In This Edition

• Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
• Understanding Our Union: How AFA Works at Our Airline
• Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 2^nd Quarter 2022
• Next Week’s Events

Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

Originally posted May 1, 2022

May 1^st marks the first day of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States.  This tradition dates back to 1978 when Congress passed a resolution to commemorate the first Asian/Pacific American Heritage week the following year.  Read more about Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, learn about the accomplishments of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, and find out about events that you can take part in using the resource links below.  Join the celebration by wearing an Asian/Pacific American Month AFA Pin during the month of May.  If you need a pin, check with your Local Council for more information.

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Understanding Our Union: How AFA Works at Our Airline

Originally posted May 4, 2022

Representation within our Union starts at the domicile level with your Local Council.  Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers are directly elected from among your fellow Flight Attendants who are members of the same Local Council.  LEC Officers work to resolve concerns specific to Flight Attendants from your base with local management.  Your LEC President also represents your base at the airline level as a member of the Master Executive Council (MEC).  The LEC Presidents from all six bases together form our MEC, which works to coordinate the activities of our Union at the airline level.  They make decisions on our behalf and give direction to the MEC Officers, who represent the MEC to management.

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Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 2^nd Quarter 2022

Originally posted May 5, 2022

Our AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, May 3 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to uniforms.  The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are reporting related to uniform quality, wearability, and availability.  If you are experiencing any issues with uniform quality or construction, please report the issues to Unisync as soon as possible.  Please include your Local Uniform Committee Chairperson on the email so they can help track any issues or trends that might be developing.   

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Next Week’s Events

Monday, May 9	AFA Presentation to Initial Training Class 2022-07
Tuesday, May 10	Council 15 (SAN)/18 (LAX)/35 (SFO) Local Council Meeting
Thursday, May 12	AFA Executive Board Meeting
Thursday, May 12	Scheduling Review Board (SRB)
Friday, May 13 – Sunday, May 15	AFA Board of Directors Meeting

See the MEC Event Calendar >

In This Edition

• Get Involved: Seeking Local Mobilization Committee Chairpersons
• Boarding Pay
• Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – April 2022
• System Board of Adjustment Interviews 
• Shared on Social
• Next Week’s Events

Get Involved: Seeking Local Mobilization Committee Chairpersons 

Originally posted April 25, 2022

Our Mobilization Committee is continuing to grow as we gear up to begin contract negotiations later this year.  As part of this growth, your LEC Officers are currently seeking candidates for the position of Local Mobilization Committee Chairperson. The Mobilization Committee works to provide support to the Negotiating Committee through coordinated solidarity activity and two-way communication between the membership and the committee.  The Local Mobilization Committee Chairperson is responsible for facilitating committee activities and leading our dedicated Mobilization Volunteers at the base/domicile level.  Be on the lookout for additional communications directly from your Local Council about the Local Mobilization Committee Chairperson position.  If you’re ready to express interest, get in touch with your LEC Officers.

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Boarding Pay

Originally posted April 26, 2022

Social media was abuzz yesterday with the news that Delta Air Lines management would begin paying Delta Flight Attendants boarding pay, effective June 2022, at fifty percent (50%) of their flight time (i.e., block) pay rate. Delta management’s decision to implement boarding pay is unquestionably connected to AFA’s continuing efforts to organize Delta Flight Attendants. Unfortunately, Delta management could unilaterally end boarding pay at their sole discretion until such time that Delta Flight Attendants vote for union representation.

Regardless of the underlying circumstances, the implementation of boarding pay for cabin crew at a major airline has major implications for collective bargaining in the US aviation industry going forward–including our upcoming negotiations. Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants definitely deserve boarding pay, and boarding pay will be in our opening proposal to management!

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Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – April 2022

Originally posted April 28, 2022

Our AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons met on Tuesday, April 26 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to lineholder scheduling.  The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are experiencing with scheduling, pairings, and bidding.  Your Local Scheduling Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any lineholder scheduling-related issues.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

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System Board of Adjustment Interviews

Originally posted April 28, 2022

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for one (1) member to serve on the AFA System Board of Adjustment.  Members are to serve on the System Board of Adjustment for the purpose of arbitrating any disputes or grievances that may arise under the terms of the Agreement between Alaska Airlines and its Flight Attendants.

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Negotiating Committee Attends Training

Our Negotiating Committee Members, together with our MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson and members of the MEC, attended negotiations training last week at the AFA Alaska MEC Office in SeaTac, WA.  The training was conducted by AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo and AFA Director of Collective Bargaining Joe Burns and featured presentations from the AFA International research, legal, and communications departments as well as the International Secretary-Treasurer’s office.   Up next for our Negotiating Committee: preparing for next month’s Listening Sessions! 

