Latest News

January 16, 2020 22:15

The Master Executive Council (MEC) appreciates Inflight management addressing the rumor mill regarding Recurrent Training (RT). We are particularly thankful Inflight went on record to state the recent changes to RT in response to an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were absolutely not due to inadequate Inflight Instructors. However, the MEC is extremely disappointed that management has not taken more ownership of the situation at a much earlier date.

We are further frustrated by the fact that management missed a key opportunity to potentially mitigate or perhaps even eliminate some of the changes. How so? Management failed to accept AFA recommendations during integration in 2018 to incorporate “approved alternative” evacuation command verbiage into the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM).

AFA officers and representatives, the Inflight Training Committee and Inflight Flight Attendant Instructors have spent much of the past few months asking tough questions of management regarding the RT debacle and advocating for the best interest of Flight Attendants. We’re certainly not finished, but this is what we can report so far:

RT Computer Based Training (CBT) “Homestudy”

Cornerstone is a joke and needed to be replaced yesterday. AFA will continue to pressure management to provide Flight Attendants with the tools to help make us successful. Cornerstone is not one of those tools.

RT Written Test

The written test is still 25 questions and requires 80% (20 or more correct) to pass. Although the test question database has been eliminated for RT 2020, AFA has confirmed the test is derived exclusively from the (as of this writing) 74 questions in the various knowledge checks of the Homestudy. Once you have completed the Homestudy, you can go back and directly access each knowledge check separately in order to review the questions and answers as many times as you would like.

Be aware the order of the questions and/or responses may be randomized, but the actual questions and the one correct answer for each respective question will remain the same. If the knowledge checks in the Homestudy happen to be updated (this happens occasionally if a question is corrected or if a policy or procedure changes), then the questions and answers may change slightly. In summary, the Homestudy knowledge check database that is current at the time of RT is the one used to construct the written test.

How to access the knowledge checks?

World of Inflight (login required) -> Training -> Recurrent Training -> Recurrent Training SharePoint Site -> “IMD Tutorial” or “Web Tutorial”

Evacuation Commands

Flight Attendants are expected to come to RT prepared to demonstrate proficiency by using verbatim evacuation commands. However, AFA can positively confirm all those meetings with management over the past few months about the commands paid off!

Flight Attendants will be deemed proficient (and therefore successful in completing their evacuation evaluation) if they inadvertently use any of the four approved exceptions: “the” may be added between “Help” and “people,” “airplane” or “aircraft” may be used instead of “plane” and “jump” may be said twice in a row. Although a Flight Attendant will be coached to use verbatim commands in the future, the following commands would be considered successful:

“Heads down, stay down” / “Open seatbelts — Open seatbelts” / “Stay back –Stay back” / “You two, stay at the bottom” / “Help (the) people off” / “Send them away from the plane (/ airplane / aircraft)” / “Leave everything” / “Exit here” / “Jump (Jump)”.

Again, you are expected to deliver the commands verbatim, but using the approved alternatives will still result in passing the evaluation. We hope this information will help to reduce the understandably high level of anxiety regarding evacuation drills in RT this year. Please keep in mind that Inflight Instructors are Flight Attendants, and they are feeling stressed about Recurrent Training as well.

Contact your Local Executive Council (LEC) leadership if you have any concerns or questions about Recurrent Training. The Inflight Training Committee may also be utilized as an additional AFA resource.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Your MEC Inflight Training Committee – Megan Brown, Steve Vincent, Sam Clifton and Justin Wetherell

January 10, 2020 20:00

In This Edition

REMINDER: Know Your Dues Obligation
Recurrent Training
Two Computer Based Trainings (CBTs) are Due in January
Uniforms
Commitments to Healthier Habits
National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

REMINDER: Know Your Dues Obligation

Membership Committee

Each of us has an obligation to ensure that our AFA dues payments are current and up-to-date. Section 26 of our collective bargaining agreement outlines the requirement for each of us to pay dues as a condition of employment. If you receive a notice that dues are past due, it is important to remedy the past due amount immediately. Failure to remedy a past due amount may result in termination of employment.

How Do I Know If I Have a Past Due Amount?

If you have a past due amount, you will receive a statement from the AFA International Membership Services Department sent to your mailing address on file with AFA. The statement will show for which month(s) dues have not been paid.

What To Do If You Receive a Past Due Notice for AFA Dues

If you receive a statement indicating that you owe dues, the easiest way to make a payment is through the AFA Membership Services website. You can also contact the Membership Services Department to discuss options for a payment plan if you are unable to pay the owed amount immediately. More information about payment options can be found here.

Final Notices

A number of Flight Attendants throughout the system are significantly past due despite multiple communications regarding the dues obligation, and many attempts have been made by AFA representatives to contact and work with them. Consequently, AFA intends to send final notices to this group late next week.

If a Flight Attendant does not pay the amount owed within 15 calendar days of receiving final notice, AFA will then notify the Company. At that point, the Company will terminate employment in accordance with Section 26.D of our collective bargaining agreement.

