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Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • AFA has previously communicated several times regarding the Supreme Court ruling on Bernstein v. Virgin America, the potential impact, and how our perspective differs from that of management.
  • To clarify, AFA did not initiate this lawsuit but did file an amicus brief in 2020 in support of upholding the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling on the case. AFA has been and remains ready to negotiate solutions but will not agree to categorically undermine the rights of our members as it applies to benefits under state law.
  • AFA International will be hosting a virtual union meeting on Wednesday, July 20th to discuss the facts about how the ruling will affect Flight Attendants in California.

Alaska Airlines management hosted a series of webcast sessions last week for the Inflight division to discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on Bernstein v. Virgin America (re: CA meal & rest breaks) and its potential impact

As previously communicated, AFA has a very different perspective than management. 

AFA’s formal involvement in Bernstein v. Virgin America

AFA did not file this lawsuit. Bernstein was initiated years ago by several Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants prior to the merger between Virgin America and Alaska Airlines. The case then wound its way through the court system for years. In January 2020, AFA filed an amicus brief* (technically a brief of amici curiae*) in support of upholding the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling on Bernstein. 

Click here for AFA’s Ninth Circuit amicus brief in Bernstein v. Virgin America >

* In American law, amici curiae (Latin for “friends of the court”) typically refers to interested parties who request to provide legal submissions so as to offer relevant alternative or additional perspective regarding the matters in dispute; the legal submission by the amici curiae is often called an amicus brief.

A path forward

AFA has been and remains ready to negotiate solutions but will not agree to categorically undermine the rights of our members as it applies to benefits under state law. However, there is potential for targeted legislative fixes or clarifications to California meal and rest requirements that do not neatly fit into the unique circumstances of Flight Attendant duties on commercial aircraft. AFA remains willing to work with the airline industry and other labor stakeholders to achieve a mutually agreeable path forward.

Get the Facts: Bernstein and California Meal and Rest Break

AFA International will hold a virtual union meeting for Flight Attendants only on Wednesday, July 20th at 2 PM Pacific time. Hear from AFA International President Sara Nelson, AFA General Counsel Joe Burns, and other experts on the facts surrounding the Bernstein case and what it means for Flight Attendants in California.

Click here to RSVP

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, July 12 and Wednesday, July 13 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
  • As part of the meeting, the MEC met with members of inflight, labor relations, and executive management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.
  • The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 11.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

The July 2022 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Tuesday, July 12 and Wednesday, July 13.  The meeting consisted of updates provided by our MEC Officers, LEC Presidents, Grievance Committee, Scheduling Committee, and Mobilization 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 most Regular MEC Meetings, our MEC meets with management to review current issues and challenges that Flight Attendants are facing.  Attendees from management this month included Managing Director of Inflight Operations Michaela Littman, Associate Vice President of Finance & Resource Planning Ryan St. John, Managing Director of Guest Products Todd Traynor-Corey, Vice President of Labor Relations Jenny Wetzel, and Managing Director of Labor Relations Carmen Williams.

Some of the topics that were discussed include:

  • Plans for onboard service changes.  Management shared plans with our MEC for proposed changes to how onboard service is conducted and associated future technology.  Our MEC expressed concerns with how the proposed changes could impact Flight Attendants and asked that management reconsider several aspects of their plan.
  • Distribution of Flight Attendant staffing by base.  Our MEC has again requested that management add staffing to all bases.  Bases outside of SEA need additional Flight Attendants to provide relief, especially to Reserve Flight Attendants.
  • Cross-utilization of Reserve Flight Attendants between domiciles.  Our MEC has again requested that management discontinue the practice of cross-utilizing reserves between domiciles.  Excessive use of this practice is unnecessarily burdensome on Reserve F/As.  With current staffing levels, our MEC believes there is no need for management to continue this practice.
  • Flight Attendant staffing levels.  Management is examining the possibility of offering staffing adjustment leaves in the upcoming months.
  • Quality of pairings.  Our MEC shared that Flight Attendants are looking for improvements to pairing quality.  In particular, there are concerns with pairings being scheduled with long duty days that push contractual limits and subsequent minimum rest on layovers.
  • Issues with hotel and transportation information in Crew Access.  Some pairings have incorrect/missing hotel and transportation information in Crew Access.  As a result, Flight Attendants are having to wait for hotel rooms and/or are being sent to the wrong hotel.  Our MEC believes that this is unacceptable and needs to be fixed immediately.
  • Layover hotel availability and planning.  In anticipation of high demand in certain cities, our AFA Hotel Committee approached management last year and requested that management take a proactive approach in securing additional hotel rooms for crews.  Management did not take meaningful action on the request and now is having challenges securing hotel rooms.
  • Concerns with cutover to new worker’s compensation administrator.  Management has recently switched to a new vendor to administer worker’s compensation claims.  Our AFA Benefits Committee has received reports that the new vendor is not responsive to Flight Attendants in addition to other concerns.
  • Lack of practical, hands-on experience during Initial Training (IT).  Ongoing concern about the lack of practical, hands-on experience in the current IT program. New hire Flight Attendants need to be set up for success and given adequate time to become familiar with the flow of duties on live flights as part of IT. 

MEC Policy & Procedure Manual Amendments

During the June 2022 Regular MEC Meeting, a review of the AFA Alaska MEC Policy & Procedure Manual was conducted to consider possible updates and amendments.  At that meeting, one agenda item was amended and tabled until the July 2022 Regular MEC Meeting and another was referred back to the originator to be rewritten and resubmitted.

This month, our MEC took action on two agenda items for amendment of the MEC Policy & Procedure Manual—the agenda item that had previously been amended and tabled and a rewritten version of the agenda item that had been referred back to the originator at last month’s MEC Meeting.  Both agenda items were adopted.  These agenda items will be incorporated into the manual and posted to the AFA Alaska website early next week.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please reach out to your LEC President.

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Legal Disclaimer

At the request of Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants who have reached out to AFA Alaska regarding Bernstein v. Virgin America, we are sharing the following information presented “as-is” and with permission from the Bernstein class counsel as a courtesy to our members. AFA does not represent the plaintiffs in this case, so any specific questions or concerns from the Class (current and/or former L-VX FAs) about the case should be directed to counsel: monique@os-legal.com and alison@ktlawsf.com.

Received by AFA Alaska on July 8, 2022:

Dear Class Members: 

I understand that Alaska Airlines has been holding meetings with class members and other flight attendants to discuss the impact of the decisions in the case, and that there is confusion and possible disinformation about the status of things.  The following is a report from Class Counsel, the lawyers who represent the Class of Virgin America flight attendants, in Bernstein v. Virgin America.  

The case is presently pending in the federal district court before Judge Jon S. Tigar.  Plaintiffs have prevailed on their claims for overtime, wage statement violations, meal and rest period violations, waiting time penalties, and the failure to pay flight attendants in a timely manner as required by California law.  

The district court has been directed by the appellate court to revise the judgment in accordance with the opinion that the appellate court issued last summer.  Accordingly, plaintiffs have moved to amend the judgment.  Alaska Airlines have made several arguments in opposition.  The district court will hear the motion on August 18, 2022, and will then decide what the total judgment will be.  Plaintiffs have asked the court to enter a judgment that is approximately $42 million.  Virgin is opposing Plaintiffs’ motion but agrees that it must pay the Class for the overtime violations.

Alaska Airlines continues to state that it cannot comply with any obligation to provide meal and rest periods in flight.  To be clear, the ruling in the case was limited: it found Virgin America (and Alaska ONLY as a successor-in-interest to Virgin America) liable for meal and rest periods only for flights within California and only for the time period of March 18, 2011 – December 15, 2017. 

If you want more information, please feel free to contact Class Counsel: monique@os-legal.com and alison@ktlawsf.com. We will also be launching a page on www.os-legal.com shortly with updates. 

Thank you!

Monique Olivier, esq.

Reference Documents

In This Edition

More Details Tomorrow: AFA’s Response to Management’s Webcasts About Bernstein v. Virgin America (California Meal & Rest Breaks)

Originally posted July 7, 2022

AFA Alaska leadership is participating in the Company’s webcasts today about California meal and rest break laws.  It is extremely premature and unnecessarily anxiety-provoking to suggest that downsizing or closing California domiciles is anything but a worst-case scenario.  Management is mischaracterizing AFA’s involvement in the Bernstein v. Virgin America case.  The MEC will communicate more details tomorrow after coordinating with the AFA International officers and with AFA Legal.

Read More >

AFA’s Response to Management’s Webcasts About Bernstein v. Virgin America (California Meal & Rest Breaks) – Part 1

Originally posted July 8, 2022

Alaska Airlines management held a series of webcast sessions for Flight Attendants to discuss possible impacts of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Bernstein v. Virgin America case.  AFA believes that management’s intent of the sessions was to motivate Flight Attendants to pressure lawmakers to pass laws that exempt the airline industry from applying worker-friendly state and local labor laws to flight crew.  At the same time, AFA is willing to work with the industry, other labor unions, and additional stakeholders to address the challenges presented by California meal & rest break laws through legislative clarification and/or alternate solutions.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, July 12 – Wednesday, July 13June 2022 Regular MEC Meeting
Thursday, July 14Quarterly Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) 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!

