March 3, 2020 05:00

As the reports of confirmed cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spread throughout the United States it is important to remain informed about the situation and take appropriate precautionary measures. We are saddened to hear that there have now been several confirmed deaths in the U.S. from the virus. Despite these cases, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the overall number of confirmed cases and risk of contracted the virus remain low.

Keep Up-To-Date With Reliable Resources

You can find the most up-to-date, pertinent information about COVID-19 and its impact on Flight Attendants on the Coronavirus Outbreak page of the AFA International website. The page contains the latest news on the outbreak, resources for Flight Attendants to guard against the spread of infection, and links to additional governmental resources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC.

Guidance from the CDC continues to recommend the following actions as being the best preventive measures to avoid exposure:

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces (including PA handsets and IMDs) using sanitizing wipes.
Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
- CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
- Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

Advocating for Flight Attendant Protections

AFA Alaska representatives have been engaging with management daily to advocate for protective measures and policy/procedure changes to protect our Flight Attendants in the wake of the outbreak. As of today, AFA Alaska has made the following requests of management:

Any individual who chooses to protect themselves by wearing mask or gloves should be permitted to do so at any time.
Eliminate water walks until we have equipment or product (individual water bottles) which allow it to be delivered in a sanitary manner.
Provide passengers with individually wrapped hand sanitizing wipes approved for use on our aircraft surfaces and on human skin.
Provide an announcement about changes to service made to provide a safer announcement to the passenger.
Work on getting N95 masks of all adult sizes added to UPKs and provide adequate training for their use when dealing with a passenger suspected of having a communicable disease.
Review aircraft cleaning guidelines and provide audit information by showing adherence levels. Provide better means for crew to submit aircraft cleaning feedback for flights
Enhanced cleaning procedures for aircraft which carried a passenger with known or suspected contagion.
Develop training on safe food and beverage handling, assessing passengers for COVID-19, and onboard response to suspect or identified case.
Discontinue hot towels in F/C and replace with individually wrapped hand sanitizing wipes.
Discontinue onboard sorting of used service items
Discontinue placing contaminated items in the same cart as unused service items.
Add disposable temperature gauges to aircraft equipment.
Change to disposable cups in First Class.
Make UPKs and hand sanitizer required, no-go items on the aircraft
Reduce MELs on lavatory water systems.
Make surgical masks available to passengers and crew so that those who show symptoms of infection may wear masks and reduce the risk of spreading disease. Take steps to ensure adequate supplies now.
Provide accommodations for those who have or live with those who have compromised immune systems or are pregnant.
Provide support for infected or quarantined employees.
Provide support for employees who are forced to stay at home to care for an infected or quarantined family member.
Provide support for employees who are forced to stay at home to care for a child due to extended cancellation of classes.

Management has responded and made procedural and policy changes to many of the requests made by AFA, but there are still many items that have not yet been satisfactorily addressed. A full list of actions that are being taken by management are listed in an article on Alaska’s World (AAG sign-on required). Management also released a required bulletin (bulletin #2020-0010, Special Edition Bulletin Bundle-March 2, 2020) with additional details on how these changes are to be implemented.

Additionally, AFA International released additional guidance today entitled Immediate Operational Actions to Stop Spread of COVID-19. Many of the points in this guidance were included in AFA Alaska’s original request to management. AFA Alaska representatives have called for a special meeting with management as soon as possible to address items from the original AFA request that management has not already provided a satisfactory response to as well as new items contained in the additional guidance from AFA International.

Daily Conversations with Management Ongoing

While we applaud management for taking meaningful steps to reduce risks, we simultaneously call upon them to continue taking necessary action to protect Flight Attendants and passengers alike. Regular conference calls between leaders from all Alaska and Horizon union groups and management from Inflight, Safety, and Labor Relations have been scheduled for the foreseeable future and will continue as long as outbreak remains a potential threat. AFA representatives will persist in continuing to address concerns with management during these calls and other venues to address the issues important to Flight Attendants.

Questions?

If you have questions that are not addressed in any of the resources provided above, please reach out to your LEC Officers or Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee

February 28, 2020 20:45

Membership Meeting April 23 in SFO

Alaska Council 35 and United Council 11 will host a combined membership meeting in preparation of the AFA Board of Directors (BOD) meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the BOD agenda and how members would like AFA leaders to respond to proposed agenda items. More information such as location and time will follow in a future communication.

What You Need to know About COVID-19

Updates regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) and its progress have been constantly changing. To stay informed on the latest news and helpful information for crewmembers, please visit:

Recurrent 2020

The Recurrent 2020 training program is still a hot topic for Flight Attendants. AFA continues to advocate for management to “do the right thing” and create a program that sets F/As up for success. Many communications have been published by the MEC in the last several weeks and there is more to come. Please stay tuned by visiting the latest news on our website. If you have any concerns or issues regarding RT 2020 please submit an online support request for your Council 35 officers to review and investigate.

CSAs and Pro Stands

Professional Standards (PS) should always be the first point of 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. If your issue involves a CSA, unfortunately PS is not an option. Please bring the issue forward to your base supervisor and/or submit an incident report. For a confidential consultation, please contact EAP/Professional Standards Committee at sfo.eap@afaalaska.org.

Scheduling Concerns

Flight Attendants who encounter operational issues while on duty often find themselves frustrated or in disagreement with a scheduler should reach out to the scheduling Manager on Duty (MOD). If you believe a scheduler has not followed SOP or has not followed contractual guidelines for an assignment, please request to speak to the MOD at the time of the event. Keep in mind that if you are unable to resolve the conflict at the time of the event, be prepared to “fly in protest” and present the issue to your base scheduling committee for follow up with crew scheduling management. With more information, scheduling committee members and crew scheduling management can more efficiently research flight attendant inquiries and determine a resolution. The best way to contact the SFO scheduling committee is by opening on an online support ticket. This portal will allow dialog and provides a convenient place for uploading all supporting docs and screenshots.

Trending Discipline

Holding for sit pay:

Flight Attendants that intentionally cause an operational slow down by holding the door open or closed to extend the duty time. The company views this as timecard fraud and if discovered, will result in termination

Positive DOT Drug Test:

If you take medications that result in a positive test (ie Adderall for ADHD) be sure your prescriptions are up-to-date. If you feel the drug test facilitator is not following DOT guidelines for collection, comply to the test, but follow up with an incident report to drug abatement later. A refusal to submit to a test is the same as a positive result and will result in termination.

CBT:

Please remember to do your CBTs on time! The Council 35 grievance team has filed many grievances as a result of automatic discipline issued for failure to complete CBTs by the deadline.

Commuter:

Monthly audits are occurring and Council 35 has seen disciplines for misuse lesson 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.

Missing Required Items:

Misplacing, losing or forgetting to bring a required item to work will result in discipline.

Uniform Update

by Lisa Mueller, Uniform Chair
March 18th our new uniforms launch! We want you to have the smoothest transition possible into the new uniforms. Be sure you are ready! Uniforms, coats, shoes, etc. all need to compliant with the new uniform standards March 18th.

Try it on!

If you haven’t already, try on all of your new uniform pieces as soon as possible! We want to make sure you have everything you need for the March 18th launch. Wrong size? Wrong item? Wrong whatever? Contact Unisync and let them know ASAP! Right now they are making it as easy as possible to exchange items. Send back your items right away to expedite things!

Missing Items

For those of you who have not received your uniform bottoms (skirts, pants, etc.), they have arrived at the distribution site and are being shipped out now. If you haven’t received a tracking number regarding your shipment by February 28th, contact Unisync.

Footwear

Due to production issues and delays associated with the coronavirus, the shoes designed by Luly Yang won’t be arriving until this summer…several months after the new uniform launches. You can still pre-order the Luly shoes from the company store but be sure you have an alternate compliant uniform shoe option ready to wear on March 18th! Alaska also partnered with zappos for shoes, which makes it easy to order shoes that Alaska has pre-approved. Not every shoe can be worn with every uniform option. Some options can only be worn with the pants or during cold weather months. Please refer to the uniform guideline for more information.

2019 Allotment Rollovers and 2020 Allotments

Flight Attendants should receive the allotment rollover by April 8, 2020.

Luggage

Be sure to switch to your new luggage! If you are still carrying Virgin America branded luggage and haven’t received the replacement luggage, contact your supervisor.

Special Circumstances?

Be sure to contact your supervisor as soon as possible if you have any special circumstances such being out on leave, maternity uniform concerns, delayed uniform shipments, etc. Your supervisor can help ensure any special circumstances or concerns are documented and ensure the smoothest transition possible.

Helpful Uniform Links

Uniform Policy Guide
Alaska’s Uniform page
Shoe guidelines
Luly Yang shoes
Alaska at Zappos
Contact Unisync: 1.833.525.2752 or alaskaservice@unisyncgroup.com

In their own words…

On February 4, Council 35 had four new committee members attend Committee 101, the AFA training program for first time committee members. Your Council 35 officers are happy to introduce the following new members:

Shonna Schroedl – Hotel Committee

Shonna began flying for Alaska Airlines in Fall of 2017, fulfilling her life-long goal of working as a flight attendant. Prior to coming on board with AAG, Shonna worked for 20+ years in meeting and event management. Shonna was fortunate to be able to work in a variety of meaningful positions with international organizations in high tech and sports. As a meeting manager, Shonna planned, organized and implemented meetings in locations around the world. Her work included hotel sourcing, site selection and contraction negotiation. She was the Portland Venue Coordinator for the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, hosting many national teams and international government officials and VIPs. Shonna resides in Happy Valley, Oregon with her husband and children. She is proud that she and her husband have gotten 3 out of 4 children to adulthood, with one still in elementary school. Her youngest son, Adin was just named to the US Paralympics Swimming team for 2020. Shonna volunteers on several boards – she is one of 8 Adult Commissioners for US Soccer Federation, and serves on the Order of the O – the alumni athletes board for University of Oregon.

Andrew Gonzalez – Reserve Committee

Andrew has been flying at Alaska since January 2018. He was raised in New York City, where he attended Columbia University and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Prior to joining Alaska, Andrew flew for Norwegian Air Shuttle from June 2016 – January 2018, where he primarily flew international flights to Europe on the 787 Dreamliner. After serving 18 months on reserve in Seattle, Andrew felt compelled to assist reserves in San Francisco as they maneuvered the new terrain of reserve life. Given his prior experiences working with lawyers during his time in college, he figured his understanding of legalese and contracts would help in navigating the nuances of our contractual language. In his role as reserve committee member, Andrew wants to make himself available and assist new flight attendants with their transition to reserve life at Alaska. Starting out can be very intimidating, but having someone to turn to can help alleviate some of the stress.

Mariana Pappageorge – Air Safety, Health & Security Committee

Mariana started her aviation career with Virgin America in October of 2013. During her time with Virgin America, she was an Inflight Team Leader and Air Transportation Supervisor. In addition to flying, she participated in various promotional events with the Promo Team and helped with the certification of the A321 Neo aircraft as a cadre crew member. Aiding the merge of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America, Mariana was on a special assignment in the cabin safety department and was a part of manual merging and assisting in the day to day operation and safety in the flying world. Mariana is very proud to be Greek and is an avid Bay Area sports fan.

