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    You are here: Home / Archives for Cornerstone

    AFA Update – April 20, 2020

    April 20, 2020 12:00

    In This Edition

    • Flight Attendant Addiction Support (FAAS) Program
    • Cornerstone App Replacement
    • Vacation While on a Staffing Adjustment Leave of Absence
    • AFA EAP Support Services – Week of April 20
    • Union Plus – Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program

    Flight Attendant Addiction Support (FAAS) Program

    Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

    The Flight Attendant Addiction Support Program (FAAS) is a program that allows Flight Attendants who deal with substance use problems and dependency the ability to obtain appropriate treatment without the threat of automatic termination.  The program is several years in the making and has been a joint effort between AFA Alaska EAP, AFA International EAP, and Alaska Airlines management.  The FAAS Program became available for use as of March 1, 2020 and is available to all non-probationary Flight Attendants. 

    Under the FAAS Program, there are three pathways for seeking support and treatment:

    1. Proactive Self-Referral
    2. Proactive Self-Disclosure/Reactive Self-Referral
    3. Violation of DOT regulations or Company Drug and Alcohol policy

    More information about these pathways, conditions for participation, effect on employment status, options for payment of treatment, and recovery support can be found in the FAAS Program Manual.  You can access the manual on the Inflight website under Administration > FA Addiction Support Program > FAAS Program Manual or on the IMD in GoodReader > ASFASupplemental > FAAS Program.

    Note: The MEC would like to thank MEC EAP Committee Chairperson Elizabeth Dillon, Vice Chairperson Jeanne McCleave, and SAN LEC Vice President/EAP Committee Chairperson Melanie Buker for their enduring efforts in seeing this program through to realization. 

    Questions?

    If you have any questions about the FAAS Program, please contact your Local EAP Committee.


    Cornerstone App Replacement

    Inflight Training Committee

    On March 30, management announced that the Cornerstone app would be replaced with the new Cornerstone Learn app.  The replacement of the Cornerstone app is a welcome announcement given the ongoing technical issues and challenges that the app has presented to our Flight Attendants.  Management has indicated that the new Cornerstone Learn app has greater reliability than the legacy Cornerstone app and should be easier for Flight Attendants to use.  Though AFA representatives have had the opportunity to briefly test the new app, there were several technical issues identified and we are skeptical that the new platform will resolve all of the outstanding issues that Flight Attendants experienced with the old app.

    Sync Your Training Before April 30

    In bulletin #2020-0024 (AAG sign-on required), published on March 30, management provided notification that the legacy Cornerstone app will no longer be supported after April 30.  If you have started or completed any training using the download feature in the legacy Cornerstone app, you must ensure that you sync the Cornerstone app on your IMD so that your progress is transferred to the new Cornerstone Learn platform.  You can find more information about how to sync in the bulletin under the “New Mobile Learning App” heading.

    Questions?

    If you have questions about the new Cornerstone Learn app or how to ensure that your training is synced in preparation for the transition, please contact Inflight Training management directly at inflight.training@alaskaair.com.


    Vacation While on a Staffing Adjustment Leave of Absence

    Master Executive Council (MEC)

    If you’re taking an upcoming staffing leave of absence and have vacation days that are scheduled during your leave, those vacation days will be removed from your roster and replaced with the coding for your leave of absence.  The MEC would like to ensure that you are aware of the options that you have to either move or be paid out for your vacation days, which are as follows:

    • Trade Your Days With Vacation Open Time.  Identify available days in vacation open time and email F/A Crew Pay (fa.crewpay@alaskaair.com) to let them know the days that you’d like to trade into.  F/A Crew Pay will process the change.  Vacation open time can be viewed on the Inflight website under Schedule & Bidding > Vacation Trading > Vacation Open Time.  The calendar will display the number of open slots on each day for your base.
    • Request That Your Vacation Be Paid Out Now.  If you would like your vacation to be paid out now, complete and submit a Vacation Payout Form.  The form is located on the Inflight website under Administration > Pay & Benefits > Vacation Payout Form.  As long as the form is submitted 7 or more days prior to pay day, your vacation will be paid out on your next available check.
    • Do Nothing and Be Paid Out Later. If you do not trade your vacation days or request that they be paid out now, they will be paid out automatically on February 5, 2021.

