June 12, 2015 15:19

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

June 12, 2015 05:00

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

June 11, 2015 18:00

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 17^thalong 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

June 9, 2015 05:00

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:

Send an email to your congressional representative: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9939
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.

May 15, 2015 05:00

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.

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!

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

May 13, 2015 16:32

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

May 11, 2015 10:48

May 2015 Newsletter

May 7, 2015 09:33

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.

ALA Press Release – Support Contract Employees

May 1, 2015 17:13

Crews will be turned starting tomorrow out of an abundance of caution

Due to civil unrest in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Alaska Airlines management and AFA Alaska agree that out of an abundance of caution it is appropriate to turn crews out of Puerto Vallarta starting tomorrow, Saturday, May 2, 2015. Management may extend the application at its discretion until normal operations resume in PVR.

Clarified 8.S language with improved pay premium will be used

The parties have agreed to utilize the language of Section 8 Hours of Service provision S “Natural Disasters and Acts of War” in order to accomplish the removal and re-start of crews. During language clean-up, the parties agreed to clarify and improve 8.S. You will notice an improved pay premium of double time (2x) in this application!

8.S language

The revised language that will be in the final print version is as follows:

S. NATURAL DISASTERS AND ACTS OF WAR

In the face of natural disasters or acts of war, the primary focus of the Association and the Company will be the safety of the crew when scheduling or reassigning Flight Attendants to fly into or out of areas affected by imminent or present natural disasters or acts of war.

When a natural disaster and/or act of war is imminent or present, and a need for rescheduling or reassigning crews becomes apparent, the Manager of Crew Scheduling or her/his designee will contact the MEC President or her/his designee //. Contact with the AFA appointed representative will be maintained until such time as all crewmembers have been returned to domicile and normal operations have resumed.

If the flight deck crewmembers are offered release from flying into or out of a city, or laying over in a city affected by such natural disaster and/or act of war, the Flight Attendant crewmembers will be released as well. Every effort will be made to keep Flight Attendant crews together when reassigning them to be removed from a city affected by imminent or present natural disasters or acts of war.

It may be necessary to exceed duty limitations in accordance with S.5., below, in order to remove Flight Attendants from danger, in order to bring customers out of a city impacted by natural disaster and/or acts of war or to resume normal operations to a city impacted by such events.

On a case-by-case basis, with the mutual agreement of the parties, the scheduling limitation of ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) of duty outlined in // 8.E. [Duty Period], above, may be exceeded to remove crews from or to avoid danger and/or to facilitate bringing customers out of a disaster area, or to resume normal operations to an affected city impacted by such events. The compensatory rest outlined in // 8.H. [Compensatory (Double-Out) Rest], above, and any other applicable Sections will apply, and will be provided upon the Flight Attendant’s first return to domicile. Additionally, the two times (2.0x) (three times (3.0x) as applicable) rate of pay will apply to any TFP flown in a duty period scheduled to exceed or that actually exceeds ten hours and thirty minutes (10:30) of duty due to irregular operations directly resulting from 8.S.. //

a. Crews that exceed such duty limitations to perform such work will be deadheaded one way (in either direction) in passenger seats.

b. An uncovered sequence constructed under 8.S. (“8.S. sequence”) will be built with appropriate compensatory “double-out” rest added to the end of the sequence that cannot be reduced. However, such rest and the pay provisions of H.2. [Compensatory (Double-Out) Rest], above, may be waived by the Flight Attendant in order to pick up or trade into another sequence.

c. An uncovered “8.S. sequence” will first be offered to a Flight Attendant who has flights cancelled from her/his line of time as a result of an 8.S. event and is eligible for an alternate assignment under the provisions of Section 10.S. [Pre- Cancellations], if applicable. The Flight Attendant may accept the “8.S. sequence” or may decline with pay protection for the original sequence at straight time. If the Flight Attendant accepts and works the “8.S. sequence”, any conflicting scheduling obligations will be resolved in accordance with 8.H. [Compensatory (Double-Out) Rest].

d. An “8.S. sequence” may be placed into OT for pick-up and trading. The associated compensatory “double-out” rest cannot be reduced as a result of trading. However, such rest and the pay provisions of H.2. [Compensatory (Double-Out Rest], above, may be waived by the Flight Attendant in order to pick up or trade into another sequence. Until automated, the Flight Attendant must contact Crew Scheduling to complete a pick-up, drop, trade or give-away of an “8.S. sequence”

e. A Reserve may be assigned an “8.S. sequence”. If the Reserve works the sequence, s/he will be credited one times (1.0x) the trip rate toward the Reserve’s guarantee and any additional premium TFP(s) will be paid above guarantee.

* * *

Once again, this is being done only out of an abundance of caution. We will continue to update you if necessary but otherwise this will be the only communication in regards to civil unrest in Puerto Vallarta.

In solidarity,

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

April 30, 2015 12:00

May 1^st is the next major implementation date of our new contract. On that day the following will occur:

8.D. – 15 minute domicile debrief in effect

Domicile debrief is reduced from thirty minutes (:30) to fifteen minutes (:15). Flight Attendants may contact Crew Scheduling to adjust the debrief period for the sequence if the debrief exceeds the scheduled debrief. The adjustment will affect all Flight Attendants on the sequence. The adjusted debrief period will end when the last passenger has left the aircraft. This adjustment will not extend a Flight Attendant’s duty period for purposes of pre-boarding or JA assignments.

8.I. – Night Rule

Any flight attendant now on duty at 4:29 am local time is not required to remain on duty beyond 8:30 am initial departure station time of that duty period. The old “Night Rule” was measured from 4am so this is a half hour improvement in favor of the flight attendant. An exception continues to apply for single-duty period sequences with one return to domicile (all-nighter turns). There is also still an exception for Reserves on Airport Standby (APSB) at that time if s/he did not have a flying assignment prior to APSB in the duty period.

8.K. – Improved reduced RON Rest from 9 hours to 9 ½ hours

Insufficient rest on a Remain Over Night (RON) (aka a layover) has changed from less than nine hours to less than 9 ½ hours from release to report. That is a half hour improvement for the flight attendant. In addition, AFA and management have clarified and agreed that if a flight attendant does not receive such rest then s/he is eligible for 2.5x premium pay for the entire pairing if s/he is not removed at the Sequence Interruption Point (SIP) following the short layover—assuming there is a such a SIP.

9.E. – Premium Open Time replaces Voluntary Junior Available (VJA)

Flight Attendants will be allowed to pick up trips posted in Open Time at a premium rate (e.g. 1.5x, 2.0x, 2.5x). Flight Attendants may not trade a trip into OT in order to pick up a trip designated as premium OT. That is, it must be a straight pick up from OT in order to retain the premium. Trips will be designated with dollar signs to indicate the premium level: $ – 1.5x, $$ – 2.0x, $$$ – 2.5x, etc. Going forward, Premium Open Time replaces Voluntary Junior Available (VJA).

10.M. – New PBS line options and preferences effective in April bidding for May 2015

“Minimum Bid” has been eliminated. A flight attendant will no longer be assigned two (2) sequences on the same calendar day unless s/he waives the rule. Flight Attendants may waive 48/7 down to 24/7 for bidding in order to fly six days in a row. “4k” and “4k red eye” preferences are now active; if a flight attendant does not utilize these waivers then s/he will not be awarded a 4k or 4k red eye.

10.DD. – Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) sequences

Flight Attendants begin flying Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) sequences. A Reserve may be required to fly 4k if a vacancy exists on a 4k sequence within three hours of departure—otherwise the assignment is voluntary. A Reserve may also preference 4k and be assigned 4k with no additional premium. Reserves who have not preferenced 4k will be paid a 1.5x premium (1.0x towards guarantee and 0.5x above guarantee) for the entire pairing if forced to fly 4k.

21.D. – Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs)

All Minimum Pay Rules (Section 21.D. [Minimum Pay Rules]) go into effect

The 4 TFP “four trip minimum” is now the Duty Period Minimum (DPM) – no change
The 4 TFP “midnight to midnight rule” is now the Extended Overnight Rule (EOR) – Any period of time on a remain over night (RON) free of duty from 1 am to 11 pm local time
Sit Pay at 1 TFP for any sit over two hours is now automated (so no more need to submit Activity Claim Forms!)
Multiday Sequence Minimum (MSM) guaranteed at 4 TFP times the number of calendar days in the sequence (minimum of three calendar days and two duty periods to qualify for the MSM, so the MSM does not apply to turns spanning two calendar days)
Average Duty Period Guarantee (ADPG) guaranteed at 5 TFP times the number of duty periods in the sequence (e.g. four duty period sequence is guaranteed at no less than 20 TFP)

All Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs) are paid the greater of scheduled or actual, whichever is the more favorable application. However, an automated scheduling adjustment by Winds Aloft (which is a program that calculates projected flying time due to winds at altitude) is not considered “scheduled” for the purposes of calculating eligibility for an MPR.

* * *

The next major implementation milestone is mid-July for the August 2015 schedule at which point the new Open Time process will go into effect.

AFA is also working as quickly as possible with management to finalize the contract in preparation for publication. We have made a lot of progress and are very close to moving to the next steps in the process. 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 doing our absolute best to make it closer to the former than the latter.

In solidarity,

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

Your Contract Committee—MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Kristy Stratton, Lisa Pinkston, Jake Jones, Christina Frees and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

Have a specific question? Start with your Local Committees.

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

What about the Master Executive Council (MEC)?

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

Crews will be turned starting tomorrow out of an abundance of caution

Clarified 8.S language with improved pay premium will be used

8.S language

* * *

8.D. – 15 minute domicile debrief in effect

8.I. – Night Rule

8.K. – Improved reduced RON Rest from 9 hours to 9 ½ hours

9.E. – Premium Open Time replaces Voluntary Junior Available (VJA)

10.M. – New PBS line options and preferences effective in April bidding for May 2015

10.DD. – Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) sequences

21.D. – Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs)

* * *

SEA Domicile Negotiations Update – February 2026

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

AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall: Join Us Tuesday, March 3

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

Celebrating Black History Month

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Want To Stay In The Loop?

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Have a specific question? Start with your Local Committees.

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

What about the Master Executive Council (MEC)?

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

Crews will be turned starting tomorrow out of an abundance of caution

Clarified 8.S language with improved pay premium will be used

8.S language

* * *

8.D. – 15 minute domicile debrief in effect

8.I. – Night Rule

8.K. – Improved reduced RON Rest from 9 hours to 9 ½ hours

9.E. – Premium Open Time replaces Voluntary Junior Available (VJA)

10.M. – New PBS line options and preferences effective in April bidding for May 2015

10.DD. – Long Stage Length Duty Period (“4k”) sequences

21.D. – Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs)

* * *

Recent Posts

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Committees

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Want To Stay In The Loop?

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