AFA Alaska

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council

Click here to report an issue to AFA
Menu
  • Local Councils
    • Anchorage (Council 30)
      • Officers
      • Committees
    • Los Angeles (Council 18)
      • Officers
      • Committees
    • Portland (Council 39)
      • Officers
      • Committees
    • San Diego (Council 15)
      • Officers
      • Committees
    • Seattle (Council 19)
      • Officers
      • Committees
    • San Francisco (Council 35)
      • Officers
      • Committees

    • More About Local Councils >>
    Close
  • Master Executive Council
    • Officers
    • Close
  • Committees
      • Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC)
        • Air Quality
      • Benefits
      • Communications
      • Employee Assistance Program & Professional Standards
      • Government Affairs
      • Grievance
      • Hotel
      • Human Rights
      • Inflight Service
      • Inflight Training
      • Membership
      • Reserve
      • Retirement
      • Scheduling
        • Pairing Construction
        • Preferential Bidding System (PBS)
      • Uniform

    • More About Committees >>
    Close
  • Contract
      • Contract Home
        • Current Contract
        • Ask Contract Questions
      • Contract Resources
        • Read Contract Q&A
        • Explanatory Videos
      • Contract Negotiations
        • 2019 Open Time Tentative Agreement
        • The Negotiating Process
        • 2014 Negotiating Committee
    • Close
  • Resources
      • Issues & Campaigns
        • Flight Attendant Fatigue
      • Newsroom
        • Industry News
      • Event Calendar
      • Membership Services
      • New Members
      • About
      • Links
      Close
    • Contact Us
    You are here: Home / Committees / Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) / AFA Special Update – September 9, 2020

    AFA Special Update – September 9, 2020

    September 9, 2020 17:25

    In This Edition

    • Health and Safety Concerns with Onboard Service

    Health and Safety Concerns with Onboard Service

    Master Executive Council (MEC)

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 is thought to spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.  The spread predominantly occurs between people who are in close contact with others (within about 6 feet).  Guidance from the CDC also indicates that people who don’t live in the same household should maintain 6 feet of distance from one another and that a mask is not a substitute for social distancing.  Though management has implemented a policy requiring the use of face coverings by passengers and employee onboard the aircraft, it is practically impossible for Flight Attendants to maintain physical distancing of 6 feet from other people in the aircraft cabin, especially while conducting onboard service. 

    On July 16, management rolled out a significant expansion of onboard service which involved the addition of several additional beverage choices, including the return of hot beverages including coffee and tea.  This expansion was followed up by further additions on August 16 coupled with the return of ice on the beverage cart.  The addition of so many components of onboard service seems counterintuitive during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

    Flight Attendants Are Unnecessarily Being Put At Risk 

    By requiring unnecessary interactions with passengers that are not related to safety of the flight, management continues to place Flight Attendants at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 by increasing required interactions with passengers and mandating additional time in the aisle to complete the increased service.  Though management now allows Flight Attendants to bring and wear their own protective eyewear or face shields from home, this is not a substitute for the CDC recommendation to maintain physical distancing. 

    These concerns were resoundingly echoed by data collected from the AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey.  Over 1300 Flight Attendants responded to the survey, which was conducted between July 28 and August 2.  Several key points from the survey include: 

    • Only 18% of those surveyed answered affirmatively* that they believe management considered the safety and health of Flight Attendants when adding beverages back to the onboard service
    • Only 22% of those surveyed answered affirmatively* that they believe the number and type of beverages added back were appropriate given current concerns regarding COVID-19
    • Over 65% of those surveyed indicate that they have experienced passengers removing their face covering multiple times per flight since the July 16 onboard service expansion  

    *An affirmative answer is indicated by a response of strongly agree or agree

    Comments submitted by Flight Attendants as part of the survey list dozens of reports of passengers removing their face covering to interact with Flight Attendants despite onboard announcements directing passengers to keep their face coverings on.  Further reports tell of Flight Attendants observing passengers keeping their face coverings off for extended periods of time as they wait for hot beverages to cool.  The results of the survey, as well as a representative selection of comments submitted by Flight Attendants, were shared with management shortly after the survey closed.

    Management’s Position: Passenger Satisfaction Matters More

    Members of the AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), Inflight Service Committee, and the MEC have been continually engaging with management to address the risks to Flight Attendant safety and health presented by the expansion of onboard service.  These conversations have involved every level of management within Alaska Airlines, and have included management from inflight, labor relations, safety, and marketing.  AFA Representatives have repeatedly asked management to “stop the operation” and “own safety” by pulling back the expanded onboard service and returning to the pre-July 16 offering.  

    Management, however, has a different point of view.  In several meetings between management and AFA, management has stated that they believe that there is no evidence to say that there is any incremental risk of transmission due to onboard service.  Management has also gone on record to indicate that they believe that the worst credible outcome of a COVID-19 infection to Flight Attendants is “medical treatment beyond first aid”—not hospitalization or death.  This position contradicts the fact that the CDC has recorded over 184,000 COVID-19 related deaths in the United States and leading national forecasts continue to predict thousands of new COVID-19 related hospitalizations per day.

    Management’s overall response has been that they fully intend to continue offering the expanded onboard service despite AFA’s objections.  Their reasoning: an increase in passenger satisfaction scores and a decrease in complaints related to onboard service offerings.

    The MEC is equally frustrated and disappointed that management has made the conscious decision to prioritize passenger survey scores over Flight Attendant health and safety by refusing to reconsider the onboard service expansion that they have rolled out over the past several months.  The failure to address the concerns related to the unnecessary additional risk for contracting COVID-19 that Flight Attendants are being exposed to speaks volumes to the fact that “Ready, Safe, Go” is only a priority when it is convenient and suits the needs of management.  Despite this, the MEC and other AFA representatives will continue our efforts to advocate for onboard service levels that do not put Flight Attendants unnecessarily at risk. 

    Continue to Document and Report Safety Hazards 

    Regardless of management’s position, please continue to report any safety hazards that you experience while performing the expanded onboard service.  This could include instances of increased exposure to passengers (e.g. passenger removing their mask to speak to you, etc.) or other hazards related to service.  You can report these hazards through ReportIt! by submitting either a FAIR and/or ASAP for each flight on which they occur.  Include the terms “COVID-19″ and “service” in your narrative to ensure they are correctly categorized by management.  This data will help our AFA representatives to advocate for safe levels of service. 

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email

    Filed Under: Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC), Inflight Service Committee, Latest News, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: 2020, CDC, COVID-19, Inflight Service, novel coronavirus

    Comments

    1. Bernice Harapat says

      September 14, 2020 at 20:05

      So, management are now experts in risk assessment! I just had a doctor visit, during which the doctor specifically mentioned the risk of handling dirty cups and glasses. (And handle them we do; people tend to hand them to us rather than throwing them in our trash bag). She just about asked me to quit before I’m hospitalized. Disgusted doesn’t begin to describe my feelings about the service expansion.

      Thank you for fighting for us! I hope everyone filled out their employee survey too and told the company just how safe and cared for they feel.

    2. Sandra Hartnell says

      September 10, 2020 at 09:58

      Since Alaska is hell bent on jeopardizing our safety/health in the midst of a DEADLY PANDEMIC & has printed MANY various ‘aides’ to our operation over the years….including cards to be handed out regarding our service & individual receipts… why not a menu type request – NOTE SIZE – not unlike at sandwich bars/delis whereby you check what you want on your sandwhich, type of bread etc & hand it back to the person behind the counter… hence no verbal back & forth requesting whatever/however…. even have little pencils available

      • Brian Palmer (MEC Vice President) says

        September 10, 2020 at 13:24

        Handing out individual menus was a solution the was proposed multiple times by the Inflight Service Committee. Management rejected the idea due to the cost.

    Need Help?

    Have an issue or concern to report to AFA?  Click here to access the AFA Alaska online support center.

    Connect with Us on Facebook

    Connect with Us on Facebook

    Follow Us on Twitter

    Tweets by AFAAlaska

    Latest News

    • Safety of Our Crews, Our Flights and Our Country
    • Recurrent Training 2021
    • Council 35 News December 2020
    • End of Year Update
    • AFA Alaska Negotiations Update – December 17, 2020
    • AFA Update – December 11, 2020
    • Council 35 News – November 2020
    • AFA Update – November 20, 2020
    • AFA Alaska Update – November 12, 2020
    • Joint Council Membership Meeting Registration

    Latest News

    Safety of Our Crews, Our Flights and Our Country

    January 19, 2021 19:00 Leave a Comment

    Safety of Our Crews, Our Flights and Our Country Safety Of Our Crews Recent events are potentially negatively impacting effective Crew Resource Management The Master Executive Council (MEC) feels compelled to address the potentially negative impact to effective Crew Resource Management (CRM) resulting from the events most affecting the country over the past year: the […]

    Recurrent Training 2021

    January 13, 2021 17:00 Leave a Comment

    Recurrent Training 2021 Master Executive Council (MEC) + Inflight Training Committee + Air, Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) In This Edition Early Success Rates Look Promising COVID-19 Risk Mitigations Written Exam Practice Questions and Answers Adequate “Hands-On” Time Prior to Emergency Evacuation Evaluations Acceptable Deviations to Emergency Evacuation Commands Requalification Training (RQ) Early Success […]

    AFA Alaska Negotiations Update – December 17, 2020

    December 17, 2020 20:00

    AFA Alaska Negotiations Update – December 17, 2020 Master Executive Council In This Edition Updated Contract Negotiations Timeline Negotiations Delayed Until September 1, 2021 Overview of the Railway Labor Act Updated Contract Negotiations Timeline 1st round Negotiating Committee interviews – March & April 2020 Full pay scale increase of 2.5% – December 17, 2020 – […]

    AFA Update – December 11, 2020

    December 11, 2020 12:00

    In This Edition MEC Resolution on Gender Equality CALL CONGRESS: We’re Closer to #ReliefNow Than Ever Before Georgia Senate Runoff Election Community Resources for Those in Need MEC Resolution on Gender Equality Master Executive Council (MEC) AFA has long been a champion of equality both in and out of the workplace.  Over the course of many […]

    AFA Update – November 20, 2020

    November 20, 2020 12:00

    In This Edition Grievance Committee Update Grievance Committee Update Grievance Committee The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  Termination cases are typically prioritized in order to […]

    Top Posts & Pages

    • Safety of Our Crews, Our Flights and Our Country
    • Contact Us
    • Contract
    • San Francisco - Council 35
    • Seattle - Council 19
    • Master Executive Council (MEC)
    • Membership Services
    • Council 19 Committees
    • Recurrent Training 2021
    • Council 19 Officers

    Local Councils

    • Anchorage
    • Los Angeles
    • Portland
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
    • Seattle

    Master Executive Council

    • MEC

    Contract

    • Contract Home

    Committees

    • Air Safety, Health, & Security
    • Benefits
    • Communications
    • EAP/Professional Standards
    • Government Affairs
    • Grievance
    • Hotel
    • Inflight Service
    • Reserve
    • Retirement
    • Scheduling
    • Uniform

    News By Month

    News By Category

    Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Contract 2021 Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Want To Stay In The Loop?

    The best way to stay connected with up-to-date AFA Alaska news and information is through a subscription to AFA Alaska emails!  Click the button below to sign up.  Already a subscriber?  You can make changes to your email by clicking below!
    Sign Up

    Connect With AFA

    • Contact Us
    • Online Support Center
    • AFA International
    • CWA
    • AFA Alaska Social Media Guidelines
    • AFA-CWA Mutual Respect Policy

    Copyright © 2013-2020 Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO