March 31, 2021 09:24

Important Dates

March 25: The B2B Survey Opens

March 31: Q1 CBT Due

March 31: Oneworld Pins Now a Uniform Requirement

April 10: AFA Scholarship Application Deadline

April 21: Questions for SFO Safety Meeting Submission Deadline

April 30: CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship Application Deadline

May 6: CA Membership Meeting

CDC Vaccine Information

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines for people that have been fully vaccinated for Covid-19, as well as the precautions you should still take to protect against reinfection. As more FAs start to obtain appointments for the vaccine, or become fully vaccinated, the CDC’s website has information about how to prepare for your vaccine and interim public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people.

Scholarship Opportunities

AFA Scholarship

The Association of Flight Attendant Scholarship Fund is intended to provide financial assistance to dependents of our active members who will be attending a college or university. Applications must be postmarked by April 10, and sent to the following address:

AFA Scholarship Fund

P.O. Box 56

Hartwood, VA 22471-0056

For more detailed information, visit the AFA website.

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

The Joe Beirne Scholarship offered by CWA is available to AFA Members as well as dependents. The deadline for applications is April 30. For more detailed information, visit the CWA website.

Reminder: ASHSC Base Safety Meeting

The next quarterly meeting of the Air Safety Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) for SFO is scheduled for April 28. Flight Attendants with questions for the committee can submit them via email to Brad Young, ASHSC Committee Chair and Cierra Lewis, SFO Base Manager. Deadline for questions is 4/21/21. All submitted questions will be posted and answered in the next following ASHSC newsletter.

EAP and Other Resources

Flight Attendants in need of support during these unpredictable times are encouraged to reach out to the SFO EAP Committee for available resources for support. AFA has a coordinated many resources and groups to provide assistance and guidance to members in need. Additionally, Alaska Airlines provides employees with Active Support, which offers free confidential counseling to employees facing a variety of personal challenges.

Trending Performance Investigations and Disciplines

CBT

Discipline for failing to complete quarterly CBTs are continue to trend. Flight Attendants returning from leave are given 60 days to complete CBTs. The Council 35 Grievance Committee has been successful in assisting FAs dispute discipline when evidence of technical difficulties exist. Being busy and forgetting to complete the CBT has not been accepted as extenuating circumstances to miss a CBT deadline and the discipline will remain. If more than one CBT deadline is missed, discipline will progress to higher steps on the discipline scale (ie 2 missed CBTs in 18 month period will escalate to a Written Warning).

Commuter Violations

Monthly audits are occurring and Council 35 has seen disciplines for misuse lessen however there are still Flight Attendants that are using it incorrectly. Please be sure your registered cities are current and comply with guidelines set forth in the commuter program outlined on the FA webpage.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

Using a personal email address, the preferred methods of contact are:

Open an Online Support Request ticket
Officer group email sfo@afaalaska.org (if one officer is flying /unavailable other officers can respond)
Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 officers please avoid the following methods:

Sending to/from alaskaair email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)

Please allow at least one business day for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

In solidarity,

Melissa, James, and Brad

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

March 19, 2021 17:00

In This Edition

How the First Amendment Applies in the Workplace
Benefits Enrollment Upon Returning from a Leave of Absence (including EVF or ELOA)
What’s the Difference Between a Fear and a Phobia?
REMINDER: Scholarship Opportunities

How the First Amendment Applies in the Workplace

Grievance Committee

The Grievance Committee is hearing a lot of chatter from Flight Attendants believing they are exempt from discipline from harassment or discrimination due to their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. We’d like to give a brief overview of how the Amendment actually affects one who works for a private employer such as Alaska Airlines.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws which regulate an establishment of religion, or that would prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

The key word in the Amendment is government. Alaska Airlines is a private rather than governmental employer. It can legally establish system regulations or people policies enforcing its behavioral and disciplinary standards providing these policies do not violate state and/or federal law.

Present federal law protections from discrimination regarding employment decisions are based on race, color, national origin, religion, gender (including pregnancy), disability, age (if the employee is at least 40 years old), and citizenship status. The Equality Act is also adding protections based on one’s sexual orientation and gender identity. These protections safeguard people who fit those categories from being discriminated against regarding employment decisions based on that status. For example, Alaska Airlines couldn’t refuse to hire an otherwise qualified candidate only because s/he is 41 years of age.

What the law doesn’t allow for is using your protected status as a defense to harass or discriminate against others. For example, someone over 40 years of age may not harass another person based on their race because they believe themselves to be an “old school thinker” and are basing their actions on beliefs/feelings from when they were younger or when things “were different.” This becomes an issue of harassment and/or discrimination and the harasser is not protected from discipline because they fall into the protected class of age. This applies to all protected classes.

