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Happy 4th of July!

Dear Seattle Flight Attendants,

Today marks the first day of the new election cycle for your AFA LEC Officers! For the past three years Jake, Linda, Tonnette and I have had the pleasure of serving as your LEC Officers. We jumped into our term with goals to increase communication, reinvigorate committees, and mentor Flight Attendants who are interested in AFA work. It has been hard work, but we have loved every minute of it!
I want to thank Tonnette for her unwavering help and dedication over the past three years. Although she has decided not to continue as an LEC Officer we have managed to convince her to stay on as our Seattle Communication Chair. Tonnette will also work with MEC Vice-President Brian Palmer on helping to manage social media. It is more important than ever that we stay connected with out members and Tonnette is going to be invaluable as our communication chair to help us fulfill this goal!
I am very excited to introduce your new SEA LEC Council Representatives: Stephanie Adams and Adam Clarey!
Hello Seattle Flight Attendants! My name is Stephanie Adams, and I am one of the new Council Representatives in Seattle. Also, I am going to assist flight attendants by doing grievance work. I have been with Alaska Airlines for 19 years, flying for 17 of those years. I am a licensed attorney in Washington, and hope I can put my good education to use!  I enjoy traveling and spending time with my two busy children.  I can be reached at msadams44@comcast.net and 206-852-4750.  I look forward to serving you.
Hello Seattle Flight Attendants- Thank you for electing me as your Council 19 Representative.  I grew up in the Seattle area, and have spent most of my life in the state of Washington.  I have been a Flight Attendant here at Alaska for over 10 years, spending the last 7 plus years here in Seattle.   I’ve been involved with AFA Leadership since 2011 as MEC VOICE and Mobilization Chair.  My previous career experience is in marketing and advertising.  In my down time I enjoy rooting for my favorite teams “Go Cougs and Sounders,” as well as numerous outdoor adventures such as surfing, camping, golfing, and hiking.  I’m excited to bring experience, leadership, and compassion to my role as your new Council 19 Representative. ~Adam Clarey
Stephanie and Adam both start their new terms already grievance trained! Your LEC Officers met in early June to start our transition and to get to know one another a little better. We have a great team in place and we are eager to have 5 grievance-trained officers to assist the Flight Attendants in Seattle.  Stephanie and Adam started their grievance training in June and will continue to sharpen their skills with our own AFA Alaska grievance training in August 7. Jake, Linda and I will have Stephanie and Adam assist us in disciplinary meetings, as note takers, to help them understand the process and continue their education. Within six months they will be able to start taking meetings on their own!
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RED HOT SUMMER MOBILIZATION ACTIVITES
I want to thank everyone who came out to the June Seattle Summer Strategy Session. We had a great turn out and even better conversation! We are going to use some of the ideas that came out of this session- stay tuned for your chance to participate in RED HOT Summer activities!
July 22 is the next RED HOT Summer Mobilization activity at the SEA-TAC airport and we have obtained 2 sky bridges for our mobilizers who cannot come thru security! Fore more information on how you can join the fun contact:
Krystle Cook: kcook907@gmail.com
As we move into the next mediation session it is imperative that we show our solidarity- WE ARE FIVE BASES STANDING STRONG! Wear your RED AFA pin! Wear your RED lanyard! New hire Flight Attendants- you are allowed to wear the RED AFA pin and we encourage you to do so! This is our official AFA Alaska pin!
Remember: stay informed and stay connected at: alaskamec.org
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Last week the MEC met with the Negotiating committee for a 2-day training. All of us had a chance to learn what it takes to negotiate at the table with a mock negotiation! I had Lisa Pinkston on my team and I was able to negotiate with Christina Frees on the management team. Let me tell you that both of these ladies have tenacity! I did not get a chance to work with Kristy, but from what I hear she also took the management team to task! Add Paula, Jeff and Jake into this mix and I am hear to tell you that this team is tough, united, and ready to rumble!
During last week the MEC and the Negotiating committee met with Ben Minicucci, Andy Schneider, Elizabeth Ryan, and Mike Link to discuss the executive summary from the Flight Attendant survey.  This summary was blasted to all the members last week and if you missed it you can find it at:
http://alaskamec.org/latest-news/negotiations-update-june-26-2014/
The team is flying to Washington DC next week for the first mediation session!
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SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS – 2014 ENROLLMENT

From July 14th—19th, National Group Protection (NGP) will be in the Seattle crew lounge to communicate the AFA supplemental benefit plans.

