Council 35

Council 35 News – October 2022

November 10, 2022 22:23

Important Dates
November 15: APFA Day of Action
November 16: Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Ends
December 12: C35 Membership Meeting

Holiday Bidding Tips

by Virginia Fritz, Council 35 Vice President

This holiday you may not hold your first choice in pairings and days off that you may desire at your seniority but that doesn’t mean you cannot try! There are many creative ways to bid in the holiday season that can set up your bid to ensure that if you have to work a date you do not desire, you are at least still asking for the kinds of pairings you do! The company forces coverage on Pairing and Reserve lines alike to ensure that the operation is covered and in holiday months this usually goes higher than normal in the seniority list.

Please see the attached document in regards to NAVBLUE holiday coverage and bidding examples.

Holiday Coverage and Bidding Examples 2022 (AAG SSO required) >

If you still need additional assistance, please contact the AFA Joint PBS Committee which is a team of flight attendants appointed by the MEC to specifically assist with any Navblue PBS questions. pbs.qa@alaskaair.com

Attend a Health Benefits Team Drop-In Session

The Health Benefits team is available to answer questions and help you navigate Annual Benefits Enrollment. Join our drop-in sessions via Microsoft Teams between November 1st and November 15th on the following days and times (PT):

Tuesdays : Nov. 8, Nov. 15
9 :00 a.m. Link to join
5:00 p.m. Link to join
Thursdays : Nov. 10
7 :00 a.m. Link to join
3:00 p.m. Link to join

November 15: APFA Day of Action

Please come out and support American Airlines APFA Flight Attendants for a day of action to bring awareness to ongoing contract negotiations:

Date: November 15, 2022
Time: 1100-1300

Feel free to register for an event at an airport near you! Uniforms are encouraged.

Save the Date: Council 35 Membership Meeting

The next membership meeting for Council 35 members will be Thursday, December 12, 2022 at 1100 via Zoom. The purpose will be to discuss news and events happening in SFO. The meeting is open to all Council 35 (SFO) members in good standing (up-to-date on dues). Agenda, time and registration details will be sent in a separate communication.

Hotel Committee Update

by Cassie Dole, Council 35 Hotel Chair

With the holidays approaching please be ready for any hotel issues that may arise from the busy travel season. Here are a few tips to remember:

Crewcare should be used to write up any hotel or transportation issues
Call scheduling if hotel rooms aren’t available after 15 minutes of arrival
After inspecting your hotel room, close and lock your door immediately to prevent any employee from walking in unannounced
Be mindful of your surroundings when out and about on layovers.

Questions or concerns regarding hotel issues can be directed to the C35 Hotel Chair, Cassie Dole.

Reserve Reminders

by the SFO Reserve Committee
Reserve committee members have noticed recently that there might be some confusion about how line holders are paid when picking up Reserves days. Lineholders get a daily TFP of 5 TFP instead of how reserves are paid for a monthly guarantee of 90 TFP which is 5 TFP a day.

Example:

If a line holder picked up a 2 day block of Reserve days and the first day they sat and the second day they worked an ANC turn they would be paid 5TFP for the day they sat and then 8TFP for the ANC turn they worked.

For reference please review JCBA§11.G.4. For additional questions on reserve issues, please reach out to the Reserve Committee.

Council 35 Committee Openings

Committee member openings in the following committees:

Government Affairs (chair)

Human Rights (chair)

Air Safety Health & Security (member x2)

Members interested in these positions may submit a letter of interest to sfo@afaalaska.org.