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • Alaska Airlines management held a series of webcast sessions for Flight Attendants to discuss possible impacts of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Bernstein v. Virgin America case.
  • AFA believes that management’s intent of the sessions was to motivate Flight Attendants to pressure lawmakers to pass laws that exempt the airline industry from applying worker-friendly state and local labor laws to flight crew.
  • At the same time, AFA is willing to work with the industry, other labor unions, and additional stakeholders to address the challenges presented by California meal & rest break laws through legislative clarification and/or alternate solutions.

AFA Alaska has a very different perspective than that being offered by management

Alaska Airlines management hosted a morning and afternoon webcast session yesterday for the Inflight division about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision on Bernstein v. Virgin America, and AFA Alaska leadership participated in both sessions. The webcasts mainly focused on the implications of the ruling for California meal and rest break laws and management’s plans to comply with the law. Not surprisingly, AFA has a very different perspective than that being offered by management. 

Why such dire warnings about potential base downsizing or closures?

In our opinion, it is extremely premature and unnecessarily anxiety-provoking of management to suggest that downsizing or closing California domiciles is anything but a worst-case scenario. The reality is that it’s anyone’s guess what actual compliance with the law will look like at this juncture, so why would management “go there” with such dire warnings about potential base downsizing or closures in California? Or to even go so far as to suggest that this may happen in Washington and/or Oregon in the future? 

Management’s ulterior motives – and why AFA opposes these efforts

Management is citing transparency about the growing challenges of operating an airline in certain localities as “the” reason. Coincidentally, those same localities have very worker-friendly labor laws on the books. Although management’s desire for transparency may indeed be a factor, the MEC believes there is also an underlying ulterior motive: to motivate you – especially CA-, OR-, and WA-based FAs – to pressure your legislators to pass laws that completely exempt airlines from applying state and/or local laws to flight crew. Management was certainly keen to encourage Flight Attendants to lobby their legislators accordingly during yesterday’s webcasts!

From our point of view, if Alaska Airlines and the other Airlines for America (A4A) management groups had their way, then only federal laws and collective bargaining agreements would apply to flight crew. Although we acknowledge that management has some legitimate concerns, those concerns do not justify sweeping general exemptions from all state and local laws for all airline flight crew. Consequently, AFA will continue to oppose management’s efforts to categorically undermine worker’s rights laws in this regard.

Where AFA and management are potentially aligned

However, AFA is not opposed to the airline industry seeking reasonable and specific waivers or variances to California meal & rest break laws where applicable. AFA has also previously signaled our willingness to work with the airline industry and other labor stakeholders on potential legislative clarifications and/or fixes to problematic provisions in the California meal & rest break laws. AFA remains willing to do so. 

Labor and management have a mutual interest in maintaining a heathy airline industry and to not unnecessarily disrupt the lives of our flight crews. By working together, we are confident that all parties can achieve a mutually agreeable path forward. 

The MEC will communicate more details in Part 2 next week.

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • AFA Alaska leadership is participating in the Company’s webcasts today about California meal and rest break laws.
  • It is extremely premature and unnecessarily anxiety-provoking to suggest that downsizing or closing California domiciles is anything but a worst-case scenario.
  • Management is mischaracterizing AFA’s involvement in the Bernstein v. Virgin America case.  The MEC will communicate more details tomorrow after coordinating with the AFA International officers and with AFA Legal.

Alaska Airlines management is hosting a morning and afternoon webcast session today for the Inflight division about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision on Bernstein v. Virgin America, the implications for California meal and rest break laws, and management’s plans to comply with the law. AFA Alaska leadership is participating in both sessions and based on this morning’s session alone we will definitely share a different perspective with our members than that being offered by management. 

In the meantime, we offer these initial observations/opinions: 

(1) It is extremely premature and unnecessarily anxiety-provoking of management to suggest that downsizing or closing California domiciles is anything but a worst-case scenario when the reality is that it’s anyone’s guess what actual compliance with the law will look like; and 

(2) Management is mischaracterizing AFA’s involvement in the Bernstein v. Virgin America case.

The MEC will communicate more details tomorrow after coordinating with the AFA International officers and with AFA Legal.

