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In This Edition

TA Thursday Update – July 25, 2024

Originally posted July 25, 2024

In case you missed it, make sure to catch up on this week’s TA Thursday Update published yesterday! This week’s update included:

  • Virtual TA Roadshow Recordings Now Available
  • Full Text of the Tentative Agreement is Now Available
  • Resources
  • Upcoming Events

Read More >

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – July 2024

Originally posted July 26, 2024

On July 23, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work representing Flight Attendants’ interests in lineholder scheduling. The Committee met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems Flight Attendants face with scheduling, pairings, and bidding. Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to assist with any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help!

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Monday, July 29SFO TA Roadshow
Tuesday, July 30PDX TA Roadshow
Wednesday, July 31ANC TA Roadshow
Thursday, August 1Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

Scheduling Committee

  • On July 23, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work representing Flight Attendants’ interests in lineholder scheduling.
  • The Committee met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems Flight Attendants face with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.
  • Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to assist with any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help!

On Tuesday, July 23, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons/Representatives met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Kanako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, and MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz. 

The committee met with Managing Director of Operations Staffing and Resource Management Brittany Audette, Director of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Manager of Flight Crew Systems Support Sue Rawlings, Supervisor of Inflight Crew Scheduling Matthew Trujillo , Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke, and other management representatives from Crew Planning and Crew Scheduling.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several topics during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

  • VO is view only. This code does not allow Flight Attendants to pick up the trip while scheduling works to resolve trip issues.
  • PO is pick-up only. This code is used on Sick leave make-up days. It should not be placed on trips.
  • AFA encourages crews to report safety concerns on any redeye flight where they feel fatigued or unsafe to drive home after flying. There are reports that some of these flights are delayed several hours into the early morning, and Flight Attendants are concerned about operating the flights. 
  • Flight Attendants continue to have issues with Crew Access and OpenTime. Management continues to investigate and question whether Flight Attendants use BOT programming. Using a third-party program or application is against company policy. 
  • If you are releasing from Deadheads, please request release before positioning. Flight Attendants are receiving points when they are not showing up as scheduled and performance is hesitant to remove points that are applied. 
  • Bidding for August was busy, with virtual drop-ins for PBS bidding assistance. Bid awards for August were smooth, with high coverage.
  • NAVBLUE expects another release for PBS bidding in the near future. 
  • September schedules: Management expects to decrease the block hours and have high vacation usage in the month. Budget talks for 2025 are underway. There will be no leaves in September. Flight Attendant pairing breakdown and statistics are being reviewed by management on their dashboards.
  • July sick leave tends to increase on weekends by around 14%, while during the week is 11%. Reserve utilization is still high every month. More premium pay on weekends and tend to see 2.0x rate of pay being applied. Management tracks year-over-year (YOY) and month-over-month (MOM) trends. 
  • Personal drops low. 
  • When Flight Attendants call in fatigued, their reports are reviewed, and the issues/concerns are addressed.  
  • JCTE update is expected on July 30, 2024. Communication from management on changes and improvements will be distributed.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. NAVBLUE. The PBS Subcommittee is seeking feedback on how they can improve their assistance to flight crews regarding bid awards and understanding results. They provided both in-person and virtual meetings for this purpose. The PBS Subcommittee is working with management on PBS base sit budgets.  Management has the committee keep track of how money is being spent to assist flight crews with their bidding.  We appreciate your participation in virtual and in person base sits. 
  2. Pairings Survey. There is a discussion of reviewing bidding data from NAVBLUE to see what kind of pairings Flight Attendants are interested in flying instead of sending out a survey. We will continue to review options. 
  3. Chime Communications. To reduce phone call volumes, Flight Attendants may soon be able to chat with Crew Scheduling via app/Microsoft Teams. The chat will be for Flight Attendant-initiated contact only. The function is currently in the early stages of development and still needs to be discussed with Labor Relations management and our MEC. Testing and implementation are continuing over the next few weeks. We are working on a letter of agreement for implementation, which is still pending review. 
  4. Crew Scheduling. A monthly review of PowerPoint presentations covered various aspects such as reserve utilization, detailed breakdowns, sick leave (week by week and year over year), premium, personal drops, and other relevant agenda items.
  5. Crew Planning. Like Crew Scheduling, there was a monthly review of PowerPoint presentations that covered subsequent month staffing, trip length distribution, Flight Attendant block hours, special initiatives (e.g., IROPs), commutability, and other relevant agenda items. Statistics around teaming continue to be reviewed. Crew Planning continues to maximize pairing construction and optimizing teaming strategies to minimize costs and ensure that crews (Flight Attendants) can stay together for multiple segments.
  6. ITS. Representatives from ITS joined the scheduling meeting to provide updates on NAVBLUE, Crew Access, internal systems, and Block2Block. These updates include performance reviews, data analysis, and information about future releases.