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, Virginia, James and Brad

Melissa Osborne, LEC President •  melissa.osborne@afaalaska.org • 415-275-1322
Virginia Fritz, LEC Vice President •  virginia.fritz@afaalaska.org • 408.489.8200
James Ikehara, LEC Secretary •  James.ikehara@afaalaska.org • 415-289-9011
Bradley Young, Council Representative • bradley.young@afaalaska.org • 916-508-3503

Council 35 News – September 2022

October 5, 2022 20:22

Important Dates
September 30: Q3 CBT Due Today!
October 03: Vacation 2023 Bidding Round 2 Opens
October 10: NGP Benefits Enrollment Opens
October 18: Vacation 2023 Bidding Round 2 Closes
October 25: Vacation 2023 Bidding Round 2 Awards
October 27: Vacation 2023 Trading Opens

SFO ISC Update

by Raymond Ramirez, C35 ISC Chair
The Inflight Service Committee met with management at their quarterly meeting on September 21, 2022. The addition of the third cart on PLH flights is on management’s radar, but the ISC continues to advocate against this service. The lack of trash stowage, not enough supplies for three services, and long bathroom lines are the biggest concerns that have been brought forward. ISC’s goal is to work with the company to reach mutually agreeable solutions with the work group. Please continue to use Block2Block, FAIRs and ASAP to write up trash stowage concerns, flights loaded without empty carts in the AFT galley, and when supplies run out during cart service. Also, certain stations are implementing single door catering, potentially causing delays with boarding. Always notify CSAs that boarding cannot begin until the caterers finish blocking the aisle, and if it causes a delay it needs to be written as an FAIR and a safety hazard report. Other items that were brought to management’s attention include a time zone glitch on Block2Block when working Mexico flights, feedback regarding the main cabin menus needing a link to AlaskaReceipts.com for passengers, and reworking the menu layout to help avoid confusing pre order fresh food for picnic packs/retail snacks.

Supplemental Insurance Open Enrollment

from the Benefits Committee

National Group Protection (NGP) announces the open enrollment period for supplemental benefit plans for AFA members at Alaska Airlines.

NGP offers services to include:

Accident Insurance
Hospital Indemnity
Critical Illness Coverage
Whole Life Insurance

NGP offers the following options:

Supplemental – these plans supplement any existing coverage
Voluntary – members choose to participate
Limited Underwriting – no medical or physical exams required
Family Coverage – available with all of the plans
Portable – members can continue coverage if they leave the company
Payroll Deduction – premiums are paid through payroll deduction

The Virtual Enrollment for Alaska AFA members is open from October 10-31, 2022.

New Bus Service from Hayward and Castro Valley to SFO

Go>SFO Shuttle is a new commuter bus for all workers at SFO, serving Hayward and Castro Valley. Please review the info bulletin for route schedules and details.

Participation Request from SFO Airport

by FlySFO
The SFO airport has convened an Employee Safety Task Force, and we want to hear your ideas and suggestions so we can continue to enhance safety measures at the Airport. We are seeking your input as we continue to better understand how you feel about safety and security, as well as the possibility of implementing a Chaperon Program. Therefore, your survey participation is valuable. Please complete the Safety and Security Survey, by 1700 Wednesday, October 5, 2022. For questions, please contact Ralf Ruckelshausen at Ralf.Ruckelshausen@flysfo.com.

Negotiations Update

Stay updated on the progress of negotiations by visiting the Negotiations subsite, which can be found on the AFA Alaska website. Want to get involved? It’s not too late! Council 35 is looking for Mobilization Committee members to support Section 6 Negotiations in SFO. Please reach out to Trista Vanta, the C35 Mobilization Committee chair and/or fill out the online request form to participate in events.

Bernstein v. Virgin America Lawsuit Updates

A member of the Alaska legal team will be hosting CA base sits for September and October to answer Flight Attendant questions. Flight Attendants who take advantage of this opportunity are strongly encouraged to visit the Bernstein v. Virgin America subsite, on the plaintiff’s attorney webpage. This will provide for a well balanced viewpoint of the issue.

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, Virginia, James and Brad

Council 35 News – August 2022

September 1, 2022 21:39

Important Dates
September 1: Vacation Bidding Round 1 Begins
September 19: Vacation Bidding Round 1 Closes
September 26: Vacation Bidding Round 1 Awards
September 30: Q3 CBT Due

Ticket System Back up and Running!