Flight Attendants have had or will have several supplemental income opportunities to help meet their dues obligation: the “Block of 8” Productivity Premium Program (PPP) paid on December 20, the December PPP to be paid on January 17, Performance Based Pay (PBP) to be paid out soon. Vacation cash-out is always an option as a last resort. Membership Services also accepts credit cards for dues payments.

Questions?

If you have any questions about dues, please contact your Local Membership Committee or AFA International Membership Services at (800) 424-2401, ext. 707.

Recurrent Training

Inflight Training Committee

Management has made substantial changes to the Recurrent Training (RT) program for 2020 following the shutdown of RT in October 2019 in response to findings by the FAA. The Master Executive Council (MEC) has made it a priority to examine these changes closely and push back on any that appear to be more stringent than necessary to achieve regulatory compliance. As a result of those efforts, AFA secured a number of improvements behind the scenes that had a significantly positive effect for Flight Attendants impacted by the “new” RT in 2019. AFA is working hard to attain similar improvements to RT 2020 prior to classes beginning next week.

This week, management conducted a five-day “Train-the-Trainer” session in Seattle during which the Inflight Instructors (who are also Flight Attendants) and all of the members of the AFA Inflight Training Committee (who are also Inflight Instructors) received instruction from Inflight Training management on how to deliver the 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) program. Several MEC leaders also attended as observers. There were a number of spirited conversations during the week in which the Inflight Instructors, Inflight Training Committee members and the MEC observers provided feedback to management regarding the curriculum and evaluations. The group advocated for changes that protect the interests of Flight Attendants and Flight Attendant Instructors.

Management is currently in the process of incorporating that feedback and is planning a communication about Recurrent Training to the entire Flight Attendant group early next week. AFA will release a standalone RT update in response to management’s communication once it is published.

Two Computer Based Trainings (CBTs) are Due in January

Inflight Training Committee

As of today, 2041 Flight Attendants (about a third of all FAs) have not completed the Q4 2019 CBT that is now due on January 15, 2020. There is another CBT due on January 31, 2020: Annual Compliance Training (ACT) 2019. Flight Attendants not completing the required CBTs by the deadline will be issued progressive discipline.

If you are having issues completing the training, contact the IT Help Desk at: 877-238-1077 or email Inflight Training at inflight.training@alaskaair.com. Please keep track of any time you spend working with IT to resolve the issue and collect any documentation (including IT ticket information, screenshots of telephone call history with calls to IT, etc.). Once the issue is resolved, please submit this information through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center. These issues will be referred to the IT Review Process and handled through Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) meeting and may be eligible for additional pay.

Uniforms

Uniform Committee

Custom Uniforms pieces are now arriving from Unisync. It is important to try on your pieces as soon as they arrive and send any items back for return as soon as possible so that you can place an order for replacement pieces. Exchanges must first be processed as a return and then a new order submitted for the replacement item.

Returns

Uniform returns are processed through the Unisync website at http://aag.unisync.store (login required) or by calling Unisync customer service at (833) 525-2752. Detailed instructions on how to complete a return can be found on the Unisync website. After you have processed a return (either online or through customer service), you should receive an email notification when your allotment has been credited for the return. Once you receive this notification, you’ll be able to order replacement pieces using the credit from the return as well as any unused funds.

When you complete the return process, you’ll receive a return merchandise authorization (RMA) number. You may either 1) print the return request submission page or 2) indicate your RMA number along with your name and Peoplesoft number on Section A of the return slip (or on any piece of paper if you are missing the return slip); include the return authorization information with your shipment to ensure that your allotment is properly credited.

Per a letter of agreement with management, Flight Attendants are not responsible for the cost of uniform shipping, including returns. All shipments should include a pre-paid FedEx return label to the box. If you did not receive a pre-paid label, please contact Unisync customer service. Inflight management will assist Flight Attendants with uniform returns, provide appropriate packing supplies at no cost to the Flight Attendant and ship the return upon request. Returns must be postmarked no later than 90 days from receipt of the items.

New Uniform Wear Start Date

Management will soon be announcing the date for cutover to the new uniform. Please do not wear the new uniform or any pieces or accessories until the cutover date.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the uniform return or exchange process, please contact your Local Uniform Committee.

Commitments to Healthier Habits

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

The beginning of a new year is often marked with commitments to healthier habits. One health routine that you may want to consider is to examine your alcohol use annually, if not more frequently. To help you do this, the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP) along with researchers and experts in the field of addiction developed an alcohol screening instrument just for flight attendants.

Should you answer yes to any of the below questions, please follow up with your Flight Attendant peer assistance program at your airline. Your conversations are confidential. You can reach your FADAP peer through the FADAP toll free help line at:

1-855-33FADAP or 1-855-333-2327

Flight Attendant Alcohol Use Screening

Routinely evaluate your alcohol use just as you would other health issues. Self-assess by asking yourself the following questions:

Have you shown up for a flight hung over?
Have you bid a certain position to have easy access to alcohol in the past year?
Have you drank past the cut off time in the past year?
Felt bad or guilty about your drinking in the past year?
Do you drink alcohol 4 or more times per week?
Have you had 5 or more drinks on a typical day when you are drinking?

Should you answer yes to any of the above questions, please follow up with a call to a Flight Attendant peer with the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP). Your conversations are confidential.

