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Open-Time Negotiations Update

Yesterday, the AFA Negotiating Committee met with the MEC to present an Open Time Agreement-in-Concept. After the MEC reviews the full text Agreement, the MEC will vote on whether or not to send the Agreement out for membership ratification.

In anticipation of the MEC approving the Tentative Agreement for membership’s consideration, please save April 30, 2019 to attend a live presentation of the Open Time TA in Seattle.  As this will be the only live event, we will be posting a video with the information for those that cannot attend the SEA date.  Stay tuned for more details.  

Once the MEC has made their final decision and voted on the TA, more detailed information will be provided.

Click here for additional background regarding why we are negotiating a new Open Time system. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to your Council 35 officers at sfo@afaalaska.org.

In solidarity,
Melissa, Aladrian and James


So Many New Rules—Help!

Now that we are no longer under the L-VX Work Rules and have integrated into the JCBA, the Council 35 Scheduling and Reserve Committees have been busy fielding questions about the many changes L-VX Flight Attendants must now be familiar with as they fly the line.  As a result, your Council 35 officers decided that a special “Scheduling Edition” of our monthly newsletter would be helpful to SFO members.  Please remember to refer back to the JCBA for the sections referenced below.

Scheduling FAQs

New Name, Same Function

L-AS refers to CSS as “crew scheduling,” or abbreviated as “CSKED.” CSS or Crew Support Services is no longer the appropriate term to use when referring to “scheduling.”

Reduced Rest—§8.K

Reduced RON rest provisions include:

  •  2.5X the trip rate for the entire pairing if your rest falls below 9:30 on one of your overnights
  • CSKED may contact F/As during rest (once is allowed) to adjust report time to above 9:30
  • F/As that acknowledge the change before report time, the report time (and consequent duty day) will be adjusted to reflect a new rest time
    • Important note:  2.5X rate is not applicable if F/A acknowledges the change to increase rest or scheduling makes contact with you regarding the reassignment
    • Refer to §8.Q for contactability requirements when on a layover and returning CSKED’s call after the commencement of the F/A’s next duty period

Reserve Contactability—§8.Q

  • Reserve F/As are required to contact CSKED as soon as possible at the beginning of the next duty period 
  • Reserve F/As are to remain contactable during all duty periods

Pre-Cancellation and Reassignments—§10.S.2 & §10.S.3

If pre-cancellation occurs day prior to scheduled assignment before 2000:

  • F/A may be offered an alternate assignment
    • If assignment is outside of original footprint in excess of 2 hours earlier or release later, F/A may decline and request another reassignment 
  • F/A may decline and waive pay protection
  • F/A may decline and request an alternate assignment 
    • If no reassignment is available F/A will be released with pay protection
    • F/A may decline reassignment and waive pay protection 
    • If footprint limitations aren’t met, F/A may decline with pay protection
  • If F/A fails to acknowledge CSKED/CrewAccess notification, F/A must report at original report time
  • Acknowledgment of pre-cancellations and reassignments to CSKED must be by phone

If pre-cancellation occurs between 2000-2359 the night prior to scheduled pairing: 

  • F/A is pay protected
  • F/A must acknowledge cancellation with CSKED by phone
  • Failure to acknowledge will result in potential points assessment (refer to §32 Attendance Policy)

If pre-cancellation occurs while flying:

  • F/A must acknowledge cancellation with CSKED by phone no later than release at domicile
  • Failure to acknowledge will result in potential points assessment (refer to §32 Attendance Policy)

Same day as scheduled pairing:

  • Considered a reassignment

Calling-In Well/Sick Leave Make-Up—§16.L&N

The new procedure for calling-in well/sick leave make-up are different than the process outlined in the L-VX Work Rules/Playbook.  Please review §16.L&N for specific details before calling-in well or making-up sick leave to understand the differences.

FAR Violations—FAM 7.200

In the event of a potential FAR violation (i.e. rest below 8 hours/ less than 24/7, etc.) be aware that it is the responsibility of the Flight Attendant to know FAR violations and to contact Crew Scheduling (CSKED) to adjust the pairing if necessary.  

Activity Claim Form

Not all pay provisions are automatically added to your monthly TFP. To see a list of the activities that require an Activity Claim Form (ACF), please visit:

Alaskasworld>> Inflight WebPage>>Administration>>Pay&Benefits>>Activity Claim Form

A drop-down menu provides a list of all the pay activities that require a separate claim.  Failure to file an ACF will result in nonpayment for the activity. Additionally, some items will be added automatically.  For more information about ACF, please visit: 

Alaskasworld>> Inflight WebPage>>Administration>>Pay&Benefits>>Activity Claim Form Instructions

Pairing Construction

To understand the AS pairing construction process, please visit the Pairing Construction 101 page on our website.  AFA is an active participant in the pairing creation process and is always seeking ways to improve desired pairings for each base’s needs.

For the month of April, AFA’s pairings were chosen which increased the amount of 4 days to 11.3% (February was 9%). Please keep an eye open for a survey from the PBS committee about preferred pairings to provide guidance to the pairing analyst when creating soft locks (most desired trips) for SFO in the future.

NavBlu/Crewaccess Base Sits

More base sits will be scheduled for March, April and May to assist with bidding and scheduling adjustments.  Dates and times will be published on the NavBlu info page.

For more scheduling information, please reach out to the SFO Scheduling (Line-holder) Committee  sfo.scheduling@afaalaska.org or the or Reserve Committee sfo.reserve@afaalaska.org:

In Solidarity,
Your Council 35 Officers – 

Melissa
Aladrian 
& James


We will be having our Joint Local Council Base Meeting in March. This is the pre-Board of Director’s meeting, when we will review the Advance Agenda items. The primary focus of this meeting is to review the BOD Agenda Items, however there will be time for questions and answers from Members as well. This will be a joint meeting with Members from Compass and Horizon. 

DATE:  March 15, 2019

TIME:  11:30am – 2:30pm

WHERE:  SeaTac Towers Office Complex (same building as 13 Coins), South Tower, LP Level, Earhart Room, 18000 International Blvd.

PARKING: Parking is available free of charge. You can park in front of the building for up to 3-hours. Parking is also available behind the building. If you park in the rear, please take your ticket with you to the meeting for validation. 

We look forward to seeing you there. 

Save the Date!!!

We are happy to announce that AFA has reached a tentative agreement for Open Time which will be presented to the membership on April 30th. Time and location will come out soon, however it will only be available in Seattle. If you are unable to come to Seattle, the presentation will be available live online and will also be recorded and posted for future viewing. 

Please bid appropriately if you would like to attend and standby for a future communication with the specifics. 

**Please Note: This agreement is still awaiting final language approval from Management, so the dates could push back at the last minute.

APRIL PBS SUPPORT

Your Seattle PBS, Scheduling & Reserve Committee are offering support for the transition to the new PBS webpage. The cutover to using ONLY the new website is May 1st.  When bidding in May for your June schedule you will be required to use the new PBS website. 

There will be support offered in May, however April will be the most robust support schedule. Classes will fill up quickly if March was any indicator. Base sits are on a first-come, first served basis. Bring the device you plan on using to bid if possible (if attending a class you must bring your own device.). Please click here to watch the training videos. We ask that you watch them prior to attending a class or base sit.  