We are pleased to report that the AFA Alaska Online Support Center (support.afaalaska.org) is now back online and fully operational. AFA representatives have started the process of reviewing outstanding tickets that were filed prior to the outage occurring last Thursday, August 18. If you filed a ticket prior to August 18th or after the system came back online today, your patience is greatly appreciated as our AFA volunteers begin to work through the backlog.

Section 6 Negotiations

September is here and Section 6 Negotiations for Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants are scheduled to formally begin! Thank you everyone for sending the Negotiations Committee your ideas and for filling out the survey. Member input is invaluable and guides the committee to prioritize needs. Please bookmark the Negotiations subsite, which can be found on the AFA Alaska website, to stay updated on the progress of negotiations. Want to get involved? It’s not too late! Council 35 is looking for Mobilization Committee members to support Section 6 Negotiations in SFO. Please reach out to Trista Vanta, the C35 Mobilization Committee chair and/or fill out the online request form to participate in events.

Bernstein v. Virgin America Lawsuit

For months now Council 35 officers have been asking the company for updates on possible compliance solutions to the California meal and rest break law. Alaska maintains that the decision is forthcoming however will not commit to any possible scenarios. Your Council 35 officers have made it clear that the delay in communicating to Flight Attendants has created a high level of anxiety in all of us, but especially with CA-based Flight Attendants. The company has recently communicated that they will host California base sits. A member of the Alaska legal team will be available to answer Flight Attendant questions, however it is unclear whether or not any new and/or helpful information will be offered. Flight Attendants are encouraged to visit the Bernstein v. Virgin America subsite on the plaintiff’s attorney webpage to balance all information and get perspective on both sides of the issue.

Hotel Committee Update

by Cassie Dole, C35 Hotel Committee Chair
The Hotel Committee committee is working through issues with rooms not being available when crew members arrive at a hotel and having to wait, sometimes for an extended period of time. It is important that Flight Attendants call Crew Scheduling upon arrival if rooms are not ready and then again when provided with a room. Management has been providing additional compensation for documented wait times of one hour or longer. If you’ve had an unacceptable or substandard experience with a layover hotel or ground transportation provider, please report the issue! Our AFA Hotel Committee receives a copy of every CrewCare report filed and each one is read and reviewed. Please follow up by documenting with a CrewCare report using the web app on your IMD home screen or by clicking here.

Participation Request: Human Rights and Uniform Surveys

by AFA International
The Human Rights and Uniform Committees want to hear more from Flight Attendants! To better know what Flight Attendants need and what can be done to fight for FA rights, please take two important surveys:

Human Rights and Equity Committee Survey

Uniform and Gender Expression Survey

Interested in joining the Human Rights Committee? We have openings! Please email your Council 35 officers to set up a time to discuss this opportunity.

No Stock Buybacks in Aviation Until Problems are Fixed!

by AFA International
COVID relief legislation temporarily prohibited airlines from using stock buybacks that enrich executives and big investors on the backs of workers and consumers. But those prohibitions end on September 30. Now is not the time to start sending cash to Wall Street when the airlines can’t yet meet public demand or manage effectively through operational challenges. Airline workers have had contract negotiations on hold for years – delaying raises and improving working conditions needed to keep skilled workers on the job and attract new applicants.

We call on all airline CEOs to extend the COVID relief ban on stock buybacks until:

operational meltdowns are not the norm
staffing and flight schedules are aligned to support public demand
labor contract negotiations are concluded.

Stabilizing the industry must be CEOs #1 priority. Not $1 in stock buybacks until this is achieved. Join the fight and take action by signing the petition.

