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MEC Committee Chairperson Interviews

Updated 02/07/2017

As previously announced on December 9, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the majority of the MEC Committee Chairperson positions in early 2017.

All Candidates Advanced to Final Interviews

As part of the interview process, a series of screening interviews were scheduled to occur on January 4 by videoconference.  The purpose of the screening interviews was to narrow each position to two finalist candidates who would be invited to interview with the MEC in person at the February MEC Meeting.  Since only a few positions yielded more than two candidates, the MEC has decided to bypass the screening interviews and advance all candidates to an in-person interview at the February MEC Meeting.

More Information About the Candidates

Below is a list of candidates for each position.  For positions with more than one candidate, resumes for those candidates who have opted in may be viewed below.

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson

Seth Heiple

Benefits Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

EAP Chairpersons (2 positions)

Elizabeth Dillon

Jeanne McCleave

Hotel Committee Chairperson

Laura Hinojosa

Hotel Committee Vice Chairperson

Jodi Snow (click here to view resume)

Dori Marron (click here to view resume)

Reserve Committee Chairperson

Jarod McNeill

Retirement Committee Chairperson

Terry Taylor

Scheduling Committee Chairperson

Jake Jones (click here to view resume)

Erik Velez (click here to view resume)

Zac Weeks (click here to view resume)

Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson (PBS Subcommittee Chairperson)

Stephen Poynter (click here to view resume)

Shawn Grill (withdrawn 02/03/17)

PBS Subcommittee Member

Rebecca Asbell (click here to view resume)

Adam Clarey (click here to view resume)

Sheri Rochel (click here to view resume) (clarified intent to be considered for Subcommittee Member position instead of Chairperson, 02/07/2017)

Uniform Committee Chairperson

Bob Moore

Special Consideration for MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson

In accordance with §27.P.2.c.1 of the collective bargaining agreement, the MEC will be soliciting input from Vice President of Inflight Services Andy Schneider regarding the selection of the MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson position.  Though Andy is contractually entitled to provide feedback, final selection will be made by the voting members of the MEC.

Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback about the candidates or the MEC Committee Chairperson interview process, please contact your LEC President.  You may contact your LEC President by email at:

ANC Council 30 President Lisa Pinkston – lisa.pinkston@afaalaska.org

SEA Council 19 President Laura Masserant – laura.masserant@afaalaska.org

PDX Council 39 President Cathy Gwynn – cathy.gwynn@afaalaska.org

LAX Council 18 President Tim Green – timothy.green@afaalaska.org

SAN Council 15 President Brice McGee – brice.mcgee@afaalaska.org

In Solidarity,

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

CourseMill App/Recurrent Training 2017 Homestudy

Happy New Year to all! If you are a January 2017 Recurrent Training (RT) student, the new year may not feel quite so happy as it could be due to problems with downloading the now-infamous courses #2 and #5 on the CourseMill App. AFA has made numerous attempts to get clear direction from Inflight management regarding how to fix the app; unfortunately, they have failed to respond to many of our inquiries or else have given unsatisfactory responses the few times when they have actually gotten back to us. We know it has been the holidays and all, but seriously?!

This is the fix management currently has posted in alerts on the Inflight Webpage under “Training”:

“If you are having trouble downloading your 2017 Recurrent Training mobile courses 002 or 005, please try the following: 

  • Ensure you have good Wi-Fi connectivity
  • Delete the CourseMill app (Hold down icon and tap the “x”)
  • Reinstall the CourseMill app from the Apple App Store
  • Enter your activation code when you re-launch the app (the IT Help Desk or a member of inflight management can look up your activation code)
  • When it prompts you to download all of your courses again, select “No”. Then, click on course 002 and download it individually. Do the same with course 005
  • When downloading the courses, make sure the screen doesn’t turn off, by periodically touching it to keep it “awake”
  • Courses 002/005 may still crash, however if you try deleting and reinstalling the app again, you should be able to get through both courses
  • If you want to view previous courses you’ve already completed, you can then choose to download those courses as well; you won’t lose any saved information of previous courses you’ve already completed

Thank you for your patience as we work on this issue.

Inflight Training”

AFA does not endorse the proposed fix, but we have some anecdotal reports that it has worked for some Flight Attendants. All the excessive time spent uninstalling, reinstalling and downloading is unacceptable. AFA presently has an open grievance regarding this issue, which we are attempting to arbitrate in February.

We have been informed that any Flight Attendant who shows up to Recurrent Training without his or her 2017 RT electronic homestudy completed will be asked to leave class without pay. AFA will continue to advocate for Flight Attendants who are unable to complete training due to a CourseMill app failure.

