here to help!

If you don’t know which committee to contact or you have a concern that is outside the scope of the committees, the place to go for help is one of your LEC Officers.  Your LEC Officers are fellow Flight Attendants from your base who are directly elected to represent you.  When you think, “I need help from the Union,” your next step should be to contact one of your LEC Officers!

Officer Contacts

What about the Master Executive Council (MEC)?

The MEC Officers and Committee Chairs work behind the scenes to address issues that are affecting multiple bases or all Flight Attendants.  As a coordinating group, the MEC takes direction from the LEC Officers or Local Committees.  When you need help, you should contact your directly elected LEC Officers; they will first work to resolve issues locally and then elevate things to the MEC-level for resolution as appropriate.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your Local Council for assistance or clarification.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

MEC 5B Logo

In compliance with the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws (C&B), monthly dues are set in line with the “CWA Dues Average,” which is the average of the dues paid by all members.

The AFA Board of Directors met in April and agreed that dues would adjust to the current dues average, which is fifty dollars ($50.00) per month. This change will take place for June dues and is in conformity with the “CWA Dues Average” provision in the CWA Merger Agreement located near the end of our C&B.

The International Office has taken steps to contact the Alaska Airlines Payroll Department to inform them of this new amount and to take the necessary steps so that this change will be seamless to you. The correct amount should be deducted without requiring you to take any action.

Note: If you pay annually, be looking for a letter from the International Office informing of the revised amount and payment time line. It should also be noted that the Board voted to eliminate the 10% discount for pre-payment on annual dues for the following fiscal year: June 1, 2015 through May 31, 2016.

The dues adjustment will be effective for June paychecks.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) president.

 

In solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt

 

p.s. Did you know that you can reach your LEC officers using just one email address? Send an email to the 3-letter airport code of your domicile (e.g. ANC, SEA, PDX, LAX, SAN) + @afaalaska.org. An email to this address will copy in each of your LEC officers. Examples:

anc@afaalaska.org

sea@afaalaska.org

pdx@afaalaska.org

lax@afaalaska.org

san@afaalaska.org

AFA Alaska

AFA Press Release

 

 

 

 

 

For Immediate Release                                              Contact:

May 7, 2015                                                                      Jeffrey Peterson 206-999-8207

Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants Union Pledges to Support Contract Employees’ Fight for Fifteen

 

Seattle, WA (May 7, 2015) – Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), issued a statement today in support of Alaska Airlines contract workforce in their fight for $15 an hour and a union.

 

AFA has a long, proud history of supporting workers throughout the airline industry and we believe that all jobs in our airports and on our airplanes should be good jobs with union rights, safe working conditions, fair wages and quality affordable health insurance.  Alaska Airlines’ contractors, including Menzies Aviation, BAGS, DGS, Huntleigh and Aviation Safeguards should be no exception.

 

Contract airport workers employed by Alaska vendors at many of its West Coast airports are being held back in their struggle to improve the quality of their jobs, win a voice on the job and ensure safer working conditions. These workers move our passengers’ luggage, clean our planes and provide wheelchair assistance to our passengers in need.

 

All workers performing services for Alaska Airlines should receive their fair share of the wealth that we are all helping to create. As Alaska Air Group continues to make record profits, our airline management and its selected vendors should not stand in the way of these workers trying to form their own union.

 

Ten years ago this month, Alaska Airlines executives made the decision to outsource almost all of our baggage handlers. This is after having outsourced much of our heavy maintenance and all of our cabin cleaners. While these decisions have helped the airline to return investment to shareholders, they also eliminated thousands of middle class jobs. Today, these contracted out jobs are with low pay and few benefits.  The cities of Seattle and SeaTac recently raised their minimum hourly wage, yet Alaska Airlines is standing in the way of SeaTac workers fully realizing the wage increase. We need sustainable jobs for thriving communities to ensure the continued success of Alaska Airlines.

 

As aviation’s first responders and the last line of defense, Flight Attendants understand that all workers in aviation are part of the safety and security web that continues to keep our skies the safest in the world. Through our membership in AFA, we are able to partner with our management and the FAA on programs keeping safety at the forefront as we continually improve our practices. All frontline workers performing service on behalf of Alaska have the right to the same types of safety programs – and travelers deserve the assurances these safety programs provide.

 

In the best interest of Flight Attendants, shareholders and the passengers in our care, Alaska’s contract workers need to be able to exercise their voice and work with the company to address their unique safety concerns through their membership in unions.

 

# # #

 

The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 67 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.

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