National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Human Rights Committee

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. We can take a stand against human trafficking by recommitting ourselves to end it on our planes. As Flight Attendants and aviation’s first responders, we are uniquely positioned to identify human traffickers and assist their victims.

United Against Slavery: Take the Survey

AFA is proud to collaborate with United Against Slavery to collect comprehensive data among our members to help combat all forms of human trafficking. We know that Flight Attendants are a frontline identifiers against perpetrators using air transportation to relocate victims of sex and labor trafficking.

It is important to find out what is and isn’t working on the line while we work as an industry to help combat human trafficking. We want your voices to be heard, so we invite you to participate in the National Outreach Survey for Flight Attendants, between thought April 6, 2020. This online survey is optional and allows flexibility to accommodate your schedules for any member who chooses to participate. We have an opportunity to collect much needed data in the aviation sector to help combat human trafficking.

Click here to take the survey

January 4, 2020 13:18

December Update:

‘Tis the season….for IROPS

Now is the time to get to know your contract. With irregular operations (IROPS) due to weather or operational challenges, be aware of what is contractually supported for scheduling changes. Refer to Sections 8 and 10 for lineholders and Section 11 for reserves. Additionally, Junior Assigning (Section 9) has already occurred this holiday season so be aware of the contractual limitations of this practice.

CBT Deadline December 31

A friendly reminder to complete the 4th Quarter CBT is due 12/31/19. In the event accessing Cornerstone through the app is unsuccessful, please reach out to your base supervisor for assistance. Additionally Flight Attendants may access Cornerstone via computer (non-mobile device) through the In-flight Page on Alaskasworld. Failure to complete quarterly CBTs by the deadline historically has resulted in progressive steps of discipline.

Leftover Guest Passes? Save them!

Remember to convert your unused companion travel passes before the end of day December 31st. Once converted the pass codes will remain in your FLY account under Guest Passes>>Manage Guest Passes. Converted passes must be ticketed within 3 months after the pass code has been generated.

Recurrent Training 2020

The recurrent training home study CBT was released 12/26/19 and available online for those taking recurrent in January. The CBT portion of recurrent training must be completed at least 2 hours prior to the start of training class. As a reminder, for 2020, recurrent training will be two days. AFA has been advocating for a streamlined and fair recurrent training process due to recent and sudden changes that have occurred. This is an ongoing issue so please look out for more communication from the training department and the MEC regarding any updates to the program or guidelines.

Uniform Update

Rollover of uniform funds are defined in the Uniform Allotments and Rollover Letter of Agreement. Flight Attendants with remaining uniform funds will rollover at 50% value.

New uniforms will begin to ship in January, with the expectation of a March launch (actual date to be announced). It is recommended that uniforms be tried for fit as soon as received. This will allow ample time to make any adjustments or exchanges if necessary.

With the new uniform roll-out just around the corner, management has indicated an increase in compliance checks for current uniforms. There are 3 stages of compliance checks:

2019: a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform will be subject to a “conversation” with base management regarding current uniform policy.
January 1, 2020 – launch of the new/custom uniform: a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform will be issued a Record of Discussion (ROD) which will be documented in the FAs personnel file.
Custom uniform launch and beyond: a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform that is not “fixable” will be sent home.

Clean Slate for 2020

Flight Attendants who…

achieved 480 TFP (L-VX exempt in 2019)
had 4 or fewer attendance points at the end of 2019
and who did not accrue any points in November and December 2019

…will start 2020 with zero points. This process is defined in the JCBA S32.G.4. The adjustment is a manual process done by the performance supervisor team, so please allow until mid-January for the process to be complete. After the adjustments have been made, any discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the SFO performance supervisor, Raquel Wehrwein.

Clock Resets for 480 on January 1

All Alaska Flight Attendants (including L-VX) will be required to achieve 480 TFP for the year 2020 to maintain the following benefits:

Uniforms §13.D.6
Vacation §16.L.4
Health Insurance §33.B.1-4
Attendance year-end record improvement §32.G.4

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:

sfo@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the 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.com 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 24 business hours for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

December 20, 2019 12:00

In This Edition

MEC Committee Position Appointments

MEC Committee Position Appointments

Master Executive Council (MEC)

At last week’s regular MEC Meeting, the MEC conducted interviews for MEC Committee positions. We would like to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and a willingness to serve. After careful consideration and much deliberation, the six directly elected Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents have made the following appointments:

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee

Chairperson	Seth Heiple
Vice Chairperson – Air Quality	Yvette Satterlee
Vice Chairperson – Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP)	Bradley Young
ASAP Alternate Representative	Ronda Ruderman

Benefits Committee

Chairperson

Terry Taylor

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) /Professional Standards Committee

Chairperson	Elizabeth Dillon
Vice Chairperson	Jeanne McCleave

Grievance Committee

Chairperson	Stephanie Adams
Assistant	Bianca Dew
Payroll Representative	Kiara Jenkins

