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Council 35 News – April 2022

Topics

Important Dates | CA Membership Meeting | Officer Elections | Committee Openings | Spring Incentive | Section 6 | Solidarity | Pilot Strike | TSA Self Defense | Scholarships.

Important Dates

  • April 30: CWA Scholarship Application Due
  • May 10: CA Membership Meeting
  • May 26: C35 Officer Election Polls Close

CA Membership Meeting

Hosted by Councils 35, 18, and 15

The next membership meeting for Council 35 members will be Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 1100 via Zoom. The purpose will be to discuss the upcoming AFA-CWA Annual Board of Directors Meeting.  This meeting will be a combined council meeting and open to all Council 35 (SFO), 18 (LAX) and 15 (SAN) members in good standing (up-to-date on dues). Agenda can be found here.  Deadline to submit advanced agenda items is 5/6/22.  To attend, please register here.

Officer Election Coming Soon!

It’s election time for SFO and members will have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote for Council 35 officers.  All Council 35 voting instructions and guidelines can be found on the AFA Elections Page. The AFA-CWA Membership Services Department handles all voter questions and issues new activation codes if ballots are misplaced or never received.  The Ballot Help Line is staffed Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern time.  If you have a question or need a new 16-digit activation code, you may contact the Ballot Help Line at 800-424-2401, then press 1 and dial extension 706.

Council 35 Election Dates

Ballots Mailed:  4/27/22
Polls Open:  5/5/22
Polls Close/Results:  5/26/22, 1200 PST
Term Date Start: 7/1/22
Term Date End:  6/30/25

New Council 35 Committee Openings

Government Affairs Committee Chair

The Government Affairs (GA) committee promotes the AFA-CWA agenda by supporting legislative efforts that benefit our members or lobbying to discourage laws that will negatively impact members.  What can be achieved in legislation takes away the need for negotiation.  If you have an interest in government issues, please visit the GA webpage on the AFA Alaska website. Submit your letter of interest to SFO@afaalaska.org for consideration.

Government Affairs Committee Chair

Council 35 is looking to fill the chair position for upcoming Section 6 negotiations.  The chairs from each base will compose the committee with the goal to help motivate and provide assistance to members during the negotiations process.  If you are passionate about improvements to our contract and understand the power of solidarity, please apply!  Submit your letter of interest to SFO@afaalaska.org for consideration.  For more information, please see the recent MEC communication announcing the role.

Interested in another committee position?  Please review the duties and responsibilities on the AFA Alaska Committee website.  Please submit your letter of interest to SFO@afaalaska.org for consideration.

Spring Incentive: Love it or Hate it?

Section 6 negotiations are getting ready to launch, but did you know the MEC is regularly “negotiating” with management? A great example of this is the Spring Incentive.  Management couldn’t just compel us to participate, as we already have a defined incentive program (PPP) outlined in JCBA§21.R.  They approached us with the idea to help alleviate the staffing issue and the “negotiations” began.  This particular program, developed exclusively by management, was not received well by the MEC at first glance.  Right away we rejected some of the most contentious issues: threshold way too high, not enough people will benefit, won’t motivate regular flyers, not including enough pay codes (i.e. vacation).  Pretty much everything that members have expressed after launch as the unsavory aspects of the program.  In response we offered several suggestions to improve the program’s benefit and effectiveness to which the company declined and only agreed to a few of our suggestions.  We weren’t given much time to work out the details and within a couple of days the MEC had to make a decision to either support the program, or reject it altogether.  Some may disagree with the choice we made, but I can share with you why I was a reluctant yes.  

When considering SFO specifically (the members that elected me), I came to the conclusion that the Spring Incentive would potentially benefit the SFO F/As more than not.  The program rewards high-time flyers (always been an SFO trend) and brings a little extra pay to overworked reserves.  With this in mind, I decided that it was better to say yes to the program than say no.  I made my decision based on my understanding of the base and what my members want.  The best way for me to know what members want is to hear from you!  If this program is good for you, let me know!  If you hate it, let me know!  I can make better decisions in the future if my members share with me how they feel about issues that affect their work environment. If members are curious about how I voted on a particular issue, please reach out and ask!  I am happy to share my decisions and receive feedback to better support SFO FAs.

TSA Crew Member Self Defense Training Program – Reinstated

The TSA Crew Member Self Defense Training Program has been reinstated and is available for all US-based flight attendants free of charge. There are 2 classes scheduled for their South San Francisco location on May 19th and June 16th, from 0800-1200. If you cannot attend these dates, additional classes for 2022 may be offered at a later date. Use this link for more information and to sign up for one of their classes.

Scholarship Opportunities

Provided by AFA International

The Joe Beirne Scholarship offered by CWA is available to AFA Members and dependents. The deadline for applications is April 30.   For more information please visit the CWA website.

Member Questions: Negotiations

Why Do We Call Contract Negotiations “Section 6?”

The term “Section 6” refers to the part of the Railway Labor Act (RLA) that defines the negotiations process.  In many industries, collective bargaining agreements (CBA) have an expiration date, and until a new one is negotiated, the benefits of the old contract are no longer available.  The industries that fall under the RLA have contracts that become amendable, meaning they open up for changes but don’t officially expire (unless specifically defined), and it stays in effect until a new one is ratified (voted in by members).  This was to prevent a transportation shutdown in the early days of the RLA’s existence, as it would have had (and still does have) a devastating effect on the infrastructure of the nation.  What can F/As do now to help?  Get educated and follow the progress of the Negotiating Committee!  Many SFO members haven’t experienced full Section 6 negotiations and understanding the process is crucial to our success.  For more information about negotiations please visit the AFA Alaska Negotiations website. 

Solidarity and Why We Need It

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines solidarity as: unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards. Many members are frustrated with management’s decisions and policies that have rolled out recently.  It’s been rough and your Council 35 officers and committee members are united in the frustration! Going to social media to vent is a great way to chat with other members and share experiences and frustrations, however it can also hinder our progress at the negotiations table.  Please see the recent MEC communication on this topic.  Social media campaigns as well as individual emails to management expressing displeasure only show that we are a divided work group.  As your elected leaders, that is literally our job-to confront management on your behalf.  If we don’t hear from you, we can’t stand up to ask for change.  Tell us!  The best way to let them know we mean business is to stand together in solidarity.

Alaska Pilot Strike Vote

Council 35 has received several emails from members concerned about the pilot strike vote and how it will impact F/As lives. One of the issues that has raised the most concern is the strike vote planned for May.   Although the vote is scheduled soon, it does not mean the actual strike, if it happens, will follow immediately.  ALPA (pilot Union for AS pilots) and the company have just recently entered the mediation phase of negotiations, which could last an indefinite amount of time:  weeks, months, maybe even years.  If mediation is unsuccessful,  there will be an appeal to the National Mediation Board (NMB) to release the parties from mediation, which is followed by a cooling off period of 30 days.  The pilots follow the same process for negotiations under the RLA as we do at AFA-CWA.  To see a breakdown of steps, please visit our Negotiations website where you will find a helpful chart and breakdown of the different phases of the process. Flight Attendants can also follow ALPA’s progress by visiting the ALPA website.  

Got a question?

Contact information for Council 35 committee members can be found on our website.  You can also open an online support ticket and the appropriate rep will respond.

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

April Updates

Important Dates

April 10: AFA Scholarship Application Due
April 30: CWA Scholarship Application Due
May 10:​CA Membership Meeting

Joint California 15,18 and 35 Meeting

The next membership meeting for Council 15 SAN members will be Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 1100 via Zoom. The purpose will be to discuss the upcoming AFA-CWA Annual Board of Directors Meeting.  This meeting will be a combined council meeting and open to all Council 15 (SAN), 18 (LAX) and 35 (SFO)  members in good standing (up-to-date on dues).  Please submit any Agenda Items you would like to discuss be emailing SAN@AFAAlaska.org, Deadline to submit agenda items is 5/6/22.  To attend, please register here.

Recent Disciplines

Here’s a brief summary of our most recent cases:

Sick Leave Abuse
Your Grievance committee would like members to be aware of the steps management takes whenever an F/A calls in sick or sick family.  Every sick leave call that is recorded in a day will be looked at (investigated) by base supervisors and managers the following day.  How deep the “look” goes is dependent on the Flight Attendant’s history, or information that may be discovered through social media or conversation between management and the F/A.  Every absence is reported in a log that management keeps to track trends.  Depending on how many entries an F/A has in the log, or if the supervisor is aware of any other information will determine whether the log entry is enough or if more needs to be discovered.  Some of the Flight Attendants history may be viewed at this point:

  • Leave status
  • Employee travel
  • Social media accounts and posts
  • Line management: attempted drops,  comments and/or money posted on trips
  • Previous years absences on same days

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a sample of F/A activity that can be seen by management.  In the event that this search indicates abuse, the Flight Attendant will be asked to attend a performance meeting to answer to the pattern discovered.  If the performance supervisor confirms the suspected abuse, the F/A is discharged on first offense.  As a reminder, our contract provides Flight Attendants with the benefit of paid sick leave to care for ourselves and loved ones when ill.  It is a conditional benefit and is only to be used for the purpose of treating an illness.  Flight Attendants that use the benefit in any other way are considered to have committed timecard fraud. In the event abuse is suspected, the burden of proof is on the F/A who needs to prove to the company that they used the benefit appropriately.

Job Abandonment/Points
Sadly we are witnessing a large amount of Job Abandonment cases across the system.  Many of these cases are Flight Attendants that run out of leave options and stop contacting the company about the status of their leaves.  Additionally terminations have been occurring due to points at high levels. When you reach 12 points they will terminate employment.

Personal Conduct
Personal Conduct can include a variety of violations.  Recent ones have included violation of company directed quarantine, crewmember disputes, and layover incidents.

Commuter Violations
The most common reason for a commuter violation is dropping a deadhead and flying home from a city that is not your base, commuting to/from another base for out of base pickups, accidental listings, where the F/A lists as D8Y rather than E1Y for travel. there have been several must read bulletins and its on the commuter page when you sign up. Inappropriate use of D8y status is automatic steps of discipline, and possible removal from commuter program. make sure to refresh your knowledge on being a commuter.

CBT
Failure to complete required training by the due date is an automatic Oral Warning or progression to the next level of discipline.

Managing Attendance Points

Please ensure you are aware of your point total and the tools available to reduce or even avoid accruing points. To review your Attendance Report, log in to Crew Access and Click on the menu bar (3 horizontal lines) in the upper left-hand corner of the page.  Select Reports, Reports on Demand, then scroll to Attendance Points.

​

Point Reduction Form may be used to reduce attendance points related to your own personal illness.  It may be used once per quarter and cover’s up to 10 cal­­­endar days; starting with the first day of the designated absence.  It must be submitted before the end of your first sequence upon returning to work.  [Section 32.D]  DO NOT submit more than 1 PRF per Illness. One form covers 10 days. Submitting a 2nd form for the same illness or a new illness deletes your first date and starts the PRF from the 2nd date entered and goes 10 days from that date.

​

Quaretly Record Improvement– Each calendar quarter with no accrued points or chargeable occurrences, 2 points may be deducted. [Section 32.G.1] 

Bank Points–  If you have zero (0) points at the end of a calendar quarter and then achieve two (2) full calendar quarters with no chargeable occurrences, you may bank two points. Bank Points are reconciled after each quarter ends, therefore you may see accrued points and Bank Points listed on on your Attendance Report simultaneously until that process is completed.  [Section 32.G.3] 

Sick Family may be utilized to care for qualified family members, including Spouse, Registered Domestic Partner, Children, Grandchildren, Parents, Grandparents and Siblings. No points will be assessed for a Sick Family absence provided you have sufficient Sick Leave TFP available at the time of the absence.  Please see Required Bulletin 2021-0059 (08/30/2021) for a complete list of eligible family members and more information. 

Contractual Medical Leaves may be taken for your own medical conditions.  They are continuous (no intermittent option) and can be any length up to 4-years.  Contractual Medical Leaves do not have a duty hour requirement.  Medical Leaves are administered through Matrix Absence Management. [Section 15.C]


FMLA allows time off to care for eligible family members and/or your own medical conditions for up to 12 weeks (72 days) per rolling calendar year.  FMLA provides both continuous and intermittent leave options.  Per The U.S. Department of Labor, airline crew must accrue a minimum of 504 Worked hours per rolling calendar year to qualify for FMLA. FMLA is administered through Matrix Absence Management.

Sick Leave Balance Can be reviewed​by logging into Rainmaker and select Crew Pay Manager in the upper right-hand menu bar.  Select Bank Balances from the menu, then select on SickFA.  

Scholarship Opportunities

AFA Scholarship
For eligibility guidelines, information and application, please visit the AFA-CWA website.
Applications must be postmarked by April 10, and sent to the following address:

AFA Scholarship Fund

P.O. Box 56

Hartwood, VA 22471-0056

CWA Joe Beirne Scholarship
The Joe Beirne Scholarship offered by CWA is available to AFA Members and dependents. The deadline for applications is April 30.   For more information please visit the CWA website.

Membership Dues are a Condition of Employment

Please be aware remaining current on membership dues is a condition of employment. the company can start proceedings for termination for failure to pay dues, If you receive communications from AFA International regarding past due balances please take care of them ASAP or set up a promise to pay.

When researching the invoice you receive you can verify if dues were deducted by looking at that months corresponding pay check. Dues are deducted and applied in the same month, example May dues come out of May 20th check. Look back at your checks to see if you had deductions for that month.

If you are coming back from an LOA you are responsible to pay the first 3 months of an UNPAID leave as well as the month you return for a total of $200 usually. If you need to catch up on dues payments, this link will take you directly to AFA’s Membership Services website to schedule an on-line payment. Should you need to update your personal contact information (e.g., address, phone number, email, etc.), use this link

Crew Conflicts

AFA Professional Standards can help resolve peer concerns without involving Management.  Once management becomes aware of a peer concern, they may launch an investigation.   Potential witnesses and those reporting will likely be called in for meetings often causing much stress and anxiety to all involved. 

Our AFA EAP/Professional Standards Committee is available to assist you when conflicts arise with another crew member. Utilizing this resource allows us to resolve our differences/concerns without the threat of discipline / terminations or the stress of an investigation. Reach out to EAP at the following                    EAP@afaalaska.org     (866) 423-2532 Ext. 5

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, October 28, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Airlines Corporate Headquarters 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), […]

Sick Leave Survey Now Open

Your Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) prioritizes your health and well-being and seeks to understand which aspects of our paid sick leave policy matter most to you. We encourage you to participate in the survey, which is open until Tuesday, November 11 at Noon PT, to ensure your voice is heard in shaping our support for your healthcare needs.

SEA Domicile Negotiations – October 2025 Update #2

This session was marked by the Negotiating Committee’s strong advocacy for protections and enhancements that would support the Seattle base as a viable option for transferring Flight Attendants. With insights from Ryan St. John, the Vice President of Finance, Planning, and Investor Relations for Alaska Airlines, the Negotiating Committee highlighted the necessity of combining data-driven strategies with hands-on experience and sufficient resources for long-term success.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 8 – October 2025

During our recent negotiations, the Joint Negotiation Committee focused on key sections, particularly reaching a Tentative Agreement on Lodging and Transportation, which improves food availability and transportation safety. We also engaged with Council 19 to clarify negotiation processes and differences between contracts. Stay tuned for our upcoming session with management from November 18 to 20.

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants We’re excited to introduce the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives for the upcoming MEC Officer term. They’ll begin transitioning into their roles over the next few months and officially start their terms on January 1, 2026. Below, you’ll find brief biographies that […]

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