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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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Reduction in Force Part 6 – WARN Notices

This is the sixth in a series of “Reduction in Force” (RIF) communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See RIF Part 1, RIF Part 2, RIF Part 3, RIF Part 4 and RIF Part 5 for the previous editions.

In This Edition

  • WARN Notices

WARN Notices

WARN Act Requirements

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act compels advance notice in cases of qualified mass layoffs. Management is required by law to provide “WARN notices” to employees who may be laid off (i.e. involuntarily furloughed). In all the states in which there are Flight Attendant domiciles (AK, WA, OR and CA), those notices must be sent no less than 60 days prior to the date of the involuntary furlough, or no later than August 1st for involuntary furloughs effective on October 1st. WARN notices provided to the union on behalf of affected employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement satisfies the WARN Act requirements except for in California, which also requires notices to be sent directly to the employee.

WARN Notices Served to 2089 FAs

AFA has now received WARN notices on behalf of the approximately* 2089 most junior Flight Attendants, affecting all domiciles: Anchorage (ANC), Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Diego (SAN). (* Master Executive Council representatives have not yet physically counted the names to validate the expected number, but we wanted to get the list out to the Membership as soon as possible.) The 2089 is inclusive of a significant buffer above the number of potential involuntary furloughs (IVFs), which is to assure the Company is in compliance with the WARN Act.

Affected California-based Flight Attendants received personalized WARN notices via Company email earlier today (Friday, July 31, 2020); such Flight Attendants will also receive a personalized hard copy of the WARN notice at their respective mailing addresses on file with the Company. Although the WARN notices sent to affected California-based Flight Attendants say (in part), “[W]e deeply regret to inform you that you are being furloughed,” the actual number of involuntary furloughs is still being determined.

WARN Notice List

The WARN notice list is password protected and is restricted from being printed or edited. Please respect the security of the document and do not share the password.

Click here for the AFA Alaska WARN Notice List for October 2020 Furloughs >

Password: [Check the personal email address that you have on file with AFA Alaska for the email version of this newsletter, which contains the confidential password. Otherwise, please contact your LEC president for assistance.]

AFA Alaska Statement to the Media Regarding WARN Notices

“COVID-19 is an unprecedented threat to aviation workers and the entire U.S. aviation industry. This crisis dwarfs all others in aviation history and there’s no end in sight. Demand was just barely climbing back to 20 percent of last year and even those minimal gains evaporated over the last month due to surging COVID-19 cases across the country.

The projected furlough numbers at Alaska are difficult and we are working with management on possible furlough mitigations. Right now, our focus is fighting to extend the Payroll Support Program to keep Alaska Flight Attendants on the job and connected to our healthcare during COVID-19.”

Coming Soon

  • Early Out and Other Furlough Mitigation Awards

These are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. As your direct representative on the MEC, your LEC president is available to answer questions or concerns that you may have about all the information presented here. Contact information for your respective LEC president can be found by clicking here.

Reduction in Force Part 5

This is the fifth in a series of “Reduction in Force” (RIF) communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See RIF Part 1, RIF Part 2, RIF Part 3 and RIF Part 4 for the previous editions.

In This Edition

  • Voluntary Permanent Transfers and Temporary Base Trades
  • Furlough Mitigation Clarifications
  • Dues Obligation

Voluntary Permanent Transfers and Temporary Base Trades

Voluntary Permanent Transfers

Flight Attendants may voluntarily transfer to a new domicile while on an Extended Leave of Absence (ELOA) or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough (EVF) by participating in vacancy bids pursuant to §28.C [Vacancy Bids] and §28.D [Standing Bid Awards…]. See also “October 2020 Involuntary Furlough Mitigations LOA” §II.A.3 and §II.B.4 for more information.

Temporary Base Trades (“Swaps”)

Flight Attendants on ELOA retain the ability to temporarily trade (“swap”) bases pursuant to §28.A.9 [Rules Governing Multiple Domiciles]. Flight Attendants on an EVF may finish out the term of an existing swap but may not renew the swap or enter into a new swap. A base swap is terminated if either of the Flight Attendants are involuntarily furloughed, and both are returned to their respective domiciles; however, Flight Attendants on involuntary furlough are not guaranteed to return to their domicile when recalled.

Furlough Mitigation Clarifications

Master Executive Council (MEC) representatives have been working with management to identify some lingering furlough mitigation questions. The following topics are being addressed by management in a communication issued tonight.

  • Maternity and Other Medical Leaves
  • Medical Coverage if 480 TFP is Met While on a Leave of Absence
  • Reciprocal Alaska & Horizon Jumpseat Privileges

Dues Obligation

In accordance with the AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws every Flight attendant on a leave of absence owes dues for the first three months of their leave of absence after their compensation from the airline ends. This obligation includes Extended Leaves of Absence and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs. However, Flight attendants on involuntary furlough (or a military leave) do not owe this amount.

Article XI A.6. Payment of dues shall be required of all members that are on active status during a month or any portion thereof. After the first ninety (90) days of removal from service and no longer receiving compensation through a carrier for disability leave, payment of dues shall not be required.

AFA-CWA Constitution & Bylaws

Example: Voluntary furlough begins on October 1. You would owe dues for October, November and December. If dues are payroll deducted for any of these months, it will be applied to this 90-day leave obligation.

Click here for AFA-CWA Membership Services >

Coming Soon

  • WARN Notices

These are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. As your direct representative on the MEC, your LEC president is available to answer questions or concerns that you may have about all the information presented here. Contact information for your respective LEC president can be found by clicking here.

Reduction in Force Part 4

This is the fourth in a series of “Reduction in Force” communications from the Master Executive Council (MEC). See “Reduction in Force Part 1,” “Reduction in Force Part 2,” and “Reduction in Force Part 3” for the previous editions.

In This Edition

  • Avoiding Involuntary Furlough: Extend the CARES Act Payroll
  • How Many Furlough Mitigation Applicants are Needed to Avoid Involuntary Furlough?
  • Can I Avoid Involuntary Furlough by Applying for an Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough?
  • Order of Recall

Avoiding Involuntary Furloughs: Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

The single most impactful thing that you can do to completely avoid involuntary furloughs (IVFs) in October would be for you, your family members and your friends to contact Congress and demand our legislators extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program.

We need urgent action on this now and every day in July:

  1. Call your Representative and Senators. Flight Attendants, family and friends should make three calls every day: two to the Senate line and one to the House line.
  2. Sign this letter to your Representative and Senators >
  3. Tell five flying partners and your friends and family to do the same!

House: 888-907-9365 |Senate: 888-848-4824

Sample Script:
Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative] /[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

How Many Furlough Mitigation Applicants are Needed to Avoid Involuntary Furlough?

The MEC is currently estimating approximately 1900 to 2200 Flight Attendants are in the potential involuntary furlough range without any furlough mitigations. As of this writing, over 2300 Flight Attendants have bid for some form of furlough mitigation (e.g. Early Out, Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough). How many are needed to avoid involuntary furloughs (IVFs)?

That is very difficult to project with any degree of certainty. Keep in mind that management believes the Company is under no obligation to award all furlough mitigations to the bottom of the list. The Master Executive Council (MEC) is confident management will award all EOs, but we’re less confident about all ELOAs and EVFs.

Management is concerned about awarding all furlough mitigation bids because of the potential to significantly imbalance the domiciles depending on the number and duration of the respective furlough mitigations (e.g. ELOA-12, EVF-6, EVF-9, EVF-12 and EVF-15). If management were to cut off furlough mitigation awards prior to reaching the bottom of the bids, that could lead to IVFs. Relatively junior Flight Attendants who have applied for furlough mitigations would be converted to IVF if they are in the seniority range impacted by involuntary furlough. Therefore, one cannot assume that every application for furlough mitigation will actually reduce the number of involuntary furloughs in a one to one (1:1) ratio.

Can I Avoid Involuntary Furlough by Applying for an Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough?

No. There has been a lot confusion regarding ELOAs/EVFs and IVFs. Bidding for an EVF does not prevent you from being involuntarily furloughed. – Section 18.A.3

If a Flight Attendant bids for an ELOA and/or an EVF and if her/his Occupational Seniority number is in the IVF seniority range, then the Flight Attendant will be converted to IVF. If management is forced to involuntarily furlough Flight Attendants, then the most junior Flight Attendant on the Occupational Seniority list will be listed as IVF; the process continues up the seniority list until a sufficient number of IVFs have been designated to meet staffing needs. In no circumstances will the most senior Flight Attendant on IVF have anyone junior to her or him designated as an active Flight Attendant or on ELOA or on EVF.

