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Council 35 News

Dues for Legacy Virgin America Will Start July 15

The first dues payment for Legacy Virgin America (L-VX) Flight Attendants is scheduled for July 15.  The easiest and preferred way to pay your dues is through payroll deduction. You can sign up for automatic payroll deduction of dues by completing a Dues Check Off form.  This form can be downloaded from the AFA Alaska website or you can pick up a copy near the AFA lock boxes in the SFO and LAX villages.  Once you’ve completed the form, mail it to AFA International Membership Services (the address is on the bottom of the form) or place it in the AFA lock box (located in both SFO and LAX bag rooms) and we’ll mail it in on your behalf.  For more information about dues please see our April 30 communication AFA Dues for Legacy Virgin America.

AFA Alaska EAP and Professional Standards Now Available for L-VX

AFA Alaska EAP will be hosting base sits for SFO and LAX this week to introduce L-VX Flight Attendants to available services.  EAP offers support for a variety of issues that involve Flight Attendants and their family members.  EAP committee members are also the first responders whenever a serious aircraft incident occurs.  For more EAP information, visit the AFA Alaska EAP committee website, where you will find a description of services available and detailed contact information.  Base sit schedules can be found on our Council 35 Facebook page.

New Bereavement Policy

With the new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), L-VX Flight Attendants now have additional days for bereavement.  The days have increased from 3 paid days to 4, with the option to extend an additional 4 days.  Please see Section (§)15.G of the JCBA for more information about bereavement benefits.

Time Off for Serious Aircraft Incidents

In the event any F/A experiences an aircraft incident, please be aware of the new provisions available to L-VX F/As in the JCBA.  Examples of a serious incident include onboard fire, decompression, emergency landing, evacuation and death on board.   If you experience any of these types of incidents and others, you are entitled to time off after the event to recover.  Please see §15.H of the JCBA for more information on leaves for serious aircraft incidents.

Commuter Policy and Boarding Priority

All L-VX Flight Attendants are covered under the L-VX Commuter policy until full integration, which is expected for early next year.  With PSS, an additional benefit for L-VX F/As became available—higher boarding priority for registered commuters.  As a reminder, although the priority is a benefit, it doesn’t necessarily prevent commuting challenges.  In the event you are unable to arrive on time due to commuting issues, please follow the L-VX Commuter Policy when providing documentation.

Crew Scheduling

A great amount of email traffic to Council 35 relates to CSS and scheduling issues.  To assist with organizing this information your Council 35 officers highly recommend that members file a report (open a “ticket”) through the AFA Alaska Online Support Center.  Select “Lineholder Scheduling Concern” or “Reserve Concern” to report issues. Not only does it help AFA get the information faster, but it tracks trends for further evaluation by the System Board Review (SRB).  SRB is the scheduling dispute resolution process between AFA and Crew Scheduling leadership.  We have already resolved and received remedies for L-VX cases with the SRB process. Please allow a response time of 24 business hours when reporting a crew scheduling issue.  If the assignment in question is imminent and you have not received a response, AFA recommends that F/As fly the trip “in protest” and dispute the Work Rule/contract violation through AFA after the fact for a resolution/remedy.  CSS issues cannot always be addressed by AFA immediately, therefore it is recommended that you document all your correspondence and provide the evidence for your dispute as soon as you are able.

New Faces and Help for Council 35 

As a transitional council, Council 35 has not had the luxury of a full complement of officers and committee members that a normal council enjoys.  Recognizing the demand, several Flight Attendants and AFA Alaska leaders have stepped forward and have offered to assist where the need has been the greatest.  The volunteers have been trained to help in specific departments:

Grievance

·      Zarah Shaw, Grievance Representative (L-VX-SFO) zarah.shaw@afaalaska.org

·      Tim Green, Local Executive Council (LEC) President Council 18, (AS-LAX) timothy.green@afalaska.org

Reserve/Probationary/New-Hire

·      Jarod McNeil, MEC Reserve Chair (AS-SEA) jarod.mcneil@afaalaska.org

Safety

·      Brad Young , Air Safety, Health & Security Committee (ASHSC) Interim Chair-Airbus (L-VX-SFO) bradley.young@afaalaska.org

Scheduling

·      Jake Jones, MEC Scheduling Chair (AS-SEA) jake.jones@afaalaska.org

More Opportunities to Serve Coming Soon!

A new contract triggers an election for a full complement of officers. Once the election is complete, the officers will select committee chairs and members.  If you are interested in participating in a committee or getting involved, please visit the AFA committee website for more information about each committee and their responsibilities.

