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VOICE Comment Card Report May Part 2 – June – July 2013

Your Negotiating Committee reviews all comment cards submitted by members and posts those each month for transparency. Please know that we appreciate all comments, concerns and feedback. Some of the comments submitted maybe in Sections that have not yet been discussed, they may be included in our opening proposal (posted on AFA website http://www.alaskamec.org), our previous survey or may have already been addressed. Your opinions do count and we will continue to respond to concerns and comments not previously addressed or as sections become available.

 

Please note we will continue to post comments and questions with contact information, however, questions/comments without contact information will no longer be posted due to ensuring member involvement. Your information is always kept confidential and we appreciate open communication.

 

 

* * *

 

 

VOICE Comment Card Report July 2013

 

ANC: 0

LAX: 0,3 no name

PDX: 1, 0 no name

SEA: 2, 6 no name

Total: 3, 9 no name

 

 

Comment Card Topics:

Reserve: 0

Pay: 9

Scheduling/hours of service: 3

Sick Leave/attendance: 1

Commuter: 0

Benefits/Vacation/Insurance: 3

Hotel/Crew Meals: 0

Contract Language: 6

Clarifications/Rumors: 1

 

Questions:

 

 

No questions had a name attached to them this month.

 

 

Comments:

 

D, PDXFA

-If FA does not take advantage of Alaska Insurance pay FA a monthly allotment of at least $225.

-Protect our flying from SkyWest

-Cap our medical insurance premiums from skyrocketing.

-Pay us in top 3-4 of all airlines if not #1 like Southwest.

 

J, SEAFA. Would love to be on the email list.  I think you have my old one.  [Personal information deleted.] Thanks!

L, SEAFA

One idea other airlines have incorporated to promote attrition is  to offer giving FAs their seniority for pass riding.  Flight attendants on the line would hold better schedules, vacation, and trips if senior fas could retire with their seniority for pass riding.  Either that or allow fas to drop to 0 again and retain benefits.  Retirees don’t even have js privileges when pass riding.  This would be a win/win.

* * *

VOICE Comment Card Report June 2013

ANC: 0

LAX: 0,1 no name

PDX:0, 1 no name

SEA: 5, 11 no name

Total: 5, 13 no name

 

 

Comment Card Topics:

Reserve: 0

Pay: 10

Scheduling/hours of service: 7

Sick Leave/attendance: 3

Commuter: 0

Benefits/Vacation/Insurance: 3

Hotel/Crew Meals: 0

Contract Language: 8

Clarifications/Rumors: 6

 

 

Questions:

 

J, SEAFA

Anyone know what the pilots were offered as to a raise with the possible new contract?

 

10.86% DOS, 1.5%, 1.5%, 3.5%, 1.5%

 

 

Comments:

 

D, SEAFA

Please! Please! Do something about pay. I am on food stamps!! Shameful!!

 

G, SEAFA
Test the step open time for 6 months before implementing. I ruins as it is written it is not fair for junior fa’s. at least today’s system levels the playing field a bit.

 

R, SEAFA
The beauty of this job is its flexibility. Having to fly a minimum TFp should not be an option. There is no reason for it. Also we should not have to fly a minimum in any given month. No monthly TFp!

 

D, SEAFA

I was thinking instead of “Show me the money” our tag line should be “Do the right thing”.

* * *

VOICE Comment Card Report May 2013 Part 2

ANC: 0

LAX: 3, 4 no name

PDX: 1

SEA: 5, 14 no name

Total: 9, 18 no name

 

 

Comment Card Topics:

Reserve: 0

Pay: 16

Scheduling/hours of service: 7

Sick Leave/attendance: 3

Commuter: 0

Benefits/Vacation/Insurance: 7

Hotel/Crew Meals: 0

Contract Language: 9

Clarifications/Rumors: 3

 

Questions:

 

C, LAXFA [personal information deleted]

Can you update my email please?

 

Request was sent to Council 18 LAX leadership.

 

B, SEAFA

Once we come in on an all-nighter I am all for not having to fly the same day again. I would like over-water/international pay like our pilots get. SWA pay, I feel it is very deserved. No more sales on-board, vacation packages etc… 401k equal to the pilots. I’ve been here 18 years and still wouldn’t be in the top 50% on bidding against right now. Is it true if someone doesn’t vote it’s considered a yes vote?

 

No. If a FA does not vote, her vote is not counted for or against the TA.

 

D, SEAFA

Hi, Can someone clarify the open time segment of negotiations?There are some crazy stories out there and I think it needs to be addressed. Thanks for all you do.

 

There is a really great video on the AFA Alaska Airlines Negotiations channel on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/AFAALANegotiations/videos) that explains Open Time. Go here to view that particular video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywB0UH9iitA.

