AFA advocated very hard on your behalf in regard to the recent changes to the sleeping while in uniform policy. Collectively we were successful in getting management to reconsider the policy. Inflight just published Bulletin #2015-0272 “Sleeping While in Uniform” that establishes a much-improved policy.

The bulletin outlines that a flight attendant “may not nest in any public area where customers gather at (a) terminal”, which “includes laying down on (the) floor or on seats inside public areas of (a) terminal” (sic). Essentially this means we may use our discretion to close our eyes as long as we’re not lying down.

Of course a flight attendant may never sleep or give the appearance of sleeping while in uniform when customers are present on the aircraft—except when assigned a customer seat such as when deadheading or commuting.

The bulletin contains an additional clarification that break rooms are acceptable locations even though they may not be appropriate sleep locations for other work groups.

The Master Executive Council (MEC) sincerely thanks Alaska Airlines management for developing a more sensible sleeping policy for the flight attendants. We also thank our members for their resolute support in getting the policy reconsidered!

In solidarity,

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow and Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC ASHSC Chairperson Seth Heiple