Government Affairs Committee

Chairperson	Krystle Berry
CWA Next Gen Representative	Martin Monteblanco

Hotel Committee

Chairperson	Laura Hinojosa
Vice Chairperson	Jodi Snow

Inflight Service Committee

Chairperson

Stephanie Garnett

Inflight Training Committee

Chairperson	Megan Brown
Committee Member	Steve Vincent
Committee Member	Samuel Clifton
Committee Member	Justin Wetherell

Reserve Committee

Chairperson	Julie Pinson
Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation	Jarod McNeill

Retirement Committee

Chairperson

Terry Taylor

Scheduling Committee

Chairperson	Jake Jones
Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction	Karen Ferrell
Vice Chairperson—Preferential Bidding System (PBS)	Steve Poynter
PBS Subcommittee Member (Alternate Vice Chairperson)	Adam Clarey
PBS Subcommittee Member	Sheri Rochel
PBS Subcommittee Member	Virginia Fritz

Uniform Committee

Chairperson

Todd Scarlett

All appointments are effective January 1, 2020. Terms of appointment coincide with those of the MEC Officers, concluding on December 31, 2022.

December 6, 2019 12:00

In This Edition

PBS Software Update

PBS Software Update

Scheduling Committee—PBS Subcommittee

A PBS update occurred on Nov 25th that likely makes it necessary to clear your browser’s cache. This is especially important if using the ‘new’ version of Navblue (the one they refer to as ‘WebApp’). If you get an error message when trying to log in or certain tabs aren’t working as they should then this is a sign that you must clear your cache. You should be seeing version 19.4 on both the old and the new PBS website.

On the Inflight website, there is an ‘Alert’ posted at ‘Schedule and Bidding’ with a link to instructions for clearing your cache. Instructions are provided for Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox. These are the only supported browsers when accessing NavbluePBS. On the PBS Info Page you’ll see a list of supported devices and browsers.

This latest update brings a huge improvement in log in time. In addition, with some bid preferences there is less ‘clicking’ needed and the ‘Start Bid Group’ button (used to begin a new bid group) has now moved to the right side of the page. The order of some bid preference sub-menus is more logical and there were some minor bug fixes in this latest update.

No changes occurred on the ‘old’ version of Navblue.. Both the old and new websites are ‘live’ and whatever is ‘submitted’ on one will then reflect on the other. The old PBS website still works perfectly fine for bidding but is lacking all of the advanced features of the new website. No further changes are planned for the ‘old’ PBS website unless absolutely necessary. Navblue is urging all airline customers transition to the ‘new’ website. When a decision is made on a firm cutover date we’ll communicate that to everyone.

https://asapbs.navblue.aero/webapp/#/

Questions?

If you have questions, contact the PBS Subcommittee at pbs@afaalaska.org

November 30, 2019 19:34

Thank you everyone who came out to join our Council 35 Membership Meeting on Nov. 4th!! From Left: Brad Young, Council Representative, Aladrian Hillmon, Vice President, Melissa Osborne, President, James Ikehara, Secretary.

November Update:

Trending Discipline: Commuter Travel

Performance has initiated an investigation of commuter travel for Flight Attendants. Recent travel audits have revealed that use of the D8Y travel designation has been used for flights other than commuting between registered cities for work. The investigation has included all bases to include SFO and have resulted in discipline. For more information please review the commuter policy in §28.G of the JCBA. The policy indicates that only travel between registered cities for work is allowable. The D8Y listing is not permitted when dropping a deadhead or picking up out of base if the cities pairings are not the registered cities. The performance team has indicated that the audits will occur monthly so this will be an ongoing investigation. If you have any questions regarding travel while commuting to/from work, please reach out to FCABPS@alaskaair.com or your Council 35 officers. L-VX Transition Agreement.

480 Reminder

The JCBA defines the 480 requirement for maintaining certain yearly benefits, and now is the time to make up any hours before the year ends. Flight Attendants with less than 480 total hours will not be eligible for benefits the following calendar year. As a reminder, L-VX FAs are exempt from the 480 requirement in 2019 to retain benefits for the year 2020. However beginning January 1, 2020, all FAs (including L-VX) will be required to accrue 480 hours to retain benefits in 2021. For more information please reference the

PPP Collective Block Payout Coming up!

JCBA §21.R outlines the Premium Productivity Program for FAs. The collective block months will be complete at the end of November, and the payout will be December 20th. Earlier this month the January information was missing from L-VX FA calculators however the issue has been resolved. To see your actual accruals, please visit:

Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Calculators

Delta Organizing

On November 1, 2019, AFA achieved the organizing rights to support and represent Delta Flight Attendants. Council 35 officers are excited to support organization efforts and encourage all members to participate in the process. For resources and the latest info on DL organization efforts, please visit https://www.deltaafa.org.
*-photo credits: Alaska Councils 15, 18 and 35 in MSP helping Delta FAs with leafletting campaign Nov. 7.*

Call Professional Standards first!

Professional Standards (PS) should always be the first contact whenever Flight Attendants find it difficult to work together. In the event you find yourself contemplating “turning someone in” to management, please consider Professional Standards as the first step in this process. Part of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) committee, PS committee members are trained to help facilitate a conflict resolution process between the affected Flight Attendants. All this is done in a safe and confidential environment, without involving management. PS can also facilitate conflict resolution with other Alaska Airlines work groups, such as pilots and Tech Ops. For a confidential consultation, please contact EAP/Professional Standards Committee at sfo.eap@afaalaska.org.

