Important Dates
- Dec 1-15: Travel Open Enrollment
- Dec 31: Dependent Verification
- Dec 31: Current Uniform Allotment ends
- Dec 31: Annual Compliance Training (ACT) CBT due
- Jan 1: Contractual Uniform Allotment added
COVID-19 Points Forgiveness
Per the new agreement with management, Flight Attendants can once again submit for points forgiveness for COVID-19 related absences with corresponding documentation. The time limits for submitting have been suspended. If you’ve had a previous submission denied due to timeliness, please resubmit for points removal. This process is manual, so allow some time for the adjustment to show on the attendance record. To request a points review, visit:
Alaskasworld>>Inflight >>Administration>>Performance>>COVID-19 Absence Reporting Form
Reporting Service Safety Hazards
by Brad Young, Council 35 ASHSC Chair/Council Rep
Please remember to report any safety hazards that you experience while performing the expanded onboard service. This could include examples of increased exposure to passengers (e.g. passenger removing their mask to speak to you, etc.) or other hazards related to service. Please also report any trash stowage concerns or issues (e.g. trash was stowed under the last row, in the LAV or in the O/H bin) due to the lack of dedicated ‘trash cart’ space or lack of galley trash bin space in the aircraft. Please fill out both an FAIR and ASAP report in those events. You can report these hazards through Block2Block and/or ReportIt! by submitting either a FAIR and/or ASAP for each flight on which they occur. It is important to include the terms “COVID-19″ and “service” in your narrative to ensure they are correctly categorized by management. This data will help our AFA representatives (Inflight Service and Safety Committees) to advocate for safe levels of service and/or further reduce onboard service again.
Dependent Verification
If you were in the group of selected employees in the dependent audit, the deadline to provide documentation for dependents receiving health care coverage is 12/31/21.
New Reserve Committee Members
Council 35 is happy to announce and welcome not only one new committee member, but two! Meg Casey and Camile Caldwell have stepped forward to co-chair the Council 35 Reserve Committee and the timing couldn’t be more perfect with all the hiring expected next year. Get to know these wonderful volunteers by reading their bios in their own words:
Meg Casey
Meg grew up as an Army brat and served for several years in the Coast Guard which ultimately led to her love of travel and meeting new people. It was with this in mind that she decided to pursue a career as a flight attendant with Virgin America in 2017 and now she’s not sure why she didn’t become a flight attendant sooner. She has been SFO based since she started flying and has bounced back and forth between reserve and having a line for the last 4 years. Meg knows how tough it can be to be on reserve, especially now, and she wants to serve as an advocate for our SFO reserves. She’s excited to serve in her new role and would like to invite you to reach out with any questions or concerns about reserve life or the reserve portion of the contract. Meg lives in the North Bay, and when she’s not flying, she enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and trying all the food.
Camile Caldwell
Camile began her Flight Attendant career in October of 2017 with Virgin America, and quickly discovered her love of travel and the airline industry as a whole. She has been on and off reserve for her entire career, adapting to whatever crew scheduling throws her way, and holds a reserve line currently. With the drop off in flying due to COVID she took a voluntary furlough, which only made her realize how much she missed working and, upon returning to work, how much she wanted to get more involved within the FA workgroup. Camile is extremely eager to become a resource for all SFO reserves, work to help them better understand their contract, and be a voice for reserves within the union and to management. Before becoming a Flight Attendant Camile graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a BS in Geology. She currently lives in Sacramento and enjoys spending time with friends and family whenever she can.
Have a question for SFO Reserve? Both Meg and Camile can be reached at sfo.reserve@afaalaska.org.
Year End Reminders
Uniform Allotment-Use it or Lose it
In January 2022 a new set of funds will be allotted to all Flight Attendant that meet the criteria (JCBA §13.D.6), however none of the funds from this year will roll-over (JCBA §13.D.1). If you want to make any last minute orders (even for backordered items), now is the time to do it.
Record Improvement
JCBA § 32.G.4. Flight Attendants meeting the following conditions will have attendance points reduced to zero:
- 4 or less attendance points at the end of the year
- achieves 480 TFP for the year
- does not accumulate any attendance points for the months of November and December
The manual adjustment occurs mid-January which will be reflected on FAs attendance point records.
480
Flight Attendants must achieve 480 TFP for the year to maintain the following benefits:
- Uniforms §13.D.6
- Vacation §16.L.4
- Health Insurance §33.B.1-4
- Attendance year-end record improvement §32.G.4
To see your TFP accruals for the year, please visit:
Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Calculators
We’re Here to Help: Online Support Center
The best way to contact us for support is by submitting an online support ticket. By selecting the type of concern you have, the best rep for your situation can assist you. The online support ticket system is for AFA use (not management) and is confidential, so please use a personal email address to open a request. Direct emails and contact info can also be found on the SFO Committee Page.
Want More News?
The Alaska MEC (of which Council 35 is a part) is proud to announce a new communication strategy called “AFA Alaska News Now,” which can be found on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Additionally a recap of the news will be published in an “AFA Alaska News In Review” weekly digest. Don’t like social media? No problem! “AFA Alaska News in Review” will be sent to personal email addresses on file, so those of you who do not have social media and do not check the AFA Alaska websites regularly will still receive the information. Use this link if you need to make a change or update to your personal email address.
Happy Holidays and Fly Safe!
In solidarity,
Melissa, James and Brad
Melissa Osborne, LEC President • Melissa.osborne@afaalaska.org • 415-275-1322
James Ikehara, LEC Secretary • James.ikehara@afaalaska.org • 415-289-9011
Bradley Young, Council Representative • Bradley.young@afaalaska.org • 916-508-3503