We Want to Hear From You!

Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

In This Edition

Supplemental Ditching Training Update

Originally posted July 17, 2024

Our Grievance Committee is pleased to let you know we strenuously negotiated and settled the open SDT issues with management to the benefit of our Flight Attendants. Most Flight Attendants will receive 5 TFP for completing the SDT drill, plus an additional 1 TFP for completing the SDT CBT and watching the video in the June 13, 2024, required bulletin bundle. The training must be completed by July 31st, if the Flight Attendant has duty in the remainder of July; the training can be done at many different times. You can select which option works best for you.

Read More >

TA Thursday Update – July 18, 2024

Originally posted July 18, 2024

In case you missed it, make sure to catch up on this week’s TA Thursday Update published yesterday! This week’s update included:

  • Register Now for an In-Person Tentative Agreement (TA) Roadshow
  • Update on the Full Text of the Tentative Agreement (TA)
  • Resources
  • The Real Deal
  • Upcoming Events

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Monday, July 22SEA TA Roadshow
Tuesday, July 23SEA TA Roadshow
Tuesday, July 23Monthly Scheduling Committee Meeting
Wednesday, July 24Tentative Agreement (TA) Voting Opens
Wednesday, July 24LAX TA Roadshow
Thursday, July 25SNA TA Roadshow
Friday, July 26SAN TA Roadshow

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

Grievance Committee

Supplemental Ditching Training Update

Dear Flight Attendants,

We wanted to take a moment to remind and encourage all of you to complete your Supplemental Ditching Training (SDT) as soon as possible but by July 31, 2024. The SDT drill requires completion of an in-person hands-on drill, completion of the SDT CBT, and to watch the video in the June 13, 2024, required Bulletin Bundle. This is FAA-required training. Please remember instructors are Flight Attendants first and have really stepped up to the plate to help.

Resolution of SDT Issues

AFA is pleased to let you know we strenuously negotiated and settled the open SDT issues with management to the benefit of our Flight Attendants:

  • Most Flight Attendants will receive 5 TFP for completing the SDT drill, plus an additional 1 TFP for completing the SDT CBT and watching the video in the June 13, 2024, required bulletin bundle.
  • The training must be completed by July 31st, if the Flight Attendant has duty in the remainder of July; the training can be done at many different times. You can select which option works best for you:
    1. The Flight Attendant may begin the training no sooner than :30 minutes prior to scheduled check in provided they call Crew Scheduling to verify their legalities and obtain approval; or
    2. The Flight Attendant may start the training at, but not before, scheduled check in time (Departure-60), without calling Crew Scheduling; or
    3. The Flight Attendant may complete the training during a sit time without calling Crew Scheduling; or
    4. The Flight Attendant may complete the training following a duty period, provided they call Crew Scheduling prior to the training to verify their legalities and obtain approval; or
    5. The Flight Attendant may complete the training on a day off provided they call Crew Scheduling to verify future legalities and obtain approval; or
    6. If you are scheduled for recurrent or requalification training from June 17th through July 31st (or before your return from leave of absence), the training will be included and you will receive the 5 TFP plus 1 TFP for CBT/video on top of normal pay for recurrent/requalification.
  • If you have no duty or are on a leave of absence from July 17th -July 31st , you must complete the training before your first flight back in August. You will receive 5 TFP plus 1 TFP for CBT/video.
  • If you have duty from July 17th -July 31st but fail to complete the training by July 31st, you must complete it before your first flight back in August. However, you will only receive 2 TFP plus 1 TFP for CBT/video.
  • Since Flight Attendants must call Crew Scheduling and obtain approval in a, d, and e, above, prior to the SDT drill, there should be no instance where a Flight Attendant will obtain pay for over duty or under rest, etc., per §8.E-M, or additional TFP per §11.B.4.a-b, unless Crew Scheduling approves the SDT drill, thereby resulting in such an event. However, if Crew Scheduling does approve the SDT drill in violation of such contractual legalities, then the provisions in §8.E-M, and §11.B.4.a-b, and any other applicable contractual provisions will apply.
  • Flight attendants who completed the training on July 4th will receive double time on the TFP for the 5 TFP, excluding 1 TFP for CBT/video.
  • Flight Attendants who were awarded a reserve line in the month they did the training will receive the 5 TFP and the 1 TFP for CBT/video above guarantee.
  • Open houses may be held from 3-5pm, although the dates and locations are yet to be confirmed. Management will post required bulletins with this information.
  • There will be no Q3 CBT.

Questions?

There are more details in the Letter of Agreement, which will be sent to your IMD soon. Please reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

In This Edition

TA Thursday Update – July 11, 2024

Originally posted July 11, 2024

In case you missed it, make sure to catch up on this week’s TA Thursday Update published yesterday! This week’s update included:

  • Register Now For Virtual Tentative Agreement (TA) Roadshows
  • How Will The Updated Insurance Rates Work If The TA Is Ratified?
  • Stepping Through The Pay Scale
  • Behind The Numbers: Straight Pay Rate Increases
  • More About Boarding Pay
  • The Real Deal
  • Upcoming Events

Read More >

Register Now For Tentative Agreement (TA) Roadshows 

Originally posted July 12, 2024

Starting next week, our Negotiating Committee will be hitting the road for a series of roadshows to bring the details of the tentative agreement (TA) directly to you. Each roadshow will feature a presentation by the Negotiating Committee about the TA, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session. These sessions are your chance to ask questions and get all the information you need to make an informed decision when it’s time to cast your vote. 

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, July 16Virtual TA Roadshow
Wednesday, July 17Virtual TA Roadshow
Wednesday, July 17Quarterly Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Meeting
Thursday, July 18Virtual TA Roadshow

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

In This Edition

Tentative Agreement (TA) Summary and Information

Originally posted July 2, 2024

Our Negotiating Committee is currently cleaning up the full-text language of the TA for your review, but you can check out the TA Summary now on the negotiations website at contract2022.afaalaska.org/TA. The compensation table reflects the new TFP rates and contract anniversary raises, but it does not reflect all of the ways our pay would increase under the TA. For example, boarding pay is also included in the TA along with many other pay factors. We encourage you to dive into the full summary now and full text once it’s available. Join us at an upcoming Roadshow (schedule posted on the TA page of the negotiations website) for a chance to discuss and ask questions about the agreement.

Read More >

Shared on Social

The Real Deal

Want to know more about what’s in the TA? Check out our social media series, The Real Deal, for an easy-to-follow breakdown of some of the key highlights. Here are some of this week’s posts (click the graphic to see the full post):

Next Week’s Events

Thursday, July 11Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

In This Edition

  • Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – June 2024
  • Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2024
  • MEC Approves Tentative Agreement For Member Review And Ratification Vote
  • Shared on Social
  • Next Week’s Events

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – June 2024

Originally posted June 27, 2024

On June 25, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work representing Flight Attendants’ interests in lineholder scheduling. The Committee met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems Flight Attendants face with scheduling, pairings, and bidding. Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to assist with any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help!

Read More >

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2024

Originally posted June 28, 2024

Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, June 13, to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants. The Committee also met with management to review specific concerns that Flight Attendants brought forward. Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, clarify contractual language, or help resolve reserve-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Read More >

MEC Approves Tentative Agreement For Member Review And Ratification Vote

Originally posted June 28, 2024

Our Negotiating Committee recently presented the Master Executive Council (MEC) with the details of the Tentative Agreement (TA) that was reached with management last week. The MEC carefully reviewed the provisions of the TA and asked questions to clarify their understanding. After thorough consideration, the MEC has unanimously approved the TA to be sent out for a member ratification vote

Read More >

Shared on Social

So We Have A TA…What Happens Now?