Next Week’s Events

Monday, May 2	Council 30 (ANC) Local Council Meeting
Tuesday, May 3	Quarterly Uniform Committee Meeting
Thursday, May 5	Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

See the MEC Event Calendar >

In This Edition

• Masks Are No Longer Required in Airports or Onboard
• Introducing Our AFA Staff Negotiator and Staff Attorney
• Three Things That You Can Do to Keep Management From Getting the Upper Hand in Contract Negotiations
• Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – 2^nd Quarter 2022
• Shared on Social
• Next Week’s Events

Masks Are No Longer Required in Airports or Onboard

Originally posted April 18, 2022

The CDC and TSA report the federal mask mandate is no longer in effect after today’s court ruling. The Administration is still reviewing its legal options for addressing the issue of executive authority to issue public health initiatives.  Additionally, Alaska Airlines management just announced via multiple channels that the mask mandate is lifted effective immediately on all aircraft. This policy change has been picked by media outlets, so it is very likely that passengers will be reading this information possibly before crews hear about it.

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Introducing Our AFA Staff Negotiator and Staff Attorney

Originally posted April 19, 2022

AFA is a union organized by Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants.  All AFA officers and committee members are Flight Attendants who have experience doing our job and understand the uniqueness of our profession.  To help complement the representation work done by our officers and committees, AFA also employs experts in a variety of fields to provide professional support and add to our strength.  Two AFA staff members assigned to AFA Alaska play key roles in the negotiation and administration of our contract: AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo and AFA Staff Attorney Kimberley Chaput.

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Three Things That You Can Do to Keep Management From Getting the Upper Hand in Contract Negotiations

Originally posted April 21, 2022

Preparation work for contract negotiations is underway and many of us are starting to talk about improvements we’d like to see in our next contract.  We need to make sure that our Negotiating Committee has every possible advantage to give us the strongest position at the bargaining table.  Things that we say or do may have an impact on the strength of that position.  Being mindful of the conversations we have and what we post online will help to keep management from getting the upper hand over our Negotiating Committee.

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Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee Meeting Recap – 2^nd Quarter 2022

Originally posted April 22, 2022

Our AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met on Thursday, April 14 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent Flight Attendants interests related to safety, health, and security in our workplace.  The Committee also met with management to receive updates and discuss issues and problems that Flight Attendants are facing onboard the aircraft.  Reporting safety concerns is more important than ever given the challenges we are currently facing as a work group.  Flight Attendant Irregularity Reports (FAIR), Aviation Safety Action Reports (ASAP), and fatigue reports can all be filed through Report It!  Please contact a member of your Local ASHSC if you need assistance.

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REMINDER: Sign Up For a Listening Session

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Listening Sessions are coming up next month and the time to sign up is now!  Listening Sessions are your opportunity to meet with our Negotiating Committee in a small group setting and share your thoughts, ideas, experiences, or anything else on your mind about negotiations.  Register for a session today and get involved in the process—your voice matters! 

https://contract2022.afaalaska.org/committee/listening/

Next Week’s Events

Tuesday, April 26	Monthly Scheduling Committee Meeting
Tuesday, April 26	Council 39 (PDX) Local Council Meeting

See the MEC Event Calendar >

In This Edition

• Delayed Publication of May 2022 Bid Awards
• April 2022 MEC Meeting Recap
• Introducing our MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson
• Shared on Social
• Next Week’s Events

Delayed Publication of May 2022 Bid Awards

Originally posted April 13, 2022

Management violated section 10.J.8 of our collective bargaining agreement when they failed to publish bid awards by 9 AM Pacific time on the 13^th of the month.  They owe all of us a explanation as to why they failed to honor their obligation and what they plan to do to hold themselves accountable.  Our MEC has also let management know that we expect them to engage with AFA about an appropriate and mutually acceptable remedy for the contractual violation.

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April 2022 MEC Meeting Recap

Originally posted April 14, 2022

Our AFA Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) met this week on Tuesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 13 to conduct their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants.  As part of the meeting, the MEC met with members of inflight, labor relations, and executive management to discuss issues and concerns that are facing our work group and need to be addressed.  The next Regular MEC Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 24.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your LEC President if you have any questions.

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Introducing our MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson

Originally posted April 15, 2022

Our Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews this week for the MEC Mobilization Committee Chairperson position who will be responsible for coordinating mobilization activities across all six bases during our upcoming contract negotiations. Our MEC would like to thank the candidates who demonstrated willingness to represent our Flight Attendants.  After thorough deliberation, the voting members of your MEC, consisting of the six directly-elected LEC Presidents, have appointed a candidate to the position. 

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Management’s Violation of CBA Section 10.J.8

Our MEC is extremely frustrated by management’s violation of section 10.J.8 of our collective bargaining agreement through their failure to post bid awards by the 13th of the month at 9 AM Pacific time. The issue is being discussed by the MEC and we are preparing to file a contractual grievance on behalf of all Flight Attendants. Please note that there is no need to file a ticket through the AFA Alaska Support Center as any action taken under the contractual grievance process will be on behalf of our entire workgroup. We will be publishing a more in-depth communication on the issue later today.

Next Week’s Events

Monday, April 18	AFA Presentation to Initial Training Class 2022-06
Tuesday, April 19	SEA Base Safety Meeting
Tuesday, April 19 – Wednesday, April 20	Negotiating Committee Training
Thursday, April 21	Council 19 (SEA) Local Council Meeting
Thursday, April 21	Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)

See the MEC Event Calendar >