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Q:  I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about no more VJA in TA2, just JA.  Is the Premium Open Time that is seen in TA2 actually the same as our current VJA?  Or what’s the difference?
A:  The concept is essentially the same with both VJA and Premium OT.  There will still be trips offered with a premium under TA2.  It is structured a bit differently than VJA under current book.  There will be a premium paid on a trip a FA volunteers to fly on a day off when the Company is needing to cover flights.  Under current book, if you submit your form before 9AM the day prior, the forms are processed in seniority order in accordance with your preferences.  If your notice is submitted after 9AM the day prior, they are processed on a first come first served basis.  You do not see the trips available today, but rather you submit a form for something you would be willing to fly if it comes up.  You also can’t indicate a positions preference other than “A” or not “A”.  There are other preferences on the form as well such as no all nighter, no Canada or Mexico.  Under TA2, CS will place the trips into OT with the premium indicated and they will be picked up from OT on a first come first served basis.  The Company will publish notification on the FA Web Page to indicate they are offering trips in OT with premiums.  All trips will be seen and you can decide to pick it up or not based on the trip and the premium placed on it.  Premium OT will have a minimum of 1.5x, but they can increase that premium.  Here is the actual language on Premium OT.  Section 9.E.  

E. PREMIUM OPEN TIME (OT)

Crew Scheduling may declare periods of premium pay for OT and designate individual sequences as premium pay sequences. Once posted, it may not be revoked. However, if the sequence is assigned to a Reserve, the premium will not apply.

  1. The Company will publish notification of Premium OT on the Flight Attendant webpage.

  2. A Flight Attendant who picks up Premium OT will receive a minimum premium of one and one-half times (1.5x) the applicable rate of pay.

  3. Premium OT trips may be traded; however, the premium pay will not follow the sequence. The Premium OT sequence will be converted to a regular sequence upon being traded and will be paid at straight time if flown. The same sequence may be converted back to Premium OT only if Crew Scheduling once again designates the sequence as Premium OT while the sequence is in Open Time.

  4. A Flight Attendant who is on a Premium OT trip which changes when s/he arrives at the airport will be guaranteed no less than the number of TFP originally scheduled. S/he will be paid the premium attached to the originally-scheduled Premium OT sequence and paid that rate on all flights flown including surface deadhead in the revised sequence. If the revised sequence is worth less TFP than the originally-scheduled Premium OT sequence, the Flight Attendant will also be compensated the TFP value of the difference between the two paid at straight time. 

Dear Flight Attendants,

Much is being discussed, blogged, Facebooked, Tweeted, raved, ranted, dissected and fabricated when it comes to the tentative agreement (TA2) that is up for your consideration between now and December 17.  It is on that date the polls close and YOUR vote will be counted.

In the meantime, there are 23 days before polls close which is plenty of time for us each to exercise due diligence by reading the TA in its entirety, reading through the AFA Negotiations Blog* where numerous questions are asked and answered, and, if you still have questions, reaching out directly to your negotiating committee.  If you are able, I would encourage you to attend one of the roadshows** that will be conducted by the negotiating committee at each domicile over the coming weeks.  The roadshows are terrific forums that afford you the opportunity to ask questions or get clarification directly from the people who have worked tirelessly on your behalf to put together what is, without a doubt, a top of industry Tentative Agreement.

I am well aware that there are several social media forums out there where TA2 is being discussed, at times quite passionately.  I am certain these forums make for an interesting read, and discussion with your peers can be a good thing in that it offers one a variety of perspectives.  However, there is a danger with these types of forums in that misinformation or, more likely, misinterpretation of contract language can potentially take on a life of its own.  This is usually unintentional but is no less dangerous.   I trust that each of you will take the necessary steps to ensure you are basing your vote on factual information regarding TA2 and not hearsay or conjecture.

Many of you wondered why the majority of LEC Presidents, myself included, took a neutral stance on TA2 when we voted in favor 4 to 1 to send the TA out for your consideration.  The answer is simply because we didn’t feel it was our responsibility to tell you how to vote.  Trust that I would have never voted in favor of releasing TA2 to the membership had I not felt strongly that it was truly worthy of your consideration and if it was not a TA that I personally felt comfortable working under.

In closing, regardless of which way you vote, I implore you to get all the facts before casting your final vote, be respectful of the opinions and votes of others, and please be mindful of the hard work and long hours put in by our Negotiating Teams over the past few years.  Theirs is a tough and often times thankless job, and whether you support TA2 or not I ask that you please take a moment to thank them for taking on this daunting task on your behalf.  They have executed their job well by offering us a top of industry TA while sacrificing time with their loved ones and while making themselves vulnerable to some unfairly harsh criticism at times.  It is now our job as members to vote on whether to accept or reject this tentative agreement while continuing to conduct ourselves as the award-winning professionals that we are.

In solidarity,

Stephen Couckuyt
President, Council 15 SAN

*For more information regarding TA2, including roadshow schedules for all domiciles and the AFA Negotiations Blog, please visit:

http://afaalaska.org/ta
http://afaalaska.org/negotiations/blog

**San Diego Roadshow Information

Monday, December 1

Times

Morning Session: 8:30 AM – 12 PM
Afternoon Session: 1 PM – 4:30 PM

Location

Doubletree Hotel San Diego Downtown
1646 Front Street
San Diego, CA

Thursday, December 11

Times

Morning Session: 8:30 AM – 12 PM
Afternoon Session: 1 PM – 4:30 PM

Location

Sheraton San Diego Hotel (Bay Tower—smaller tower)
1380 Harbor Island Drive
San Diego, CA

Note: The map below shows the location of the Marina Tower (larger tower) at the Sheraton.  To get to the Bay Tower, go past the Marina tower and turn right where the road ends.  The Bay Tower will be on the right.

 

AFA Council 15 Logo

The current agreement does NOT have a provision protecting new aircraft orders and options.  In TA2 there is Letter of Agreement #1, titled “Boeing Purchase Order”.  This letter of agreement adds protections for 2012 order and options ensuring all Flight Attendant work performed on current aircraft and aircraft acquired under the 2012 Order shall be performed by the Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants, so long as those aircraft are operated by an entity under the Control of AAG. None of the current aircraft or aircraft acquired under the 2012 Order shall be flown by airlines not controlled by AAG under a capacity purchase agreement with AAG or an entity under the Control of AAG. This is an important protection especially with today’s announcement of additional CPA flying by SkyWest into new markets including Milwaukee, Oklahoma City and PDX to St. Louis.

Q: I was told by another flight attendant that if I am a yes vote that I don’t need to vote because “not voting is an implied yes”. She said anyone who doesn’t vote gets counted as a yes. Is this true?

A: That information is incorrect.  The TA failing or passing is based on the number of Flight Attendants who cast their votes.

50% plus 1 of those voting yes or no.  You need to actively vote for your vote to count.

Absolutely NOT.  There is specific language for 4k pairings in Section 10.DD.  A line holding Flight Attendant will not be forced to accept 4k flying.  However, Crew Scheduling may offer and a Flight Attendant may accept a 4k sequence consistent with the process of reassignments which requires that the trip be offered in seniority order.  There are many rumors and unreliable sources distributing information, but when in doubt please contact the committee.  We appreciate those who are emailing the committee and asking for clarification. If you think your question or concern should be posted in our blog, let us know.

Here is your second weekly update highlighting posts on the Negotiations blog from November 15th through November 22nd.

This past week culminated with the full text release of TA2. The Negotiating Committee knows many are spending time reviewing the TA. Remember you can search in the blog using keywords to find answers to specific questions about the provisions being discussed. We are increasing the content on a daily basis as we turn your questions into posts for all Flight Attendants to access.

As you review TA2 questions will follow. If you’ve missed any of the daily posts, you will find them titled below. Once again, the Negotiating Committee is using the format of “Q&A,” “Get the facts” and “Did you know?” for the various blog posts. We’ve added a new one called “Hot Topics.”

 

Nov 15th –

TA2 Provision Comparison Chart

Q&A: Why is the Longevity Premium not paid on vacation or sick leave?

Nov 16th –

Q&A: Are Management’s NC and our AFA’s NC in separate rooms or the same room for Negotiations?

Q&A: Do I have to work 620TFP to get my vacation?

Q&A: Can You Explain how the Cost Sharing and 15% Cap Affects my Health Insurance Premium?

Q&A: What is the percentage of 4k pairings created by the optimizer?

Q&A: Did the Negotiating Committee recommend the TA?

Nov 17th –

Q&A: What is the total # of JA’s among the domiciles combined for 2014?

Long Duty Rule Map Examples

Long Duty 3 POS Pairing examples July 2015

July 2015 example pairings including 4k and 15 min debrief

Q&A: Does the Productivity Premium replace our PBP or OPR bonus?

Nov 18th –

Attention: Roadshow Dates and Times

Hot Topic: Open Time Update

Q&A: What is our implementation schedule for the changes in TA2?

Q&A: What are the AFA Scheduling Chair responsibilities and access?