Order of Recall

Recall will be in the following order: (1) Involuntary Furloughs, (2) Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs and (3) Extended Leaves of Absence.

IVFs

IVFs will be recalled first and offered in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order; IVFs may bypass recall until no Flight Attendant is left junior to her/him amongst the IVFs.

EVFs

EVFs will be recalled second and offered in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order irrespective of EVF duration; EVFs may bypass recall until no FA is left junior to her/him amongst the EVFs. EVFs are automatically recalled at the conclusion of their respective EVF duration (6, 9, 12 or 15 months).

ELOAs

ELOAs will be recalled third and offered in Occupational Seniority (system seniority) order. ELOAs may bypass recall until the end of their ELOA duration (12 months).

Coming Soon

  • Base Swaps and Permanent Transfers
  • Dues Obligation

These are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. As your direct representative on the MEC, your LEC president is available to answer questions or concerns that you may have about all the information presented here. Contact information for your respective LEC president can be found by clicking here.

AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey

On July 16, management implemented an expansion of onboard service which included the addition of multiple beverage selections and the re-introduction of hot beverages as an option for passengers.  During the lead up to the service expansion, members of our Master Executive Council (MEC), Inflight Service Committee, and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) engaged management in multiple discussions with the intent of protecting Flight Attendant safety and health during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the objections raised by AFA and the nationwide increase in COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks, management made the decision to proceed with the rollout of the additional service citing the need to address complaints received through the Alaska Listens platform and improve scores on customer satisfaction surveys.  The MEC, Inflight Service Committee, and ASHSC believe that the decision to proceed with an expanded onboard service in the wake of the increase in COVID-19 cases was irresponsible on management’s part.  

COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey Launches Today

The MEC fully intends to continue to engage with management on the subject of onboard service, especially surrounding management’s plan for a further expansion next month.  In an effort to gather as much direct Flight Attendant feedback as possible to share during those conversations, we have launched the AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey.  The survey is an opportunity to share your thoughts, feedback, and experiences related to the July 16 expanded onboard service.  

Click here to take the survey

You’ll be able to take the survey any time between now and Sunday, August 2 at 5 PM PDT.  Please share this link with your flying partners and encourage everyone who has worked since the July 16 onboard service expansion to take part! Even if you have not worked since July 16, you’ll still be able to share any comments you have about the service expansion.

REMINDER: Report Any Safety Hazards

In addition to completing the AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey, please also remember to report any safety hazards that you experience while performing the expanded onboard service.  This could include instances of increased exposure to passengers (e.g. passenger removing their mask to speak to you, etc.) or other hazards related to service.  You can report these hazards through ReportIt! by submitting either a FAIR and/or ASAP for each flight on which they occur.  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 to advocate for safe levels of service.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the AFA COVID-19 Onboard Service Survey, please contact your LEC Officers.

AFA Update – July 24, 2020

In This Edition

  • REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
  • Onboard Service Expansion
  • Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present
  • REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey
  • Grievance Committee Update

REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Government Affairs Committee

Keep up the pressure on our lawmakers to do the right thing and extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program.  The House of Representatives is scheduled to break for recess on July 31st and the Senate on August 7th. Make your calls today and every day!

House – (888) 907-9365
Senate – (888) 848-4824

Sample Script:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

Onboard Service Expansion 

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Last week, management implemented an expansion of onboard service by increasing beverage choices for passengers and re-introducing hot beverages as an available menu option.  This expansion of onboard service took place despite vocal objections by our Master Executive Council (MEC), Inflight Service Committee, and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC).  Among these objections are management’s failure to adequately address the increased risk of exposure that our Flight Attendants are facing due to the additional time being spent interacting with passengers to offer the prescribed service.  In light of the recent nationwide increase in COVID-19 cases and many jurisdictions postponing or rolling back plans to reopen businesses, the expansion of onboard service seems counterintuitive and does not indicate that management is serious about “owning safety”.

The MEC is currently developing a survey to gather more information about the specifics of how the expanded onboard service has impacted our Flight Attendants.  More information will be available in soon in another AFA update.

Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present

Human Rights Committee

Yale University is currently offering a free course on African American history taught by Jonathan Holloway.  Professor Holloway was Professor of History, African American Studies, and American Studies at Yale University and Dean of Yale College. 