ASAP it!

Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) is an FAA program that allows Flight Attendants to self-disclose unintentional violations of CFRs or company safety policy without fear of disciplinary action from management or enforcement action from the FAA.  Examples include improper door procedures, minimum crew violations and unintentional company policy/Work Rule violations. The intent of the program is to improve procedure, processes, and training through increased reporting of safety-related incidents that might otherwise go unreported.  ASAP can be reported online and through your company-issued IMD through the Report It app.  Please visit our website to view the ASAP Letter of Agreement and ASAP Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). For questions, please contact  Bradley Young, the ASAP Event Review Committee (ERC) Observer, and ASHSC Interim Chair for Airbus at bradley.young@afaalaska.org.

Are You an AFA Member?

The recent voting opportunity brought an increase of Council 35 membership applications. As of today, only a small percentage of L-VX F/As have not signed up to become members.  It’s important to note that at Alaska Airlines, being a member of the Union is a condition of employment (§ 26). As a reminder, this form cannot be completed online.  The hard copy paper form must be submitted directly to an AFA representative or mailed to the AFA International Office in Washington D.C. You can download and print an application, or pick one up from the bag/file rooms the next time you pass through either SFO or LAX Villages.  Please note, that only AFA members may attend Membership Meetings, vote for officers, hold a position as an AFA officer or committee member or vote on Tentative Agreements (TAs).

FAQs 

Why does my Peoplesoft number have me below my classmates that are junior to me?

Although there is some chronological association to Peoplesoft numbers, they are not used to determine class placement or seniority. The number assigned is dependent upon when the data was inputted in the system, but the numbers aren’t necessarily sequential. Unlike your old L-VX ID number, your Peoplesoft/Arctic numbers are in no way indicative of your seniority.

I noticed another FA that is junior to me is getting a higher pay for the retro pay period.  How can that be correct?

When comparing pay rates, please note whether or not the two F/As comparing are in the same base rates.  All ITL pay rates include the 15% ITL override.  The email sent to all F/As indicating their new pay rate was either straight base rate or, if the F/A was an ITL, the rate would show the base rate plus the 15 % override.

How often can I use the Might Be Late (MBL) provision?

This provision is unlimited and can be used by L-VX F/As at any time.  Keep in mind, you must call crew scheduling prior to your check-in time to initiate this program.  Calls received after show-time will not be considered for MBL and will be marked as late according to the L-VX Reliability policy.

How do I contact Council 35 officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email.  Emails are easier to forward for follow up and to have a record of information.  All emails and concerns received by Council 35 are held in confidence, and will not be shared for follow up without the permission of the original sender.  To get the fastest and most thorough response, please email your concerns to vx@afaalaska.org.  All officers can respond to emails sent to that address which facilitates a more efficient use of resources.

Please let us know if you have any questions or thoughts!  You can reach us at vx@afaalaska.org.

In Solidarity,

Your Council 35 Officers – Melissa & Jamie

Sick Leave Bank Transition [VX]

Q1:     I’ve been reading through the TA and something I’m curious about is the creation of the AS sick bank for L-VX FAs. It’s my understanding that they will go back and look at our full sick call history. I do not have access to this information anymore and don’t trust the company to calculate it accurately. Is there a place where we can find this Information so we can see before we vote where we would sit? I’ve also exhausted my CAT (catastrophic) sick when I was on workers comp. Also, if we do end up being at a negative number, how will this affect us should we need to call out sick?

Q2:     Is there a limit to how many years there will be a look back when calculating sick time? L-VX had an honor system in the very beginning and it was a “free for all” with no repercussions. Will those first few years be held against us now?

Q3:     As a VX FA I feel the sick bank look back is really problematic.   Why will we be judged over our entire career according to a policy we never had?  Is it possible after the calculations are done to have a negative number?  Will there be situations where you are “in debt” or will your bank just be at zero?  How will we ensure the accuracy of sick call records going back 10yrs?  Why not base our bank on this year? Or have a qualification year going forward from ratification?

A:     Creating a sick bank for the L-VX Flight Attendants was a challenge for the JNC because the two systems (L-VX vs L-AS) are so different.  On the L-VX side, there is no SL accrual in the traditional sense. A L-VX FA calls in sick and is paid for the first 6 days and then transitions to California State Disability with the option of using annual accrued and banked “catastrophic days” for longer medical absences. L-AS Flight Attendants accrue sick leave into their sick bank based on 10% of paid TFP (except sick leave and Stranded Pay) monthly.

