Master Executive Council (MEC)
- Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Thursday, August 11 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.
- The MEC also met with executive management and a group of union leaders from other company workgroups to receive updates and discuss concerns affecting employees company-wide.
- The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 13 and Wednesday, September 14. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.
The August 2022 Regular MEC Meeting was held this week on Thursday, August 11. The meeting consisted of updates provided by our MEC Officers, LEC Presidents, and Grievance Committee. Our MEC also reviewed written reports submitted by other AFA MEC Committee Chairpersons about their current programs of work.
Meeting with our Negotiating Committee
Our MEC briefly met with the Negotiating Committee to receive an update on the committee’s preparations for upcoming contract negotiations with management. Preparatory work is ongoing and the committee is anticipating the results of our negotiations survey once it closes on Friday, August 19. The Negotiating Committee is scheduled to present their draft opening proposal to the MEC for review and approval at a Special MEC Meeting on Thursday, August 25.
Meeting with Management
As part of this meeting, the MEC met with company executive management and a group of union leaders from the other union-represented workgroups within the company. The intent of these meetings, usually held once per quarter, is to receive updates from management and allow for a broader discussion of issues and concerns facing all company employees. Some of the items that were brought forward by our MEC include:
- Management’s lack of further updates or communication regarding their plan regarding California meal and rest break requirements following the Supreme Court ruling in the Bernstein v. Virgin America case.
- The ongoing compressed timeline for Flight Attendant initial training and the implications to our work group. The initial training program needs to be reevaluated in order to create the best possible learning environment, provide practical experience onboard operating aircraft as part of training (e.g. service flights), and set new hires up for success on the line.
- Concerns about non-rev travelers being left behind when a flight has to be closed out to meet management’s door closure timeline and metrics. Request that management review technology and procedures to keep flights from going out with open seats when there are non-revs on the standby list.
- Issues with the company’s vendor that provides leave of absence management functions and a lack of responsiveness by the vendor. Flight Attendants are not receiving timely responses to emails, phone calls, and other communications.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this month’s Regular MEC Meeting, please reach out to your LEC President.