Q&A: If TA2 ratifies when is the signing bonus paid?

Q&A: Is New Year’s Day 2015 paid at 2x if TA2 ratifies?

Q&A: If I have 35 days of vacation how much do I have to fly to accrue vacation in the following year?

Q&A: How much more money would I make in TA2?

Nov 19th –

Q&A: When will TA2 be released?

Q&A: Longevity Premium vs COLA?

Q&A: Does the NC get a special bonus if the contract passes? If so, how much?

Full Text TA2 Now Posted!

Q&A: Mock Roadshow

Nov 20th –

Power Point presentation with industry comparisons

Get the Facts – 4K Reassignment

Minimum Pay Rule examples

Did you know? – Negotiated Payscale

Nov 21st –

Q&A: Why was the Productivity Premium not put into our wages?

Q&A: How does my leave impact my 480 Requirement?

Roadshow Agenda

The TA2 Calculator is now up and running

Nov 22nd –

Negotiating Committee Will Be Posting on AFA Sites Only.

Q&A: Will the JA rules go into effect immediately if TA2 is ratified?

Q&A: Who do I contact if I have questions regarding my ballot or past dues?

Do you have questions about the TA? Would you like to see a blog post or have suggestions regarding our blog?

Q&A: Why is there two Section 12s in TA2?

 

Happy reading and keep the questions coming by commenting on the related topics in the Negotiations blog posts or by emailing the Negotiating Committee at negotiations@afaalaska.org.

 

In solidarity,

 

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

MEC 5BSS Logo (Web)

TA2 allows for FAs to cash out 25% of their available sick leave upon retirement.  However, there is no requirement to leave any certain amount in your sick leave bank until you retire.  If you need to use your sick leave while you are working, you may use 100% of all the sick leave you have available.

Example: A FA has has 500 TFP of sick leave in their sick leave bank.  We will look at two situations:

1.  The FA gets ill and goes out on a medical leave and chooses to coordinate their sick leave.  In this example, they would have 500 TFP of sick leave available to coordinate, and they can use it all for the illness.

2.  The FA does not get ill and is retiring and has the 500TFP in their sick leave bank at retirement.  In this example, they would be entitled to cash of 25% of the 500 TFP in their sick leave bank (500 x 25% = 125 TFP available to cash out at their rate of pay).

Current Book does not allow for a FA to cash out any of their available sick leave upon retirement.

If TA2 is ratified there will be a trial period of 12 months.  Section 12 “Exchange of Sequences” discusses many provisions but most importantly the Open Time Trial.  The 12-month trial period with AFA and management will evaluate whether the new system works and becomes permanent.  If either party determines the new OT system is not working, we will go back to current book as amended by the OT arbitration award and will immediately begin renegotiating a new OT system.

If the OT trial is canceled, Section 12, “Back to Book” will take effect while a new OT system is negotiated.  For your convenience we have included the OT Arbitration Award in the back of TA2 titled AFA Grievance No 36-99-02-18-11, “Withholding Open Time”.

We hope this information is helpful.  In the back of TA2 you will find the implementation side letter of agreement that discusses when the OT system will be available.

Do you have questions about the T/A?  Would you like us to post a specific blog post? Is there language you would like clarified or need more information about?  Email the Negotiating Committee at negotiations@afaalaska.org to get your answers from the source and give us suggestions!

In solidarity,

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

Flight Attendants who do not receive their voting instructions with the 16 digit activation code must call the AFA Ballot Helpline at (800) 424-2401, option 1 then extension 706.

Flight Attendants who have dues or membership issues must call AFA Membership Services at (800) 424-2401,  option 7.

The office is staffed Monday through Friday 930AM EST to 5PM EST.

Voting Instructions: Flight Attendants will receive a ballot packet containing the voting instructions including a 16-digit activation code and the voting guide. These will be mailed from the mail house in Maryland on 11-18-14. The activation code is specific to each Member therefore new instruction or voting guides will not and cannot be mailed. If a Flight Attendant did not receive their ballot packet they must contact the AFA Ballot Helpline. A new activation code with instructions will be emailed from the voting system directly to the member.

SEA Domicile Negotiations Update – February 2026

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

On Wednesday, January 28, our AFA Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), David Lake (SEA), Kalin Lackey (PDX), Brad Young (SFO & MEC ASHSC Vice […]

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February 1 marks the start of Black History Month in the United States—a vibrant celebration with roots dating back to 1925, when acclaimed historian Carter G. Woodson first introduced “Negro History Week” to highlight the remarkable achievements of Black individuals. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded it to Black History Month, calling on all […]

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