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Reserve Committee

  • Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, March 9 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • The Committee also met with management to review a number of specific concerns that were brought forward by Flight Attendants.
  • Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any reserve related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

On Thursday, March 9, 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 Heather Reier (ANC), Teran Eason (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN).  Also present was MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton. The committee also met with Inflight Crew Scheduling Director Sara Cook and Inflight Crew Scheduling Manager Matthew Trujilo.

The committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, June 8th.

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:

  • Planned Initial Training classes for the remainder of the year. Class 3 and Class 5 were canceled, however management still intends to hire additional Flight Attendants. The number of classes and specific number of students in each class is dependent on delivery of new aircraft.
  • Increase in requests for assistance with PBS and bidding from new hires. Exploring ways to provide additional training and support in this area.
  • Crew Scheduling management changes. Sara Cook was promoted to Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling and four new Crew Scheduling Supervisors are onboarded. Management is in the process of hiring an additional manager to support operations. 
  • Issues and glitches with Crew Access affecting Reserve Flight Attendants. Reviewed where known issues are documented and newly added/fixed issues. 
  • Review of upcoming update to Crew Access software. Includes associated fixes to current issues and other improvements, and prioritization for programming fixes.
  • Probationary Flight Attendant support through the Probationary Buddy Program. Buddies are very busy supporting new Flight Attendants. Reminder to refer Probationary Flight Attendants to their Buddy for contractual questions.
  • Increase in lineholders picking up reserve days. This resulted in some increased flexibility for Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • Review of reserve utilization statistics. Reserve utilization is approximately 82% in all bases. Reserve coverage is anticipated to be approximately 21-20% for the remainder of Quarter 1 and Quarter 2.
  • Request for management to decrease the Adequate Reserve Coverage (ARC) maximum. Goal of providing additional flexibility for shifting reserve days. Management agreed to review possible changes.
  • Review of contractual language related to Reserve Flight Attendants calling in well.
  • Reminder of the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. New hire Flight Attendants can report issues, raise concerns, or ask questions.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Assisting Probationary Flight Attendants Through the Probationary Buddy Program.   Answering questions from and providing support to probationary Flight Attendants through an expanded AFA Probationary Buddy program.
  2. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns.  Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring management is complying with our contract.
  3. Developing Additional Tools & Resources for New Flight Attendants.  Working to create documents to provide user friendly, easy-to-digest resources about the Collective Bargaining Agreement 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 that 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.

In This Edition

March 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

Originally posted March 9, 2023

Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Monday, March 6, and Tuesday, March 7, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants. The MEC also met with executive management and a group of union leaders from other company workgroups to receive updates and discuss concerns affecting employees company-wide. The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, and Wednesday, April 12. Please don’t hesitate to contact your LEC President if you have any questions.

Read More >

Help Support SkyWest Flight Attendant Organizing in LAX & SAN!

Originally posted March 10, 2023

SkyWest Flight Attendants are organizing to form their Union and join AFA-CWA! Help support their efforts by joining in an upcoming SkyWest AFA “Concourse Chats” visibility event. The goal of the events is to engage 1-on-1, in-person and have conversations with SkyWest Flight Attendants to learn their issues and priorities and invite them to be a part of the campaign by signing a card, wearing a pin, and/or getting more involved.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Wednesday, March 15Council 19 SEA Local Council Meeting
Wednesday, March 15Council 39 PDX Local Council Meeting
Thursday, March 16Council 15 SAN/Council 18 LAX Joint Local Council Meeting
Thursday, March 16Council 35 SFO Local Council Meeting
Thursday, March 16Alternate 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!

AFA International

SkyWest Flight Attendants are organizing to form their Union and join AFA-CWA! Help support their efforts by joining in an upcoming SkyWest AFA “Concourse Chats” visibility event. The goal of the events is to engage 1-on-1, in-person and have conversations with SkyWest Flight Attendants to learn their issues and priorities and invite them to be a part of the campaign by signing a card, wearing a pin, and/or getting more involved.

Upcoming visibility events in LAX and SAN are next week! Here are the details:

LAXMonday, March 13, 202312 to 4 PM PTMeet Up Location TBD
SANWednesday, March 15, 202312 to 4 PM PTMeet Up Location TBD

For more information or to sign up to participate, please contact AFA Campaign Representative Gailen David at gdavid@afacwa.org.

Council 30

There have been reports that the ANALYZER tool in NavBlue is not fully functioning as intended.  Per the Scheduling Committee: 

A ticket was filed with NavBlue on March 6th reporting the issue, NavBlue is currently investigating the issue and will hopefully come up with a fix.