Council 35 Advanced Secretary/Treasurer Training with AFA

-by James Ikehara Kevin Creighan, Secretary-Treasurer for AFA International, hosted a 2 day Advanced Secretary-Treasurer training session for local councils in San Francisco on November 14-15. Local council officers from United, Frontier, Air Wisconsin, Spirit, and Alaska were in attendance, in addition to Alaska’s MEC officers Brian Palmer, Vice President, and Linda Christou, Secretary-Treasurer. Both Brian and Linda were guest speakers and shared best practices for budget planning. Council 35 was represented by Melissa Osborne, President, and James Ikehara, Secretary. The training provided a deeper understanding of financial tools as well as matters pertaining to membership data, council elections, conducting meetings, constitutional provisions, parliamentary procedures, Department of Labor regulations, and building power through other AFL-CIO affiliations.

Next CBT due December 31, 2019

-by James Ikehara
The Annual Compliance Training (ACT) from Legal is due December 31, 2019. Failure to complete the required quarterly trainings by the deadline can result in discipline. To access the training module, open the Cornerstone App on your IMD. After logging in, all uncompleted courses will show on the main page. Remember, it’s always a good idea to take screen shots of your completed courses as backup. If your main screen is blank, you can double check your completed courses by clicking on the 3 dots in the upper right hand corner and choosing the Completed tab which will show all of your completed courses. All non-completed courses will be under the Active tab. If you have any concerns regarding the current trainings contact your SFO supervisor.

Boeing 737 MAX Update: 10/25/2019

-information provided by Brad Young

FAA Statement on Lion Air Flight 610 Accident Report

The FAA’s first priority is always safety. The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee’s accident report on Lion Air Flight 610 is a sober reminder to us of the importance of that mission, and we again express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were lost in that tragic accident. We welcome the recommendations from this report and will carefully consider these and all other recommendations as we continue our review of the proposed changes to the Boeing 737 MAX. The FAA is committed to ensuring that the lessons learned from the losses of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 will result in an even greater level of safety globally. The FAA continues to review Boeing’s proposed changes to the 737 MAX. As we have previously stated, the aircraft will return to service only after the FAA determines it is safe.

AFA’s response to the Boeing MAX can be found here.

Did You Know?

No Badge? No Problem!

Recent trends have emerged with SFO-based Flight Attendants forgetting or misplacing their badges while on duty. If an FA finds themselves without a badge, contact Crew Scheduling for a temporary replacement. The temp ID will be validated for the duration of the trip and allow the FA to work and get through security without the need for a gate pass, which can be a time consuming process. For Flight Attendants that discover the missing ID in one of the six Alaska domiciles, base inflight management is available to print the temp badge in the office. If the discovery occurs in a non-domicile location, please coordinate with the CSA team lead to print the badge provided by Crew Scheduling. If an FA discovers the missing ID after boarding an A/C or performing duties, please remember to file an ASAP regarding the incident. Following procedures for this type of incident will protect FAs from potential discipline. If you have any questions, please reach out to your supervisor or Council 35 officers.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:

sfo@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the other officers can respond)
Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
Calls/text (only if situation requires urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 Officers please avoid the following methods:

Sending to/from alaskaair.com 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 24 business hours for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

November 26, 2019 16:55

AFA-CWA Council 19 Base Meeting

When: Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Where: Earhart Room Lower Plaza STOC

Time: 1pm-4pm

Agenda

I. Call meeting to order-meeting called to order at 1:02pm by Terry Taylor

A. Call for late agenda items

B. Late agenda items

C. Announcements

II. Meeting

Officer Update

President Report- Four day MEC meeting all MEC Committee Chair positions will be interviewed, send in your application and letter of interest no later than November 25. To get to the expression of interest form please follow this link to the latest MEC Update, https://afaalaska.org/mec.

Unusual amount of lost IMD’s in Seattle, automatic oral warning (lowest level of discipline).

Benefits handbooks have all been updated on the inflight page.

We are getting a new payroll system, Rainmaker. A release date has not yet been published.

Vice President Report- See JCTE/Crew Access Agenda Item

Secretary Report- We are operating under budget. Push from the MEC to get all outstanding dues paid. International Membership is resending all bad standing letters. If you are in bad standing contact International Membership and pay off your dues in full or start a payment plan by signing a promissory note. AFA International Membership Office 1-800-424-2401, ext. 707 (M-F 9:00-5:30 EST). You can pay your dues online at http://www.afacwa.org/payment or mail your payment to AFA-CWA Membership Department, 501 Third Street NW, 7^th Floor, Washington DC 20001.

Committee Updates

Scheduling Committee- OT Issues, our base does not have the same experience as the smaller bases. Over 160 tickets have been filed with AFA, and a grievance has been filed. Will need to schedule base sits regarding how back to book works. A transaction history will be another report available soon in JCTE.

PBS- Steve Poynter AFA MEC PBS Committee Chair- Program update coming on Monday November 25^th. This update will require Flight Attendants to clear your cache. Instructions for clearing cache are available on the PBS Info Page a quick google search will also provide you information on how to clear your cache. Update has increased the speed of the login synchronization process. New aircraft code when bidding opens 32B, code is for 321 NEO. If you are avoiding Airbus you will need to add this new Airbus code for January bidding, when bidding opens on December 5^th.

EAP/Professional Standards-FAAS Program (Flight Attendant Alcohol Support) has been put on hold to do a safety risk management assessment. EAP believes there’s is a huge need for this program. In the meantime, EAP will still utilize their current substance abuse resources to support Flight Attendants that reach out to EAP. In January Horizon will start building the same program. EAP Chairs will tour Recovery Ways facility in Salt Lake City. New EAP Rep joining us in December Frank Isles, brings our total to 9 reps. Transition to new EAP emails soon, more information will be provided at that time.

Communications- Text alert program isn’t functioning anymore. Looking at a replacement text alert program through AFA International.

Reserve- Only one class of 83 is planned for next year to come online May 1^st. Planned classes for the next year are subject to change.

Hotel-New Program Aces has been delayed until at least March. Recent site visits to MSP, FLL, SAT, and currently doing OKC. Upcoming site visits for LGB for recurrent training and DEN. Complaints regarding ORD hotel on Facebook, but very few official complaints filed through Crew Care. For hotels issues please file a complaint with Crew Care. Everyone will be moved to Crystal City in DCA until January because of construction.

Uniform-Looking at an alternate for the new winter parka for fall 2020, reason for the alternate is complaints regarding the warmth of the current one. The current winter parka will still be uniform complaint. Reminder that only uniform approved coats are allowed. Ongoing grievance regarding using our allotment for Luly Yang accessories. Swapping out crew bags for the Legacy VX FA’s to the travel pro. CBT Quarter 1 2020 will include uniform compliance standards.

Inflight Service-Asking catering to put their top 10 wish list together, once received, wish list will be communicated to the Flight Attendants. Gogo App will no longer be needed to stream movies, planned rollout is April 2020. Push for FA’s to write up inop outlets, this is a maintenance issue not an inflight serve issue. Planned launch in April, FA’s will be able to directly communicate with the boarding agents in B2B. New menu tasting on December 16^th.

Safety-New hardstand operation, called cargo 7, near existing Alaska hanger. Port is planning on putting placards to scan for safety concerns out at hardstand locations. Concerns regarding using the thumbs up on Airbus for potential injury if the CSA opens up the door before FA pulls their arm back from viewing port.

Human Rights-Introduction of our new chair Yan Yan Teague, Human Rights is a new committee set up at the AFA/CWA convention in 2018. Still navigating how the Human Rights Committee will function. Working towards more partnership with CWA, increasing election turnout. Working on a gender-neutral option for our Flight Attendant uniform.

Government Affairs- Unite Here Local 8 union includes our caterers in Seattle, attended a meeting to support their negotiations, Tuesday November 26 a picket scheduled at SeaTac. Planning on a government affairs/human rights joint meeting this next year during the upcoming election to begin a voter registration push as well as a push to sign up for Flight Pac.

Agenda Items

Training update-Have seen an increase in FA’s failing their first and second attempts evacuation drills. Change in drills, no instruction or coaching is allowed. RT classes have been running over since we’ve come back from the FAA shutdown.
Pairing update/scheduling issues-Guest ANCFA Karen Ferrell MEC AFA Pairing Analyst- Company and AFA provide pairing solutions each month and the company decides which solution will be selected. Main consideration is cost when selecting pairing solution. AFA’s goal is to find the sweet spot where the most desirable pairings are selected for each base balanced out with a comparable cost to the company solution so that AFA’s pairing solution is selected.

Karen presented a slideshow of how pairing construction works, and how pairing solutions are selected.

Results from the survey in Seattle indicate that 4 day trips are not desirable, during the pairing solution runs the amount of 4 day trips is considered and attempts are made to limit the amount of 4 days in Seattle.

Discussion and Q&A for Karen and the Scheduling Committee regarding soft locks, hard locks, and why pairings are built differently each month.

Parking issues at North Lot-Increased number of complaints regarding the North Parking Lot. Overcrowded buses and lack of parking spaces are the two main complaints. Company committee is working on the issue and looking into alternate solutions for parking options. Parking complaints and concerns should be sent directly to Jenny Bookert, jenny.bookert@alaskaair.com, pictures are helpful.
JCTE/Crew Access issues- MEC met with the President of Jeppesen regarding our recent Crew Access issues. Changes were made to stabilize the system, but still a work in progress. Notifications, Trip Header, Trade History, Fire and Forget were the main topics discussed by line pilots, line fa’s, AFA reps, and ALPA reps at the November 17^th meeting. Jeppesen doesn’t have a real time instant solution, currently working towards 10 second transaction processing time. Back to Book will be coming, estimated timeline to reprogram Crew Access is 9-12months. For more information on Back to Book please refer to our contract Section 12 Exchange of Sequences.
Delta Airlines Organizing- AFA has begun organizing Delta, look for more information coming out soon if you are interested in assisting with the effort.
Question and Answers from members regarding topics discussed, officer reports, and general questions.

