This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants
Background
The MEC Chairperson of the Scheduling Committee is responsible for coordinating the activities of the committee at the airline level. The Chairperson works closely with each Local Committee Chairperson to gather feedback and input and represents the positions of the Committee and MEC in interactions with management.
Additional Information from the MEC Policy Manual
Scheduling Committee
1. SCOPE
a. The Scheduling Committee is responsible for the following:
(i) The committee will recommend and assist in constructing pairings and building sequences of trips and days off into monthly lines of time.
(ii) The committee will work to monitor company compliance with all scheduling-related provisions of the collective bargaining agreement and take necessary steps to correct violations
2. POLICY/RESPONSIBILITIES
a. The MEC Scheduling Committee shall consist of the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson, the MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—PBS, the MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction, and the Local Scheduling Committee Chairperson from each council.
b. The MEC Chairperson shall:
(i) Provide clear direction and coordination to Local Scheduling Committees and each MEC Subcommittee
(ii) Communicate with the Local Scheduling Committee Chairpersons, LEC Presidents, and MEC Officers on a daily basis on his/her activities and matters requiring attention, follow up, or escalation
(iii) Compose informational and educational articles of interest to the membership and provide them to the MEC Communications Chairperson to be included in MEC communications and posted to the MEC website
c. Flight Attendant Schedules
(i) Discuss scheduling problems with the company and will report such problems and resultant discussions to the MEC
(ii) Maintain written records of agreed upon standards and procedures and shall report to the MEC any proposed or imposed modifications to such practices.
(iii) Monitor the company throughout the scheduling process for any perceived or potential violations of the Agreement and shall identify these violations to the LEC President of the domicile affected.
(iv) Comply at all times with the applicable provisions of the current collective bargaining agreement.
d. Staffing
(i) Monitor monthly staffing reports and make recommendations to the company for appropriate resolution.
(ii) Monitor placement of flying and provide the MEC with evaluations of such placement and its justification.
(iii) Compile feedback and relay it to the MEC
(iv) Use domicile feedback to work with the company in resolving the Union’s problems and concerns.
(v) Monitor staffing statistics and, where appropriate, establish trends of chronic understaffing for current and future use. Use all information available to eliminate understaffing.
e. Placement of Flying
(i) The MEC Scheduling Committee in conjunction with the MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson will review placement of flying with the intent of resolving the problems that generate such placement.
(ii) Should specific causes be established, the MEC Scheduling Committee shall work with the company to resolve the Union’s concerns provided that such action does not otherwise negatively impact the Flight Attendants, i.e. surplus, or excessively low block time.
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5. SCHEDULING REVIEW BOARD
a. The Scheduling Review Board (“Board”) shall consist of the MEC President (or designee), MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson (or designee with the concurrence of the MEC), and Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling (or designee). Additional guests may be invited and participate as needed.
b. The Board shall meet at least every two weeks to address and resolve disagreements between the union and the company pertaining to any subject relating to Flight Attendant schedules or actions of the Inflight Crew Scheduling Department.
c. The Board may meet either in person at a mutually agreed location, by telephone conference call, or by other electronic means of communication.
d. Items for inclusion in the agenda shall be provided to all members of the Board at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the scheduled meeting to allow time for proper research and preparation. Items submitted within 24 hours of the scheduled meeting will be placed on the agenda of the following meeting, except by mutual agreement.
e. Any item that cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the members of the Board will be forwarded to the MEC Grievance Committee for escalation
Qualifications
- Robust working knowledge of scheduling provisions of the Flight Attendant collective bargaining agreement.
- Knowledge of CFRs and other regulations pertaining to flight time, duty time, and crew rest guidelines.
- Ability to maintain office hours in Seattle during the business week and attend meetings as required.
- Strong computer skills. Excellent working knowledge of Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA, NavBlue PBS, Google email, and Microsoft Office.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write membership communications, respond professionally to internal and external e-mail, prepare reports, and plan meetings agendas and take minutes.
- Ability to meet deadlines, delegate responsibilities, and follow up on assigned tasks.
Duties
- Provide assistance and guidance to Local Scheduling Committee Chairpersons in handling scheduling-related concerns and issues. Assist in resolution of issues as needed.
- Attend meetings with management and represent the AFA position on scheduling-related matters.
- Participate in the Scheduling Review Board process.
- Oversee the activities of the PBS and Pairing Construction subcommittees.
- Schedule, plan, and conduct monthly meetings of the committee and other meetings and conference calls as needed.
- Coordinate with the MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson to discuss issues that affect both reserve and lineholding Flight Attendants.
- Correspond with the Local Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and MEC regularly to provide status updates. Prepare and send a monthly committee report to the MEC.
Time Commitment and Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement
- This position is budgeted for 100 TFP of Flight Pay Loss (FPL) per month in accordance with section 27.P.2.b of the CBA, paid with a 5% override at “A” pay.
- Time commitment is approximately four days per week in Seattle with additional work completed remotely or in the office as necessary. No relocation or accommodation expense is provided for this position.
- The MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson does not bid a line.
Working Relationships
With The Scheduling Committee
Constant interaction with the Local Scheduling Service Committee Chairpersons. Frequent interaction with Local Scheduling Committee Members.
With The Master Executive Council
This position reports to the Master Executive Council. The MEC executive sponsor for the committee is the MEC President.
With Alaska Airlines Management
Constant interaction with inflight management, particularly the Director of Inflight Crew Scheduling (Denia Pisia), Director of Crew Planning & Resource Allocation (Chad Koehnke), Inflight Crew Planners (Kelly Yeager and Sabrina Blevins)
Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling
- The MEC will hold interviews during the August MEC meeting on Tuesday, August 29.
- Interviews will be at the AFA Alaska MEC office in Seattle.
- 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, August 18, 2017. Linda will be able to provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee
