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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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As you probably have heard by now, Alaska Airlines management is planning to phase out the old Jeppesen Maestro/eMaestro system and switch to the new Jeppesen Crew Tracking Enterprise on the evening of September 30th. Management recently announced all trip trading will be “temporarily” suspended for up to 78 hours during the cutover. Yes, you read that correctly: more than 3 days! (Full disclosure: Management plans to open up trading as soon as they believe it is safe to do so.)

The AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) and management have been discussing the impending transition in detail for many months now. The parties have thoroughly explored alternative options for trip trading during the cutover—including manual trading—and we’re all in agreement there is no viable method of keeping trip trading open during this period. That is where our agreement on the issue ends.

Although the MEC recognizes that Maestro/eMaestro is antiquated, the MEC also knows that having trading completely suspended for that length of time is unacceptable to our members—and unprecedented. It is also a contractual violation: CBA §12.C.1. [Exchange of Sequences: Trading Procedures] “The Company will provide and maintain a real-time electronic system for processing sequence trades, pick-ups, drops and give-aways.” Additionally, your AFA leadership anticipates the transition has the potential to significantly and very negatively impact the operation.

The MEC has spent months attempting to negotiate provisions that would help take the sting out of such a major contractual violation and benefit the operation. As of this writing, the MEC regrets to inform you that the parties have been unable to reach an agreement on the cutover. In the MEC’s opinion, the tentatively agreed to provisions do not go far enough to acknowledge such a significant contractual violation, nor to make up for the disruption to Flight Attendant’s flexibility of schedule (which has been lacking these days anyway). Consequently, negotiations have stalled.

Your AFA leaders are sure you will agree that a simple “We apologize for the inconvenience” from management is not nearly enough. Although management is taking steps to minimize the impact, the MEC is also concerned the cutover could easily become an operational nightmare—unless additional measures are negotiated to supplement the existing staffing. Therefore, AFA Alaska calls upon Alaska Airlines management to renew negotiations with us as soon as possible.

Be assured the MEC is continuing to passionately advocate for your interests, and we will not let this issue rest. Stay tuned for further developments!

In Solidarity,

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

[Note: The Open Time Trial survey is out slightly late this month. In order to keep the survey results “clean” from month to month, the survey will close prior to Open Time for August trading opens this coming Saturday morning. That means the survey will be live for a little bit less than three days, so it is important that you do not delay taking it. Going forward the MEC will be taking additional steps to ensure the survey opens just after PBS bids are due on the 10th and close on the 16th at 9am PT.]

 

Pursuant to AFA Alaska Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.F.8.D.5 [Exchange of Sequences: Open Time Trial], the Master Executive Council (MEC) is conducting a monthly poll of membership regarding your satisfaction with Open Time. Your candid responses will help the MEC determine the course of the Open Time trial.

 

It is important to focus on Open Time functionality, not the technical issues with logging into the system, when answering the questions.

 

You must enter your Arctic number in order to take the survey. We’re asking for your Arctic number to ensure each Flight Attendant receives one vote per month and is not for tracking purposes. If a survey is submitted more than once with the same Arctic number, all responses using that Arctic number will be excluded for this month.

 

> > > To take the AFA Alaska Open Time Trial Survey for July 2016 click here. < < <

 

The survey will close on Saturday, July 16th at 9am Pacific Time. Once again, there is a free form comments field at the end of the survey, and the LEC presidents will review the comments.

 

Thank you in advance for your feedback. The MEC will publish a summary of results once the responses have been tallied on Monday, July 18th.

 

In Solidarity,

 

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

  • If it is a catering safety related issue an ISR or ASAP should be filed.  A catering feedback email that has SAFETY in the subject line will also help the issue to be immediately addressed.
  • Use a regular email for catering errors addressed to catering.feedback@alaskaair.com.  Upper management groups do not need to be copied in—in some respects it slows the process of correcting the problems.
  • The most important thing is to use the following format in the first line of the email DATE/CITYPAIR/FLT#.