 

Comments:

 

J, LAXFA

I started a medical leave in Nov 2012 and because of said leave encroaching 4 days into April 2013 I was not entitled to a quarterly improvement. I have perfect attendance for the 2nd quarter. I again don’t get an improvement. I think medical leaves should not apply the same as lates, might be lates, or sick leave w/o doctor’s note. Thanks.

 

D, LAXFA

In Feb I missed my check-in. I volunteered to help scheduling and asked if there was a trip I can work. I did an MZT turn and helped out the company. Apparently scheduling told supervisor “Tony” he “thanked me” for helping out. I was given 2.5 points and I could have stayed home! If this happens, I think we shouldn’t be penalized the entire points, maybe half the points. The company should meet a FA half way as a thank you for working. Next time, I’ll stay home like the majority of FA’s.

 

J, PDXFA

I would like to say a big thank you for all the unseen hard work and effort you are all putting into our negotiations. I know many people don’t see the big picture in this process and I am confident in your abilities, and I appreciate you. Keep up the great work!

 

N, SEAFA

I will wear my new pin proudly! Keep up the good work.

 

L, SEAFA

Hey guys, just wanted to thank you all so much for the great communication and for all the hard work you’re putting in for us. I am grateful for the dedication you all show! Take care and thanks again!!

 

D, SEAFA

We need to demand retroactive pay.

The AFA-CWA Council 39 Reserve Committee will soon be undergoing a realignment of Committee Members to help keep the Committee closest to those it represents—Flight Attendants holding a reserve schedule.

Melissa Stanek will be joining the Reserve Committee, effective August 1.  Melissa recently began her career with Alaska Airlines in September of 2012.  As a new Flight Attendant with no previous airline experience, she came into the industry excited to learn as much as she could. Although Melissa has only been with company a short time, her desire to be involved comes with no hesitation.

With a background in Real Estate as well as Sales and Marketing, Melissa has had the opportunity to be involved by helping individuals in the community professionally with high standards and ethics.  She grew up in the Portland/ Vancouver area and helping others has always been a part of her nature.  She also enjoys the outdoors, traveling and spending time with family.

Melissa is very excited to part of the Portland Reserve Committee and to be able to get to know everyone. Being a part of the Committee will allow her to be available to help anyone that may not understand some of the legalities of our contract and help answer any questions they may have.  She is more than happy to assist and excited to get started. She looks forward to helping others and building new relationships.

David Sutherland will take over as Reserve Committee Chairperson, effective September 1.  David has served on the Reserve Committee since October 2012 and has been an Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant since June 2008.  With nearly all of that time spent on reserve, David has developed a firm understanding of the reserve sections of the collective bargaining agreement and is seen by his co-workers as an encyclopedic resource for all things pertaining to reserve.

In his role as Reserve Committee Chairperson, David will lead the long-term efforts and program of work of the Committee and provide support to Committee Members Hannah Winit and Melissa Stanek.

Jennifer Duvall will be leaving the Committee effective August 31.  Jenn has served on the Committee since 2010 and will be pursuing other AFA Committee work.

Brian Palmer will be stepping down as Chairperson effective September 1 and will be leaving the Committee effective November 30.  He will be focusing on his responsibilities as LEC Vice President for Council 39.

Contact information for Reserve Committee Members can be found on the PDX Reserve Committee page of the MEC website at http://alaskamec.org/pdx/reserves.

July 12, 2013

 

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

First order of business is to congratulate our brothers and sisters of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) at Alaska Airlines on ratifying their Tentative Agreement.  We hope that success bodes well for our efforts at the table.
We just wrapped our first week of mediation in Valencia, CA. Victoria Gray, our National Mediation Board federal mediator, assisted both sides in defining all remaining open items and mapping a path forward. She also strongly suggested that both sides keep public communications very general and less detailed than in pre-mediation times.  She explained that mediated sessions can become very intense and negotiating positions can shift rapidly.   Having detailed positions outlined in publications can sometimes hamper the flexibility to get the deal done.   Both parties agreed to keep updates more generic.
That said, we are still committed to keeping you apprised of what’s going on at the bargaining table. With Mediator Gray’s assistance, we were able to TA three sections:  New Section:  Hotels, Section 30: Training and Section 27: Association Business.  We had significant discussion on Section 14: Vacation, Section 16: Sick Leave and Section 32: Attendance Policy.

As we reported earlier in the week, AFA has retained a very experienced travel industry economist to assist us with costing and evaluating the company’s financial modeling. Dan Akins brings over 30 years of experience and has worked with several AFA councils and other unions in negotiations. We are very happy to have Dan’s expertise and he has already been very helpful at the bargaining table.
Our next session is August 20-22 in Portland, OR.

