April 4, 2015 14:09

San Diego Local Council 15 Meeting
Thursday, April 16, 2015
1 PM – 3 PM

Schedule/Agenda

Call to Order
Introductions
Officer Reports
BOD Agenda Items (click here to review agenda items on the AFA BOD website)

Meeting Location

Sharie D Shipley Center at San Diego International Airport. The center is located in Terminal 2 on the baggage claim Level. From the Commuter Terminal, ride the Airport Loop Bus and get off at the third stop. Walk into Terminal 2 baggage claim, turn left and walk to the very end. The Media Center is on the left side of the far end wall.

April 4, 2015 05:00

We’re just as disappointed as you are…

The AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) is just as disappointed as you are in regards to the new “same calendar day” alcohol policy. We resolutely oppose this Company policy and will put forward our best effort to turn this around. The MEC is currently working to schedule a meeting with executive management as soon as possible to discuss our members’ concerns.

Message to management: stop being overly paternalistic!

Our message to management will be clear: the vast majority of flight attendants consume alcohol responsibly, so stop being overly paternalistic! Management talks about wishing to align us with “FAA recommendations that encourage 24 hours free from alcohol for flight deck crew.” That sounds all well and fine, but then where are our flight deck rest and fatigue rules? Full transparency: our contractual duty day and rest limitations may be more generous than those outlined in 14 CFR Part 117 (“Flight and duty limitation and rest requirements: flightcrew members”) in some instances—but you get the point.

Current reporting requirements for drug and alcohol abuse results in a culture of fear

The MEC believes this new rule will not change the behavior of those very few who abuse alcohol but rather drive them further underground. Your AFA leadership and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) committee have long advocated that the current reporting requirements for drug and alcohol abuse results in a culture of fear. There is the fear of losing one’s job if you suspect a problem but you’re not ready to come forward; fear of causing a co-worker who you suspect of abusing to lose her or his job if you report the concern; or fear losing one’s job if you do not report the concern about a fellow co-worker and are subsequently terminated for “hiding” a safety violation.

AFA is committed to working with management to develop a “return to cabin” system

This culture of fear creates a “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” approach, which obviously cannot result in a culture of safety. AFA is committed to working with management to move away from a punitive approach and develop a new “return to cabin” system that holds safety in the highest regard while also recognizing a modern understanding of addiction. This system should also provide employees with the tools to help their co-workers without fear of termination for themselves or their co-workers.

Realistically AFA cannot file a grievance but this doesn’t mean we’re powerless

Some members have asked us to file a grievance on this issue but the alcohol policy is not protected in the contract. Rather, this is a Company policy and would not be eligible for a contractual grievance. We are not aware of any collective bargaining group at any airline that has a contractually protected right to consume alcohol up to a certain cutoff. However, just because we cannot realistically file a grievance does not mean we’re powerless!

Email management

The MEC encourages all flight attendants to respectfully share their feelings about this new rule by emailing the following Alaska Airlines management personnel:

Chief Operating Officer (COO) Ben Minicucci,
Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider, and
Managing Director of Inflight Operations Ron Calvin.

Express your thoughts directly to management at the upcoming Inflight “happy hours” in April

There are also several Inflight “happy hours” upcoming in April in SEA (April 16^th 4:30-6:30pm), PDX (April 23^rd 4-6pm) and SAN (April 27^th 4-6pm)—all locations to be determined. These events are a fantastic opportunity for you to express your thoughts about this ridiculous policy face to face with Inflight management. Meanwhile, you can reflect upon the irony of discussing this restrictive alcohol policy at happy hour. 😉

Suggestions welcome

The MEC welcomes any suggestions on how to leverage our solidarity. If you’re going to email your creative solutions please use a private email address—do not use your Company email. Contact your local officers with your ideas.

ANC 30: http://afaalaska.org/anc/officers/

SEA 19: http://afaalaska.org/sea/officers/

PDX 39: http://afaalaska.org/pdx/officers/

LAX 18: http://afaalaska.org/lax/officers/

SAN 15: http://afaalaska.org/san/officers/

* * *

MEC conference call earlier today

The Master Executive Council (MEC) held a conference call earlier today to discuss several issues currently of importance. It was a very productive call and we are now working our way through the action items that developed from our agenda. This is the first in a series of communications to update you on the latest developments.

New alcohol policy communication from AFA is pending

A communication has been drafted and is currently being reviewed by the full MEC. That communication will be out as soon as possible following approval.