Now that we have a tentative agreement (TA), the steps to membership ratification begin. The next step is for the MEC to review the TA at a meeting starting on Thursday, June 27. If you’re curious about the process, swipe through for more info. Keep an eye on the negotiations website and our AFA Alaska social media channels for specific timelines and dates as we move forward with each step. Stay tuned for more updates!

See The Post >

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, July 2Scheduling Review Board (SRB)

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

Reserve Committee

  • Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, June 13, to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • The Committee also met with management to review specific concerns that Flight Attendants brought forward.
  • Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, clarify contractual language, or help resolve reserve-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

On Thursday, June 13, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Brandi Urban (ANC), Conner Gallagher (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present was MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton and MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation Jarod McNeill. 

The committee met with the Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling Sara Cook and Crew Pay Process Manager Michelle Carcalean.

The committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 12.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed a number of items both during internal AFA-only conversation and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

  • Issues & glitches with Crew Access that are affecting Reserve Flight Attendants.  Review of where known issues are documented and newly added/ fixed issues. 
  • Review of upcoming update to Crew Access software and associated fixes to current issues and other improvements prioritization for programming fixes.
  • Management staffing within Crew Scheduling.  Sara Cook hired two testers for CrewAccess that are dedicated to help Crew Scheduling test new updates prior to implementation and when a new issue is found attempting to figure out why and how to fix it. 
  • Review of reserve-related issues that have been escalated to the Scheduling Review Board (SRB) and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes.
  • Review of reserve utilization statistics for the quarter, it is approximately 92.8% in all bases.  
  • Increase usage of LIMO in California bases and why
  • Ongoing concern with ISA coded trips and increase in no shows.  Please report these issues through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center so that AFA representatives can follow up with management. 

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Assisting Probationary Flight Attendants Through the Reserve Buddy Program.   Answering questions from and providing support to probationary Flight Attendants through an expanded AFA Reserve Buddy program.
  2. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns. Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring that management is compliant with our contract. 
  3. Developing Additional Tools & Resources for New Flight Attendants. Working to create a plan to provide more user friendly, easy-to-access resources about the CBA and other job-related information for new Flight Attendants.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Reserve Committee is your voice to management. You can open a support request on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or contact us directly using the information on the Reserve Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Scheduling Committee

  • On June 25, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work representing Flight Attendants’ interests in lineholder scheduling.
  • The Committee met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems Flight Attendants face with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.
  • Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to assist with any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help!

On Tuesday, June 25, our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons/Representatives met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO),Rita Tillou (SEA), Russel Rivinius (PDX), Kamako Yamado (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, and MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz. 

The committee met with Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Managing Director of Inflight Operations & Crew Scheduling Allen Thieman, Director of Crew Staffing Nicholas Giles, Manager of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, Senior Manager of Product Management Rick Mitchell, Director of Crew Scheduling Sara Cook, Manager of Crew Pay Debbie Bakke, and other management representatives from Crew Planning and Crew Scheduling.

The Committee is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several topics during internal AFA-only conversations and when meeting with management. Some items discussed include:

  • In Portland, there is concern over the HNL layover construction for June extended to 3 days instead of 2. Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson plans reviewing July/August pairing construction to see if trips changed.
  • It was reported that there are Reserve issues with iPhones and privacy settings, specifically AT&T. Collaboration with MEC Reserve Committee and MEC Grievance Committee. As a line holder if you are experiencing issues, please open an AFA Online Support Center ticket.
  • Many of the bases said they don’t want to fly from domicile to Seattle and then work a Redeye flight. During pairing construction, AFA will review flights for duty start in Seattle to avoid other domiciles having to connect and fly these types of pairings.  The duty start would allow the redeye pairing to originate from the domicile it departs.  This could potentially impact the cost of the pairing solution. 
  • Potential missed calls for those with Wi-Fi calling turned on.
  • New Flight Attendants from the new hire classes are coming in and out of the ANC and there’s an increase in summer seasonal flying.
  • Unhappiness with trips and inconsistent redeye connections in Seattle.
  • Tickets being reassigned due to Flight Attendants not updating their profiles in the AFA Online Support Center.
  • The SFO base reports that they are seeing a high percentage of unproductive redeyes that are commutable. Would prefer to have more efficient flying or commutable on one end of the pairing.
  • Open Time failure and active grievance.
  • Revised vs reassignment language preference.
  • API failures with Flight Attendants and pilots causing hotel wait time issues.
  • The SEA base has several requests for nonstop PVR 2-day flights. The base is seeing reduction of 4k flying for the fall as management reduces the flying schedule. 
  • Busy July for PBS bidding with IT issues.
  • Bid awards for July using extra combinations to reduce seniority violations.
  • Bid protest for July considered normal.
  • Frustration with lack of updates from NavBlue and request for separation from pilots in meetings.
  • Future releases and installations for NavBlue, including fixes for pilots and Redhat 8 postponed. Both AFA and ALPA are tied to the program and this reduces our ability to install program updates for Flight Attendants. 
  • IT issues with password reset and plans to redirect their help.
  • There were several successful in person base sits around the system, including virtual sits and a new class virtual hour.
  • Bid awards viewing invitation and committee overview.
  • Selection of more expensive D run with the best soft lock ratio.
  • Advocacy for more productive trips and reduction in commutability.
  • Review and improvement of pairings in conjunction with sick calls.
  • Testing completed for JCTE 24.1.6 and trade analysis review.
  • Reduction in block hours for August, line average and reserve percentages.
  • Discussion on August pairings, trip distribution, and upcoming schedules.
  • We reviewed a PowerPoint with management tracking sick leave for lineholders and reserves, it shows year-over-year and month-over-month increases in absence rate.
  • Reserve utilization and sick call percentages per base.
  • Use of premium to reduce reserve utilization.
  • Thoughts on posting premium OT trips in advance and personal drops.
  • Increase in sick leave due to COVID in the Pacific Northwest. 
  • Ditching drills going into JCTE and being audited.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. NavBlue. The PBS Subcommittee is seeking feedback on how they can improve their assistance to flight crews regarding bid awards and understanding results. They provided both in-person and virtual meetings for this purpose. The next in-person PBS Training is planned for June 
  2. Pairings Survey. There is a discussion of reviewing bidding data from NavBlue to see what kind of pairings Flight Attendants are interested in flying instead of sending out a survey. We will continue to review options. 
  3. Chime Communications. To reduce phone call volumes, Flight Attendants may soon be able to chat with Crew Scheduling via app/Microsoft Teams. The chat will be for Flight Attendant-initiated contact only. The function is currently in the early stages of development and still needs to be discussed with Labor Relations management and our MEC. Testing and implementation are continuing over the next few weeks. We are working on a letter of agreement for implementation, which is still pending review. 
  4. Crew Scheduling. A monthly review of PowerPoint presentations covered various aspects such as reserve utilization, detailed breakdowns, sick leave (week by week and year over year), premium, personal drops, and other relevant agenda items.
  5. Crew Planning. Like Crew Scheduling, there was a monthly review of PowerPoint presentations that covered subsequent month staffing, trip length distribution, Flight Attendant block hours, special initiatives (e.g., IROPs), commutability, and other relevant agenda items. Statistics around teaming continue to be reviewed. Crew Planning continues to maximize pairing construction and optimizing teaming strategies to minimize costs and ensure that crews (Flight Attendants) can stay together for multiple segments.
  6. ITS. Representatives from ITS joined the scheduling meeting to provide updates on NavBlue, Crew Access, internal systems, and Block2Block. These updates include performance reviews, data analysis, and information about future releases.

We Want to Hear From You!

