Dear Flight Attendants,
This has been a busy week for the Master Executive Council (MEC). On Monday, the MEC met with the members of the Negotiating Committee to conduct a debrief on the failed Tentative Agreement vote. Below is an update on upcoming activities related to negotiations.
Negotiations Survey
A new negotiations survey is in the beginning stages of being written and will be released within the next several weeks. The survey will be open for approximately two weeks.
The results from the survey will be used by the Negotiating Committee to write the AFA opener for the second round of negotiations. At this time, negotiations are tentatively expected to resume during the second week of May. As we are still in the mediation process, all negotiations sessions will continue to be facilitated by National Mediation Board (NMB) Mediator Victoria Gray.
Negotiating Committee
After thorough discussion, it has been determined that all Negotiating Committee positions will be up for interview and consideration of candidates. All qualified candidates who apply—including current Negotiating Committee members—will be considered. Interviews for the three positions will be held in Seattle at the AFA MEC Office on April 17.
If you are interested in applying for a Negotiating Committee position, please send your expression of interest as well as a resume listing your qualifications to candidate@alaskamec.org. After submitting your resume, you will be contacted to schedule an interview time on April 17.
The Evolution of the VOICE Committee
Your MEC is very excited to announce some forthcoming changes with the VOICE Committee. VOICE, or Volunteer Organizers for Information, Communications, and Education, has been an integral part of communications between the Negotiating Committee and the Flight Attendants for the past several contract negotiations. The committee was first organized at a time when information was not as readily accessible as it is today, and we depended on VOICE committee members to provide us with the latest updates on the progress of the Negotiating Committee through the information they shared.
Today, many of us use email, social media, and the Internet to stay connected to current news and updates in the negotiating process. The original purpose of the VOICE Committee has essentially become obsolete. The MEC is currently working with MEC VOICE Chairperson Adam Clarey and your Local VOICE Chairs to harness the power of our VOICE Committee in new ways that will demonstrate our solidarity and unity as we go back to the negotiating table.
More information about the evolution of the VOICE Committee will be coming soon once these changes have been finalized. In the mean time, please ensure that you add info@alaskamec.org and negotiations@alaskamec.org to your address book or contacts to prevent AFA communications from being filtered out as spam. If you are not already subscribed to AFA Alaska email updates, visit http://alaskamec.org/signup to subscribe.
In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn and Sandra Morrow