Easter Weekend 2015 staffing

The MEC is pleased to see management very frankly addressed the staffing challenges for this weekend in the Inflight bulletin 2015-0093 “staffing issues due to system error” (sic) that was posted earlier today. To summarize, there is a glitch in eMaestro that allowed for trades out of closed days in Open Time. Jeppesen acknowledged the glitch during a conference call with Alaska Airlines management and AFA. Jeppesen has taken steps to correct the issue but at this time it is unknown if the glitch is completely resolved so troubleshooting continues.

Yes, it is true that Open Time was also left more open for April than usual. Many of you noticed this and even contacted AFA with your concerns. AFA definitely appreciates management’s efforts to keep the days more open but unfortunately this also probably contributed to the problem.

In fairness to management, there was no reasonable way for them to foresee the glitch. Based on adequate staffing going into Open Time Day it seemed like minimal risk to allow increased trading flexibility for April. All indications are that this weekend’s (and possibly next weekend’s) staffing shortage is mostly due to circumstances beyond the control of Alaska Airlines.

Luckily, many flight attendants have signed up for VJA so coverage is looking marginally adequate for now. There is always the possibility of management flying to prevent a cancellation and JA but we’re encouraged that these options will be unnecessary. Here’s hoping (or hopping?) to an uneventful Easter weekend 2015!

***

In solidarity,

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

April 3, 2015 09:39

April 8th, 2015 Council 19 Local Base Meeting

Please remember to attend the upcoming base meeting on Wednesday, April 8th!

The first part of the meeting Horizon Council 16 will be joining us to reveiw the agenda items and budget for the upcoming AFA Board of Directors Meeting.

Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Where: Hampton Inn and Suites- Across from the Alaska Flight Ops Building

The second part of the your LEC Officers are hosting a local council meeting!

Time:1:30pm – 4:00pm

Where: Hampton Inn and Suites- Across from the Alaska Flight Ops Building

Please find the attached link for the BOD agenda items. It is important that you take the time to reveiw the agenda items and the proposed budget. If you have comments or questions direct them to Laura Masserant before April 26. As your LEC President, Laura votes on your behalf on these agenda items and the budget. It is imperative that your officers have your feedback when we are placing these votes!

http://afa-bod.org/index-of-agenda-items/

We look forward to seeing on Wednesday!

In solidarity,

Laura Masserant, Council 19 LEC President

April 2, 2015 21:44

You want to hear from us

What a week! The Master Executive Council (MEC) knows you want to hear from us about a number of hot topics:

Contract implementation, including a contract publication update;
“Shoegate” (i.e. recent “clarifications” to the uniform and appearance standards);
Ongoing developments in the dispute over the Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP);
All Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs) displayed in eMaestro for 11 hours on March 31^st;
Management’s recently announced notice of intent to change the alcohol policy “cutoff” from 10 hours prior to duty all the way back to the previous calendar day; and
Easter weekend 2015 staffing.

MEC conference call scheduled for tomorrow

The MEC has scheduled a conference call for midday tomorrow (Friday, April 3^rd) to discuss all these issues and we will communicate as soon as possible thereafter. Due to the amount of information cited here, we will likely break up our communications on these topics into digestible installments.

About that alcohol policy…

All these topics are important but the MEC would like to call out the alcohol policy in particular. We are just as incredulous as you are about this gross overreaction by management. As safety professionals and first responders, obviously AFA supports a culture of safety but in our opinion this is patently absurd. You can expect that we will expand upon this sentiment in short order!

Stand by for more soon…

In solidarity,

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

April 1, 2015 10:35

Dear LAX Flight Attendants,

Lots of news for our base already this year. Here is a letter from LEC President Sandra Morrow with some highlights.

Union Meeting

Wow it’s spring already!!! Your LEC is busy preparing for our April Union meeting. We have scheduled our Union meeting for April 16, at Long Beach’s Recreation Park, 700 Federation Drive, Long Beach, CA from 11:00am -2:00pm. We wanted it to be fun and informative so it will be held at a park with a potluck. AFA will provide the entre and beverages, and we are asking each of you to participate and bring a side dish, appetizer or dessert. Please RSVP to Kelese Stallings at kelesestallings@yahoo.com and let her know if you will be coming and what you are bringing to the potluck. This will help us get a head count for the amount of food we will need. Also don’t forget to bring a beach chair.

I will be attending the Board of Directors (BOD) meeting on April 27th-30th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Constitution and Bylaws require all councils to bring forward the agenda items to their members. You will have the opportunity to review and discuss each agenda item at the union meeting with the LEC officers.

