In This Edition:
- Board of Directors Convention Update
- Council 39 Elections
- MEC Town Hall Recap Available Now
- ICE In Our Airports
- 2025-2028 CBA Final Document
- Social Media Policy
Board of Directors Convention Update
The 53rd AFA-CWA Board of Directors Convention was held in downtown Portland on March 9-11 this year. Delegates from all nineteen AFA-represented airlines attended, debating and voting on twelve advance agenda items.
The overarching message of the three-day event was clear: stronger together, better together. Guest speakers, including Claude Cummings Jr. (President, CWA), Richie Johnson (General Vice President of the Air Transport Territory, IAM), Nick Daniels (President, NATCA), Dustin Roach (President, Teamsters Local 135), Graham Trainor (President, Oregon AFL-CIO), and others, underscored the essential value of solidarity among labor movements across different sectors and the power of uniting workers nationwide to push back against the ever-growing imbalance of wealth and unchecked corporate greed which affect all of us.
Every year, our Union honors members whose outstanding contributions have advanced our mission, amplified member voices, and exemplified AFA’s core values. This year, the first day of the convention concluded with a celebration of these achievements—including recognition for four exceptional Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants.
EAP Lifetime Achievement Award: Melanie Buker, Council 15 (SAN)
Edith Lauterbach Merit Award: Beth Hayes, Council 47 (LAX/SEA pmHA)
Ada Brown Greenfield Lifetime Achievement Award: Terry Taylor, Council 19 (SEA pmAS) and Scott Henton, Council 43 (HNL)
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to these award winners and thank them for their unwavering dedication and service to Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants. For more details about these awards, please refer to Section I.M of the AFA Constitution and Bylaws.
Day two of the convention saw delegates and guests boarding buses and traveling from The Benson Hotel to Portland International Airport to participate in a Day of Action in support of our Alaska Air Group siblings at Horizon Air in their continued fight for a new contract.
In his role as Council 39 Local Executive Council President, Steve Maller represented the Portland base as a delegate. Steve exercised his 870 votes in several “roll-calls” on the floor of the convention. Roll-call voting, a process by which each delegate votes with the power of the number of members in good standing at their particular council, was called for several times at this year’s convention due to voice votes not delivering clear results. Some agenda items, particularly a last-minute amendment proposal to Agenda Item #1 from AFA United Council 11, became contentious issues for some delegates, splitting the vote and resulting in very spirited debate between delegates from different carriers. Keep an eye out for a personal message from Steve with his thoughts on the convention.
Seven of twelve total agenda items were adopted, all of which were amended prior to voting. Agenda Item #10 was a more complicated issue due to the number of members who were either removed or added to the eight different Continuing Committees. For more detailed information regarding how each adopted item was amended, check the AFA International website for updates coming soon. Below is a summary of the agenda items and the results of the voting:
Council 39 Elections
As reported in a previous communication, Council 39’s Local Officer Election process will be starting soon. More details can be found in the Elections Notice sent on March 12. For questions, please reach out to our LEC Officers here.
MEC Town Hall Recap Available Now
If you weren’t able to attend the recent MEC Town Hall held on March 3, the recording is now available. Click the link below to learn what our MEC has been up to, see the questions your fellow Flight Attendants asked and how the MEC Officers answered them.
ICE In Our Airports
AFA International has created an online form that can be used to report concerns with ICE agents in airports including doing work they are not trained to do, such as screening passengers and baggage. If you choose to use it, your report will be de-identified before any issues are discussed with airlines or regulators. There may be a follow up call from an AFA Representative or AFA staff should there be a need to clarify any information.
Click here to watch AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson’s latest CNN interview where she calls for the immediate funding of paychecks for TSA officers.
2025-2028 CBA Final Document
The finalized version of the 2025-2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has been sent for printing. If you would like a paper copy, information about pick up times and locations will be communicated soon.
You can find digital versions of the CBA, complete with hyperlinks and indexes of each section for ease of use, in the supplemental folder of Comply365 on your IMD as well as at the link below.
The MEC is awaiting management approval of the 2025-2028 CBA Reference Document so it can be published to the IMD. In the meantime, feel free to download a copy to your personal devices and/or keep it as an open tab on your browsers.
Social Media Policy
It’s important to be mindful of the things we post and share online, especially during times when our industry is so much in the public eye. No matter how private, anonymous, secret or secure an online space feels, everything has the possibility of being traced back to you.
To avoid any situations that could lead to progressive steps of discipline, please be mindful of the company’s Social Media Policy. (“Our People Policies”, page 43, SSO required)
In Solidarity,
Steve, Krystle and Bethany