Amanda Sawicki – Air Safety, Health & Security Committee

Amanda is originally from Colorado and found flying around 4 years ago through a family friend. She inspired Amanda to give it a shot and she never looked back. On her days off you can find her borrowing a friend’s dog for a hike or commuting to visit scattered friends and family. During sits at the airport she is often laughing at comedians online or talking herself through a Duolingo lesson. Amanda is excited to learn more and to help support our inflight team.

Committee Openings

Committee member openings in the following committees:

Benefits

Human Rights (chair)

Retirement

Scheduling

Members interested in these positions may submit a letter of interest to your 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)
Open an online support ticket
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 one business day for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

February 21, 2020 12:00

In This Edition

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews
AFA Dues FAQs
Department of Transportation Warning About CBD Products

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Our current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) becomes amendable on December 17, 2021 but also contains an early opener clause for the negotiating process to begin as early as December 2020. In anticipation of early openers, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the Negotiating Committee during the March Regular MEC Meeting, to be held March 10 and 11, 2020. All three Negotiating Committee positions are up for interview and consideration. Per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, the MEC President is the chairperson of the Negotiating Committee and rounds out the Committee as the fourth member.

The Negotiating Committee is charged to negotiate and institute the needs and desires of the Flight Attendants into an effective collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The Committee should have a good working knowledge of the current CBA and be willing to devote their full time to the Committee during negotiations. The members of this Committee shall serve as the CBA Interpretation Committee until a new agreement is completed.

Selection of Committee Members

Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
Maintain a current record of the:
- Financial condition of the company.
- Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
- Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
Review tentative agreement with the MEC
Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
Present the tentative agreement to the members
Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
Remain available as a resource for interpretations
Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA. A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Flight pay loss (FPL) reimbursement will be provided to Negotiating Committee Members at the rate of 6 TFP at “A” pay for 8 hours of work. FPL is not reimbursed for days that solely contain travel to/from an activity.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the March Regular MEC meeting from March 10-11, 2020. Bid around the interview date or plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/6vj5XPxDwv9x54eb9. The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Tuesday, March 3. After that time, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.

Please note that in order to submit an expression of interest, you must have a Google account. If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free at https://accounts.google.com/signup.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

AFA Dues FAQs

Membership Committee

How Often Are Dues Deducted?

Dues are deducted once per month on the 20th of the month and represent that months dues.

What If I Have a Past Due Amount?

Alaska Airlines will not deduct past due amounts from your paycheck. If you have a past due amount owing, the AFA International Membership Service department will send you an invoice. All past due amounts must be paid directly to AFA.

Do I Owe Dues If I Am On a Leave of Absence?

If you are on a leave of absence and coordinating any type of pay (sick leave or vacation), you are considered on payroll and you must pay your union dues.

If you are not coordinating enough to have your dues deducted (this is the last priority for payroll deductions) then you will receive an invoice from the AFA International Membership Services department. This is a bill and the amount must be paid.

If you are not receiving any pay, you are obligated to pay dues for the first 3 months of your leave. After the three months period has passed, you do not have any further dues obligation until you return from your leave.

Where Can I Access Dues Check Off and Membership Forms?

You can access the Dues Check Off (DCO) form used for automatic payroll deduction of AFA dues and the AFA membership application on the membership page of the AFA Alaska website.

Questions?

If you have any questions about AFA dues, please contact your Local Membership Committee.

Department of Transportation Warning About CBD Products

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy Compliance issued a compliance notice regarding the use of cannabidiol (CBD) products for employees in safety-sensitive positions who are subject to drug testing per 49 CFR part 40 (which includes Flight Attendants). You can view the notice by clicking here.

In summary, the notice states:

The Department of Transportation requires testing for marijuana and not CBD.
The labeling of many CBD products may be misleading because the products could contain higher levels of THC than what the product label states. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not currently certify the levels of THC in CBD products, so there is no Federal oversight to ensure that the labels are accurate. The FDA has cautioned the public that: “Consumers should beware purchasing and using any [CBD] products.” The FDA has stated: “It is currently illegal to market CBD by adding it to a food or labeling it as a dietary supplement.” Also, the FDA has issued several warning letters to companies because their products contained more CBD than indicated on the product label.
The Department of Transportation’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Regulation, Part 40, does not authorize the use of Schedule I drugs, including marijuana, for any reason. Furthermore, CBD use is not a legitimate medical explanation for a laboratory-confirmed marijuana positive result. Therefore, Medical Review Officers will verify a drug test confirmed at the appropriate cutoffs as positive, even if an employee claims they only used a CBD product.

This information is consistent with other guidance on CBD previously communicated by AFA.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact the AFA Alaska EAP Committee. You can find contact information on the EAP Committee page of the AFA Alaska website. Any contact made to AFA EAP is completely confidential.

February 14, 2020 20:00

The Master Executive Council (MEC) was planning to meet with one of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Cabin Safety Inspectors assigned to Alaska Airlines this week during the regular February MEC meeting. The intent of the meeting was to allow the MEC to gain a better understanding as to how the FAA interprets and applies the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) and other guiding documents to Flight Attendant recurrent training. More specifically, the MEC is seeking more information about what drove the changes that were made to Recurrent Training 2020 when it initially launched in January.

Unfortunately, not all of the required representatives from the FAA’s Certificate Management Office (CMO) could be available for the scheduled meeting last Wednesday and the meeting was canceled. The MEC is actively working with the FAA to reschedule the meeting to another time as soon as all required attendees from both AFA and the FAA are available. More information will be communicated once the meeting is able to be rescheduled.

In Solidarity,

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

February 11, 2020 12:00

Contractual Modification Approved by Roll Call Vote

By majority roll call vote, the Master Executive Council (MEC) has approved a contractual modification that will maintain the current open time trading rules inclusive of Section 12 Exchange of Sequences. This modification will remove the requirement to program back to book trading rules and the application of Section 12 Exchange of Sequences: Back to Book.

Not an Easy Decision

This was not an easy decision to make because there are valid arguments for and against granting a contractual waiver. The MEC voting procedure outlined in the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws, Article VII.D.5.b [Master Executive Councils –> Master Executive Council Meetings –> Voting], allocates each voting member (LEC President or designee holding proxy) of the MEC one vote on any issue before the MEC. A majority determines the outcome, unless a roll-call vote is requested. During a roll call vote, each voting member of the MEC casts one vote for each member in good standing s/he represents.

Roll Call Voting Record on Back to Book

The motion put forward was to direct the MEC President to draft a side letter of agreement to strike out all of Section 12 Exchange of Sequence: Back to Book and execute the sideletter with management. During the roll-call, votes were cast as follows:

Council number, number of active members in good standing, name of voting delegate, votes for the motion, votes against the motion

Council	Delegate	Total Votes	Votes For	Votes Against
15 SAN	McGee	392	299	93
18 LAX	Richardson	1070	535	535
19 SEA	Taylor	2308	2058	250
30 ANC	Cook	367	96	271
35 SFO	Osborne	783	765	18
39 PDX	de’Medici	620	520	100
	*Total*	*5540*	*4273*	*1267*

Based on the votes of the LEC Presidents (and proxy holders), the motion was adopted by a vote of 4273 votes for the motion and 1267 votes against the motion.

Interested in more information regarding Back to Book?

We are aware that nearly half of our Flight Attendants have never worked under the trading rules contained in Back to Book, nor do they have any familiarity with eMaestro. Background information is available below.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Open Time, back to book, or the MEC vote, please contact your LEC President.

In Solidarity,

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

Back to Book – What Does it Mean?

On May 1, 2006, Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants ratified a Collective Bargaining Agreement through May 1, 2010. In 2010 during an economic downturn, Alaska Flight Attendants ratified a contract extension through May 1, 2012, with an early opener clause in 2011.

The 2006 CBA contained negotiated and ratified open time provisions that were incorporated into the system known as E-maestro, the predecessor to Crew Access. Alaska Airlines management and AFA disagreed on the application of the rules and trading when Crew Scheduling violated our agreement by withholding trips from open time. The parties agreed to utilize the grievance process, and AFA filed grievance #36-99-2-18-11. A neutral third-party arbitrator ruled against AFA in the final and binding arbitration award and provided a decision to both Alaska Airlines management and AFA on how to incorporate and interpret the agreed language. This arbitration award is consistent with the 2018-2021 Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement, which may be found in Section 12 Exchange of Sequences: Back to Book.

In November 29, 2011, AFA and Alaska management met to discuss early openers and begin the negotiation process of Section 6 negotiations under the Railway Labor Act. The parties agreed on December 12, 2013, to put forward a tentative agreement for membership consideration that subsequently failed. This required another round of negotiations that began on June 25, 2014.

When the second tentative agreement passed it contained an open time trial period with a cancellation clause, Section 12.F Exchange of Sequences. The open time trial was negotiated due to feedback from members who were unhappy with the trading rules combined with the arbitration award. This required the negotiating committees to look for ways to improve the arbitration award and bring flexibility back to our schedules.

On July 8, 2016, we selected our Joint Negotiating Committee, and began working towards a joint collective bargaining agreement to combine Alaska Airlines and Virgin America into a single carrier. On July 21, 2016, we cancelled our Open Time trial with Alaska management. The cancellation of the Open Time Trial is pursuant to Section 12.F.9 and required the parties to begin negotiations on a successor system.

In the midst of this, on January 30, 2017, we transitioned from E-Maestro to Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA).

Negotiations for a successor system deadlocked in 2019 due to implementation penalties and a disagreement on the proposal with Alaska management. This required the MEC to compare our current system with the rules that applied to back to book. We reviewed the trading rules, TFP, open days, adequate reserve coverage, 25% funding, day for day trading, implementation, dropping, threshold sequence numbers and other components. After reviewing the two systems our MEC made the decision that it was in the best interest of the members to maintain the current system and spend our time preparing for early openers of contract negotiations in the fall of 2020.

February 10, 2020 23:00

Breaking news!

Limited self-correction during door evacuation drills

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been informed that limited self-correction is now allowed during door evacuation drills in one specific circumstance. Flight Attendants are expected to come to Recurrent Training (RT) prepared to demonstrate proficiency by using verbatim evacuation commands. However, if the (incorrect) command “STAND BACK” is corrected to “STAY BACK, STAY BACK, STAY BACK…” during an evacuation drill evaluation, then this will be considered successful.

If self-correction occurs as described above, then the Inflight Instructor will debrief with the student after the evaluation is complete. The purpose of the debrief is to ensure the student is clear on the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM) standard of “STAY BACK – STAY BACK” (no “STAND BACK”). For now, this will be the only self-correction allowed during evacuation drills.

Proposed redesign of the Special Track Training submitted to the FAA

Management submitted the proposed redesign of the Special Track Training to the FAA today. The FAA has up to 16 working days to accept or reject the proposal. In the interim, AFA and management have agreed to not allow any Flight Attendant to proceed to the fourth drill attempt; affected FAs are currently being pay protected while we wait for the FAA’s response.

Additional approved exceptions to the verbatim evacuation commands

Again, Flight Attendants are expected to come to RT prepared to demonstrate proficiency by using verbatim evacuation commands. However, one more variant on “plane” that is used throughout the British Commonwealth has been added to the approved exceptions: aeroplane. Flight Attendants will be deemed proficient and therefore successful in completing their evacuation evaluation if they inadvertently use any of the now five approved exceptions: “the,” “airplane,” “aeroplane,” “aircraft” and “jump.” Italicized text inside of parenthesis indicate the approved exceptions to the verbatim evacuation commands:

“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 / aeroplane / aircraft)” / “Leave everything” / “Exit here” / “Jump (Jump)”.