Bernstein v. Virgin America Ruling

Since the ruling was announced (06/30/2022) Council 15 LEC Officers have been inundated with questions related to the potential impact to our base.  At this point, we do not believe any decisions have been made. I personally feel the company has created unneeded panic before there is even a plan going forward.

Please review the following communications from AFA and look for updates as more information becomes available. 

AFA News Now – Supreme Court Ruling on Bernstein v. Virgin America
Alaska MEC (06/30/2022)

“In our opinion, management’s various communications are largely speculative and suggest that somehow safety provisions and meal and rest breaks cannot coexist. Arguably, the meal & rest requirements are applicable only to CA-based FAs working for a CA-based airline solely on intra-CA flights (e.g., SFO-LAX but not SFO-JFK).Rather than focus on practical solutions, management simply continues to gripe about having to comply with this law. As the 9thCircuit Court of Appeals already told them more than a year ago, there are many ways to comply with this law.”

Meal and Rest- Don’t Exempt, Negotiate 
AFA International (05/27/2022)

“Instead of meaningfully seeking to address the provisions of the law, airline executives have argued the most onerous outcomes of applied law. For example, one argument the industry makes is that this law will require augmenting crew on long haul flights. They mount this argument despite the fact that the case is limited to California-based flight attendants flying in California. The court did not address the applicability of meal and rest provisions to long-haul flying, which primarily would take place outside of California and therefore may not even fall under this law.”

 AFA stands ready to work out a solution with management that is compliant with the law and is a mutually agreeable path forward for all stakeholders.

SAN Mobilization Chair Selected for Negotiations

We would like to thank those who expressed interest for the San Diego Mobilization Chair. Both candidates showed passion, knowledge, and drive and we were excited to have such strong candidates. With that being said, Samantha Wolff has been selected and accepted the position. She will attend training at the beginning of August with the other local mobilization chairs. More opportunities to get involved with the committee will be announced later this summer.

Samantha began her career as a flight attendant flying for Virgin America in 2011. She quickly upgraded to Inflight Team Leader which was the airline’s purser position, and flew as the ITL until the merger with Alaska Airlines in 2018.

She has a bachelor’s degree in fine art and is a painter, sculptor and photographer. She also has a background as a legal assistant. She and her husband, who is an Alaska captain and ALPA volunteer, are empty nesters for his 2 adult sons and they currently live in San Diego with their 3 rescue cats.

She is a passionate union advocate and although this is her first volunteer position with AFA, she is dedicated to provide our union members with timely information during membership surveys, contract negotiations and voting.

Email Verification

With negotiations quickly approaching, we want to make sure all emails are up to date. If you are using a company email address, please be sure to update it to a personal email address by clicking here. AFA does not send communications to the Company provided email. Over the next few weeks we will be reaching out to anyone with a company email address on file to make sure a personal address is listed or we will purge your information from the AFA data base.

Negotiations Survey Coming Soon

Get Ready for Our Negotiations Survey—Update Your Contact Information Now!
In just a few months, our Negotiating Committee will be conducting a Negotiations Survey of all Flight Attendants.  The survey results will be used to help our Negotiating Committee prepare our Opening Proposal.  When it’s ready to launch, the survey will be sent out to all Flight Attendants using the contact information on file with AFA.  If your contact information has recently changed, update it as soon as possible so you can receive your invitation to complete the survey. Read more about our Negotiations Survey here.

Local Committee Updates

We have made some changes and additions to a couple of the committees

Reserve Committee

We want to welcome Rebecca Garcia as the New Reserve Chair and thank Joe Coneglio for his time as Reserve Chair.

New to Reserve? Familiarize yourself with Reserve [Section 11] & Hours of Service [Section 8] of the Contract and the Reserve Survival Guide.  It may be found on your IMD. Search “Reserve” or go to ASFA Supplemental> Collective Bargaining Agreement> AFA Alaska Reserve Survival Guide. 

If you believe you have received an illegal assignment, don’t hesitate to contact our local Reserve Committee.  They have been helping members work through their concerns. When a contractual violation is identified- they can assist you. 

Read more about the Reserve Committee here.

Uniform Committee

We want to welcome Jesus Perina Jr. “JP” as the New Reserve Chair and thank Denise Sheldon for her time as Uniform Chair and wish her well in her retirement from Alaska.

Don’t hesitate to contact our local Uniform Committee.  They can assist you with any questions or concerns.

Read more about the Uniform Committee here.

A full list of Local Committees can be found here.

Questions and Concerns

Contact information for Council 15 committee members can be found on our website.  You can also open an online support ticket and the appropriate rep will respond.

In Solidarity,

Brice McGee, President

Melanie Buker, Vice President

Stephen Couckuyt, Secretary

Important Dates

June 30: Q2 CBT Due Today!

SFO KCM is Back!

Due to TSA staffing issues, the Terminal 2 Known Crewmember (KCM) entrance has returned to the D gates entrance, just past the restrooms.  Important reminders for KCM card holders:

  • Only bring your own belongings through KCM checkpoint
  • No weapons allowed through KCM (should be an obvious one!)
  • No personal international travel

Violations of the KCM rules can result in suspension of privileges, not just for the offending FA but everyone!  TSA has issued a warning to participating airlines that a recent increase in violations has prompted them to increase random checks and to have TSA inspectors present at checkpoints. Inspectors may ask cardholders questions about the program to ensure understanding and enforce compliance. Please be aware of the rules and give extra time to go through checkpoints.  For more information visit the  KCM website.

From the KCM website:

Crewmember’s can utilize the KCM® access points for both business and personal use except when on personal international travel. Crewmember’s on personal international travel must use a passenger-screening checkpoint. If international travel is included on any leg of an itinerary, the entire trip is considered international and KCM may not be used for access to the sterile area. Travel from the U.S. to a destination which does not require a passport (e.g., U.S. Virgin Islands) is not considered international travel.

Welcome to SFO!

Council 35 members, please give our newest Flight Attendants a warm welcome and be sure to show them all that we love about SFO! If you’re a new hire or transfer to SFO, please be sure to sign up to receive Council 35 newsletters, like this one, and be sure to save links to Council 35 committee resources for future reference. 

Committee Openings

Committee member openings in the following committees:

Government Affairs (chair)

Human Rights (chair)

Members interested in these positions may submit a letter of interest to sfo@afaalaska.org 

Scheduling Update

by Virginia Fritz, Council 35 Vice President-Elect and Scheduling Chair

August ORD Turns

Our AFA Pairing Analyst fights hard against management every month to advocate that we have ORD 4K turns built in our base. Unfortunately, Crew scheduling has requested they not be built as a turn in August because of historical issues causing delays over 14 hour duty days, thereby allowing FA’s to opt out and snowballing reserve usage. This means that we do not expect to have any 4K ORD turns in August. We will continue to advocate for their return.

SFO 3 day Redeyes

We’ve gotten a lot of feedback that the 3 day redeyes with 24 hour rest are not very popular and we frequently find them in our base. Many are awarded to Junior lineholders for coverage in PBS showing they are not very desirable. While we request that management attempt to build us 2 day “day sleep” Redeye Pairings the flight schedule does not always allow those to be legally built with the 10 hours necessary layover rest. We have found that the JFK schedule could allow some to be built and have asked for those flight numbers specifically to be built together when possible going forward. We have not been able to find a flight schedule on other city layovers that would allow that. Please reach out to the scheduling committee if you find specific flight examples that could create the desired 2 day Redeye pairings so that we can add those to our soft lock requests going forward!

Hotel Wait Times

Summer travel is upon us and we aren’t the only industry that is impacted. Hotels are selling out and management is sometimes finding itself scrambling to find us rooms. If your rooms are not ready when you are checking in please reach out to crew scheduling to let them know. Keep them updated with any changes and definitely let them know when you have finally been given a room. We have been successful in requesting compensation for Flight attendants who have had to wait more than an hour for their hotel rooms. Calling Crew Scheduling allows us to verify the time stamps in your delays and ensure we can fight to get you any compensation you may be due for the delay.

Council 35 Grievance Update: Six-Month Stats

The first half of 2022 has been the busiest 2 quarters since 2017!  To date we have had 33 disciplines:

Oral Warnings: 13
Written Warning: 5
Suspension: 3
Terminations: 12 

Compared to last year we have seen discipline rates more than double.  Below is a summary of the issues that resulted in discipline YTD: 


Issue Summary		#Cases
CBT9
Job Abandonment*5
Personal Conduct*4
Commuter Violation3
12+ Points*2
Late to Plane/Delay2
Delay2
Uniform1
Social Media1
Sick Leave Abuse*1
Reserve Out of Base*1
Insubordination1
Expired Leave of Absence*1
Total33

*termination

This also summarizes the number of grievances filed, as the Grievance Committee files grievances on all discipline issued.

Got a question?