We analyzed different look-back periods and determined that a career lookback is most advantageous for the greatest number of L-VX FAs. Regardless of sick leave usage, no L-VX FAs will end up with a negative sick leave balance because it is ‘capped’ at zero if the FA’s career lookback results in a negative number.

Because of the L-VX 70 hour monthly minimum (50 hours if traded to another L-VX FA), L-VX FAs should accrue a sufficient amount of sick leave by the time they are fully transitioned to the Alaska sick leave system pursuant to the L-VX FA Transition Agreement and L-VX FA JCBA Implementation Timetable.

All of the L-VX records are maintained in Crewtrack. During negotiations, the JNC ran trials with the Crewtrack records and the results were accurate. The calculations will be done in advance and monitored by AFA. L-VX FAs will also have a sufficient opportunity to review their records and dispute if appropriate. AFA is currently working with management to finalize the specific details of the review, but management and AFA agree that such a review process should occur. The JNC believes this method for creating a sick leave bank provides for a fair and equitable transition and no L-VX FA will end up with a negative sick leave balance at the time of transition.

Q:     Former JFK L-VX FAs were covered under a city law for 40 hours of paid sick a year. How will this, if at all, affect their future sick bank accrual?

A:     The New York City’s Earned Sick Time Act (Paid Sick Leave Law) will have no effect on the creation of a sick leave bank for L-VX Flight Attendants.

The ISL and the Merger [misc]

Q:    It’s my understanding that the only real reason that management would maybe come back with a “TA2” before Section 6 openers (besides pressure from the Board of Directors) is that AFA has not yet given them our Integrated Seniority List (ISL), and management needs that to operate. Will AFA give management our ISL if this TA gets voted down?

A:     Management has unequivocally stated to the JNC that if the TA is voted down, they will wait for Section 6 negotiations to begin in October and not renegotiate the Merger TA.

Under AFA’s Constitution and Bylaws, AFA  will not turn over the ISL until there is a ratified JCBA unless the MEC votes to release it. The MEC is 100% opposed to releasing the ISL without a ratified JCBA. The Company has no legal grounds to compel AFA to relinquish the ISL involuntarily.  Without the ISL, the Flight Attendant groups cannot be combined.  

However, management does not need the ISL to operate or merge the Company; management needs the ISL in order to achieve a unified inflight operation. Management may merge the operation “around” the Flight Attendant group. This has been done in other airline mergers. (See JNC blog post “ISL, JCBA and the Merger” for more info.)

Alaska Airlines-Virgin America Merger Update: March 1, 2017

Merger Negotiations Protocol Agreement meeting

Your AFA Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) members, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Lindsey Steele and MEC President Jeff Peterson, met with Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider and Managing Director of Labor Relations Elizabeth Ryan on February 15, 2017, at the Doubletree Seattle Airport to discuss a merger negotiations protocol agreement. AFA Senior Staff Attorney and Negotiator Kimberley Chaput filled in for our regular professional negotiator, Paula Mastrangelo, who had a scheduling conflict. A merger negotiations protocol agreement essentially sets the framework for merger negotiations, covering such items as frequency and location of meetings, table etiquette and expectations and how Alaska and Virgin America would operate until we have a joint agreement.

AFA had drafted the protocol agreement in advance of the session. Management reviewed it and prior to the meeting told us that they did not have any noteworthy concerns besides the references to a “joint collective-bargaining agreement.” We arrived at the session anticipating that it would merely consist of finding a mutually agreeable alternative term, signing the document and discussing any new information about the merger.

Dispute over each party’s understanding of their respective obligation to bargain

However, management presented AFA with a revised draft protocol agreement containing language that led to a discussion about each party’s understanding of their respective obligation to bargain and the scope of such bargaining. Management’s primary claim is they are not contractually obligated to negotiate a joint collective-bargaining agreement (JCBA). It is clear from the session that management wants to negotiate solely on the mechanics of bringing the Virgin America Inflight Teammates (ITMs) under our current agreement and nothing more. Management’s position at the table also echoes previous statements that executive management has made on the subject. Our position is that we are putting together two work groups and need to reach agreement on all topics. AFA has indicated to management and in previous membership releases that there must be improvements for the Alaska Flight Attendants as well as for the Virgin America ITMs.