The MEC anticipates publishing another RT update following our meeting this coming Wednesday with one of the FAA Cabin Safety Inspectors assigned to Alaska Airlines or pending any new developments.

In Solidarity,

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

February 10, 2020 12:00

During the two-week pause of Recurrent Training (RT), management has redesigned the program with the assistance of a vendor that was contracted to help facilitate the process changes. Many of those changes were solidified through an alpha test of the redesigned RT 2020 and subsequent beta test over the past week. AFA leadership participated in the tests along with senior Inflight Instructors and a small group of line Flight Attendants.

Management sent an “RT Improvement Plan” email (February 8, 2020) on Saturday that outlined what Flight Attendants can expect for the relaunch of RT on Monday, February 10. Not surprisingly, many of you had questions or concerns about that communication.

Summary of and commentary about the RT Improvement Plan

Hands-on time has increased from 90 minutes with no time allocated for emergency equipment to 2.5 hours including doors and emergency equipment.

However, 2.5 hours is still not enough because of resource constraints. Once one factors in the number of students, instructors, drills, etc., an individual FA will likely have only a few minutes for any particular door drill. The Master Executive Council (MEC) strongly believes management should allocate more hands-on time.

Thirty minutes of hands-on training is now available before the start of every RT class.

AFA has lingering concerns with the emphasis on voluntary uncompensated training outside of negotiated training hours. This is not an acceptable long-term solution due to the totality of the circumstances.

Scheduled open houses to allow for voluntary practice time on equipment.

Same objection as above: Voluntary uncompensated training outside of negotiated training hours is not an acceptable long-term solution.

The completion packet has been streamlined by condensing the number of drills from 31 to 20.

Condensing is good, but AFA has advocated for more trimming where allowed by regulation.

The instructors are again able to provide direct feedback after unsuccessful drill attempts.

Direct feedback should never have been eliminated in the first place. The MEC believes this is an epic fail on management’s part.

Instructors audited the program content for accuracy.

Excellent! However, who thought it was a good idea to not have the instructors audit the program content for accuracy before now?

Upgraded the RT website to enhance the user experience.

The upgrades are subtle, so the MEC questions how much this will actually enhance the user experience. However, we do appreciate the effort.

Pre-class material, videos, and classroom content has been audited to ensure accuracy.

Is it painfully obvious that quality assurance is extremely under-resourced in Inflight Training?

Topics still being actively explored

Separately, the Master Executive Council (MEC) has taken part in several meetings with management this past week for continuing discussions about the evolving RT situation. A key discussion occurred on Thursday with Vice President of Inflight Ron Calvin, VP Labor Relations Jenny Wetzel, VP Safety & Security Max Tidwell, VP Flight Operations John Ladner, MD Inflight Operations Michaela Littman and MD Labor Relations Carmen Williams.

Topics of particular interest that are still being actively explored:

Revamping the “Special Track Training” program. (A Flight Attendant is currently put into Special Track Training following the third unsuccessful attempt of any drill evaluation.)
AFA’s grave concerns regarding potential termination of employment following a fourth unsuccessful attempt.
Whether self-correction during drill evaluations was possible. Management committed to clarifying with the FAA and to report back as soon as possible.

Management intends to submit a proposal to the Federal Aviation Administration for a redesigned Special Track Training program early this week that will hopefully resolve the first two issues above. The FAA has up to 16 working days to accept or reject the proposal. In the interim, AFA and management have agreed to not allow any Flight Attendant to proceed to the fourth drill attempt; affected FAs are currently being pay protected, but this doesn’t lessen the emotional impact.

Accountability and oversight

AFA has asked management to disclose which specific changes to the RT program were required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a result of its audit of the Inflight training program last fall and which changes were management’s discretion. The parties will continue that conversation this week. Additionally, the MEC is scheduled to meet with one of the FAA Cabin Safety Inspectors assigned to Alaska Airlines this coming Wednesday.

We anticipate publishing another RT update in the coming days pending any new developments.

In Solidarity,

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

February 7, 2020 18:00

**Revised with new information as of February 7, 2020 6 PM PST**

In This Edition

Recurrent Training 2020 – Interim Update
Flight Attendants Call for Responsible Halt to China Flights
Maternity Roundtable Event

Recurrent Training 2020 – Interim Update

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Since last week’s AFA update on Recurrent Training (RT), management has been working to make changes to the program based on feedback from Flight Attendants and our AFA representatives. Several AFA officers and representatives have been observing and auditing this process to ensure contractual compliance and to advocate for positive changes to the program for all Flight Attendants.

Management has advised the Master Executive Council (MEC) that they will be releasing several communications over the next few days related to the status of the RT program and the timeline for classes to be relaunched. The MEC plans to release an additional update early next week in response to management’s communication.

Flight Attendants Call for Responsible Halt to China Flights

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

AFA International issued this statement following last night’s travel advisory change by U.S. State Department to “do not travel to China” and the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the coronavirus is a “global health emergency”:

“AFA is calling for clear direction from our government to U.S. airlines to pull down all travel to China until the spread of coronavirus is contained. The government must work with our airlines to discontinue all service, with consideration for evacuation of flight crew, and with consideration to service that facilitates efforts by public health officials to contain spread of the virus,” stated Sara Nelson, AFA-CWA International President.

“The coronavirus may be spread by infected persons not yet displaying symptoms. For this reason, it is critical that any crew potentially infected through travel to and from China not be assigned to any additional flights until safely through the fourteen day incubation period. These crews must be pay protected for any scheduled flights and provided with the means to get food and other supplies while remaining out of public contact. This action is also on the AFA communicable disease checklist provided to all of our airlines again on January 21, 2020.

“We need responsible leadership from our government and we need it now. We will continue to work with our airlines, who have been exceeding precautions suggested by the administration – albeit now these actions are clearly not enough. This must end now. This is an emergency and our government must take a leadership role, in consultation with all stakeholders, in order to end this public health threat and protect American workers.”

Maternity Roundtable Event

Benefits Committee

Are you having a baby in 2020 or just thinking about it? AFA Council 19 (Seattle) will be hosting a Maternity Roundtable event on March 27 from 11 to 3 PM. Come have your questions answered related to maternity leaves, benefits, and other work-related considerations. Though the event will be held in Seattle, it is open to all Flight Attendants regardless of base.

Location

SeaTac Office Center South Tower
18000 Pacific Highway South
Earhart Conference Room, Lower Plaza Level
SeaTac, WA 98188

The building is a short walk from the airport, located in the same building as 13 Coins Restaurant (between the Hilton and Radisson hotels). Free parking is available.

Conference Call Option

For those who are interested in participating but are unable to attend in person, a conference call option will be available. Please indicate your interest in participating by conference call when sending your RSVP and the call-in information will be provided to you.

RSVP

Please RSVP to SEA Local Benefits Committee Chairperson Kathy O’Malley by email at benefitsassist@hotmail.com or by text at (425) 238-8219 if you are interested in attending.

January 31, 2020 00:09

Final Notice for Outstanding Dues Payment

by James Ikehara, Council 35 Secretary

There are several Flight Attendants in jeopardy of being terminated by January 31 for failure to correct their outstanding dues obligation. Final notices were sent on January 16, informing the Flight Attendant if the amount owed is not received by January 31, the company will move forward with termination, without the ability to dispute the discipline via the grievance process. This process is outlined in the JCBA §26.D.

Flight Attendants have one last supplemental income opportunity to help meet their dues obligation by using today’s PBP payout. Please note that payment needs to be received by AFA International before January 31, 2020, 2pm Eastern Time, in order for the payment to be successfully credited to the account.

To make a payment:

https://secure.unasecure.net/afanet/dues_payment.cfm

Have you recently moved or need to update your email address? Use the Change of Address link on the AFA-CWA website to make any changes and keep up to date with information regarding all union activities.

Preparing for RT 2020

We get it…it’s a mess. If you have any concerns or want to share about your Recurrent Training 2020 experience, please contact your Council 35 Officers for assistance. We are here to support you while preparing for the changes to the program and want to help alleviate any stress or trepidation Flight Attendants may be experiencing with the prospect of attending RT 2020. There have been many communications sent by both AFA and management regarding this issue and more is to come. AFA continues to strongly advocate for management to “do the right thing” and create a program that sets F/As up for success, not failure. Please stay tuned for more info as changes to the program are happening frequently. To review AFA publications regarding RT 2020, please visit the latest news on our website.

Understanding 480 for 2020

Welcome to a new year of benefits! As a reminder, L-VX F/As are no longer exempt from the 480 TFP requirement to maintain benefits for the following year (2021). Please familiarize yourself with the provisions that require the 480 TFP minimum in the JCBA:

§13.D.6 Uniforms
§16.L.4 Vacation
§22.B.1-4 Eligibility for Insurance
§32.G.4 Attendance
§32 Addendum #26 Record Improvement

Calculators found on the Inflight Webpage can be useful for tracking yearly progress for attaining the 480 requirement. To navigate to the calculators: Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Calculators.

Trending SFO Disciplines

The Grievance Committee has seen the following trending issues in cases for discipline following a performance investigation:

10-hour rule violation on reserve
Layover/hotel incidents
Commuter policy
Insubordination
Holiday Sick Leave

If you have any questions about discipline and the performance investigation process, please contact your Council 35 Officers.

Reserve and the 10-Hour Rule

As a reminder, reserves that enter an on-call/availability period (RAP) are considered for potential duty at that time and the countdown for drinking abstinence would be 10 hours prior. For example: a reserve that goes on-call at midnight, would need to stop alcohol consumption before 1400 the day prior. This is also true if a reserve self-assigns a trip that has a scheduled show-time later than RAP start time. For example: a reserve that goes on-call at midnight, but has self-assigned a trip that has a show time of 0900, will still need to refrain from consuming alcohol before 1400 the day prior. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to the SFO Reserve Committee.

Commuter Policy FAQs

The Grievance Committee has represented many Flight Attendants flagged for investigation as a result of the commuter policy audit. Management has indicated that they will no longer be giving “grace” for unintentional misuse. Please familiarize yourself with the policy, which can be found on the Inflight Webpage: Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Commuter Form Instructions. The 3-month audit has identified common errors in commuter boarding priority usage. Please be aware that using D8Y listings is not permitted in the following situations:

Commuting from a non-registered city as a result of dropping a DHD either before or after a pairing
Commuting from a non-registered city as a result of picking up out of base
Different cities other than officially registered cities unless part of an approved connection within FLY and required due to route structure or flight loads
Commuting to/from base with registered cities but no trips on F/A’s schedule
Partial OAL routing to/from base (i.e. commute part of the way on another airline and pick up an AS flight in a connecting city)

Honor System for Trading Trips

The Scheduling and EAP/Professional Standards (PS) Committees are still hearing about Flight Attendants “stealing” trips or giving away trips to F/As that don’t want them. Please be aware of your trading habits and do the courtesy of ensuring the other F/A is in agreement with the transaction. Your Council 35 officers and Scheduling Committee recommend that explicit details be included in the trade request. To initiate a trade, be sure to read and comply with all the conditions requested by the trade post. It is frustrating and disappointing that the current trading system does not allow for a more fail-safe trading procedure, however until that issue is resolved, please “do the right thing” and respect your fellow Flight Attendants whenever transacting a trade. If you find yourself with an unwanted trade, please reach out to EAP/PS for assistance. The company has taken the position to not participate in resolving any disputes regarding trips trades and will refer F/As to EAP/PS for assistance.

Air, Safety, Health & Security (ASHSC)

By Brad Young, ASHSC Chairperson and Council Representative

Boeing MRTs

MRTs will be added to Boeing since we will be losing the pin-backed name tags with our new uniform. They will be under the jumpseat like Airbus and Inflight and Engineering know it needs to be accomplished before the new uniform launches on 3/18/20.

Airbus Assist Handle

The ASHSC Chair and Vice Chair will be meeting in the hanger with the company on January 23rd to assess a subway strap type assist handle the company is proposing. It attaches to the L1 & R1 aft assist handles which the Company made unusable with the forward screen placement on Aura interiors. The original strap type handle proposed was so long that we were concerned it would get caught in the door or allow the F/A to swing out of the A/C while pulling the manual inflation handle. We do not have time line for adding these yet, but once approved and procured installation should happen fairly quickly.

A Joint Message from the Council 35 Hotel and Scheduling Committee

By James Bozanich, Hotel Chair andVirginia Fritz, Scheduling Chair

Now that the new year is upon us, we wanted to bring a couple items to your attention and let you know what recourse you have when things don’t exactly go as planned in regards to your overnight. As scheduling and hotel issues often share some overlap, this is a joint PSA between the Hotel and Scheduling Committee.

When rooms are not available upon check-in:

Please let Crew Scheduling know when you arrive and rooms are not ready. Keeping in touch with Crew Scheduling allows them to correct the situation more quickly. Once you have gotten your rooms please call Crew Scheduling to let them know as well. These calls record the length of your delay. Please email sfo.scheduling@afaalaska.org to let them know the time stamps of the delay as well the pairing and date affected. We will then reach out to crew scheduling to attempt to ask for additional compensation for your delay.

When company provided transportation is late:

When transportation is not provided within thirty-five minutes (:35) from block-in or within ten minutes (:10) of the scheduled departure time from the hotel, Flight Attendants will be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred for transportation to or from the airport. This is laid out under Section 34.B of our contract.

The procedures to document and seek transportation:

Call Crew Scheduling to notify of delayed transportation.
Scheduling will first attempt to coordinate with API to find alternate transportation (including API to order an Uber for the crew).
If that does not work, or in an extreme transportation delay, the Inflight MOD will skip the step above and use a business Uber or Lyft account to transport the crew. NOTE: the business Uber or Lyft is subject to availability and the priority for those accounts are FAs that are sick online or need transportation for testing
If crew opts for their own transportation when delayed longer than contractual agreement, they will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred

Although there is a scheduling process in place to arrange alternative transportation, organizing your own transportation may be the quicker option in certain situations. However, scheduling MUST be notified first so that it can be documented. Please note that if you choose to organize your own transport, you will need to pay upfront and then submit for an expense reimbursement through PeopleSoft: Alaska’s World >> Benefits/Pay >>PeopleSoft Login >> Expense Reimbursement >> Expense Reimbursement (Add: for new expense reports). No expense report is necessary if the company arranges alternative transportation for you.

Don’t Miss Out on Free Money!

by Aladrian Hillmon, VP and Interim Benefits/Retirement Chair

Vanguard Group offers a Bi-annual retirement meeting in SEA to update the various Employee Union Retirement committees on the progress of our retirement plan.

During the meeting in November it was brought to our attention that 1200 of our flight attendants either aren’t enrolled in our retirement plan. This means they are not eligible to receive the 7.5% company match.

It is important to understand that company will match your contributions dollar for dollar up to 7.5%. Essentially that can be seen as “free money” added to your retirement the Alaska. Those funds have the potential to add up to a significant amount over the course of your career at Alaska.

We urge each of you to go onto Alaska’s World and read up on the retirement options that are available to everyone of us. Your Council 35 Officers would hate to see any of our members not take advantage of this investment. Please remember, this is an opportunity to invest in yourselves and your futures.

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

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

January 30, 2020 17:00

In This Edition

Novel Coronavirus Outbreak
Black History Month AFA Pin
Negotiating Committee Interviews
Uniform Returns & Packing Materials
REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents
Managing Negativity

Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019, is creating growing concern for air travel. The first known case has now been confirmed in the United States. AFA is contacting our airlines in an effort to put in place information and precautions for crewmembers. We are sharing what we know about the virus now, although health officials are still determining the full implications of the virus and how it is spread.

NOTE: It is important that crew redouble efforts to take the best steps against spread of communicable disease. Review personal safety and universal precautions in section 4.200 of the Flight Attendant Manual (FAM).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Situation Summary for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus remains a good source of up-to-date information on the rapidly changing situation.

AFA is calling on all airlines to institute emergency measures immediately, including providing crew members the latest information regarding the 2019-nCoV outbreak, identification of signs/symptoms of illness (in oneself and others), and procedures to manage potentially ill persons – utilizing information from relevant U.S. authorities including the CDC, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and international authorities including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). We are also encouraging airlines to adopt AFA recommendations from our Communicable Disease Incident Response Checklists.We will provide additional updates as more information is available. We will continue to press airlines for action on this as we work to keep aviation’s first responders, our counterparts in the flight deck, and our passengers safe and healthy.

Black History Month AFA Pin

Master Executive Council (MEC)

At the December 2019 meeting of the AFA Executive Board, a resolution was unanimously passed 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.

Our Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers have been provided with a limited supply of these special edition pins and will soon be making them available to you. Please be on the lookout for information directly from your LEC Officers with instructions on how you can obtain your own Black History Month AFA pin!