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, Virginia, James and Brad

Council 35 News – July 2022

July 31, 2022 19:46

Important Dates

August 1: Deadline for Mileage Bonus

August 2: Deadline for updating email address for AFA Negotiations Survey

August 3: AFA Negotiations Survey Launch

August 19: AFA Negotiations Survey Close

Alaska Airlines 90th Anniversary Bonus

As of today’s publication, approximately 25% of SFO Flight Attendants have not signed up to receive the 90th Anniversary Bonus. The deadline to receive the anniversary bonuses is 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. Please enter your Mileage Plan number into PeopleSoft and make your selection for either $90 to the Company Store or a $90 Yiftee gift card to take advantage of this offer. Miles can be used on other airlines and other travel perks! For more information visit Alaskasworld.

Your Personal Email Address for the Negotiations Survey

by James Ikehara, LEC Secretary
To ensure you receive an invitation to complete our Negotiations Survey, use this link to update your personal contact information directly with AFA Membership Services if you have recently changed your email address. Sign up with this link to receive AFA Alaska e-newsletters and stay in the loop with the latest negotiations news.

California COVID-19 Law: Action for Flight Attendants

The 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Effective February 19, 2022 – retroactive to January 1, 2022 was put in place to protect employees from COVID-19 absences. Management has taken a position that Flight Attendants are not eligible for these CA benefits, however AFA does not agree. Your Council 35 officers encourage all CA-based Flight Attendants that have COVID-19 related absences to file a wage claim with the state and/or report a labor law violation. AFA has received reports that some California-based F/As have had success filing a claim and potentially will be eligible for compensation if the claim is ultimately resolved in their favor.

Bernstein v. Virgin America

Many California based Flight Attendants are waiting anxiously to hear updates on Alaska’s decision regarding the Bernstein v. Virgin America lawsuit. It’s an understatement to say that Alaska caused a lot of stress to CA based F/As with their initial response to the Supreme Court’s decision to reject the case. To stay updated on what’s new and to hear “both sides of the story,” please be sure to bookmark the Bernstein v. Virgin America subsite created by the attorneys representing the class. For additional resources, Flight Attendants may also review the recent AFA Status Update from July 11.

COVID-19 Tests Provided by SFO International Airport

by James Ikehara, LEC Secretary
On August 2nd, the airport will partner with Safeway to provide 8 COVID-19 Rapid AntigenTest Kits to each employee for free, if your health plan provides for direct coverage, or by reimbursement ($10.99) by your insurance company if you are charged for your test kits (Kaiser members will receive up to 4 test kits). Be sure to bring your employee badge and your insurance card. The morning distribution is scheduled from 0700-1000 at the SFO Maintenance Building #682, and the afternoon distribution is scheduled from 1200-1700 at the Video Art Exhibit Space, near aisle 6 of the International Terminal (pre-security departure level). You can pre-register using this link but walk-ins are also accepted.

Welcome Trista!

We are happy to announce that Trista Vanta has been selected as Mobilization Chair for Council 35! Trista will be coordinating mobilization efforts in SFO as we begin our negotiations this fall. Learn a little about Trista in her own words:

“Trista graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009 with a major in communication arts and a minor in biology. During college, she served as the webmaster Council officer of Filipino Americans Coming Together from 2006-2009, promoting and organizing events to uplift and engage action within the Filipino American community. She also played for VCU’s volleyball club team as the libero and defensive specialist.

After graduating, she pursued a career in scientific and medical illustration, working for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was 2011 when she decided to enter the aviation industry, inspired by her mom who’s worked for the industry since the 90s.

She briefly worked at Air Wisconsin for a little over a year before joining Virgin America in 2013, which became Alaska Airlines in 2016. She is passionate and dedicated to utilizing her past experiences and education to give our workgroup a fair, livable and safe workplace where we are provided with tools to thrive and advance our airline. She believes that unity within the workgroup will be the most valuable driving force in our upcoming negotiation. Her aim in this position is to promote enthusiasm, eagerness and Unity within our workforce to accomplish a common goal. She will strive to balance the interests of our overall workforce, line holders and reserves alike. After all, We are all in it together!”

Air Safety Health & Security Committee (ASHSC) Update

by Brad Young, Council Rep and ASHSC Chair

Meetings

Our AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairpersons met on Thursday, July 14th to discuss our 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.