The Alaska Airlines People Policy clarifies what constitutes harassment and discrimination, and the Grievance Committee has seen the Company discipline based upon those policies and the law. While one may not intend to harass or discriminate, Alaska Airlines typically looks at the impact on the person being harassed and not the intent of the harasser. So, while everyone is entitled to their private opinion or to share their opinion with their government, one can be disciplined for sharing an opinion deemed harassing, discriminatory or intolerant in the workplace or via social media if such nexus can be made to your private employer. We share this information in the attempt to educate our fellow members and prevent any further discipline or terminations.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions.

Benefits Enrollment Upon Returning from a Leave of Absence (including EVF or ELOA)

Benefits Committee

As a reminder, Flight Attendants returning from a leave of absence, including EVF or ELOA, must complete the enrollment process again in order to maintain or reinstate company health benefits. Optional coverages which were not in place during the leave such as FSA contributions or Supplemental Short-Term Disability must be re-added to your coverage. Previously elected benefits do not resume automatically. It is essential to contact Alaska Airlines Benefits at (844) 231-3476 or visit www.myalaskabenefits.com within 31 days from the date of returning to work to verify, enroll or make changes to benefits. If enrollment is not completed during this window, no changes are able to be made until the next open enrollment period and your current health benefits may terminate, even if you maintained coverage during your EVF or other leave.

Questions?

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact your Local Benefits Committee.

What’s the Difference Between a Fear and a Phobia?

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Phobias come in many different forms. Acrophobia is the fear of heights. Trypanophobia is the fear of needles. Hodophobia is the fear of traveling. Phobias are one of the most common mental health disorders with 11% of people experiencing at least one phobia over her/his lifespan. So, what is the difference between a fear and a phobia?

Fears have a protective purpose. They make us alert to danger and prepare us to deal with it. Phobias involve the experience of persistent fear that is excessive and unreasonable. A fear of being hit by lightning during a thunderstorm will result in most of us leaving the beach when a thunderstorm pops up. Most would call this a reasonable, if not healthy fear. Once the thunderstorm clears, we go back onto the beach. Those with a phobia about being struck by lightning, which is called astraphobia, may find it difficult to even venture outside with a concern that a thunderstorm could pop up anytime. The key to distinguishing a fear from a phobia is whether the person is physically and/or psychologically impaired by her/his worry. In short, a phobia is a fear of being afraid. It results in a person limiting or eliminating normal life activities just to avoid the triggering objector event.

Most people generally don’t seek treatment for phobias. Only 6% of people with a phobia ever go in for treatment. This low treatment rate is due in part because those with a phobia are not totally disabled by it. Many are able to successfully create routines to avoid their trigger(s). Not before a person’s phobia is extremely severe or life limiting does one typically seek help.

Even though phobias can be very disabling and downright exhausting, the great news is that phobias in children, adolescents and adults are also very treatable. If you’d like confidential assistance with a phobia or other anxiety disorders, call one of your Local EAP Committee Members. You can find contact information on the EAP Committee page of afaalaska.org.

REMINDER: Scholarship Opportunities

AFA International

In a previous AFA Update sent out on January 22, information was shared about scholarship opportunities available to AFA and CWA Members as well as certain eligible dependents. Details about both scholarships, as well as information on how to apply, can be found by following the links below.

AFA Scholarship Fund

The Association of Flight Attendants Scholarship Fund is intended to provide financial assistance to dependents of our active members who will be attending a college or university. The deadline for applications is April 10. Details are available on the AFA International website at http://www.afacwa.org/scholarships.

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

The Joe Beirne Scholarship is offered by CWA. The deadline for applications is April 30. Details on this scholarship are on the CWA website at http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/beirne.

February 26, 2021 10:23

Important Dates

March 1: SFO Sleep Room Re-opens
March 31: Q1 CBT Deadline

Rainmaker is Almost Here!

Rainmaker, the system used previously at Virgin America to track scheduling and pay, was adopted by Alaska for crew. The rollout plan includes a BETA test period with approximately 25% of crew (pilots and FAs). Assuming the test is successful, the formal launch to everyone will occur June 1, 2021. For more information and helpful resources visit: Alaskasworld>>Inflight>>Administration.\

It’s Been a Rough Year…Don’t Forget About EAP

A year later we are still in the middle of the COVID pandemic. Although we may be more accustomed to all of the changes that it has imposed upon us, we can all agree that we are still enduring a challenging and difficult time. AFA has trained EAP members to help FAs that are struggling. To contact SFO EAP reps, please email sfo.eap@afaalaska.org. Also, don’t forget that Alaska offers confidential services through Active Support EAP.

ASHSC Base Safety Meeting

Human Rights Committee Member Needed

The SFO Human Rights (HR) Committee is looking for one additional committee member. Please review the HR webpage and review the requirements for more information. Please email Sejal Patel HR Committee Chair, and LECP Melissa Osborne with your expression of interest and for any additional information. The deadline to submit is 3/15/21.

COVID-19 Updates

Message from AFA International

Despite their role to maintain critical industry, Flight Attendants are not in a priority tier for the COVID vaccine in most of the country. To help bring awareness and to advocate for priority status in all states, AFA is asking that FA’s write a letter to their governor and ask that Flight Attendants be included in Tier 1B. To read the full article and for more information on how to help with his advocacy please visit AFA Interactive. Don’t forget to visit Alaskasworld for a copy of the COVID Authorization Letter:
Alaskasworld>>Inflight >>Safety>>COVID-19 Resources.

Union Plus Free College Program

Message from AFA International

The Union Plus Free College Program is enrolling for classes starting March 29. The program now offers a Health Services degree, which is designed for students interested in nursing or another allied health specialty. This degree pathway offers the math, science and the general education and critical thinking courses that students will need in many healthcare fields (including those preparing to apply for nursing school). For more information, visit Union Plus Free College.

Other Programs

In addition to the Free College programs, Eastern Gateway Community College (EGCC) offers an array of other degree programs with no cost for tuition and fees for Free College students, but the costs of books and other materials may not be covered. To see the full list of available degree programs, please visit Union Plus Programs.

Union Plus Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program

The Union Plus Bachelor’s Degree Completion program has added a second program under its Teacher Education degree. A new Intervention Specialist program is now offered in addition to the existing Early Education (Pre-K – 5th Grade) program. The Teacher Education – Intervention Specialist degree is available with the next term, which starts on March 15. Visit Union Plus Bachelor’s Degree for more information.

Severe Winter Storms in Texas

Message from AFA International

know that disasters can change lives forever. While we can’t stop destructive events from happening, we can, as a Union, assist our members with their recovery. AFA established the Disaster Relief Fund after September 11th to assist our members whose lives were placed in harms way. AFA members and retirees, whose primary residences are in the counties listed at the FEMA website are eligible for $200.00 from the AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund. It is a gift made possible by the generosity of your fellow union sisters and brothers with AFA.

If you would like to apply for AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Funds, download the Disaster Relief Fund Application. There are a few ways to submit your application:

Email the application to Linda Foster
Fax the completed application to 301-253-2790
Phone in the application information to 1-800-424-2406

If you wish to make a contribution either by check or electronic payment, please visit AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund for more information on donating.

Contact Council 35 Officers

Using a personal email address, the preferred methods of contact are:

Open an Online Support Request ticket
Officer group email sfo@afaalaska.org (if one officer is flying /unavailable other officers can respond)
Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 officers please avoid the following methods:

Sending to/from alaskaair email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)

Please allow at least one business day for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

In solidarity,

Melissa, James and Brad

February 19, 2021 12:00

In This Edition

COVID Vaccine Information for Flight Attendants
REMINDER: Scholarship Opportunities
Free Training to Former Cabin Crew Transitioning into Job Market
Relaxation Exercises – An Essential Tool for Flight Attendants

COVID Vaccine Information for Flight Attendants

Master Executive Council (MEC)

On February 10, AFA International published an AFA Interactive e-mail newsletter with an overview of COVID vaccine information for Flight Attendants. There is a state-by-state listing of aviation work priority for receiving the vaccine and a link to the respective state’s vaccine portal.

The newsletter also includes a link to send a letter to the governor of your state calling upon them to move essential aviation workers to phase 1B (or equivalent), in line with other non-medical essential workers and essential transportation workers. AFA Alaska signed onto a joint letter from Alaska Air Group management and labor leaders advocating to Governor of Washington Jay Inslee and Governor of Oregon Kate Brown for essential aviation workers to be in phase 1B. (Essential transportation workers are in phase 1B or the equivalent in Alaska and California.)

You can read the complete AFA Interactive article and view the list of state vaccine information on the AFA International website.

Many Flight Attendants are having success securing a vaccination by using the Vaccine Prioritization Letter supplied by Alaska Airlines management (AAG SSO required). Print the form in advance and make sure to bring your Crew ID!

REMINDER: Scholarship Opportunities

AFA International

AFA Scholarship Fund

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

The Joe Beirne Scholarship is offered by CWA. The deadline for applications is April 30. Details on this scholarship are on the CWA website at http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/beirne.

Free Training to Former Cabin Crew Transitioning into Job Market

AFA International

For those who have recently left our profession, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is offering an online training course to help displaced airline cabin crew members re-enter the job market. This course will be offered free of charge for those who register between now and February 23. More information about the three-hour course, titled Cabin Crew – Leveraging Professional Skills, can be found on the IATA training course website.

Relaxation Exercises – An Essential Tool for Flight Attendants

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

There are many benefits to being able to induce the “relaxation response” as soon as you begin to experience warning signs of stress, anxiety or agitation. Some benefits include a reduction of generalized anxiety, prevention of cumulative stress, increased energy, improved concentration, reduction of some physical problems, and greater mood stability. Relaxation exercises can be a powerful physical and emotional weapon against life’s stressors. Given the events of 2020 and now 2021, being able to invoke a greater sense of calm is a critical skill for Flight Attendants.

Tips for Relaxation

Find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted for at least 20 minutes. Turn off the phone and give yourself permission to devote some time to self-care. Research shows that relaxing the body will relax the mind, and vice versa. If you struggle with racing or intrusive thoughts, it might help to focus on the body. If you have a lot of physical tension or pain, it may be better to work on relaxing the mind. It’s hard to predict which exercises will work for whom; it’s best to try different relaxation exercises until you find the one that feels right. Remember that you are practicing a skill – like playing the piano. The more you practice, the more effective your relaxation work becomes. It is important to work toward an attitude of acceptance of whatever occurs in your session, rather than growing impatient if you don’t achieve a given result. Below are two relation exercises that are easy to do in most settings.

Sample Progressive Relaxation Exercises

Favorite Place

Find a comfortable position. Let your shoulders drop, your arms relax, let your buttocks sink into the chair, let your legs relax, and feel your feet planted on the floor. Imagine a place in your mind that you like. It could be a beach, your room, a forest…take a moment to find that place. If you haven’t found a place, don’t worry…just keep your eyes closed and breathe deeply. As you are in your favorite place, notice how the air feels, the temperature, notice what you see, notice any smells or sensations in your body as you stay in this place…feel your body relaxing….just enjoy where you are….take a moment to notice anything else you’d like about this place… know you can come back here at any time….take what you want and come back into the room.

Breathing and Centering

Take two to three deep, even breaths.
Visualize the word “relax” in a calming color
Think this calming word to yourself as you continue to breathe deeply:
Breathe in…think “relax”; as you breathe out think “relax”
PAUSE*
Breathe in…think “relax”; as you breathe out think “relax”
PAUSE
Now breathe 8 more times, slowly and deeply.

*Be aware of how your body feels at the PAUSE. This is the “centering” piece. Feeling centered means you are feeling calm and focused.

February 16, 2021 19:00

Presidents’ Day Weekend 2021 Pacific Northwest Snowstorm

A Storm for the Record Books

What a weekend! The recent Pacific Northwest (PNW) snowstorm was one for the record books, so the systemwide severe irregular operations were not terribly surprising. That being said, it’s clear the operation became profoundly broken at various points: Crew Scheduling “perma hold” for up to two hours (assuming one could get through) and/or dropped calls, hotel rooms extremely delayed or unavailable, no ground transportation, significant delays and cancellations, et cetera, et cetera.

Operational Debrief with Management Next Week

Your AFA Alaska leadership knows you want answers as to what went wrong and what can be done to prevent this from happening again. We are currently working on scheduling an operational debrief with management for next week. Stay tuned for an update following the debrief.

AFA Alaska Online Support Center

In the meantime, we encourage Flight Attendants to open a new ticket at the AFA Alaska Online Support Center if you need a union representative to review an issue or concern. Some examples related to the recent snowstorm:

Requests for Management Drop denied (or initially approved and subsequently denied) and No Show assessed
Day rooms unavailable (for transit time through an outstation exceeding four hours)
Delayed layover hotel rooms – AFA will need FAs to provide their release time into the applicable layover and the time when they received a room key
Flight Attendants paid for their own rooms either due to snow rooms being unavailable or layover hotel rooms being unavailable

Please provide as many details as possible to help your AFA representatives research your ticket. Thank you!

February 1, 2021 17:00

In This Edition

Celebrating Black History Month

Celebrating Black History Month

Human Rights Committee

February 1st marks the first day of Black History Month in the United States. The celebration has a long tradition that can be traced back to 1925 when Harvard trained-historian Carter G. Woodson introduced “Negro History Week”, which sought to raise awareness of the contributions made by Black individuals to society and the world. It was expanded to its current form in 1976 by President Gerald R. Ford when it became Black History Month.

Learn More About Black History

You can learn more about the accomplishments of Black Americans through some of the dedicated websites and resources below.

Celebrate with a Black History Month AFA Pin

In 2019, the AFA Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution in recognition of February as Black History Month. The resolution established a special commemorative pin for AFA Members to wear throughout the month of February.

For more information about the pin, contact your Local Human Rights Committee. Also be on the lookout for a communication from your Local Council or contact your LEC Officers to determine pin availability.

January 29, 2021 12:45

Important Dates

January 31: Union Plus Scholarships
February 1: Black History Month begins

Union Plus Scholarship Opportunity

Union Plus provides comprehensive information for the college-bound individual as well as a suite of scholarships. The deadline to submit an application is January 31. Union Plus Scholarships are open to current and retired members, spouses, and dependent children. Information about each scholarship is available on the website. This offer can save members thousands of dollars!

Black History Month Pins

Your Council 35 Officers have ordered 400 pins for SFO! Base leadership has offered to assist with distribution of the pins. Please stop by the supervisor’s office in the SFO Village to get your pin.

Can I Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

by Brad Young, ASHSC Chair and Council Representative
Maybe. Several Bay Area and Southern California Flight Attendants have reported that they have successfully received their first dose of the vaccination. You may or may not be asked to show your Alaska letter and Crew ID so please be prepared–you may or may not be approved. Please go to your Health Care provider app or website and try to book an appointment under the current criteria eligibility. To print a copy of the Alaska Vaccination Letter:

Alaska’s World>> Inflight Page>> Safety>> COVID-19 Resources>> Vaccine Prioritization Letter

SFO Pairings Update

by Virginia Fritz, Council 35 Scheduling Chair and MEC PBS Committee Member
Flight Attendants will continue to see the pairings in SFO shift from month to month as Network Planning moves routes around, does aircraft rotation, and changes timing of certain flights we are accustomed to seeing in our SFO pairing selection. AFA Pairing Analyst Karen Ferrell and Local Scheduling chairs continue to advocate based on the feedback received from members. The most recent months of pairing selections have been the company’s solution rather than the AFA solution. While there is no guarantee that the company will always apply our desired changes, they continue to attempt to find the right balance of pairing trip length distributions that SFO prefers based on feedback. Trip Layovers, while in normal times is easy to advocate for by requesting soft locks, have been harder to apply as our route structure continues to vary. Most recently the committee has been advocating for more 4K’s, Hawaii layovers, more 2 days, less 4 days and as always, commutable productive trips as a whole. Please continue to send both positive and negative feedback each month so that we can continue to advocate for SFO and thank you for your patience while we navigate these changes. For more information, please reach out to Virginia Fritz, Scheduling Chair.

Hotel Committee News and Info

by James Bozanich, Council 35 Hotel Chair

As we round the corner from 2020 to 2021, the Hotel Committee wanted to share some information that may be helpful. Here are some hot topics:

Crew Transportation

Crew vans are for assigned crew only. All of our transportation is provided to us clean and sanitized to keep us safe and healthy. Unfortunately, no family or friends are permitted to join us at this time.

Van Drivers not Wearing a Mask

Let someone know via REPORT IT app. Each state and county have different rules and regulations which can cause confusion on this topic. As a reminder, it is Alaska’s policy that all of our transportation drivers wear a mask for Flight Attendant’s safety. If this is not happening, write it up in the Report It app as a safety concern. It will then be addressed by management and shared with the AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee to drive corrections. If this issue requires urgent attention, FAs should contact the Crew Scheduling Duty Manager and request new transportation.

Resources

As a reminder, the current hotel and transportation list can be found in our Flight Attendant webpage under hotels and on the IMD: Good-Reader>>ASFA Supplemental>>Hotel Hotline. Questions can be directed to James Bozanich, Hotel Chair.

ASHSC Committee Member Needed

The SFO Air Safety Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) is looking for one additional committee member. Please review the ASHSC webpage and review the requirements for more information. Please email Brad Young with your expression of interest and for any additional information.

COVID Vaccine for Flight Attendants

Message from AFA International
Despite their role to maintain critical industry, Flight Attendants are not in a priority tier for the COVID vaccine in most of the country. To help bring awareness and to advocate for priority status in all states, AFA is asking that FA’s write a letter to their governor and ask that Flight Attendants be included in Tier 1B. To read the full article and for more information on how to help with his advocacy please visit AFA Interactive.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

Using a personal email address, the preferred methods of contact are:

Open an Online Support Request ticket
Officer group email sfo@afaalaska.org (if one officer is flying /unavailable other officers can respond)
Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 officers please avoid the following methods:

Sending to/from alaskaair email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)

Please allow at least one business day for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

In solidarity,

Melissa, James and Brad

January 22, 2021 12:00

In This Edition

Letters of Agreement and Memorandums of Understanding
REMINDER: Reserve Availability & Commuting
College Scholarship Opportunities

Letters of Agreement and Memorandums of Understanding

Grievance Committee

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) occasionally enters into letters of agreement (LOAs) with management to address situations that were not anticipated or did not exist during contract negotiations. The MEC also enters into memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with management in order to clarify existing contractual language. Both LOAs and MOUs are binding agreements and are fully enforceable documents.

LOAs and MOUs are accessible on the current contract page of the AFA Alaska website and can also be accessed on the IMD through the Goodreader app (ASFA Supplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement).

Recent LOAs and MOUs

Fatigue Risk Management Plan (FRMP) – outlines how the company’s FRMP will be structured, including how reports will be coded and handled as well as disciplinary protections. Also guarantees AFA representation on the Fatigue Review Board (FRB).

Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) – renews the ASAP program (FAA requires that the ASAP MOU be renewed every two years).

COVID-19 Agreements Extension – Through March 2021 – extends the Temporary Waiver of Discipline Delivery Confirmation MOU (04/14/2020) and Commuter Policy and Utilizing Other Airline (OAL) Carriers During COVID-19 Schedule Disruptions LOA (04/07/2020). Both will remain in effect through March 31, 2021.

Boeing 737 MAX 9 Proving Activities – outlines Flight Attendant involvement in FAA-required proving activities for the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and ensures AFA participation in the process.

Questions?

If you have questions about LOAs or MOUs, please contact your LEC President or Local Grievance Committee.

REMINDER: Reserve Availability & Commuting

Reserve Committee

There have recently been some instances where Reserve Flight Attendants were disciplined for not being physically present in their domicile during their entire availability period. Contractually, reserve availability periods run from 00:00 to 14:00 for AM reserve, 10:00 to 23:59 for PM reserve, and 00:00 to 23:59 for ER reserve. During these times, a Reserve Flight Attendant must be present in their domicile, contactable, and available to report for an assignment within two hours.

Even if a Reserve Flight Attendant has self-assigned or otherwise already been given an assignment, this does not relieve them of the requirement to be in their domicile during their entire reserve availability period. There are certain circumstances when they may be removed from the assignment and given another assignment as indicated in the CBA. Crew Scheduling has the right to utilize this contractual language and does so on a regular basis.

Example: Reserve Flight Attendant has a 4-day block of PM reserve days starting on the 20^th of the month. On the 19^th, they self-assign a 4-day trip with a report time of 21:00 on the 20^th. The Reserve Flight Attendant is still required to be contactable starting at 10:00 on the 20^th and be able to accept an assignment and report within two hours. Even though the F/A has self-assigned a trip, Crew Scheduling retains the right to contact the F/A at or after 10:00, remove the self-assignment as indicated in the CBA, and give the F/A another legal assignment.

Release on Last Day of Reserve Block

Section 11.C.5 of the CBA provides Reserve Flight Attendants with the right to request release from the remainder of their reserve obligation on the last day of a reserve block after the last Company-operated flight that the Reserve would be legal to fly has departed the domicile. In order to take advantage of this contractual provision, a Reserve Flight Attendant must call Crew Scheduling and request to be released from the remainder of their reserve availability period. Once released by Crew Scheduling, the Reserve Flight Attendant is free from further duty and may commute home. If a Reserve Flight Attendant does not request release, they are still considered on duty and are obligated to physically remain in domicile until the end of their reserve availability period.

Questions?

If you have questions about commuting while on reserve, please contact your Local Reserve Committee.

College Scholarship Opportunities

AFA International

As an AFA and CWA Member, you and/or certain eligible dependents have the opportunities for at least three different scholarships, and the ability to earn a degree with no out of pocket expense for tuition, fees, and e-books. The time for applying is now!

Brought to you by our Union, these benefits of union membership have become very popular with members. Please see the respective links for detailed information, and good luck in obtaining financial assistance.

AFA Scholarship Fund

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

The Joe Beirne Scholarship is offered by CWA. The deadline for applications is April 30. Details on this scholarship are on the CWA website at http://www.cwa-union.org/pages/beirne.

Union Plus Scholarship Program

Union Plus provides a suite of scholarships, educational discounts, and loans available for union members. You can find information at https://www.unionplus.org/college-education-financing. One additional “click” brings up the scholarship applications that may be submitted online by the deadline of January 31.

Union Plus Free College Benefit

In addition, there is a free college benefit available through Union Plus for active and retired Members and their families with the opportunity to earn an associate degree completely online – for FREE. Details and an application are online at https://www.unionplusfreecollege.org. This benefit can save you thousands of dollars.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your LEC Officers

January 19, 2021 19:00

Safety of Our Crews, Our Flights and Our Country

Safety Of Our Crews

Recent events are potentially negatively impacting effective Crew Resource Management

The Master Executive Council (MEC) feels compelled to address the potentially negative impact to effective Crew Resource Management (CRM) resulting from the events most affecting the country over the past year: the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest and the election. We are a nation more polarized than ever, so there is no realistic way for the MEC to discuss the issues themselves without eliciting a strong response from our membership one way or the other. Nonetheless, AFA Alaska leadership has seen a very demonstrable uptick in issues between crewmembers (Flight Attendants and pilots) resulting from such polarization. These issues degrade effective CRM and lead to a net negative impact to the safety of our crews.

Avoid the subjects of politics, religion and money in mixed company

It would be fantastic if everyone could avoid the “taboo” subjects of politics, religion and money in mixed company such as while at work (including layovers). The disappearing separation between our work and private lives due to the proliferation of social media platforms makes doing so more challenging than ever. The MEC has no illusions that everybody will ever share the same religious, political and economic views or that doing so is even desirable. However, the MEC sincerely hopes that all crewmembers can at least attempt to reach common ground with each other on these challenging topics.

As safety professionals we are expected to maintain a working relationship with each other at all times

Regardless of the outcome of those conversations, as safety professionals we are expected to maintain a working relationship with each other at all times and to always have each other’s backs when it comes to ensuring mutual safety. The AFA Alaska and ALPA Alaska Professional Standards Committees work together to assist you with crew conflict resolution. Your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers are also available as resources.

Suggested points of commonality regardless of our individual views

We all have at least some degree of collective responsibility as a society to safeguard the wellbeing of more than just the individual.
All people are created equal; have certain inalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and no person(s) may infringe on the rights of others to enjoy those same rights.
All Americans have the First Amendment right to freedom of expression (free speech, free press and peaceful assembly) without interference from the government, provided the act of doing so is not itself illegal.
All Americans have the collective right to make changes to the administration of our government via the legislative, judicial and executive branches through the democratic processes set forth by the Constitution and other laws.
All crewmembers universally desire to safely return home to our family and friends.

COVID-19 pandemic risk mitigations

Flight Attendants have brought forward concerns that not all crewmembers appear to be complying with various risk mitigations that are mandatory in certain localities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The perception is that due care is not being taken to adequately minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission prior to operating as a crewmember or traveling non-rev.

The MEC asks that all Flight Attendants be mindful of how social media posts showing crewmembers present in large groups and gathering in close quarters is upsetting to at least some of your fellow Flight Attendants. This is especially true when there are pictures and/or videos in which masks are not being worn—even if the reality is that the masks were taken off only briefly in order to memorialize the moment.

Be advised that you should adhere to any mandatory orders regarding masks, gatherings and quarantines. AFA believes that substantiated evidence of failure to do so may put you in jeopardy of disciplinary action by management.

Safety of Our Flights

Increased security measures ahead of Inauguration Day

Alaska Airlines management has worked with the unions to significantly step up security ahead of Inauguration Day, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it will crack down on unruly passengers with a zero-tolerance policy. Sensitive security information regarding the details of such security measures can be found in the most recent Special Edition Bulletin Bundle (January 15, 2021) as well as in communications from Alaska Airlines COO Gary Beck (“Our Approach to Keeping Employees and Crew Safe” – January 14, 2021) and Interim Vice President of Inflight Carmen Williams (“Enhanced safety processes through the Presidential Inauguration” – January 16, 2021). At this point in time, the MEC is satisfied with the coordinated risk management response.

AFA Recommendations

Work hard to keep problems on the ground.
Ensure strict mask compliance before pushback.
Work as one crew, communicate, and take your concerns to the pilots and supervisors.
You have the right and duty to assert concern for your safety and that of the passengers in our care.
Have pre-flight briefings with your pilots to identify how they will cooperatively work together to address disruptive and interfering passengers (boarding refusal, LEO response, diversion, etc.).
Walk with your flying partners in teams through terminals and to the hotels.
If anyone is in need of AFA Alaska EAP assistance, call 949-470-0493 or email eap@afaalaska.org.
Report an issue to AFA by opening a ticket or contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) leadership if you need immediate assistance.

Safety of Our Country

Freedom of speech and of peaceful assembly

Flight Attendants have reported concerns about crewmembers attending the “Save America” rally on January 6^th at the Ellipse in Washington, DC. Attending the event was a protected First Amendment activity no different than attending any other protest. The future security of our constitutional liberties, such as the freedom of speech and of peaceful assembly, depends on all of us to collectively safeguard the exercise of such rights irrespective of political differences.

Crimes against the state

Any effort to interfere with, rise up against or actively overthrow the government is almost certainly a crime—especially if violence or even the mere threat of force is involved. As we have seen in recent weeks, federal agencies are aggressively investigating anyone who heeded the call to “Occupy the Capitol” too literally, and charges are starting to roll in. Federal authorities have been assisted by thousands upon thousands of tips supplied by cooperative patriots who have taken It upon themselves to mine the photographic and video evidence for clues to the interlopers’ identities. Additionally, reports are plentiful of employers preemptively terminating employees who were recorded engaging in suspected criminal activity.

The subsequent fallout resulting from the storming of the U.S. Capitol building should serve as a cautionary tale. Sedition, insurrection and, of course, outright treason will not be tolerated in our United States of America.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Steve Maller, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

January 13, 2021 17:00

Recurrent Training 2021

Master Executive Council (MEC) + Inflight Training Committee + Air, Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC)

In This Edition

Early Success Rates Look Promising
COVID-19 Risk Mitigations
Written Exam Practice Questions and Answers
Adequate “Hands-On” Time Prior to Emergency Evacuation Evaluations
Acceptable Deviations to Emergency Evacuation Commands
Requalification Training (RQ)

Early Success Rates Look Promising

This is the second week of Recurrent Training 2021, and early success rates for passing the various drill evaluations are looking promising in comparison to success rates for Recurrent Training 2020. We hope the trend continues.

COVID-19 Risk Mitigations

AFA Alaska’s concerns

Mask usage and social distancing during evaluations
Sanitization of shared emergency equipment.

Inflight Training management’s response

Inflight Training management agreed to make several changes in response and posted the updated safety and sanitization guidelines.

Click here for the ”Welcome to Recurrent Training 2021 Letter” > (AAG SSO required)

Written Exam Practice Questions and Answers

AFA Alaska’s concerns

There is no comprehensive list of all potential written exam questions and answers provided like in past years.
The random practice test must be taken too many times in order to successfully view all underlying questions. (If ever?)

Inflight Training management’s response

“Learning and building confidence is our goal. With that in mind, we will be turning off the randomizer on practice exams to allow FAs to run through all available questions. We will add a note to remind FAs that questions do change regularly so they always need to refer to the practice exam on the website for most up to date questions.”
Management reports the randomizer function will be turned off by the end of the week.

Adequate “Hands-On” Time Prior to Emergency Evacuation Evaluations

AFA Alaska’s concerns

Adequate hands-on refamiliarization time should be provided during paid training hours prior to emergency evacuation evaluations.
Flight Attendants should not have to attend voluntary unpaid sessions in order to be successful during their evaluations.
There were not enough Open House sessions at each training center to accommodate the need in 2020 and several of those sessions were canceled, which only made the situation worse. More Open House sessions are needed in 2021.

Inflight Training management’s response

Schedule reworked to maintain the same 90 minutes of refamiliarization time as in RT 2020. (Hands-on time was initially going to be reduced in RT 2021, but AFA advocated for more time.)
Hands-on sessions prior to the start of RT 2021 are not an effective use of limited Training resources and will be eliminated in order to potentially reallocate the resources to additional Open House sessions around the system.
Management will review the ratio of the number of Open House slots in each training location compared to base size and restructure the sessions to allow for more options (e.g., dates, AM/PM, different times of the month). Additional dates will be added in March.

Acceptable Deviations to Emergency Evacuation Commands

Click here (password required) >

Password: See the emailed version of this newsletter sent to the personal email address that you have on file with AFA Alaska for the confidential password. Contact your LEC president if you need additional assistance.

Please respect the security of the document and do not share the password on an open forum.

Requalification Training (RQ)

RT 2021 is scheduled for one and a half days, but RQ 2021 (Level 1) is scheduled for two full days. There were only a few differences between RT and RQ in years past, but there are significantly more evaluations in RQ compared to RT this year. Flight Attendants should budget ample preparation time if attending RQ.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact your LEC president or the MEC Inflight Training Committee.

In This Edition

How the First Amendment Applies in the Workplace

Questions?

Benefits Enrollment Upon Returning from a Leave of Absence (including EVF or ELOA)

Questions?

What’s the Difference Between a Fear and a Phobia?

REMINDER: Scholarship Opportunities

AFA Scholarship Fund

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

In This Edition

COVID Vaccine Information for Flight Attendants

REMINDER: Scholarship Opportunities

AFA Scholarship Fund

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

Free Training to Former Cabin Crew Transitioning into Job Market

Relaxation Exercises – An Essential Tool for Flight Attendants

Tips for Relaxation

Sample Progressive Relaxation Exercises

Presidents’ Day Weekend 2021 Pacific Northwest Snowstorm

A Storm for the Record Books

Operational Debrief with Management Next Week

AFA Alaska Online Support Center

In This Edition

Celebrating Black History Month

Learn More About Black History

Celebrate with a Black History Month AFA Pin

In This Edition

Letters of Agreement and Memorandums of Understanding

Recent LOAs and MOUs

Questions?

REMINDER: Reserve Availability & Commuting

Release on Last Day of Reserve Block

Questions?

College Scholarship Opportunities

AFA Scholarship Fund

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship

Union Plus Scholarship Program

Union Plus Free College Benefit

Questions?

Safety of Our Crews, Our Flights and Our Country

Safety Of Our Crews

Recent events are potentially negatively impacting effective Crew Resource Management

Avoid the subjects of politics, religion and money in mixed company

As safety professionals we are expected to maintain a working relationship with each other at all times

Suggested points of commonality regardless of our individual views

COVID-19 pandemic risk mitigations

Safety of Our Flights

Increased security measures ahead of Inauguration Day

AFA Recommendations

Safety of Our Country

Freedom of speech and of peaceful assembly

Crimes against the state

Recurrent Training 2021

In This Edition

Early Success Rates Look Promising

COVID-19 Risk Mitigations

AFA Alaska’s concerns

Inflight Training management’s response

Written Exam Practice Questions and Answers

AFA Alaska’s concerns

Inflight Training management’s response

Adequate “Hands-On” Time Prior to Emergency Evacuation Evaluations

AFA Alaska’s concerns

Inflight Training management’s response

Acceptable Deviations to Emergency Evacuation Commands

Requalification Training (RQ)

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Master Executive Council

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