Negotiating Committee Interviews

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Selection of Committee Members

Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
Maintain a current record of the:
- Financial condition of the company.
- Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
- Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
Review tentative agreement with the MEC
Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
Present the tentative agreement to the members
Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
Remain available as a resource for interpretations
Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA. A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the March Regular MEC meeting from March 10-11, 2020. Bid around the interview date or plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

Uniform Returns & Packing Materials

Uniform Committee

Our Uniform Committee has recently received reports that some Flight Attendants have been told that their uniform return shipments were improperly packed when dropping them off at FedEx shipping locations. Some Flight Attendants have been told by FedEx personnel that they would be required to purchase additional packing supplies including “fill” material to prevent the contents in the package from shifting.

According to paragraph B.7 of the Flight Attendant Custom Uniform 2020 Letter of Agreement, Inflight management will assist Flight Attendants with uniform returns and provide appropriate packing supplies at no cost to the Flight Attendant upon request. If you experience a problem with FedEx personnel accepting your return shipment due to the way it is packaged, it is recommended that you bring the package to an inflight supervisor at any base and ask them to provide the necessary packing materials and assist you with sending the shipment back to Unisync.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact your Local Uniform Committee.

REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents

Contract Committee

When there is a disagreement or difference of opinion regarding the intent of contractual language or how a contractual provision should be applied, AFA and management work through an established process to attempt to resolve the dispute. Depending on the issue at hand, the resolution might be documented in one of several forms: a letter of agreement, memorandum of understanding, labor memorandum, or contractual settlement agreement. Regardless of the format, these documents are contractually enforceable and supplement the provisions of our collective bargaining agreement.

To allow for the easiest possible access, these contractual supporting documents can easily be accessed from the contract home page of the AFA Alaska website at https://afaalaska.org/contract. You can also access them on your IMD through the Good Reader app by tapping ASFASupplemental > Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Questions?

If you have any questions about contractual supporting documents, please contact your LEC President.

Managing Negativity

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Many work environments have at least that one negative person whose only way of communicating is through a string of complaints. Escaping that individual at 30,000 feet is difficult. Relentless negativity tears away at our resiliency and ability to ignore the behavior. While we cannot change the way other people behave, we can change the way we react. Below are suggestions which may help you manage our own responses to negative communication and limit its impact.

Don’t Take it Personally

Negative individuals tend to find something wrong in almost every situation. Being negative may also be one’s main way to engage or connect with others. Negativity is sometimes correlated with self-esteem and inter-generational communication patterns. A person who chronically finds problems with other people may truly be unhappy with themselves and/or demonstrating the strong influences of familial communication.

“You” and “I”

Replace “you” statements with “I” statements. People feel attacked when their behavior is directly pointed out. Feeling attacked causes the person to become defensive and may create unnecessary conflict. For example, instead of “You always complain about working with her, and it gets old.” try “I feel uncomfortable when people discuss their feelings about our co-workers with me.”

Make it a Challenge

Try to say something like “We always seem to have something to talk about, but it is usually negative. Let’s only talk about cheerful situations today.” Beginning with a positive comment increases the probability your listener will be receptive. Giving feedback in this manner may also allow you to point out the negative tone of conversation of which the complainer maybe unaware.

Offer or Seek Assistance from Your AFA EAP

Allowing a person to bombard you with their negativity may actually reinforce that behavior. Everyone manages some negativity in their lives. It is important for your own mental health to limit the accumulation of others’ issues. If someone is clearly struggling, remind her/him that AFA EAP offers confidential assistance. Say something like “You know it sounds like it might be helpful for you to give our EAP a call. I think they might be a good listener and resource for you.” Then, give them AFA EAP’s number: (949) 470-0493. Remember, AFA EAP is also available to you to help you maintain your resiliency in dealing with negativity.

Keep Up-To-Date With Reliable Resources

Advocating for Flight Attendant Protections

Daily Conversations with Management Ongoing

Questions?

In This Edition

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews

Selection of Committee Members

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

Questions?

AFA Dues FAQs

How Often Are Dues Deducted?

What If I Have a Past Due Amount?

Do I Owe Dues If I Am On a Leave of Absence?

Where Can I Access Dues Check Off and Membership Forms?

Questions?

Department of Transportation Warning About CBD Products

Questions?

Contractual Modification Approved by Roll Call Vote

Not an Easy Decision

Roll Call Voting Record on Back to Book

Interested in more information regarding Back to Book?

Questions?

Back to Book – What Does it Mean?

Limited self-correction during door evacuation drills

Proposed redesign of the Special Track Training submitted to the FAA

Additional approved exceptions to the verbatim evacuation commands

Summary of and commentary about the RT Improvement Plan

Hands-on time has increased from 90 minutes with no time allocated for emergency equipment to 2.5 hours including doors and emergency equipment.

Thirty minutes of hands-on training is now available before the start of every RT class.

Scheduled open houses to allow for voluntary practice time on equipment.

The completion packet has been streamlined by condensing the number of drills from 31 to 20.

The instructors are again able to provide direct feedback after unsuccessful drill attempts.

Instructors audited the program content for accuracy.

Upgraded the RT website to enhance the user experience.

Pre-class material, videos, and classroom content has been audited to ensure accuracy.

Topics still being actively explored

Accountability and oversight

In This Edition

Recurrent Training 2020 – Interim Update

Flight Attendants Call for Responsible Halt to China Flights

Maternity Roundtable Event

Location

Conference Call Option

RSVP

In This Edition

Novel Coronavirus Outbreak

Black History Month AFA Pin

Negotiating Committee Interviews

Selection of Committee Members

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

Questions?

Uniform Returns & Packing Materials

Questions?

REMINDER: Contractual Supporting Documents

Questions?

Managing Negativity

Don’t Take it Personally

“You” and “I”

Make it a Challenge

Offer or Seek Assistance from Your AFA EAP

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