Please look for the benefit counselor during the on-site enrollment to enroll or make changes to your existing coverage.  Note that you can enroll in any of the crew lounges, not just your base location (call NGP for other enrollment dates/locations)

·       Accident Insurance
·       Critical Illness Coverage
·       Whole Life Insurance

There are some benefit enhancements/upgrades this year, so please take the time to sit down with a benefit counselor and review your options.  This is also an excellent time to make sure you have filed for your annual health screening benefits, which are part of the accident and critical illness benefit plans.

·       Supplemental – these plans supplement any existing coverage
·       Voluntary – members choose to participate
·       Limited Underwriting – no medical or physical exams required
·       Family Coverage – available with all of the plans
·       Portable – members can continue coverage if they leave the company
·       Payroll Deduction – premiums are paid through payroll deduction

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming enrollment, please contact National Group Protection (NGP) at 800-344-9016.
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Many of you have reached out to us to share your thoughts on negotiations and we continue to ask for your comments and thoughts! It’s important that we hear from you and stay connected to the issues that are important to you.
It is also very important that you reach out to your AFA committees for help with medical leaves, hotel issues, reserve concerns, and uniform issues. Your SEA LEC committee chairs volunteer many hours of their time for our benefit! But, they cannot address issues if they do not hear from you!
o   Benefits: Kathy O’Malley-  benefitsassist@hotmail.com
o   EAP: Lisa Haugen- SEAeap@alaskamec.org
o   Hotel: Jodi Snow-   mksnwfm@comcast.net
o   ISC: Linda Christou-  lschristou@comcast.net
o   Government Affairs: Bev Bullock-  blkbullock@gmail.com
o   Maternity Co Chair: Beth Hogger-  ltlkahuna@yahoo.com
o   Maternity Co Chair: Danni K Peterson-  dannipeterson252@gmail.com
o   SHSC: Susan Lee-  slee@alaskamec.org
o   Reserve: Erik Velez-   eriklvelez@gmail.com
o   Retirement: Tim Roddy-   timroddy@me.com
o   Uniform: Eric Tafoya-   erictafoya@hotmail.com

You can find a complete list of your Seattle AFA Committee members at:
http://alaskamec.org/council-19-committees/
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JA this weekend? At this point the company has no plans to JA. Flight Attendants have contacted me asking about this and I know this is a topic on social media. If there is a need to JA the company will reach out to AFA first and alert us. Once we hear this is a possibility we will communicate to you!
During this RED HOT Summer your Negotiating Committee and you MEC asks that you stay informed, stay connected, and show your solidarity! We are only as strong as our members and we need ALL of our members STANDING STRONG!

In solidarity,
Laura, Jake, Linda, Stephanie, and Adam
Laura Masserant, LEC President- laura.masserant@afaalaska.org- (360) 633-5905
Jake Jones, LEC Vice-President- jjones@alaskamec.org- (206) 617-7499
Linda Christou, LEC Secretary- lschristou@comcast.net- (206) 409-0354
Stephanie Adams, Council Representative- msadams44@comcast.net- (206) 852-4750
Adam Clarey, Council Representative- adamjclarey@gmail.com- (425) 269-3262

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

Your Negotiating Committee and Master Executive Council (MEC) are wrapping up a busy week. The MEC held its monthly meeting on Monday and Thursday and negotiations training on Tuesday and Wednesday in Seattle, WA.

 

The Negotiating Committee, the MEC and Mobilization Chair Adam Clarey attended the intensive negotiations training, facilitated by AFA Director of Collective Bargaining Clare Burt, International Staff Representative Guy Bosworth, Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput and Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo. In addition to training, the Negotiating Committee presented the opening proposal for a new contract to the MEC. The opener was unanimously approved by the MEC.

 

National Mediation Board (NMB) Chairperson Linda Puchala, Senior Mediator Pat Sims and Mediator Victoria Gray met with AFA for a presentation and discussion regarding the NMB and the Railway Labor Act. AFA presented an executive summary of the negotiations survey to management and the NMB in separate sessions.

 

AFA Hart Negotiations Survey Executive Summary

 

Negotiations Video Update June 25, 2014

 

What can you do in the meantime to strengthen our position at the table? We are on the countdown to 100% RED so make sure to wear your RED AFA pin on your uniform! Don’t have one yet? Contact your local Mobilization chairperson: alaskamec.org/mobilization.

 

In solidarity,

 

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

 

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

 

 

Negotiations Calendar

 

 July 8-9: Negotiations – NMB, Washington, DC

 

July 22: Solidarity Event (details TBA) [see alaskamec.org/mobilization]

 

Week of August 25 (tentative): Negotiations – location TBD

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

The AFA-CWA Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting Website (www.afa-bod.org) has been updated with all of the actions that were taken at the BOD Meeting in Orlando during April 28-30, 2014. Included are the final versions of all 19 Agenda Items; the text of the six Resolutions; and the Approved Budget.

 

Attached is a brief document that provides summary explanations of the primary components of the AFA budget: Pie Chart – 2014 – MEMO – Where do my dues go

 

Additionally, here is a pie chart that shows how the annual budget is allocated among the various priorities of our union: Pie Chart – 2014 – MEC LEC SPLIT.FINAL.1

 

If you have questions about the AFA budget, contact your LEC president for further information.

 

In solidarity,

 

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

 

MEC 5B Logo

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

Many of you have inquired what you should be doing with your $100 credit to the Company Store that will be available on June 24. The Negotiating Committee previously asked you to plan on purchasing an Alaska Airlines logo item. The idea behind this request was to obtain a Company item that would be used as part of a future solidarity event.

 

Because the Company Store credit appears to be restricted to particular items, we are not confident there will be enough stock of the items needed to make this effort successful. The Negotiating Committee, the Master Executive Council and the Mobilization Committee are currently coordinating an even better idea in preparation for our July 22nd system-wide solidarity event.

 

Stand by for more details in the coming weeks!

 

In solidarity,

 

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

 

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

Dear LAX Flight Attendants,

Our LAX EAP-Critical Response-Professional Standards Committee has one position open to fill.  Our committee reaches out to flight attendants experiencing stressful personal  & workplace issues.  New committee members are required to attend two initial trainings within the first year on the committee.  The first training will be August 19-20 in Portland Oregon, your expenses & training fees are covered.  Both initial trainings are volunteer hours.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the EAP-CIRP-PS committee, please apply at www.afacwa.org, you will find the application in the EAP section. Once you have completed the application, it will be forward to AFA Alaska EAP.

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Jeanne McCleave or Elizabeth Dillon at 949-470-1606.  The deadline for applying is Monday July 7th.

Jeanne McCleave NACA-1,LAP-C, SAP
AFA Alaska Airlines MEC Co-Chair
EAP-CIRP-Professional Standards

Thank you,

Sandra

Dear Flight Attendants,

Your Negotiating Committee just wrapped up two days of successful internal meetings in Seattle, WA. We used this time to craft an opening proposal based on your indications in the follow-up negotiations survey. We will publish an executive summary of the survey by the end of next week.

The new Negotiating Committee will attend an intensive negotiations training next week along with the entire Master Executive Council (MEC).  As part of the training, the Negotiating Committee will present the opening proposal to the MEC for approval per Section VI.B.3.c of the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws.

