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Summary of AFA Alaska Airlines-Virgin America Merger Agreements

The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) is publishing a comprehensive summary of agreements that make up the overall AFA Alaska Airlines-Virgin America Merger Agreement. The summaries contain a listing of the provisions agreed to during merger negotiations. The full text Merger Agreement and related agreements will be posted by the end of the week.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO THE 2014-2019 CBA >

This summary denotes the negotiated changes made to the current 2014-2019 AFA Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). If the overall Merger Agreement is ratified, these changes would become immediately in force and incorporated into the contract. The new document would become the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA).

SUMMARY OF AS TRANSITION AGREEMENT >

This summary denotes the changes that would occur to transition the pre-merger (“Legacy”) Alaska Flight Attendants into the JCBA. These are temporary provisions that are variations on current contract provisions or are one-time happenings.

SUMMARY OF VX TRANSITION AGREEMENT >

This summary denotes the changes to pay, work rules and benefits that would occur to transition the pre-merger (“Legacy”) Virgin America Flight Attendants into the JCBA. Because of technology, training and software constraints, management cannot combine the Inflight operations until approximately first quarter 2019.

Please take the time to read all the summaries. The JNC will answer questions through a negotiations blog on afaalaska.org once the full text Merger Agreement and related agreements have been posted by end of week.

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

 

The roadshow schedule may be found in the February 3, 2018 ”Save the Date: Tentative Merger Agreement Roadshows” membership release. AFA anticipates voting will open shortly after the completion of roadshows in mid-March and will end in early April. Any pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) or pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) FAs are welcome to attend any and all sessions. Please be aware that only AFA members in good standing may vote on the TA, so it is extremely important that pmAS FAs are current on their dues and pmVX FAs have completed an AFA membership application prior to the vote.

MEC Unanimously Approves Tentative Merger Agreement for Membership Ratification

The AFA Alaska-Virgin America Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) presented the tentative Merger Agreement to the Master Executive Council (MEC) in a special session today (Monday, February 12), and the MEC unanimously approved to release the tentative agreement for membership ratification.

The JNC will be publishing a comprehensive summary of agreement tomorrow and full text language to follow by end of week. However, we know everyone is eagerly anticipating more details, so…we’re going to give you a sneak preview to tide you over until tomorrow’s summary of agreement.

Spoiler Alert: Pay Raises for Everyone!

If the Merger Agreement is ratified:

  • The entire Alaska pay scale will receive an across the board 4.5% increase to every step rate of pay;
  • “Legacy” Virgin America Flight Attendants will be immediately brought up to the Alaska pay scale (converted from $/TFP to $/block-hour); and
  • The new pay rates will be retroactive to January 1, 2018.

More details to follow tomorrow…

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

 

The roadshow schedule may be found in the ”Save the Date: Tentative Merger Agreement Roadshows” membership release. AFA anticipates voting will open shortly after the completion of roadshows in mid-March and will end in early April. Any pmAS or pmVX FAs are welcome to attend any and all sessions. Please be aware that only AFA members in good standing may vote on the TA, so it is extremely important that pmAS FAs are current on their dues and pmVX FAs have completed an AFA membership application prior to the vote.

Merger Negotiations Update – Tentative Merger Agreement Reached

The AFA Alaska-Virgin America Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) just reached a tentative Merger Agreement with Alaska Airlines management during our twelfth negotiations session this week in Seattle, WA.

A tentative agreement is not released for a membership-wide vote until approved by your directly elected union leaders in the Master Executive Council (MEC). The JNC will be presenting the full text tentative Merger Agreement to the MEC on Monday, February 12.

No information about the Merger Agreement will be released until after the MEC has reached a decision whether or not to release the tentative agreement for ratification. Assuming the MEC approves the Merger Agreement, the JNC will conduct informational roadshows around the system in early March.

More updates to follow pending the outcome of the Special MEC meeting on Monday!

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

 

Keep in mind that merger negotiations are a different process than regular negotiations. Discussions are focusing on a limited list of Flight Attendant priorities. All the provisions in the AFA Alaska contract (scheduled pay raises, etc.) will continue in force for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants; all the provisions in the Virgin America work rules will remain in effect for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants unless modified and/or superseded by the AFA Virgin America letters of agreement.

 

Save the Date: Tentative Merger Agreement Roadshows

As mentioned in the previous merger negotiations update, the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) is scheduled to meet in Seattle the entire week this coming week (February 5-9) as a final push towards completing a Tentative Merger Agreement. The JNC is pleased to report that we are confident we will be able to close out the remaining open items this week.

The JNC is planning to present the comprehensive full text agreement to the Master Executive Council (MEC) on Monday, February 12. If the MEC votes to release the tentative agreement (TA) for membership ratification, then the TA will go out for a vote. AFA would not normally publish a contract roadshow schedule at this point in the process, but pre-merger Virgin America (pmVX) Flight Attendants are bidding for March right now and pre-merger Alaska Airlines (pmAS) Flight Attendants will be bidding for March shortly. Consequently, the MEC is supportive of releasing a proposed roadshow schedule prior to the formal presentation of the full text TA by the JNC to the MEC.

To recap, the proposed roadshow schedule is based on these assumptions:

  1. The JNC will finalize all provisions with management and the parties will complete a comprehensive full text TA prior to the JNC’s presentation to the MEC, and
  2. The MEC approves the TA for membership ratification.

*** The following proposed roadshow schedule is subject to change or cancellation if the above conditions are not met. ***

Morning: 9 am – Noon, Afternoon: 1 pm – 4 pm (All times local.)

Tu 3/6 – ANC – Morning & Afternoon

Th 3/8 – SEA 1 – Morning & Afternoon

F 3/9 – PDX – Morning & Afternoon

Sa 3/10 – SEA 2 – Morning & Afternoon

M 3/12 – SFO 1 – Morning & Afternoon

Tu 3/13 – SFO 2 – Morning & Afternoon

W 3/14 – LAX 1 (LAX) – Morning & Afternoon

Th 3/15 – LAX 2 (SNA) – Morning & Afternoon

F 3/16 – SAN – Morning & Afternoon

Any pmAS or pmVX FAs are welcome to attend any and all sessions. Please be aware that only AFA members in good standing may vote on the TA, so it is extremely important that pmAS FAs are current on their dues and pmVX FAs have completed an AFA membership application prior to the vote. We are anticipating that voting would open shortly after the completion of roadshows in mid-March and would end in early April.

More updates to follow pending the outcome of this week’s session!

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

Merger Negotiations Session #10 and #11 Update – January 2018 Part 2

The AFA Alaska-Virgin America Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) wrapped up our tenth merger negotiations session last week January 24-25 in Seattle, WA. We are now in our eleventh session this week and are currently meeting with management today (January 29) in Seattle.

Representing management: Vice President of Alaska Airlines and Virgin America Inflight & Call Center/Guest Services Jeff Butler (last week), Managing Director of Labor Relations Elizabeth Ryan, Virgin America Manager of Labor Emily Kimmel and Virgin America Supervisor of Crew Pay Peter Silberstein.

As mentioned in the prior merger negotiations update, the parties reached tentative agreement on several important comprehensive proposals the week before last. The parties continued to close out the remaining open items last week and our efforts resume this week. Based on progress in recent sessions, the JNC is comfortable reporting that we have made substantial progress towards achieving a comprehensive agreement.

Consistent with AFA’s policy, there is no comprehensive Tentative Agreement (TA) until all provisions have been finalized.  Once all items have been agreed between the union and the company, the JNC would then present a full text TA to the Master Executive Council (MEC) for approval. In turn, MEC approval consists of the MEC voting whether to release the TA for membership ratification.

Now that Alaska Airlines has achieved Single Operating Certificate (SOC), it is not surprising that Virgin America (VX) Flight Attendants are very concerned over not yet being brought up to the Alaska pay rates. AFA completely agrees that VX FAs should have been at the Alaska pay rates long before now. In fact, AFA advocated for full Alaska pay rates for VX FAs when AFA first achieved representation back in April 2017. (See the April 28, 2017 “[VX] Virgin America Flight Attendant Wage Increase” update for more information.) Be assured that AFA and management have been actively discussing our membership’s expectation that VX FAs receive equal pay.

The JNC is scheduled to meet in Seattle the entire week next week (February 5-9) as a final push towards completing a TA.

In Solidarity,

Your JNC – MEC President Jeffrey Peterson, Jennifer Wise MacColl, Jamie Cogen, Lindsey Steele and AFA Senior Staff Negotiator Paula Mastrangelo

 

Keep in mind that merger negotiations are a different process than regular negotiations. Discussions are focusing on a limited list of Flight Attendant priorities. All the provisions in the AFA Alaska contract (scheduled pay raises, etc.) will continue in force for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants; all the provisions in the Virgin America work rules will remain in effect for pre-merger Virgin America Flight Attendants unless modified and/or superseded by the AFA Virgin America letters of agreement.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

November 1 marks the beginning of Native American Heritage Month in the United States. Also known as National Native American Heritage Month, this celebration originated from efforts to recognize an American Indian Day in the early 20th century. In 1916, New York became the first state to officially proclaim American Indian Day following a declaration […]

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.

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