Seattle

April 5th: SeaTac Office Center (same complex as 13 Coins) Click here to Sign Up. There will also be a base sit in the Inflight Office from 5:00am – 7:00pm

April 6th: SeaTac Office Center (same complex as 13 Coins) Click here to Sign Up. There will also be a base sit in the Inflight Office from 5:00am – 7:00pm

April 7th: Base Sit (Inflight Office) from 5:00am – 7:00pm

April 8th: SeaTac Office Center (same complex as 13 coins) Click here to Sign up. There will also be a base sit in the Inflight Office from 5:00am – 7:00pm

April 9th: Base Sit (Inflight Office) from 5:00am – 7:00pm

In Solidarity, 

Your Council #19 PBS, Scheduling & Reserve Committees and Council #19 Officers

Management just released a new requirement that Flight Attendants who are being compensated for outside employment must fill out an outside employment request form. This must be done within 30 days of the publication of Bulletin Bundle 2019-0027, which occurred on February 28, 2019. This new requirement is regardless of whether or not the outside employment is a conflict of interest to the Company. Many AFA members have raised concerns that the form is an invasion of privacy and violates the contract. Although management has an arguable right to ensure an employee’s outside employment does not create a conflict of interest for the Company, the Master Executive Council (MEC) believes the form goes too far.

The MEC has formally expressed our concerns and objections to management. Management has been responsive and active conversations continue between AFA and Inflight, Labor Relations, People and Legal departments. Realistically, an understanding or resolution will not occur before next week. In the meantime, the MEC recommends that affected Flight Attendants should hold off on filling out the form until you hear an update from us. If you have already filled out the form, that is okay.

Be assured that AFA is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring contractual compliance. Stay tuned for more soon!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee; and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams

Background

The Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Event Review Committee (ERC) Alternate Representative is responsible for serving as the AFA representative on the ASAP ERC.  As the alternate representative, this position participates in ERC meetings in the absence of the ASAP ERC Primary Representative.

Qualifications

  • Robust working knowledge of the Flight Attendant Manual, applicable Flight Attendant CFRs, and ASAP letters of agreement (LOAs) and memorandums of understanding (MOUs).
  • Ability to attend ERC meetings in Seattle as necessary.
  • Strong computer skills. Working knowledge of Google email and Microsoft Office preferred.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, track issues, and prepare reports.
  • Ability to meet deadlines and follow up on assigned tasks.
  • Previous Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) experience strongly preferred.

Duties

  • Serve as the AFA representative on the ASAP ERC in the absence of the ASAP ERC Primary Representative. 
  • Attend ERC meetings as scheduled.  Perform pre-meeting work in ETQ/Report It!.   Review events and add comments/suggestions to be discussed at ERC meeting.  
  • Assist Flight Attendants as needed with questions related to ASAP procedures, reporting requirements, and other program information. 
  • Make recommendations for safety improvements to the ASHSC. 
  • Assist the MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—Aviation Safety Action Program to develop, maintain, and update membership education materials about ASAP. 
  • Regularly communicate with and receive briefings from the designated AFA ERC Primary Representative on the activities of the ERC. 
  • Regularly communicate with and provide updates to the MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—Aviation Safety Action Program on all activities, meetings, and work being performed. 
  • Attend ASAP and other ASHSC-related meetings and training, as requested. 
  • Assist the MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—Aviation Safety Action Program as needed.

Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

  • This position will receive company business (CB) Flight Pay Loss (FPL) for meetings attended per section 27.P of the Flight Attendant collective bargaining agreement. This includes “A” pay, 5% override, and travel pay to/from domicile to meeting location.  
  • Time commitment is variable as this position will only be active when the ASAP ERC Primary Representative is not available.
  • The ASAP ERC Alternate Representative will have pre-arranged, pre-planned absences (at 6.0 TFP credit per day) loaded into her/his schedule as needed to attend scheduled meetings.

Working Relationships

With The Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC)

Frequent interaction with the MEC ASHSC Chairperson and Local ASHSC Chairpersons. Occasional interaction with Local ASHSC Members.

With The Master Executive Council

This position reports to the Master Executive Council through the MEC ASHSC Chairperson. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC Vice President.