For example:

6/20/2016/SEA/    /Flt #723

Missing FC syrup
Linens wet, crinkled and torn

  • If you have pictures they should be included with the email
  • Writing the problem on the boarding bill and taking a picture with my IMD is very efficient.   You can just send the picture from the IMD and catering gets all of the information they need quickly.

LEC President Update: May 2016 – June 2016

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

In an effort to communicate the work done on behalf of the Seattle Officers, we are introducing a new quarterly update. This update is designed to inform and educate the members of the work done by their elected AFA Officers. We hope you find this update to be helpful and informative.

For this first report we will begin with the month of May. The Seattle Officer group was very busy with the day-to-day work of the union in addition to multiple meetings and conferences.

The LEC President does not bid a line and spends most days in the AFA office running the council’s day-to-day* business. The Vice President, Jake Jones, is also the MEC Scheduling Chair and does not bid a line. He spends the majority of his time at the Flight Ops building between the AFA office and his desk in the scheduling department. Secretary/Treasurer, Linda Christou, bids a line and attends to AFA work during and between trips. Council Representatives, Adam Clarey and Stephanie Adams also bid lines and attend to work during and between trips. When the LEC President is in Greece the Vice President and Secretary attend meetings, if necessary, on behalf of the LEC President. Most of the work done on behalf of the LEC Officers is via emails, phone calls, and text messages.

            *Please note that each Officer, on a daily basis, can receive up to 20 emails, multiple phone calls, text messages, and visits in the AFA office from Flight Attendants with questions, comments, and concerns in addition to the meetings we attend. The LEC President can receive more than 30 emails per day from various sources.

The first week of May, Seattle grievance reps attended three meetings with members, participated in an AFA International conference call to review the upcoming BOD agenda items, and answered multiple emails/phone calls from members. Most common questions are scheduling/trading questions and medical/ worker’s compensation leave questions.

May 11-12: New Hire Graduation and Seattle base orientation. SEA Officers and SEA Reserve Chair, Carole Babcock, attend graduation and new hire orientation. One meeting attended to by a grievance rep.

May 17: AFA LEC Base Meeting.

Per the AFA Constitution and Bylaws, each council is responsible for holding two meetings per year~ with one meeting to held prior the annual AFA Board of Director’s meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to review the agenda items and seek direction from the members on how the President should place her vote on the agenda items. Please click the following link for the notes from this meeting:

http://afaalaska.org/sea/council-19-meeting-minutes-and-committee-reports

May 18: LEC President attended the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) meeting and the MEC Scheduling Meeting.

ADR is a meeting established to review concerns with management on a variety of issues that affect Flight Attendants. The desire is to resolve the issues and alleviate filing grievances.

MEC Scheduling meeting: MEC Scheduling Chair, Jake Jones, and LEC Scheduling Chairs, Martin Vance and Rita Tillou, meet with management to discuss current concerns and address issues.

May 19: Grievance reps attended two meetings with members. LEC President attended to work in the AFA office.

May 20-26: Attended the AFA Board of Director’s Meeting in Atlanta, GA. May MEC Meeting held Saturday in Atlanta. LEC Secretary Linda Christou presented to the Board on behalf of Council 19 for her work on membership. Council Rep Adam Clarey also attended the conference.

May 30/31: LEC President attended ADR meeting and Officers followed up with members on multiple issues from ADR.

June 1: Critical Incident Response Program (CIRP). LEC Officer Linda Christou and Council Rep Adam Clarey attended the annual training with members of EAP, ASHSC, and management.

June 2: LEC President attends monthly “tie in” meeting with Director of Seattle Base Operations, Carmen Williams.

June 6: LEC President attended to work in AFA office.

June 7: SEA Scheduling Committee meeting, Grievance rep attended one meeting, and Labor Leaders* Meeting.