Contact information for Council 35 committee members can be found on our website.  You can also open an online support ticket and the appropriate rep will respond.

In solidarity,

Council 35 Officers

Melissa Osborne, President
Virginia Fritz, Vice-President Elect
James Ikehara, Secretary
Brad Young, Council Representative

Melissa Osborne, LEC President •  Melissa.osborne@afaalaska.org • 415-275-1322
James Ikehara, LEC Secretary •  James.ikehara@afaalaska.org  • 415-289-9011
Bradley Young, Council Representative • Bradley.young@afaalaska.org • 916-508-3503

In This Edition

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – June 2022

Originally posted June 29, 2022

Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, June 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 >

Supreme Court Ruling on Bernstein v. Virgin America

Originally posted June 30, 2022

The Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling today that denied an appeal from Alaska Airlines to reconsider a lower court’s ruling in the case of Bernstein v. Virgin America.  The lawsuit claimed that various California labor laws had been violated related to wages, hours worked, pay, and meal and rest breaks.  The suit was originally filed against Virgin America and became the responsibility of Alaska Airlines after the merger between the two companies.  Management has distributed multiple employee communications complaining that they will now have to obey the law but has not shown that they are focused on practical solutions.  AFA stands ready to work out a solution with management that is compliant with the law and is a mutually agreeable path forward for all stakeholders.

Read More >

Next Week’s Events

Thursday, July 7Scheduling 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!

Master Executive Council (MEC)

  • The Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling today that denied an appeal from Alaska Airlines to reconsider a lower court’s ruling in the case of Bernstein v. Virgin America.
  • The lawsuit claimed that various California labor laws had been violated related to wages, hours worked, pay, and meal and rest breaks.  The suit was originally filed against Virgin America and became the responsibility of Alaska Airlines after the merger between the two companies.
  • Management has distributed multiple employee communications complaining that they will now have to obey the law but has not shown that they are focused on practical solutions.  AFA stands ready to work out a solution with management that is compliant with the law and is a mutually agreeable path forward for all stakeholders.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) denied a petition by Alaska Airlines to hear further arguments about Bernstein v. Virgin America, which means that an earlier ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals now stands. Click here for the SCOTUS docket info >

Background

The Bernstein lawsuit was brought forward by several Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants prior to the merger between Virgin America and Alaska Airlines. The represented class of aggrieved employees was broadened under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) to include all former and current L-VX FAs based in California. Alaska Airlines absorbed Virgin America’s standing in the case due to the merger.

Bernstein argued violations of California labor law specific to wages, hours worked, pay statements, final payment and meal & rest breaks. The CA hour and wage violations were asserted due to L-VX FAs not being in a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) at the time the suit was filed. However, the meal & rest break laws do not have a CBA carve out and therefore this ruling does impact all CA-based FAs today.

AFA’s mitigation efforts and industry’s response

In an effort to address the potential implications of Bernstein, AFA International wrote to the heads of all the major airlines, including Alaska Airlines, and to the CEO of the industry trade group Airlines for America (A4A). In those letters, AFA expressed interest in working with industry to accommodate operational needs while also securing appropriate meal and rest breaks for Flight Attendants.

Click here for AFA’s letter to CEO Alaska Air Group >

Click here for A4A’s response to AFA >

AFA couldn’t disagree more with A4A’s response. We believe that when parties come together and discuss the issue there is always a solution.

What’s next?

In our opinion, management’s various communications are largely speculative and suggest that somehow safety provisions and meal and rest breaks cannot coexist. Arguably, the meal & rest requirements are applicable only to CA-based FAs working for a CA-based airline solely on intra-CA flights (e.g., SFO-LAX but not SFO-JFK). Rather than focus on practical solutions, management simply continues to gripe about having to comply with this law. As the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals already told them more than a year ago, there are many ways to comply with this law. Let’s not forget that when management references quality of life, that’s exactly what providing meal and rest breaks are addressing.

Just like AFA did by leading the way in securing paycheck protection for workers while ensuring the survival of the airline industry during the pandemic, we are ready to work out a solution with management on this issue. Now it’s up to management to engage with Labor and other stakeholders to find a mutually agreeable path forward for all parties.

AFA News in Review – September 19, 2025

In This Edition Celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month Originally posted September 15, 2025 Join us in celebrating Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, a time dedicated to honoring the vibrant cultures and significant contributions of Hispanic-Latinx Americans. Discover the history, participate in special events, and grab your commemorative Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month AFA Pin […]

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 first 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

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons. 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 […]

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 […]

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