This course represents a unique opportunity to assist in fulfilling our union’s promise to redouble our efforts to seek out, listen to, and amplify the voices of black and brown Flight Attendants within our Union and to address the systemic racism in our Union, our industry and our nation.

Additional information about the course can be found in the excerpt below from the Yale University website.  You can access the course directly by clicking here.

About the Course

The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans’ urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.

Warning: Some of the lectures in this course contain graphic content and/or adult language that some users may find disturbing.

Course Structure

This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2010.

REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey

AFA International

As a reminder, AFA International is currently running a Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey to collect Flight Attendants’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to our work with our airlines, the federal government, and Congress to get your feedback.

Is there available PPE at work? Have you tested positive for COVID-19? How many trips have you worked since March? What’s your experience with aircraft cleaning? Are you on leave?

Click here to take the survey

All individual responses will be de-identified, kept confidential and only utilized publicly in the aggregate.

Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases.  AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors. 

Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination.  COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in a Flight Attendant’s file for 18 months, and then are removed.  If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation.  Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline.  If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline.  There is no middle ground for certain violations.  

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

  • Theft.  Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination.  (Temporarily there are Covid-19 exceptions).  
  • Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things.  Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted.  If management determines abuse it results in termination.  
  • Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay.  Management has terminated for this violation.
  • Drug/Alcohol violations
  • Harassment
  • Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
  • Social media violations Including “friending” passengers on FB from information gained from the IMD
  • Commuter Violations
    • Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel
  • Lost IMD or other required items
  • Failing to complete CBT—even if FA just forgets to hit the close button within Cornerstone to switch the CBT from in process to complete.

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

ArbitrationApril 21Disciplinary Grievance
ArbitrationMay 27Contractual Grievance
ArbitrationJune 15Contractual Grievance
ArbitrationJune 25Disciplinary Grievance

Recent Arbitration Awards

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-52-17-Violation of §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 JCTE Denying Unlimited Trading of Reserve Days Due to Classification as a Reserve Block Split.  This grievance alleged the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 [Reserve:  Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades/Reserve Day/Blocks], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system denied unlimited trading of reserve days pursuant to §11.H.4 due to JCA incorrectly classifying such trade as a reserve block split pursuant to §11.H.3.b. 

Arbitrator’s Decision:  The grievance is denied.  Alaska Airlines did not violate Sections 11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 and/or any and all related sections of the collective-bargaining agreement or past practice when its Jeppesen Crew Access trading system denied transactions where Reserve Flight Attendants sought to give away less than an entire block more than once per month.  Alaska Airlines properly classified these transactions as a reserve block split pursuant to Section 11.H.3.b.

Recent Grievance Settlements

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-30-19-Violation of §28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy.  This alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §28.G.2 [Domiciles:  Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.  

Details:  See the July 13, 2020 AFA Update for more information.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-159-19-Violation of §11.F, §11.F.13 and §11.D.2.c Airport Standby Reserve and On Duty at 4:29 am.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §11.F [Reserve:  Airport Standby], §11.F.13 [Reserve:  APSB on Duty at 4:29 am] and §11.D.2.c [Reserve:  Notice of Time to Report], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to or inconsistently compensated Flight Attendants when they were:  1)  Sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am; 2) Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am; and 3)  Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment after 4:29 am. 

Details:  

  1. Reserve Flight Attendants sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am local domicile time who do not receive a flight assignment during APSB:
    1. Will be compensated pursuant to §11.D.2.c at one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives less than nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment; or 
    1. Will be compensated straight time (1.0x) towards the reserve guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives at least nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment.  
  2. Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.   
  3. Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment after 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-116-18-Violation of §10.J.4 Bidding Timelines.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 10.J.4 [Scheduling:  Bid Packets and Bidding Timelines], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about March 13, 2018, management re-opened its Preferential Bidding System (PBS), NAVBLUE, for a full bid re-award for April 2018 because it was not programmed to match the bid “duty on” preference on the new web application user interface.  However, due to system limitations the re-award required the PBS to reopen which allowed access for Flight Attendants to submit new bids after the contractual bid submission deadline.   

Details:  The Company and AFA will The parties will actively work on installing an administrative lock-out function (or other mutually agreed upon solution) in the NAVBLUE bidding system (or any successor system).  The lock-out function will allow the ‘back end’ of the bidding system to be opened for bid protests, technical issues, or other adjustments while locking out Flight Attendants from altering their bids on the ‘front end’. It is unknown whether NAVBLUE can accommodate a lock-out function exactly as described in this paragraph. If it is not possible, the parties will work together and mutually agree on the alternate solution and how it would work.  If an alternate solution is not mutually agreed upon, AFA reserves the right to refile this grievance.  