    Questions?

    If you have questions about any of the above options or need assistance, please contact your LEC Officers.


    AFA EAP Support Services – Week of April 20

    Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

    AFA EAP has put together several resources to help Flight Attendants manage their personal mental health and wellness during the COVID-19 outbreak.  All services are available in either a telephone or online format.  For a complete list of support services being offered, schedules for the week of April 20, and access information, please click here.

    Questions?

    If you have any questions about available EAP support services, please contact your Local EAP Committee.


    Union Plus – Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program

    AFA International

    Because of the current economic and health uncertainty facing many union members, students who enroll in the Union Plus Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program, in partnership with Central State University, in the summer 2020 term will complete their entire degree for free.

    There will be no out-of-pocket cost for tuition, fees, or e-books until graduation, not just the summer term. Students may enroll part-time, but continuous enrollment is required.  Students must complete the FAFSA and the financial aid process.

    Summer classes begin May 18, 2020.

    Unemployed, furloughed or laid off union members and their extended families are still eligible to enroll in the Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program.

    Questions?

    You can learn more by calling 888-897-9671 or get started online at https://bachelorsdegree.unionplus.org.

    Filed Under: Benefits Committee, EAP/Professional Standards Committee, Inflight Training Committee, Latest News, Master Executive Council (MEC) Tagged With: 2020, Cornerstone, FAAS, leave of absence, staffing adjustment, Union Plus, vacation

    [pmAS] Tracking Technical Issues with Cornerstone

    February 21, 2018 12:00

    This message is for pre-merger Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants

    AFA is receiving reports of increased issues related to the Cornerstone app and desktop portal.  If you are having difficulties with the system please take screenshots, log your time, contact the IT help desk for an IT ticket by email at its.service.desk@alaskaair.com or by phone at (877) 238-1077.  In addition, please report the issue to AFA at http://support.afaalaska.org/ so that the issue can be tracked.

    AFA and Alaska Airlines management have established a component of the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process to review documented IT concerns on a case-by-case basis.  This process allows us to work through these issues and ensure the concerns and limitations of the system are being resolved by management in a timely manner.

    In Solidarity,

    Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

    Filed Under: Grievance Committee, Inflight Training Committee, Latest News Tagged With: 2018, ADR, alternate dispute resolution, Cornerstone, inflight training, IT issues

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    Latest news from our Negotiating Committee about Session 11 of contract negotiations, including a TA on LOA 5: Sick Family/Sick Child, discussion on Leaves of Absence, General - Association, and Training, and updates on current progress.
    Members of our Master Executive Council (MEC) and other AFA Representatives will attend the AFA Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting next week. The BOD meeting is where business affecting all AFA airlines is conducted. Your LEC President is your representative at the BOD meeting and will be voting on your behalf regarding the approval of the AFA International budget. If you have any questions about the BOD meeting, please contact your LEC President.
    As an AFA and CWA Member, you and/or certain eligible dependents have the opportunities for at least two different scholarships. An additional opportunity, the Union Plus Free College Benefit, offers the ability to earn a degree with no out of pocket expense for tuition, fees, and e-books. Check out the links below for eligibility requirements, application information, and other important details for each opportunity.
    Our AFA EAP/Professional Standards Committee (Members helping Members) seeks to assist Members, their families, and partners experiencing personal and work-related problems that could or are affecting their health and well-being on and off the job. Our EAP committee is a Union-sponsored support service provided by Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants, their families, and partners. EAP Peer Representatives are trained to provide three distinct but interrelated services: Assessment, Support, and Referral Services; Professional Standards; and Critical Incident Response.
    Our AFA Government Affairs Committee met with their representatives on Capitol Hill and urged them to pass the FAA Reauthorization Bill. This bill will improve aviation safety and conditions onboard the aircraft for flight crew and passengers. Top priorities discussed with Congress include cabin air safety, and stopping disruptive passenger abuse towards crew members and gate agents.
    Our AFA Reserve Committee Chairpersons met on Thursday, March 9 to discuss their ongoing program of work to represent and advocate for our Reserve Flight Attendants. The Committee also met with management to review a number of specific concerns that were brought forward by Flight Attendants. Your Local Reserve Committee is available to answer questions, provide clarification, or help to resolve any reserve related issues. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

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