In the meantime, please email and/or call inflight Training management or the Mobile Help Desk to get your CourseMill app working.

Lisa.McCarroll@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6251

Jennifer.Sovey@alaskaair.com or 206-392-6491

Amanda.Westendorf@alaskaair.com or 253-569-6977

Psalm.Terry@alaskaair.com

Ranjita.Prasad@alaskaair.com

Mobile Help Desk: 1-877-238-1077, option 4 or support@enterprisemobile.com.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee; and MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams

2017 Vacation Rebid

AFA and Alaska Airlines management have agreed to a first-round vacation rebid in order to resolve a valid system-wide vacation bid protest. Why? The new Inflight website allowed Flight Attendants to bid for vacation dates outside of 2017, and the issue was discovered in the awards process.

As reported last night, the good news is that your initial bid will be retained. As a result, you will not need to do anything if you are satisfied with your initial bid. However, you may revise your bid if desired.

New 2017 vacation bidding timeline

The new timeline for the 2017 vacation bids will be as follows:

  • 1st round rebid opens: Friday, September 30, 2016 – by noon PDT
  • 1st round rebid closes: Thursday, October 6, 2016 @ 11:59 PM PDT
  • 1st round awards posted: Tuesday, October 11, 2016
  • 2nd round bidding opens: Wednesday, October 12, 2016 @ 12:01 AM PDT
  • 2nd round bidding closes: Thursday, October 20, 2016 @ 11:59 PM PDT
  • 2nd round awards posted: Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Vacation trading is on schedule

Vacation trading for 2017 opens as originally scheduled on Friday, October 28, 2016, at the previously agreed to times for each domicile.

Instructions for Flight Attendants with illegal vacation bids outside of 2017

Flight Attendants who inadvertently submitted a first-round vacation bid containing days outside the 2017 calendar year are highly encouraged to revise their bid because those bids are illegal. If your initial vacation bid included individual bid lines with start and end dates both outside of 2017 and if you do not adjust your bid prior to the rebid closing, then management will adjust the year of each illegal bid line to 2017 for you.

Again, we strongly suggest that you correct any illegal bid lines yourself to make sure you are bidding for the intended date. Any individual vacation bid lines including 2017 year-end overlap (either January or December) will be removed (i.e. ignored/skipped) prior to the awards process if left unchanged.

Management has agreed to individually contact those affected via email to advise them of the rebid. Management will also contact Flight Attendants who initially submitted a bid completely outside of 2017 at the F/As’ respective primary contact phone number on file with the Company.

* * *

If you have any questions or concerns contact one of your Local Executive Council (LEC) officers.

In Solidarity,

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

***Update*** 2017 Vacation Awards System-Wide Bid Protest

AFA and Alaska Airlines management have been working hard to resolve the technical errors with the first round vacation bids. The parties have agreed to a system-wide rebid. The good news is that your initial bids will be retained, so you will not need to do anything if you are satisfied with your initial bid. However, there will be an opportunity for all Flight Attendants to revise bids if desired. The Master Executive Council (MEC) believes the improved system will have the ability to confirm multiple slots in the same month.

 

We know you may have a number of questions, but be assured that both parties will communicate more information tomorrow.

 

In Solidarity,

 

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

2017 Vacation Awards System-Wide Bid Protest

The 2017 vacation awards are being pulled by mutual agreement of AFA and Alaska Airlines management in order to investigate the accuracy of the awards. AFA is protesting the awards system-wide on behalf of our members. The Master Executive Council (MEC) believes a complete re-award is in order due to a multitude of technical errors. Considering the system did not receive adequate end-user testing, we are not surprised this “beta” (test) version may be malfunctioning. It is unfortunate that Flight Attendants were forced to test drive the system with their actual vacation bids.

 

Stand by for more information.

 

In Solidarity,

 

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

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – December 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, December 16, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met virtually to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Heather Reier (ANC), Melinda Jorge (SEA), Melodie Anderes (PDX), […]

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, December 11, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Conner Gallager (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present […]

Inflight Service Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

On Thursday, December 4, our AFA Inflight Service Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work in representing our Flight Attendants and advocating for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Naomi Parcell (ANC), Ross DeJong (SEA), Todd Horn (PDX), Raymond Ramirez (SFO), Johanna Thomas (LAX pmAS), and Andrew Malone (SAN). MEC […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 10 – December 2025

The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met with management this week to continue bargaining sessions in Seattle, WA. Discussions focused on narrowing issues in Leaves of Absence, Association General, and reviewing vacation provisions as part of the joint contract process.

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