Compensatory Settlement:  The Company will pay compensation to all Flight Attendants whose adjusted April 2018 bid resulted in a loss of four (4) or more TFP and at least one day of flying from their original April 2018 bid.  Approximately 150 Flight Attendants are in this pool, plus two additional Flight Attendants who do not meet the requirements but whose situations present unique circumstances that warrant settlement.  The total TFP amount to be paid out is 1130.6 TFP. A list of said Flight Attendants will be provided to the Company by the Association pursuant to this Settlement Agreement.  The Company will pay the TFP to all the above-named Flight Attendants no later than on their June 20, 2021, paycheck.  For any affected Flight Attendant who is inactive  (due to separation or furlough) as of June 20, 2021, the Company will mail a check (less applicable withholdings) to the Flight Attendant’s last known address.  The pay will be at the respective rates in effect on the day the Flight Attendant is paid.  Payment will be paid above the reserve guarantee if applicable.  

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

None

Grievances Recently Filed and Denied

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-200-20-Violation of §25.C.1 Failure to Include ASHSC in Safety Meeting.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.C.1 [Air Safety Health and Security: Safety Meetings], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about April 3, 2020, it failed to include the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) in a meeting to discuss passengers who were scheduled to travel on Alaska flights after disembarking from a cruise ship which had suffered an outbreak of COVID-19. The company instead opted to brief AFA about the issue after the meeting and decision was made about how to proceed. 

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-201-20-Violation of §10.Q & §11.E.4.d Violation of Reserve Assignment List Order.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10.Q [Scheduling:  Low-Bid Option] and §11.E.4.d [Reserve:  Order of Assignment, Assignment of Open Sequences/Assignments], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system places low-bid option and no-bid lineholder Flight Attendants who pick up reserve days and opt out of the Reserve Assignment List (LTFA) at the top of the list rather than listing them in inverse seniority order following all other Reserves within the same classification (AM/PM/ER) and with the same number of days of availability.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-207-20-Violation of §10, §11.D & §24.L Bundled Scheduling Notifications.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10 [Scheduling], §11.D [Reserve: Scheduling/Notice of Time to Report] and §24.L [General and Miscellaneous: Company-Provided Inflight Mobile Device (IMD)], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system sent bundled scheduling notifications to Flight Attendants on their Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) or directly in Crew Access, requiring Flight Attendants to batch acknowledge or ignore such notifications and thereby resulting in Flight Attendants potentially waiving multiple contractual protections via an extra-contractual point of contact (i.e. Crew Access scheduling notifications).  

More Information

For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.

SEA Domicile Negotiations – October 2025

The recent meetings of the SEA Domicile Negotiating Committee in Seattle and Honolulu highlighted both progress and persistent challenges in negotiations with management. While there has been advancement on some issues, significant concerns remain. Key topics under discussion include the transfer processes, return options to HNL or LAX, staffing, moving expenses, and safeguarding existing bases. Our committee prepares for the next round of negotiations in Seattle during the week of October 20.

Protecting Yourself From Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault

Understanding Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) involves the use of substances to incapacitate someone, making them vulnerable to sexual assault. These substances are often undetectable, having no color, taste, or smell, and can be easily added to drinks. Common Drugs Used in DFSA Important Note: Alcohol significantly enhances the effects of these drugs, […]

Government Affairs Committee Update – 4th Quarter 2025

An update on what our Government Affairs Committee has been working on this quarter. Thank you to all our Members who remain engaged and to all our volunteers and Committee Members for dedicating their time representing our Members, advocating for the safety and advancement of our careers while strengthening our labor movement every single day […]

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Thursday, October 2, our AFA Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Deb Wallstrom (ANC), David Lake (SEA), Kalin Lackey […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 7 – September 2025

Our JNC made significant progress in shaping our JCBA, successfully reaching a Tentative Agreement on Section 13 – Uniforms. Key provisions include enhancements to uniform standards, ensuring protective measures such as no surnames on name tags from the Hawaiian CBA. While we continue discussions on various sections, including Air Safety Health and Security, Training, and Commuter Policy. We appreciate feedback from the 2207 Flight Attendants who participated in our recent Vacation Survey.

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