The bid analyzer has no impact on what the program awards you, it is a feature of the program and not a function. Bidding for a pairing that exists and it not showing up in the bid analyzer will not impact your bid award just the ability to use the analyzer.

If you find that the ANALYZER tool is not fully functioning for you, please use other means of building and checking your bids. If you have questions or need assistance please contact anc.scheduling@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

LeiLauni, Heather and Annie

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Monday, March 6, and Tuesday, March 7, to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
  • The MEC also met with executive management and a group of union leaders from other company workgroups to receive updates and discuss concerns affecting employees company-wide.
  • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, and Wednesday, April 12. Please don’t hesitate to contact your LEC President if you have any questions.

The March 2023 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Monday, March 6, and Tuesday, March 7.  The meeting consisted of updates from our MEC Officers, LEC Presidents, Grievance Committee, and Scheduling Committee.  Our MEC also reviewed written reports submitted by other AFA MEC Committee Chairpersons about their current programs of work. 

Meeting with Management

As part of this meeting, the MEC met with company executive management and a group of union leaders from the other union-represented workgroups within the company.  The intent of these meetings, usually held once per quarter, is to receive updates from management and allow for a broader discussion of issues and concerns facing all company employees.  Some of the items that our MEC brought forward include the following:

  • Recent winter weather issues throughout the system. These weather issues resulted in a significant disruption to employees and operations in general. Management needs to anticipate problems, react sooner, and create an environment that recovers faster than before. There is also a need to resolve issues with throughput in Seattle during irregular operations and severe weather. Management states they are working on a plan to address these points.
  • Uptick in weight and balance restrictions. There has been a noticeable uptick recently in weight and balance restrictions in certain stations due to winds and other weather conditions. The restrictions are impacting non-rev and commuter travel as employees need to make plans based on information in FLY and cannot do so. Management needs to be more transparent when weight and balance restrictions are anticipated in specific cities or on particular flights and adjust inventory accordingly.
  • Lack of Positive Space Travel (PST) availability. Despite changes by management to how PST inventory is allocated, there needs to be more availability of PST seats for desirable destinations during vacation and other peak travel periods. The lack of availability devalues the benefit of PST for employees. Management indicated they would again review how PST inventory is allocated and internally discuss options for the current program.
  • Issues with transition to new leave/absence management vendor. Numerous employee reports have revealed that management’s transition to a new vendor for leave and absence management has been full of issues. Employees have reported not being paid correctly, a lack of responsiveness from the vendor, and other issues. Management says they are working with the vendor to address and resolve problems as they come up.

Action on Agenda Items

The MEC took action on two agenda items that were submitted in advance of the meeting.

  • An update to the MEC Policy & Procedure Manual was approved to expand the scope of the Inflight Training Committee to include Flight Attendants conducting Probationary Observation Flights and Initial Operating Experiences (IOEs).  The amended language can be found in Article VII.J [MEC Committees: Inflight Training Committee]
  • An updated version of the AFA Alaska Social Media Guidelines was approved.  The updated guidelines have been posted on the AFA Alaska website.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please get in touch with your LEC President.

Council 30


We invite all members in good standing to participate in our local Council 30 Pre-Board of Directors meeting this Friday, March 10, 2023 from 10:30am – 12:30pm(AKST) at the NALC building, 1102 W International Airpot Road. Parking is available on the back side of the building. Overflow parking is available next door at the AAG Credit Union. Please DO NOT park in the front of the building, as this is reserved for NALC employees only. Please be sure you are current on your dues to participate. Below is the registration link to participate via phone:

Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/gmz-vguk-ggw
Or dial: +1 240-794-2737 PIN: 253822264

Looking forward to seeing you all there!


In solidarity,

LeiLauni, Heather and Annie

We are approaching the end of term for our current Council #19 LEC Officers. In accordance with the Article VIII of the AFA-CWA Constitution and Bylaws, all Councils in Category II must nominate and elect officers for the term beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2026 (three year term). Local Council Officers to be elected will be LEC President, LEC Vice President, LEC Secretary and two (2) Council Representatives.  

In order to be eligible to vote, you must be an active member in good standing(dues must be paid up to date). 

The first step in the process is nominating candidates for each office. Every active AFA member in good standing is eligible to nominate one Flight Attendant to each LEC Office for their respective Local Council. There is no candidate list provided for nominations since any active AFA member of a Local Council, who is inn good standing and is committed to serve, is eligible to be nominated.  

You will receive a Voting Notice and Instructions guide via postal mail which includes a personal 16-digit activation code that is required to log into the voting system in order to obtain a username and password. You will then be able to access the balloting section and cast your vote. The entire process can only be accomplished via the internet in one session, but please ensure you completely follow the instructions. 

  • March 7, 2023: Voting Notice and Voting Guide are mailed containing your personal 16- digit activation code
  • March 10, 2023: Voting (nominations) polls open (12:00PM ET) and voting begins
  • March 30, 2023: Polls close (3:00PM ET) and election count takes place

Information on the next steps after nominations will come out at a later time.  

Please let us know if you have any questions. 

Recent Hotel Changes

Charleston: We have recently contracted with ———-. This was the AFA Hotel Committee’s choice, and we are happy the company secured this for our Flight Attendants. The hotel is right in town and is close to dining, shopping and entertainment. We hope you enjoy it. 

Guadalajara: The current hotel we have been using (the —-) is quite a drive, so a hotel closer to the airport was needed for the short layovers. Both AFA and ALPA chose the ———— by the airport because of the proximity to the airport, the fact that it is a brand new build, restaurant offerings and hours that coordinate well with our arrival times and the amenities offered. We hope our crews will be happy with this hotel for short layovers. Please note, we are not giving up the RIU downtown for the longer layovers. 

PLEASE NOTE: The above hotel names were removed for safety/security reasons, as this is public website.

Hotel Incidental Charges

We  are still getting reports of Flight Attendants making room charges or using items in the room that are not complimentary (snacks, mini bar or water). Please remember that water is NOT complimentary in all hotels, so make sure to check if there is a price attached to the bottle etc. Always remember to leave a credit card on file or pay when you check out if you are planning on making room charges or using room amenities that are not complimentary. Checking out and not paying for incidentals can lead to discipline up to and including discharge, so please be careful. 

Refrigerators and Microwaves

We would like to remind you that refrigerators and microwaves are NOT contractual, and we do not have plans on adding these to the language. When we do a site inspection, we do take this into account and we ask if they are available or if they can be made available. If we have two hotels that are comparable to choose from we take this into account when making the final decision. The reason we are not looking to add this to our language is that it could potentially lower the quality of hotels we have to choose from, including their locations. We will of course always advocate to choose properties that have the most amenities, but will take everything into account including location, etc. 

Crew Care

Do you use Crew Care? Anytime you have a contractual violation with your hotel accommodations, a Crew Care should be completed. You can find the link on the Inflight Website > Hotel & Station > Hotel Links > My Crew Care. If you have a hotel contract violation or if a hotel is having issues, please report it.  Please note, it is also nice to complete a Crew Care with compliments on hotels or for individual staff. We take these into account when selecting hotels or deciding to continue a relationship with a current property. Also, when you send in a compliment on a specific employee of a property, API will forward it to management on site and that employee will be recognized!

Upcoming Hotel Site Inspections

Site inspections are common when a contract comes up for renewal. Sometimes a current hotel is not interested in continuing the relationship, the hotel no longer meets the contractual language or we are simply re-assessing the market to see what other properties have become available.  We have site inspections coming up in the following markets:

  • SFO
  • ABQ
  • JFK (possibly)
  • CHS (short layover only, not looking to replace current DT hotel)
  • PSC/RDM
  • KOA
  • TPA/RSW
  • PHX
  • BUR
  • ORD

Hotel Etiquette

Please keep hotel etiquette and expectations in mind when on your layovers, including behavior of your guests. Even though you are on a layover, you are representing Alaska Airlines in a room paid for by them. Bad behavior will make its way back to management and will be acted on.

Hotel Shuttles

We utilize two different kinds of shuttles on our layovers. At some of our hotels we use hotel provided transportation and at others, we use a third party. When using a third party, it is at their discretion on whether they allow guests of employees or not. Please keep a few things in mind. Some of our transportation companies use an SUV that will only have enough seats for the working crew. In Charleston, the provider charges $10 per guest. The company we use is a small company and that fee covers the extra insurance they have to carry for guests. Also, in PVR a bulletin was previously issued reminding that guests cannot ride in the shuttle until further notice, as of today that bulletin has not been over turned. This is the policy of the transportation company. Please make sure if you are bringing guests to any of our layover hotels, be prepared to pay for transportation in case its not available for your guests (vehicle not large enough, etc). Also we would like to remind you that the shuttle time when leaving a hotel is the time that shuttle should be leaving the hotel, not the time you meet in the lobby. 

As always, we advocate hard for the best hotels we can possibly secure. We always appreciate your feedback, we take it to heart and use all feedback when making our recommendations on crew layover hotels. If you have questions that do not warrant a Crew Care, you can reach the Seattle Hotel Chairperson at sea.hotel.chair@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity, 

Your Seattle Hotel Committee

In This Edition

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – February 2023

Originally posted March 2, 2023

Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, February 28 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to lineholder scheduling. The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are experiencing with scheduling, pairings, and bidding. Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any lineholder scheduling-related issues.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Read More >

Negotiation Session 10

Originally posted March 2, 2023

Our Negotiating Committee began discussing Section 32: Attendance Policy and made progress on Section 8: Hours of Service and Section 16: Sick Leave/On the Job Injury. We have tentatively agreed to 28 sections. Ten sections are currently being discussed, while seven sections remain. The next contract negotiations session will take place March 21 through 23.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Monday, March 6 – Tuesday, March 7Regular MEC Meeting
Thursday, March 9Quarterly Reserve Committee Meeting
Thursday, March 9ANC Base Safety Meeting
Thursday, March 9Scheduling Review Board (SRB)
Friday, March 10Council 30 ANC Local Council 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!

Scheduling Committee

  • Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, February 28 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to lineholder scheduling.
  • The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are experiencing with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.
  • Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any lineholder scheduling-related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

On Tuesday, February 28, our AFA Scheduling Committee 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 Heather Reier (ANC), Martin Vance (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), Jaqui Bellenie (SFO), Natalie Codd (LAX), and Kitty Cohen (SAN). Also present were MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction Karen Ferrell, MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS Virginia Fritz, and MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton. The committee met with Supervisor of Inflight Crew Scheduling, Matthew Trujillo, Director of Crew Planning Mike Ostler, Manager of ITS Product Management Rick Mitchell, Manager of Crew Planning Trisha Bennett, and other management representatives from Crew Planning.

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:

  • Compliance with Jury Duty language in contract section 24.A.5 is being reviewed to ensure that management is applying the contractual protections when Flight Attendants are obligated to Jury Duty.
  • Passport Renewals and International Flying (contract section 10.S.12). Flight Attendants are covered by the section 10.S.3.b language when they submit their passport more than 15 days before the passport expires and notify Crew Scheduling.
  • New NAVBLUE PBS update version 22.7.7 has new features and should address the slow log in issues that our Flight Attendants have been experiencing after bids are published.
  • Separating Crews on International Layovers is both a safety and contractual concern. Crew Scheduling and Crew Planning are working to correct when Flight Attendants are assigned separate hotels while on international layovers.
  • Flight Attendant Contactability Requirements and definition of positive contact. Many Flight Attendants may not know that sections 32.C.1.e and 8.Q outline define when Flight Attendants are contactable as well as what steps management must take to have met their contractual requirements of contactability.
  • Crew Access Issues and upcoming UI update. The incorrect time showing UTC for trips will be resolved with new user interface but will still exist in original user interface.
  • Recent Pacific Northwest and California Winter Storm events. Please file a ticket at the  AFA Alaska Online Support Center if you have any unresolved issues related to the recent snow storms. Management plans on reviewing their processes and hopes to create a standardized playbook to assist them during winter irregular operations.
  • Lineholder Option to Decline an Initial Deadhead (contract section 10.X.8) can be allowed with “Crew Scheduling’s approval” Discussions were had at the consistency of allowing Flight Attendants to drop their initial deadhead legs.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Scheduling a meeting with Network Planning.  The Committee would like to meet with Network Planning in 2023 to discuss our contract, legalities and suggestions. We want to provide management with the Flight Attendant perspective and in an effort to improve our quality of life. 
  2. Review of JCTE/Crew Access transaction performance.  Each month, ITS provides the Committee with data on performance and transactions within JCTE/Crew Access.  The Committee reviews these reports to ensure our service levels are maintained at the appropriate thresholds.
  3. Scheduling Quality of Life Improvements.  Reviewing ways to improve Trip Length Distribution (TLD) and other quality of life factors.  Working with management to develop a quality of life survey to determine Flight Attendant scheduling priorities. 
  4. Review of user guides and links of Flight Attendant website.  Ensuring information is still accurate in existing resource materials, links are still active and working, etc.
  5. Updating Crew Access videos.  Working with management and ITS to update the Crew Access instructional videos to reflect updates and changes to the user interface.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items that you’d like brought up with management?  Please let us know!  Your Local Scheduling 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 Scheduling Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives for the upcoming MEC Officer term. They’ll begin transitioning into their roles over the next few months and officially start their terms on January 1, 2026. Below, you’ll find brief biographies that […]

Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives

We’re excited to introduce our next group of newly elected merged MEC Committee Chairpersons, who will begin their roles on November 1. These leaders are dedicated to representing the interests of our Flight Attendants as they coordinate activities across the merged committees of both airlines. They’ll work closely with the Local Committee Chairpersons from all […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

On Monday, October 13, 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), Chris Cardenas (LAX), and Kanani Vallot […]

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee 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 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 careful […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives. 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 Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee […]

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