We are excited to have Kristy Stratton, Negotiating Committee member, attend the meeting and hold a Q&A session on the new contract. Please send your contract questions prior to the meeting to David Lehman at lehmaninla@yahoo.com by April 11th. We want to be able to answer as many questions as possible and having this information in advance will help expedite the process. After the meeting we will post the questions and answers in the minutes on the MEC website (afaalaska.org) for those who are not able to attend.

Parking in LAX

AFA and the Company have been in discussions about the parking at the Westin. We know how unreliable the vans have been and we were happy to see that there was a change starting March 16th. The Westin has told us that there will be 4 vans every hour and they will not be stopping at the Sheraton. The Company has agreed to a trial run for the next month to so see if this works out. We have heard from you that the Westin is your choice of parking as long as the vans are reliable. However, if this does not work out the only other option is the D lot. Please give us your feedback if the new shuttle system at the Westin is working out. Also as a reminder, even though we cannot use Thrifty we are able to use Fox.

Local Scheduling Chair

We are looking for a volunteer to become our LAX Scheduling Chair. This person will be the advocate for our LAX schedules. With our new contract we formed a new MEC Scheduling Committee. Congratulations to Jake Jones as he was appointed by the MEC as the new MEC Scheduling Chair. Jake is a Seattle FA and was a member of the Negotiating Committee. He works on behalf of AFA and is an advocate for the FAs. The local Chair for LAXFAs would be working with him and other chairs from all other bases. If you are interested please contact me at sleemorrow@verizon.net by April 30th. Please include a short bio and why you are be interested in the position.

We are also excited that LAXFA Sherrijon Gaspard has been selected as AFA’s pairing analyst. She will be taking Jeff Stein’s position. Jeff has work in that position for the last 10 years and we thank him for all of his hard work.

Attention LAX Reserves: Update Your Co-Terminal Preferences

Beginning on March 1st, 2015 Crew Scheduling has begun to assign trips out of Co-Terminals in order of your preference and not necessarily in LTFA order. What does this means for you? Prior to this change Crew Scheduling was not required to look at your Co-Terminal Preferences unless there were two Flight Attendants who had the same TFP on the LTFA list. Then there had to be two trips that needed to be assigned (worth the same TFP). The odds of this happening were very rare, and primarily only happened the first couple days of the month. With the new change you no longer have to have the same TFP and have two trips worth the same TFP in order for schedulers to look at your Co-Terminal Preferences.

For example: A 2 day AM trip out of BUR

There are 4 Flight Attendants who are good for 2 AM days. The LTFA will still show those Flight Attendants in TFP order. The Flight Attendant with the lowest TFP will be looked at first. If they designated BUR as a preference, then they will get assigned the trip. If they did not preference BUR then Crew Scheduling will move on to the next lowest TFP and look at their preferences. If no Flight Attendant good for 2 days AM report has BUR listed as a preference, then the trip will go to the Flight Attendant with the lowest TFP on the LTFA list. There may be times where a 2 day BUR trip gets assigned to a 3 day BUR Flight Attendant in order to grant a Co-Terminal Preference but this is at Crew Scheduling discretion.

Co-Terminal Preferences are generally live. However, preferences are “frozen” between 2pm and 6pm PST the day prior while Scheduling is assigning all the trips in Open Time. The LTFA preferences cannot be changed during this time and the button to submit the changes is deactivated. It is recommended that if you are going to change your Co-Terminal Preference you DO NOT wait until 2pm to make those changes.

After 6pm PST the day prior the LTFA preferences are “unfrozen”. At this point Crew Scheduling works off of live LTFA preferences. When Crew Scheduling is looking to assign a trip they will take a snapshot of the LTFA list. It is possible that if you update your LTFA preferences right after that snapshot is taken your new preferences will not be honored for that assignment because the assignment is being made based on your (only moments ago) old preferences. In this case AFA will not hold Scheduling at fault for not assigning based on the updated LTFA.

We hope this is a great step forward for LAX Reserves…we understand how hard Co-Terminal flying can be.

Looking forward to seeing you all at our April 16th, Union meeting. In the meantime fly safe!

In Solidarity,

Sandra Morrow
LAX LEC President

Contact the entire Local Executive Council (LEC) and visit afaalaska.org

Sandra Morrow, LEC President – sleemorrow@me.com
Kelly Johnson, LEC Vice President – laxvice@aol.com
Kelese Stallings, LEC Secretary – kelesestallings@yahoo.com
David Lehman, Council Representative – lehmaninla@yahoo.com

March 31, 2015 05:00

Definition

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has received several questions regarding the Quarterly Productivity Premium (Section 21.R). The first Quarterly Productivity Premium (QPP) of our new contract for the first quarter of 2015 (Q1 2015) is due to be paid out May 5^th. A flight attendant will receive the QPP of $500 if her/his Worked TFP (Section 5 Definitions) during Q1 2015 exceeds the TFP equivalent of her/his combined monthly PBS bid award in that calendar quarter. Taxes on QPP will be withheld at the flight attendant’s personal tax rate just like regular wages; this is in contrast to Performance Based Pay (PBP), which has taxes withheld at the IRS “supplemental rate” (or “bonus rate”).

Worked TFP is all paid TFP exclusive of sick leave and vacation/Longevity PTO. That is, Worked TFP includes but is not limited to regular TFP, deadhead, Minimum Pay Rules, pay protection, training, et cetera. As long as vacation/Longevity PTO and sick leave TFP is “made up” at some point in the quarter, usage of these benefits will not in and of themselves disqualify a flight attendant from achieving QPP.

QPP was a “take it or leave it” management proposal

As we explained at the roadshows, QPP was a management proposal. Management offered it at the end of the negotiations. Our Negotiating Committee told management at the time that the proposal had some problems. Management, however, told us we could take it as is or leave it. Since the Negotiating Committee understood that QPP would definitely put money in the pockets of many flight attendants, of course we took it.

Example

To illustrate the language, let’s assume a flight attendant was awarded 82 TFP in January, 79 TFP in February and 67 TFP in March. His combined monthly PBS award over the quarter would equal 228 TFP (82 + 79 + 67). If the flight attendant were to be paid at least 228.1 TFP (228 + 0.1) not counting sick leave and vacation/Longevity PTO (the definition of “Worked TFP”), he would receive the QPP. If he were to be paid 228 or fewer TFP not counting sick and vacation/Longevity PTO, he would not receive it.

Simple trip trading does not directly affect QPP eligibility, only “downtrading”

There is no requirement to exceed the PBS bid award each month, only the combined amount of each month over the entire quarter. Please note you do not actually have to work your awarded schedule but rather the equivalent amount of TFP. Therefore trading in no way affects QPP unless you “downtrade” as measured against your combined monthly bid awards across the quarter.

Worked TFP excludes vacation/Longevity PTO (and sick leave)

Unfortunately, Worked TFP excludes vacation/Longevity PTO. Vacation/Longevity PTO TFP is part of the PBS award. So a flight attendant with a week of vacation has a deficit in that quarter. Assume the flight attendant was awarded the same schedule as in the previous example. Her combined monthly PBS bid awards over the quarter still equals 228 TFP. But 28 of those TFP (7 days of vacation x 4 TFP vacation credit/day) does not count as Worked TFP. In order to qualify for the QPP, she would have to work the 200 TFP from her bid award (228-vacation of 28), PLUS at least 28.1 additional TFP. Lack of vacation/Longevity PTO credit was a major problem we pointed out to management during negotiations but AFA knew there were several.

Dispute over QPP eligibility

Now our concerns have been realized. AFA and management disagree about how QPP should be paid out. So far we anticipate the dispute to be focused around flight attendants who have not received a full line at some point in the quarter (such as those on various leaves). AFA believes that the language is unambiguous and that a flight attendant who works one-tenth (0.1) TFP more than the total TFP equivalent of her/his PBS monthly bid awards over the quarter should receive it.

Quickly approaching deadline to pay QPP on time

Despite multiple requests by AFA over the past several weeks, management still has not articulated in writing exactly what their problem is with QPP. Management has also not provided an explanation of how they expect to pay QPP. In order for QPP to be paid on time on May 5^th the issue must be resolved by around April 10^th, which is the deadline for programming the payroll system to pay out QPP.

As of late last week, AFA’s understanding is that the payroll system is currently programmed to correctly pay out QPP exactly as the language indicates. Interestingly, the Information Technology (IT) department programmed the payroll system based on rules supplied by none other than the Alaska Airlines management negotiating team. Only after management had time to contemplate the implications of what they agreed to did they lodge objections.

It’s really too bad that management didn’t heed AFA’s concerns and take more time to fully vet QPP prior to signing the deal. In fairness to management, both parties were under pressure to conclude the deal in Chicago. However, that being said, management was under no obligation to pursue this provision. In our opinion it seems a little late to dispute the details after the fact simply because they don’t like what they negotiated.