Members of Seattle’s scheduling committee met to discuss current issues. Ron Calvin attended part of the meeting and the committee voiced concerns over pairings, quality of life, and summer staffing.

*Labor Leaders is a quarterly meeting attended by all labor leaders at Alaska and management at Alaska.

June 8: LEC President attended to work in AFA office.

June 11-15: LEC President attends CWA President’s meeting and Legislative affairs conference in Washington DC.

June 16: LEC President attended to work in AFA office. LEC Reserve Chair attended Quarterly Reserve meeting. MEC and LEC Reserve Chair(s) meet with Kieran Whitney and his staff to discuss/address current issues.

June 17: LEC President attended Benefits meeting with Employee medical relations, leave analysts, members from Matrix Absence management, MEC Benefits Chair and MEC Grievance Committee to discuss concerns surrounding current FA leave processes.

June 20: LEC President attended to work in AFA office and grievance rep attended one meeting. Seattle Base Safety Meeting attended by LEC Secretary, Linda Christou.

June 21: LEC President attended several scheduled calls with LEC Chairs and performance supervisors concerning grievance issues.

June 22-25: LEC President out flying the line.

June 26: LEC Officers had the privilege of participating in the Seattle Pride Parade.

June 27: Grievance reps attended two meetings. LEC President (elected to the AFA International Leadership Development committee) participated in conference call for upcoming training and attended to work in AFA office.

June 29: Base Orientation attended by Council Representative Adam Clarey and SEA Reserve Chair Carole Babcock.

June 28-30: MEC Meeting. Interviewed candidates for Joint Negotiating Committee.

What is an MEC meeting?

The Master Executive Council (MEC) is comprised of the 3 appointed MEC Officers, MEC President, MEC Vice President, and MEC Secretary and the 5 elected Local Executive Council Presidents (LEC). Each month the MEC meets to address concerns, discuss current topics affecting each base and the AFA committees, and review latest updates/issues from management.

The work of the MEC is captured in the newsletters we distribute to members. You can read the latest news from the MEC at:

http://afaalaska.org

You can find Seattle’s latest news at: http://afaalaska.org/sea

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews last week for the two open Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) member positions. The MEC would like to thank the 15 candidates who demonstrated a willingness to represent our Flight Attendants in joint contract negotiations. After thorough deliberation, the MEC has appointed Jennifer Wise MacColl and Lindsey Steele to the positions. Your full AFA Alaska JNC is MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jen Wise MacColl, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo.

MEC President Jeffrey Peterson

Jeffrey Peterson grew up in Anchorage, AK, and graduated from A.J. Dimond High in south Anchorage. Jeff achieved a Presidential Scholar Award in 1991 and went on to attain a BA in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. Prior to becoming a Flight Attendant, he spent several years in hotel management working for Marriott International and a franchise company associated with Marriott Hotels. He started out his Flight Attendant career 15 years ago in Los Angeles. Jeff has also been based in Seattle and now San Diego. Jeff’s term as AFA-CWA Alaska MEC president began on July 1, 2011, and he is in his second term of office, which ends December 31, 2016. Jeff currently splits his time between his apartment in San Diego, his family’s condo in Puerto Vallarta and the AFA office in Seattle.

Jennifer Wise MacColl

Jen Wise MacColl started flying in July of 1996 and was based in Anchorage for her first year.  The rest of her career has been spent in the Seattle base.  She is the current MEC Grievance Chairperson and has held that position since 2010. Jen has participated in many AFA committees over her career including Government Affairs, EAP/CIRP and Voice. She earned her BA in Political Science from the University of Washington and is supported through all her endeavors by her husband Scott and two kids Landon and Riley.