With Alaska Airlines Management

Constant interaction with management, particularly the Manager of Inflight Safety Reporting & Records (Claudia Modl), ASAP Manager (Chris Benson), and ASAP Specialist (Brandon Rudolph). Occasional interaction with the Director of Inflight Safety & Compliance (Anne Shaw) and Manager of Inflight Safety & Compliance (Monica Grant).

With Government Agencies

Constant interaction with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representatives in conjunction with ERC meetings.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

  • Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou at linda.christou@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Friday, March 29, 2019. 
  • Linda will contact qualified candidates to schedule an interview and provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.
  • In-person interviews will take place at the AFA Office in Seattle on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.

Questions?

Please direct any questions about the position to MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—ASAP Brad Young at bradley.young@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple and MEC ASHSC Vice Chairperson—ASAP Brad Young

On October 25, 2018, the Company and AFA arbitrated Grievance 36-99-2-29-15 (Section 28.G.6 Commuter Boarding Priority). This grievance alleged the Company’s violation of the collective bargaining agreement when management allowed Company employees (and their dependents) on pleasure travel to be given higher boarding priority than commuting Flight Attendants. AFA is very pleased to inform you that a neutral arbitrator has found in favor of AFA’s position. 

Background

In 2015, AFA became aware that management had made changes to the employee travel program giving management employees at the director level and certain IT employees a boarding priority of D2 for space-available pleasure travel. D2 is above the boarding priority of D8 for space-available registered commuter travel and well above the boarding priority of E1 that most employees receive for space-available pleasure travel. Contract 2014-2019 Section 28.G [Commuter Policy] states that registered commuters will be given boarding priority over Company employees (and dependents) on pleasure travel and over all employees of other airlines on Alaska Airlines mainline flights. 

The Award

The parties recently received the final award, which specifies:

  1. The grievance was timely filed.
  2. The Company violated Section 28.G.6 of the 2014-2019 Agreement when it allowed Company employees and their dependents on non-revenue pleasure travel to be given higher boarding priority than commuting Flight Attendants.
  3. The Company is prohibited from granting Company employees and their dependents on non-revenue pleasure travel to be given higher boarding priority than commuting Flight Attendants.

The Remedy

Management estimates it will take approximately eight weeks to implement the required changes to Fly in order to become contractually compliant. When the changes are complete, the D2 boarding priority will be deactivated for Directors (and their dependents), and they will use the E1Y space-available pleasure travel boarding priority instead. This award decision is a very satisfying resolution for AFA. This award decision is a very satisfying resolution for AFA. The award restores the proper boarding priority for space-available registered commuter travel relative to all other employees on space-available pleasure travel. It also sends a clear message to management that proper notice must be given to the union for changes to Company Policy and that unilateral changes to policy in conflict with contract language doesn’t fly!  

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams

Your Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews last week for three Special Negotiating Committee (SNC) Member positions related to negotiation of a possible San Francisco co-terminal agreement. The MEC thanks the candidates for demonstrating their willingness to represent our Flight Attendants.

After thorough deliberation, the voting members of your MEC, consisting of the six directly-elected LEC presidents, have appointed Virginia Fritz, Justin Wetherell and Ashley Toles to the positions.

About the SNC Members

Virginia Fritz

Virginia became a Flight Attendant with Virgin America in 2015, and she has been the Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson for AFA Council 35 in San Francisco since August 2018.  She has supported Legacy Virgin America Flight Attendants during the transition to the JCBA by training Flight Attendants on NAVBLUE and Crew Access. Virginia is a former resident of the Bay Area and currently commutes to SFO.

Justin Wetherell

Justin Wetherell currently serves as Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson for AFA Council 30 in Anchorage, a role he began in January 2017.  He has also been an inflight instructor since April 2017.  Previously, Justin served as Local Communications Committee Chairperson in Anchorage and a member of the Inflight Service Committee. Justin has been Anchorage-based since he was hired in July 2015. Prior to being hired at Alaska, he was an Anchorage-based Flight Attendant for Horizon Air. In his spare time, Justin volunteers at local schools to share his joy for aviation.

Ashley Toles

Ashley became a Flight Attendant with Virgin America in 2015 and has been at the SFO base ever since then. Ashley completed her undergraduate education at University of California, Santa Barbara and earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Early Modern British Literature. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Ashley is a licensed attorney and enjoys doing pro bono work for those who would not otherwise be able to afford legal representation.

About the SNC Chief Negotiator

AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput

Kimberley Chaput has been an AFA attorney and negotiator since 2000.  She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois-Urbana and her law degree from the University of Oregon.  Kimberley has negotiated contracts at several carriers including Horizon, Mesa, American Eagle (now Envoy) and Alaska, along with sideletters at several other airlines.  She lives on the Oregon coast with her daughter, Josie.

About the SNC Chairperson

MEC President Jeffrey Peterson

Jeffrey Peterson grew up in Anchorage, AK, and graduated from A.J. Dimond High in south Anchorage.  Jeff achieved a Presidential Scholar Award in 1991 and went on to attain a BA in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.  Prior to becoming a Flight Attendant, he spent several years in hotel management working in San Diego and San Francisco for Marriott International and a Marriott hotels franchise company.  He started out his Flight Attendant career in 1999 in the Los Angeles domicile.  Jeff has also been based in Seattle and now San Diego.  He has served as AFA-CWA Alaska MEC President since July 1, 2011.  Jeff currently splits his time between his family’s condo in Puerto Vallarta and the AFA office in Seattle.

About the SNC

The Special Negotiating Committee will be responsible for entering into discussions with Alaska Airlines management to negotiate a possible co-terminal agreement for the SFO domicile.  Currently, a co-terminal agreement is in place for the LAX domicile, where Flight Attendants can, in addition to LAX, start and end trips at Burbank (BUR), Ontario (ONT), Orange County (SNA) and theoretically Long Beach (LGB) if Alaska Airlines ever resumes service to that airport. Section 28.F.7 of the collective bargaining agreement requires that the parties will negotiate provisions similar to those in 28.F (to cover the new co-terminals) if the Company were to open co-terminals at any other domicile.

In Solidarity,

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

Rally at SeaTac Airport – February 16, 2019

NO MORE SHUTDOWNS!!!!

We will be holding a rally at the Flag Pavilion off of International Blvd, just in front of the terminal parking entrance (across the street from the Radisson Hotel) on Saturday February 16th, from 2PM – 4PM. 

We will be joined by representatives from the Martin Luther King Labor Council, AFGE and other Labor Groups. Alaska Airlines management supports our push to end government shutdowns, and has approved wearing uniforms to picket. Red t-shirts or street clothes are also acceptable, but uniforms are preferred. 

Hope to see you there!!!

In Solidarity, 

Your Council #19 Officers and Government Affairs Committee

SEA Domicile Negotiations Update – February 2026

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants SEA Domicile May Vacancy Posting The company has posted vacancies for the SEA domicile. There are 121 permanent vacancies available, effective May 1, 2026 for the May bid month. Bids will close at 11:59 PM HT on Monday, February 16. Awards will be posted by 12:00 PM […]

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

On Wednesday, January 28, our AFA Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), David Lake (SEA), Kalin Lackey (PDX), Brad Young (SFO & MEC ASHSC Vice […]

AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall: Join Us Tuesday, March 3

This is your opportunity to connect, share, and be heard! Join us at an AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall on Tuesday, March 3. Get the latest AFA news and connect directly with our MEC Officers. Bring your questions—this is your chance to get answers directly from AFA Representatives. The Details What: AFA Alaska + […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – January 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, January 27, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Rita Tillou (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

Celebrating Black History Month

February 1 marks the start of Black History Month in the United States—a vibrant celebration with roots dating back to 1925, when acclaimed historian Carter G. Woodson first introduced “Negro History Week” to highlight the remarkable achievements of Black individuals. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded it to Black History Month, calling on all […]

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