 

In solidarity,

 

Your Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Tracy, Karina Cameron-Fetters and AFA Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

“Five Bases, One Voice”

www.alaskamec.org

July 10, 2013

 

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

The AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) is very pleased to report that Alaska Airlines intends to replace the TwinHill uniform with an interim Land’s End uniform by late fourth quarter 2013 or early first quarter 2014. All Flight Attendants will be out of the TwinHill uniform much earlier than the originally anticipated date of late 2014! It has been a long, long road to get to this point but AFA is thrilled that Alaska Airlines management is taking this bold action to restore confidence in our uniform. AFA representatives have been involved in the selection of Land’s End—including an extensive vetting process with safety as a primary driver.  We are highly confident that Land’s End will be able to deliver a product that is free from the issues many have reported while in or around the current stock uniform. The transition to the interim uniform will happen all on the same day and AFA has been informed that there will be an overnight effort to resolve safety concerns from potential contact transfer on the jumpseats during that transition.

 

However, please keep in mind that this is only a temporary uniform from Land’s End Business Outfitters stock catalog. Flight Attendants will eventually be transitioned to a custom Land’s End uniform once the “brand refresh” review has been completed—up to two years from now. With all the new Flight Attendant uniforms going public lately, we do not want anybody to be disappointed as a result of thinking that this new Land’s End uniform–which will probably lack many of the more exciting elements in other airline uniforms—will be with us for any length of time. Again, it is just an interim uniform until a more permanent and presumably more exciting uniform is in place.

 

AFA knows there will be a lot of questions and we will continue to update you along the way through MEC communications or the AFA Uniform Committee. You will also find more information on Alaska’s World, the Inflight webpage and in First Class. Also, the MEC would be remiss if we did not thank AFA International Air Safety and Health Industrial Hygienist Judith Murawski for her determined advocacy on behalf of our affected members.

 

 

In solidarity,

 

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

 

“Five Bases, One Voice”

www.alaskamec.org

Dear Flight Attendants,

It was too good to be true, well, for some of us!

There appears to be continuing issues with eMaestro. The problem is not specific to any browser, but Internet Explorer and Chrome are the top culprits. Depending on your preferred browser, IT has provided what they believe will fix the issue.

Please remember that Crew Scheduling cannot fix the issue and we ask that you refrain from calling them unless you need to report a sick call or an operational situation.

First thing in the morning the MEC will determine if the issue continues to exist and if we need to address the closing time for bids, again. 

 The IT fix addresses clearing your browsing history. Please refer to the following helpful tips for your specific browser:

INTERNET EXPLORER

Tools: Delete Browsing History. Everything needs to be checked- Delete

Close browser and reopen

FIREFOX

Tools: Options/Privacy/Clear your recent history for the last 24hours

Details: Top 4 options must be checked- Clear now

Close browser and reopen

GOOGLE CHROME

Click on the three-line box in the upper right corner, go to History and click on Clear Browsing History. Set the amount of time you want to clear and then click on Clear Browsing History again.

Drop down must be changed to past day/clear browsing history. 

Close browser and reopen

We will continue to update you with information as soon as we receive it-

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

“Five Bases, One Voice”

 

 

Dear Flight Attendants,

At approximately 545pm tonight the problem with the eMaestro system was fixed and the system is now up and running.

Even though eMaestro is now operational please note that the new time for bid closure is still 12:00 noon (pst) July 10, 2013.

The MEC will work with the company to determine what caused the problem and how to avoid this type of system failure in the future.

Thank you for your patience today!

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

“Five Bases, One Voice”

www.alaskamec.org

 

Dear Flight Attendants,

 

 4pm update

 

Due to the continuing problems with eMaestro today AFA has requested, and the company has agreed to, an extension to the close of bids from 09:00 (pst) to 12:00 noon (pst) tomorrow, July 10th.

 

 AFA brought forward the concern with a Flight Attendant’s inability to trade or pick up trips during the last few days of the month and how this does affect bid awards.

 

 If the system comes back on line tonight the close of bids will remain 12:00 noon (pst) tomorrow, July 10th.

 

Again, bids are now due by 12:00 noon (pst) tomorrow. We do not anticipate any delay to bid the awards.

 

 Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

 

 “Five Bases, One Voice”

 

Dear Flight Attendants,

AFA did receive reports that Navtech, the bidding system, was also experiencing glitches. We did ask the company to research the reports and at this point Navtech is fully operational.

We do want to remind you that the Navtech system is best supported by Internet Explorer 9 and Chrome browsers.

We are still awaiting updated information on eMaestro and hope to have this out to you soon.

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

“Five Bases, One Voice”

www.alaskamec.org

 

Dear Flight Attendants,

eMaestro continues to experience issues at this time and the company is working on a fix. We will update you when we receive any information.

If you need to process a trade or pick up a trip with a check-in for today you can call crew scheduling to do a manual trade. Otherwise, we ask that you hold off calling crew scheduling to process trades for other days to ensure we keep crew scheduling lines open for essential calls.

Thank you!

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Terry Taylor, Yvette Gesch, Melanie Buker, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow

“Five Bases, One Voice”

www.alaskamec.org

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