Lindsey Steele

Lindsey Steele has been an Alaska Airlines flight attendant since 2012. She chose to start out her career in Anchorage in order to fully embrace the Alaska culture, much to the surprise to her classmates and trainers. Lindsey later transferred to Los Angeles to reside with her family in the suburbs of Azusa She comes from a family with strong union roots dating back to the 1940’s with her grandfather. Lindsey’s mother has been a Union member all of Lindsey’s life, and now Lindsey continues the tradition as a proud AFA member. Her goal for the forthcoming merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America is to instill a renewed faith and unity in the membership through a strong contract.

Paula Mastrangelo

Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator, was the bargaining representative and chief spokesperson for AFA at Alaska Airlines in the 1990s.  She resumed that role after taking time off, and has been involved in negotiating contracts with Alaska, including the current agreement.  She has started her career with the F.A.S.T. division of the AFL-CIO and has negotiated many international union agreements.

 

The Joint Negotiating Committee works to obtain interim safeguards including a fence agreement with management (which maintains separate Inflight operations for a specified period of time) and merge the collective bargaining agreement(s) and/or respective work rules into a collective bargaining agreement for the combined airline. Additional information about the JNC can be found at http://afaalaska.org/merger/jnc.

 

Current news from AFA Alaska about the Alaska Airlines/Virgin America merger can be found at http://afaalaska.org/merger.

 

In Solidarity,

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

Your Joint Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

Save the Date for AFA Government Affairs Workshop, August 15, 2016!!

The Association of Flight Attendants Government Affairs Department is offering a 1-day “Introduction to Government Affairs” workshop on Monday August 15, 2016. The training will be held at the Alaska Airlines Regional Headquarters In Anchorage. The training will start at 9:00AM and will end at 4:00 PM.

This introductory workshop is provided as an overview for new committee members and activists. This workshop will explore how government affairs and legislative activism are important to flight attendants, the necessity of growing FlightPAC, how to maximize grassroots engagement effectively and using social media for grassroots activism.

The workshop is unpaid but training materials, morning snacks and lunch will be provided. It will be conducted at the Alaska Airlines Regional Headquarters In Anchorage.

Stephen Schembs, AFA Government Affairs Director, will conduct the training with special guest Kim Hayes, the deputy director of Alaska AFL-CIO who will speak about local labor and political issues that will be on the ballot in November.

Please join us if your ready to be engaged in the process.  Please RSVP to this communication so we can have a count for providing training materials and food. Thresia Raynor, our local ANC Government Affairs Chair will be hosting this workshop!

Newly elected Council 15 (San Diego) and Council 18 (Los Angeles) Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers begin their term of office today.  Nominations and elections for these positions were held this spring.  These officers will serve a three-year term of office beginning July 1, 2016 and ending June 30, 2019 consistent with AFA election cycle III.

Council 15 – San Diego

Incoming Council 15 LEC Officers are President Brice McGee, Vice President Melanie Buker, and Secretary Stephen Couckuyt.  Biographies for each officer can be found on the Council 15 page of afaalaska.org.

The MEC would like to recognize outgoing LEC President Stephen Couckuyt and Secretary Brice McGee for their work in their previous officer roles and congratulates Melanie Buker on her reelection to the office of Vice President.

Council 18 – Los Angeles

Incoming Council 18 LEC Officers are President Tim Green, Vice President Melanie Seymour, Secretary Fady Shenouda, and Council Representative Bryan Wall.  Biographies for each officer can be found on the Council 18 page of afaalaska.org.

The MEC would like to recognize outgoing officers Sandra Morrow, Kelly Johnson, Kelese Stallings, and David Lehman for their years of service to the members of Council 18 and AFA Alaska.

In Solidarity,

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

We hope that you’ve gained new knowledge from this month’s Your Air Matters campaign.  All of the resources shared this month will continue to be available on the air quality page of afaalaska.org.  On the page, you’ll always be able to access the most up-to-date air quality exposure information.