Read more >

When pressed for justification, management cited a federal circuit court case to support their position, but AFA’s reading of the case indicates that it actually supports our position there is a duty to bargain. Moreover, management claims that since Alaska is the surviving carrier and not a successor, CBA §4.C [Status of Agreement: Labor Protective Provisions], which sets forth the obligation to bargain, does not apply. The parties reached a temporary stalemate of sorts, so AFA agreed to further review related case law and precedent prior to the parties reconnecting to determine next steps.

Differing bargaining objectives

AFA and Alaska Legal have since had an opportunity to discuss the dispute. From the preliminary conversations we have had so far, it is becoming obvious the parties do not agree on our respective bargaining objectives. However, management acknowledges that we have to negotiate some kind of merger agreement–although what exactly that might look like remains to be seen.

Merger negotiations will not begin until well after the NMB’s decision on single-carrier status and representation

Keep in mind that actual merger negotiations will not begin until well after the National Mediation Board (NMB) issues a decision on single-carrier status and representation. AFA does not know exactly when that will be, but we are anticipating a ruling in the next few months. Once that occurs, AFA will move forward to the next steps in the process. Just one example of many: We will eventually add representation from the Virgin America ITMs to the JNC.

AFA and management are currently discussing how to get the protocol agreement back on track, and AFA will continue to update you on our progress.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green and Brice McGee

Your Joint Negotiating Committee – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput (substituting for AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo)

Contract

Current Contract

The 2025 Alaska TA2, which is currently in effect, may be viewed below.  TA2 was ratified by the membership on February 28, 2025 and becomes amendable on February 28, 2028.  For more information about the most recent Alaska contract negotiations, please visit the Contract 2022 website.

Click to view the Alaska 2025 Contract
Click to view the Hawaiian 2025 Contract Extension

Pre-Merger Alaska Contract Resources

In addition to the CBA, a number of additional documents help to clarify and interpret contractual language. These include:

Reference Documents and Flowcharts

Reference documents and flow-charts have been developed to navigate various provisions within the current contract easily.

Click here to view reference documents and flowcharts

Letters of Agreement (LOAs)

The AFA constitution & bylaws grants the Master Executive Council (MEC) the authority to enter into letters of agreement (LOAs) with management to supplement contractual language and provide additional guidance surrounding matters that were either not foreseen or could not be anticipated during contract negations. LOAs have the full force of contractual language.

Click here to view LOAs

Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)

Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) provide clarification to the intent and interpretation of existing contractual language. They are binding agreements with management and are fully enforceable.

Click here to view MOUs

Labor Memorandums

Labor memorandums are guidance issued by the Alaska Airlines Labor Relations department to other company departments providing direction on how to interpret and apply the Flight Attendant collective bargaining agreement. 

Click here to view Labor Memos

Contractual Settlement Agreements

Contractual settlement agreements are used to settle a dispute in the interpretation of contractual language. Settlement agreements are considered to be an extension of the collective bargaining agreement. Similar to LOAs and MOUs, the MEC has authority to enter into settlement agreements per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws. 

Click here to view settlement agreements

Past Alaska Contracts

2021 One Year Contract ExtensionDownload
2018 JCBADownload
2014 ContractDownload
2010 Contract ExtensionDownload
2010 Contract Extension Pay & Insurance RatesDownload
2006 ContractDownload

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, August 13, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), Diana Berni (PDX),  Lisa Mueller (SFO), Heather […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – August 2026

On Monday, August 10, our AFA Hotel Committee Chairpersons met remotely to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Jarod McNeill (SEA pmAS), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Brian Sherill (LAX pmAS), Kanani Vallot (SAN), and Matt […]

787-9 Inflight Service Grievance: Protecting Our Contract and Standards

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants For decades, Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants have defined the Spirit of Aloha. We take pride in delivering world-class service, but management’s current Boeing 787-9 service model is threatening that legacy. It isn’t just inefficient—it’s an unsustainable pace that undermines the quality our passengers expect and the professional […]

Pre-Merger Alaska Reserve Webinar Video and Q&A Recap – August 6, 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants Thank you to everyone who joined our first pre-merger Alaska Reserve Webinar! We created this interactive session to share practical contract tips and help you feel more confident about reserve life. You can now watch the recording on our YouTube channel using the link below. Please note that […]

Wrapping Up Membership Engagement Focus Month: Stronger Together

July was a remarkable month for our Membership Engagement Committee. We set out with a clear purpose: to bring our Flight Attendant community closer together, share valuable resources, and build authentic connections throughout our system. Over the past four weeks, we explored what it means to be engaged in our AFA family. We kicked things […]

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