III. Adjournment- Meeting Adjourned by Terry Taylor and seconded by Adam Clarey at 3:57pm

Attendance at local Council 19 meeting 11/22/19

Members

Kriste McKeown

Carole Babcock

Leisa Russell

Sean Cox

Justin Wetherell

Eric Thorsen

Jerry Sinclair

Denise Brooks

Teresa Murphy

Jennifer Christensen

Jake Jones

Steve Poynter

Martin Vance

Lisa Haugen

Julie Pinson

Tyler Vail

Ross DeJong

David Lake

Yan Yan Teague

Jarod McNeil

Rita Tillou

Olivia Borrows

Melinda Jorge

Adam Clarey

Terry Taylor

Guests

Karen Ferrell-ANCFA MEC Pairing Analyst

November 23, 2019 14:41

As a Flight Attendant, we depend on many people to provide us the tools we need to complete our jobs. One of the most important (from a service point of view) are our friends at the catering kitchens. Have you ever stepped back and thought about their work conditions and what they have to live with every day? In many of the cities we serve, they work in extremely hot or cold conditions, with no heat or air-conditioning in their trucks. Many work for poverty level wages and only have about 40% of their healthcare premiums covered with no out of pocket maximums. The majority are forced to work more than one job, just to cover the necessities like food and electricity.

While Alaska, Delta, United, American and other airlines pull in BILLIONS of dollars in profits, Airline Catering workers, who work hard for us every day, have to live with poverty level wages and benefits. NOBODY should ever have to choose between putting food on the table, paying their bills or getting medical treatment.

AFA Council #19 stands with and supports our brothers and sisters at UNITE HERE Local #8.

Please join other AFA Members on Tuesday, November 26th as we show our support and stand shoulder to shoulder with our teammates.

We will be meeting at the UNITE HERE union office at 19415 International Blvd (across from Angle Lake) at 5:30pm on November 26th (Tuesday). Busses will transport us to SeaTac Airport for this National Day of Protest.

For those who cannot attend the meeting, there are other ways to show your support:

Next time you see a caterer onboard your aircraft, take a moment to say hello, thank them for what they do and remind them that you stand with them 100% in their fight for better pay, benefits and working conditions.
Always remember that there is someone on the other end of the cart. Our Inflight Service Committee members just had an opportunity to tour the LSG facility in Seattle. They observed catering personnel opening, and “unloading” the carts. When we don’t take a few moments to return catering items to their original locations, and to disassemble trays after service, it can create dangerous situations. Glasses break, liquids spill, and coffee cups are stained to the point that they cant’ be cleaned. We realize sometimes it’s not possible due to turbulence, and other issues. Just as we appreciate our fellow crew members taking the time to leave the galleys in a organized, and usable condition for a downline crew, think about how you are returning supplies to the carts at the end of service.
Go to the UNITE HERE Local #8 Facebook page and leave a message of solidarity! https://www.facebook.com/Local8/

ONE JOB should always be enough. Lets stand together!!

November 22, 2019 12:00

In This Edition

Changes to 2020 Recurrent Training
Violation of Cancellation of Open Time Trial and Back to Book Grievance Sustained
FINAL REMINDER: MEC Committee Chairperson & Appointed Position Interviews

Changes to 2020 Recurrent Training

Master Executive Council (MEC)

On Wednesday, November 20, management announced changes to how Recurrent Training (RT) will be conducted in 2020. For many years, RT has been conducted in a single day and was supplemented by home-based study in the form of a workbook and, more recently, a computer-based training (CBT). Based on new FAA guidance, management has determined that they are unable to contain all of the required elements of RT in a single day and will begin conducting RT as two full, 8-hour days of training in 2020.

Though this change is a shift in practice, it is intended to allow more time to address the necessary regulatory and safety components required by the FAA. Management has also stated that they will be including some additional service-related content in RT including a follow-up module to the company’s latest Flight Path training held in 2018.

PBS Bidding Credit

Since the inception of PBS in 2007, Recurrent Training has always carried a credit of zero (0) toward PBS line awards. This means in a bid month containing RT, PBS views RT as having a value of 0 TFP and builds your line accordingly. Under the language in the collective bargaining agreement, RT carries a value of zero without mention as to the number of days the class itself covers.

We are happy to announce that your Master Executive Council (MEC) was able to reach an agreement with management to provide partial credit for RT for the purposes of line construction. For RT 2020, the first day of RT will continue to credit toward your line in PBS at 0 TFP, but the second day will credit at the full value of 6 TFP. During a month that you have RT, PBS will read the 6 TFP value for RT and credit that toward your line award accordingly.

Hotels

The MEC is calling on inflight management to “own safety” and “do the right thing” by providing each Flight Attendant with a hotel room during RT in 2020.

During Transition Training (TT) in 2018, many of us experienced having to attend two full days of training and then deal with the associated logistics of braving multiple rush hour commutes in some of the worst cities for traffic in the nation. Those who commute were left to fend for themselves and find a place to stay for the evening as TT did not allow for any possibility of same-day commuting. Your AFA leaders received reports of exhaustion, fatigue, and stress from numerous Flight Attendants in relation to these and other factors from TT.