Knowledge Is Power

Even though the message has been widespread on afaalaska.org and AFA Alaska social media accounts, you can help to keep the conversation going and make sure that everyone knows what to do if they breathe contaminated air onboard.  Share the information on your air quality quick reference card with your flying partners.  Show someone how to access the air quality exposure information on their IMD.  Let your crew know how important it is to seek treatment if there’s possibility of exposure and they’re showing symptoms.  These discussions will help to empower all of our Flight Attendants in the event of exposure to contaminated cabin air.

Give Ten, Get Ten

We’ve previously shared information about Give Ten, Get Ten, a campaign to fund ongoing research to help develop a blood test to detect engine oil fume exposure from aircraft engines.  Currently, the only way to detect exposure is a blood test for carbon monoxide (CO) exposure which must be conducted before CO clears from your blood, often less than 24 hours after exposure.

Development of a blood test specific to engine oil fumes is critical in the ongoing fight to improve cabin air.  A dedicated test will help crew members and passengers alike to prove incidents of exposure and seek proper treatment for the debilitating symptoms associated with breathing engine oil fumes.  Please take a moment to review the campaign page for more information.  The video features information about the research project and interviews with several crew members who have been affected by exposure to engine oil fumes.

We hope that you’ll GIVE $10 (or any amount that you’re able) to help directly fund this important research project and GET 10 of your friends, family, and coworkers to do the same.

If you have any questions about Give Ten, Get Ten, please email AFA Industrial Hygienist Judith Anderson at judith@afanet.org.

Questions?

Your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) is your go-to for additional information and answers to any questions that you have about cabin air quality.  You can find contact information on the ASHSC page of the AFA Alaska website.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; LEC Presidents-Elect Tim Green and Brice McGee; MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple

Tallee attended the Quarterly Uniform Meeting in SEA and has provided the following update to share with our members.

  • Survey results confirmed the obvious system wide displeasure.  More information available on Alaskasworld.
  • Luly’s new Breast Cancer Neckwear is available to purchase/order now.  If you would like to make a donation to the Pink Lemonade Project, that is available there as well.  The Neckwear is being sold to us at cost, BUT the company will match up to $10,000.00 of our donations.  Those must be ordered by July 5, 2016.  They may open second round of ordering, but this is the only guaranteed time frame.
  • The Company is hopeful that we may see sketches as early as the end of 2nd quarter 2017.  Hope to have the Uniform Ambassadors start wear testing by 4th Quarter.
  • The Uniform Committee Chairs are currently testing a new roller bag (1″ shorter) that is meant to accommodate all bins including the space bins when placed correctly on their sides.
  • Patriotic and Holiday neckwear designs still to come.  No confirmation on the designer.
  • Next round of Focus groups will occur AFTER design briefs are released.

Again, if you have any questions/information you would like to share relating to our uniforms, please reach out to Tallee and the Uniform Committee.

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, June 4, representatives from our pre-merger Alaska AFA Reserve Committee met to discuss ongoing work advocating for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Conner Gallager (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Kanako Yamada (LAX), Adrian Alcantara (SAN), and MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 15 – June 2026

The JNC has been actively negotiating key sections of the contract, focusing on vacation, sick leave, and temporary duty assignments. A tentative agreement was reached on Section 37 (Temporary Duty Assignments), ensuring financial protections and fair treatment for Flight Attendants during temporary assignments. These ongoing discussions demonstrate a commitment to integrating the best benefits from both Alaska and Hawaiian CBAs for all members.

Celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month

Every June, we come together to honor LGBTQ Pride Month in the United States—a time to celebrate the remarkable resilience, diversity, and achievements of the LGBTQ community. Pride Month began as a tribute to the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan in 1969, a pivotal moment that ignited the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The inaugural Pride March, […]

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – May 2026

On Wednesday, May 20, our Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) representatives met virtually to discuss ongoing safety concerns, operational challenges, policy updates, and workplace improvements impacting Flight Attendants across the operation. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), David Lake (SEA), Kalin Lackey (PDX), Bradley Young (SFO), Bryce Sarmiento (LAX pmAS), […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – May 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, May 26, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

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