Whether you have feedback for the Committee, concerns to share, or items you’d like brought up with management – don’t hesitate to let us know. Your Local Scheduling Committee is here to be your voice to management. You can easily open a support ticket on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or directly contact us using the information provided on the Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

In This Edition

Crew Access Open Time Performance – June 16, 2024

Originally posted June 19, 2024

Flight Attendants are facing technical issues with Crew Access and Open Time trading/dropping, causing stress and frustration. Management plans to resolve these issues with server upgrades in June and July and will monitor the system closely during July Open Time. Our Scheduling Committee has requested a meeting with management to discuss long-term solutions for the ongoing Crew Access challenges.

Read More >

June 2024 MEC Meeting Recap

Originally posted June 20, 2024

Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Monday, June 17, and Tuesday, June 18, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants. The MEC was supposed to meet with executive management and union leaders from other company workgroups but chose to skip the meeting in support of our Negotiating Committee. The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 9, and Wednesday, July 10.

Read More >

Supplemental Ditching Training

Originally posted June 20, 2024

AFA has not agreed to any extra-contractual terms for the newly announced supplemental ditching training; discussions with management just started. Many management decision-makers are away at contract negotiations, delaying progress toward any sort of agreement. Our AFA Committees are committed to advocating for your rights and will address unresolved issues through the contractual grievance process if necessary.

Read More >

Mediation Session 5

Originally posted June 21, 2024

After an intense week of negotiating at the National Mediation Board, and the clear deadline we set for the company, we have a Tentative Agreement (TA) for a record contract. Your actions over the last two years of bargaining, including gaining support from lawmakers for our right to strike, ensured we had the leverage to extract every last dollar from Alaska Airlines management. Over the next several days, both parties will work to clean up the contract language to present the full text of the TA to the Master Executive Council (MEC). The MEC then votes on release of the agreement for a full membership ratification, roadshows will be scheduled, and details will be released to Members. Stay tuned for updates!

Read More >

Shared on Social

Our Negotiating Committee Has Arrived In Washington DC

Originally posted June 17, 2024

Our Negotiating Committee has arrived in Washington, D.C., for the mediation session this week. Today is their internal prep session at AFA-CWA Headquarters, while the rest of the week will be at the National Mediation Board. 

See The Post >

Intense Negotiations At The NMB

Originally posted June 19, 2024

What do we want? CONTRACT. When do we want it? NOW.

Our AFA Alaska Negotiating Committee continued intense negotiations today, joined by AFA  International President Sara Nelson. The National Mediation Board (NMB) is keeping the parties at the table tonight.

See The Post >

Friday Added At The NMB

Originally posted June 20, 2024

The National Mediation Board is keeping AFA Alaska and Alaska Airlines in DC for an additional day. The parties will reconvene Friday morning.

See The Post >

Next Week’s Events

Monday, June 24CWA Presidents’ Meeting
Tuesday, June 25Monthly Scheduling Committee Meeting
Thursday, June 27Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Thursday, June 27 – Friday, June 28Special MEC Meeting

See the MEC Event Calendar >

Find Us on Social Media

You can find the most up-to-date official information on our AFA Alaska social media accounts.  Click below and follow so you can stay connected!

Election Notice: Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Officer Elections

The term of office for our current Alaska + Hawaiian Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers will conclude on December 31, 2025. The voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents) will elect new MEC Officers at the November Regular MEC meeting. This communication serves as notice of the election in accordance with the MEC Policy and Procedure Manual. […]

SEA Domicile Negotiations – September 2025 Update #2

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants Negotiations Update Our SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee met with the company on September 11 to review their response to our September 5 proposal.  We feel that it is important to acknowledge the challenges within our company as Alaska management is struggling to understand our Collective Bargaining Agreement […]

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, September 11, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Conner Gallager (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present […]

Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month

September 15 marks the start of Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month in the United States, a vibrant celebration dedicated to honoring the rich contributions and diverse cultures of Hispanic-Latinx Americans. Spanning a full month, this observance—also known as National Hispanic Heritage Month—has its roots in Hispanic Heritage Week, which was established by legislation signed into law by […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – September 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Monday, September 8, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met in person in Seattle to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA), Ila Christy (PDX), Hilary […]

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