AFA will file a grievance if QPP is paid any other way than according to the clear and unambiguous language

If management pays the QPP any way other than according to the clear and unambiguous language, AFA will file a grievance. We are certainly amenable to further discussions with management to resolve the issue short of taking this to arbitration since both sides stand to gain from a mutually beneficial agreement. Management has promised to provide us with an update this coming week. As soon as AFA has more information, we will also keep you posted on any other developments.

* * *

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 AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput

March 30, 2015 17:00

On March 8, an AFA communication was released outlining recommendations for the iPhone 6+ inflight mobile device that is currently being distributed to all Flight Attendants. In that communication, it was suggested that Flight Attendants could potentially leave the iPhone 6+ in their crew bag while the device was plugged in and charging.

After further review of documentation provided by Apple, it is recommended that you do not leave your iPhone 6+ in your crew bag while it is charging. The iPhone 6+ must be kept in a well-ventilated area while charging in order to ensure proper temperature regulation of the device. When charging your iPhone 6+, please ensure it is in an open area away from materials that could insulate the device and potentially cause it to overheat.

You can find more information and safety recommendations pertaining to use of the device in the iPhone User Guide located on the Apple website at https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1565/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Chairperson Seth Heiple

March 24, 2015 13:21

Dear Flight Attendant,

This week we are starting the “Put on Your Pin” Campaign. Our AFA pin represents our voice and the conviction that through solidarity, we will achieve our goals. It’s more than just a “pin”.

We would love to have photos of you wearing your AFA pin. We ask that the photos are while in uniform, however, if you would like to take some fun photos while on layovers and wearing your AFA pin, you can send those as well. Just remember that the pin should be clearly visible.

Please note that all photos will be used on social media!

Please send all photos to SEA Council 19 Communications Chairperson, Jarod McNeill at jarod.mcneill@afaalaska.org or text to 206.852.4558.

If you don’t have a white AFA pin, please help yourself to one from Laura Masserant or Jake Jones mailbox in Seattle Inflight. We kindly request you only take one for yourself, as we are very limited on supply.

Also remember, the red AFA Pins were for negotiations, the approved AFA pin for uniforms is once again the white one!

March 24, 2015 12:48

Dear Seattle Flight Attendant,

Seattle City Council is considering a resolution opposing Fast Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). It just passed out of committee, and will be considered by the full Council in the coming days.

Leaked texts reveal that beyond threatening to offshore jobs, drive down wages and increase income inequality, the TPP also contains a chapter that would allow transnational corporations to challenge city, state and federal policies that reduce their expectation of profits as “indirect expropriations.” This is a serious threat to democratic sovereignty in Seattle and throughout the world — and it’s something that is opposed by everyone from Senator Elizabeth Warren to the Cato Institute.

International trade is obviously a key part of Seattle’s economy — but these and other heinous TPP provisions are not so much about trade as they are about handcuffing public policy space. This pact should not receive a Fast Track rubber stamp.

Once again, we realize that trade is HUGE to Seattle’s economy, but we do not want to accept the TPP through fast track in its entirety. We must be able to go in and change what is needed!

Please help out and contact the Seattle City Council now urging them to pass a strong resolution!

Sincerely,

AFA Council 19

Schedule/Agenda

Meeting Location

We’re just as disappointed as you are…

Message to management: stop being overly paternalistic!

Current reporting requirements for drug and alcohol abuse results in a culture of fear

AFA is committed to working with management to develop a “return to cabin” system

Realistically AFA cannot file a grievance but this doesn’t mean we’re powerless

Email management

Express your thoughts directly to management at the upcoming Inflight “happy hours” in April

Suggestions welcome

* * *

MEC conference call earlier today

New alcohol policy communication from AFA is pending

Easter Weekend 2015 staffing

***

April 8th, 2015 Council 19 Local Base Meeting

You want to hear from us

MEC conference call scheduled for tomorrow

About that alcohol policy…

Stand by for more soon…

Union Meeting

Parking in LAX

Local Scheduling Chair

Attention LAX Reserves: Update Your Co-Terminal Preferences

Contact the entire Local Executive Council (LEC) and visit afaalaska.org

Definition

QPP was a “take it or leave it” management proposal

Example

Simple trip trading does not directly affect QPP eligibility, only “downtrading”

Worked TFP excludes vacation/Longevity PTO (and sick leave)

Dispute over QPP eligibility

Quickly approaching deadline to pay QPP on time

AFA will file a grievance if QPP is paid any other way than according to the clear and unambiguous language

* * *

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