We head back to mediated talks with management under the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board in Washington, DC, July 8-9.  In that meeting we will present our proposal for a new contract and advocate for the positions you voiced in the survey.

What can you do in the meantime to strengthen our position at the table? We are on the countdown to 100% RED so make sure to wear your RED AFA pin on your uniform! Don’t have one yet? Contact your local Mobilization chairperson: afaalaska.org/mobilization.

In solidarity,

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

Negotiations Calendar

  • June 24-25: Negotiating Committee, MEC, AFA International staff and NMB members meet for negotiations training – Seattle, WA
  • July 8-9: Negotiations – NMB, Washington, DC
  • July 22: Solidarity Event (details TBA)
  • Week of August 25 (tentative): Negotiations – location TBD

 

MEC 5BSS Logo

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

 

Be advised that probationary Flight Attendants are absolutely welcome and encouraged to wear the new RED AFA pin. The RED AFA pin is our official union pin at Alaska Airlines so there is no need to wear the white pin. Alaska Airlines management has confirmed the right by all Flight Attendants—including probationary F/As—to wear the RED AFA pin. Even very recently, AFA was distributing the white AFA pins to probationary F/As during Initial Training and instructing them to not wear the RED AFA pins. We apologize for the confusion!

 

Probationary Flight Attendants are completely covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement in all ways except the right to utilize the grievance process. Probationary F/As are technically allowed to participate in solidarity actions as allowed under the Railway Labor Act (RLA). However, the Master Executive Council (MEC) believes our newest Flight Attendants can best support the negotiations process by wearing their RED AFA pin, familiarizing themselves with the Contract and most importantly focusing on successfully completing probation.

 

In the meantime the MEC invites probationary Flight Attendants to stay informed by attending union meetings. More RED AFA pins have been ordered and are on their way! Contact one of your Mobilization Committee chairpersons for more information: alaskamec.org/mobilization.

 

 

In solidarity,

 

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

 

MEC 5BSS Logo

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

 

The first meeting in our second round of mediation has been rescheduled from the week of July 21st in San Francisco, CA, to an earlier date in July! We will now be meeting the week of July 7th at the National Mediation Board (NMB) in Washington, DC.

 

Negotiations Calendar

 

June 17-18: Negotiating Committee writes second round opening proposal – Seattle, WA

 

June 24-25: Negotiating Committee, MEC, AFA International staff and NMB members meet for negotiations training – Seattle, WA

 

July 8-9: Negotiations – NMB, Washington, DC

 

July 22: Solidarity Event (details TBA) [see alaskamec.org/mobilization]

 

Week of August 25 (tentative): Negotiations – location TBD

 

We return to the table in a few weeks with renewed energy.  What can you do in the meantime? Continue to be informed and participate in your local AFA meetings and solidarity events.

 

Not only that but you can wear the new RED AFA pin each and every day to show your support for your Negotiating Committee. Management must see an ocean of RED pins on the line, which will reinforce our negotiations leverage. When they look across the bargaining table, they must see 3,200 of us looking back!

 

 

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

Seattle Summer Solidarity Event-Reminder

Please remember that Tuesday, June 10th is the Seattle Summer Solidarity Event!

Where: Sea Tac Hilton Conference Center- Elloitt Room

When: 2pm-4pm

Also, we may stop by Andy’s “Social” hour so make sure you RSVP for this event.

In Solidarity,

Laura Masserant- LEC President, Council 19

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – December 2025

On Monday, December 1, 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), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Brian Sherill (LAX), and Kanani Vallot […]

MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation Interviews – January 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Do you want to help new Flight Attendants as they go through initial training and probation? Our MEC is seeking a dedicated and organized Member in good standing to serve as the MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation. In this role, you’ll be the primary […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairperson positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for our next merged MEC Committee Chairperson and Representative positions. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have been elected: MEC Inflight Training Committee Chairperson: Megan BrownMEC Inflight Training […]

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