These issues fresh in mind, your MEC is extremely disappointed and outraged to hear that management has refused to provide hotels for Flight Attendants between the two days of RT. Even when not contractually required to do so, the Company has previously provided Flight Attendants with hotels during multi-day training activities such as Beyond Service in 2015. Just as we are constantly told to use the “service framework” to assess each situation when dealing with passengers and make a decision accordingly, management has the opportunity to live up to their own expectations and do the same in this case.

The MEC is calling on inflight management to “own safety” and “do the right thing” by providing each Flight Attendant with a hotel room during RT in 2020. Just like when we are out flying, we need a training environment that sets us up for success by allowing us to get proper rest and focus on safety. The responsibility for providing this environment falls on the shoulders of management and it’s time for them to step up and act on the same values they expect us to live by every day that we come to work.

Questions?

If you have questions about the changes to Recurrent Training in 2020, please contact your LEC Officers.

Violation of Cancellation of Open Time Trial and Back to Book Grievance Sustained

Grievance Committee

On October 31, 2019, your MEC Grievance Committee filed grievance number 36-99-2-163-19, for the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 12.F.9.a [Exchange of Sequences: Open Time Trial], past practice, its sustained response to grievance 36-99-2-35-17 and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on July 7, 2017, it sustained grievance number 36-99-2-35-17 (Violation of §12.F.9.a Cancellation of Open Time Trial and Back to Book); however it has continually failed to provide sufficient Information Technology (IT) resources for reverting to the Open Time System in place in the 2006-2010 Flight Attendant Agreement as modified by the arbitration award (AFA No. 36-99-2-18-11) [“Withholding Open Time” award]).

In summary, the Company sustained (admitted to the violation) the original grievance (number 36-99-2-35-17) and should have prioritized with IT to program the back to book language, but it did not. Management has admitted that the current system stayed in place rather than prioritizing resources within IT to make the necessary programming changes to revert to the language outlined in Section 12 as back to book. Since it failed to prioritize the IT resources, AFA filed the present grievance, which the Company also sustained.

As a result of your MEC Grievance Committee filing the grievance, the Company is now making immediate efforts to program the back to book trading rules with IT. The project kicked off on November 4, 2019, and IT is currently developing the technical requirements for the system to provide to Jeppesen by early January 2020. Jeppesen will then be providing a timeline for implementation by mid to late January 2020.

As of right now, your MEC is presuming that we will have more information regarding Open Time back to book programming to pass along to you by late January 2020.

Questions?

Please feel free to contact your LEC President with any questions that you might have about this grievance or Open Time back to book programming.

FINAL REMINDER: MEC Committee Chairperson & Appointed Position Interviews

Master Executive Council (MEC)

As a reminder, the term for those currently serving in MEC Committee Chairperson roles and other appointed positions will end on December 31, 2019. Your MEC, of which the six directly elected Local Executive Council (LEC) Presidents are voting members, will be conducting interviews for these positions during the December MEC meeting. The October 4, 2019 AFA Update contained the initial announcement of these upcoming interviews including a list of positions, information about qualifications and duties, and a link to the online expression of interest form. The deadline to submit an expression of interest is Monday, November 25, 2019 at 5 PM Pacific time.

If you have questions about MEC Committee Chairperson or MEC-level appointed positions or the interview process, please contact MEC Vice President Brian Palmer at brian.palmer@afaalaska.org.

November 10, 2019 19:04

As a reminder, Kathy O’Malley, Council #19 Benefits Chairperson, will be conducting base sits for Benefits Open Enrollment on the following dates in the Seattle Inflight Office:

November 11th: 8:00AM – 4:00PM
November 13th: 7:00AM – 3:00PM

Please stop by and get all of your questions answered! Please note that you can make changes up until 10:00PM on the 13th of November!

If you don’t have a chance to stop by, she is always available to help Flight Attendants by phone or text at 425.238.8219 or email benefitsassist@hotmail.com.

RT Computer Based Training (CBT) “Homestudy”

RT Written Test

How to access the knowledge checks?

Evacuation Commands

In This Edition

REMINDER: Know Your Dues Obligation

How Do I Know If I Have a Past Due Amount?

What To Do If You Receive a Past Due Notice for AFA Dues

Final Notices

Questions?

Recurrent Training

Two Computer Based Trainings (CBTs) are Due in January

Uniforms

Returns

New Uniform Wear Start Date

Questions?

Commitments to Healthier Habits

Flight Attendant Alcohol Use Screening

National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month

United Against Slavery: Take the Survey

In This Edition

MEC Committee Position Appointments

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee

Benefits Committee

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) /Professional Standards Committee

Grievance Committee

Government Affairs Committee

Hotel Committee

Inflight Service Committee

Inflight Training Committee

Reserve Committee

Retirement Committee

Scheduling Committee

Uniform Committee

In This Edition

PBS Software Update

Questions?

In This Edition

Changes to 2020 Recurrent Training

PBS Bidding Credit

Hotels

Questions?

Violation of Cancellation of Open Time Trial and Back to Book Grievance Sustained

Questions?

FINAL REMINDER: MEC Committee Chairperson & Appointed Position Interviews

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