Reports

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!

Trash Stowage

The Inflight Service Committee (ISC) and ASHSC have been working with Inflight and Catering to develop solutions for the ongoing lack of adequate trash stowage. Every departure now should have an empty cart in one of the galleys for trash. If you don’t have the required empty cart, submit both an ASAP and catering report. Catering reports are submitted via Block2Block. Please submit an ASAP & FAIR if, after following procedures and making every reasonable attempt to do so, you are unable to stow all trash in legal stowage locations. AFA continues to advocate for dedicated trash cart(s) on all flights.

Time In Motion Study

The ASHSC is coordinating with the Inflight Service Committee and Inflight on a program to assess how long it takes to perform safety and service duties on each aircraft type and flight profile. The goal is to understand what service can safely be completed in each market, and ensure we have adequate time allotted for safety duties like equipment checks and briefings.

Cabin Lighting

During Compliance Checks The ASHSC has been advocating for a brighter lighting setting prior to take off and landing compliance checks. We believe the company is willing to use our boarding light setting for compliance checks and expect the change to be implemented soon. The brighter lighting will help us see better as we complete our compliance checks and will provide a visual indicator to passengers that their attention is needed as we prepare the cabin for landing.

Committee Openings

Council 35 has committee member openings in the following committees:

Government Affairs (chair)

Human Rights (chair)

Air Safety Health & Security (member x2)

Members interested in these positions may submit a letter of interest to sfo@afaalaska.org.

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,

Council 35 Officers

Melissa Osborne, President

Virginia Fritz, Vice-President

James Ikehara, Secretary

Brad Young, Council Representative

Council 35 News – June 2022

July 1, 2022 23:11

Important Dates

June 30: Q2 CBT Due Today!

SFO KCM is Back!

Due to TSA staffing issues, the Terminal 2 Known Crewmember (KCM) entrance has returned to the D gates entrance, just past the restrooms. Important reminders for KCM card holders:

Only bring your own belongings through KCM checkpoint
No weapons allowed through KCM (should be an obvious one!)
No personal international travel

Violations of the KCM rules can result in suspension of privileges, not just for the offending FA but everyone! TSA has issued a warning to participating airlines that a recent increase in violations has prompted them to increase random checks and to have TSA inspectors present at checkpoints. Inspectors may ask cardholders questions about the program to ensure understanding and enforce compliance. Please be aware of the rules and give extra time to go through checkpoints. For more information visit the KCM website.

From the KCM website:

Crewmember’s can utilize the KCM® access points for both business and personal use except when on personal international travel. Crewmember’s on personal international travel must use a passenger-screening checkpoint. If international travel is included on any leg of an itinerary, the entire trip is considered international and KCM may not be used for access to the sterile area. Travel from the U.S. to a destination which does not require a passport (e.g., U.S. Virgin Islands) is not considered international travel.

Welcome to SFO!

Council 35 members, please give our newest Flight Attendants a warm welcome and be sure to show them all that we love about SFO! If you’re a new hire or transfer to SFO, please be sure to sign up to receive Council 35 newsletters, like this one, and be sure to save links to Council 35 committee resources for future reference.

Committee Openings

Committee member openings in the following committees:

Government Affairs (chair)

Human Rights (chair)

Members interested in these positions may submit a letter of interest to sfo@afaalaska.org

Scheduling Update

by Virginia Fritz, Council 35 Vice President-Elect and Scheduling Chair

August ORD Turns

Our AFA Pairing Analyst fights hard against management every month to advocate that we have ORD 4K turns built in our base. Unfortunately, Crew scheduling has requested they not be built as a turn in August because of historical issues causing delays over 14 hour duty days, thereby allowing FA’s to opt out and snowballing reserve usage. This means that we do not expect to have any 4K ORD turns in August. We will continue to advocate for their return.

SFO 3 day Redeyes

We’ve gotten a lot of feedback that the 3 day redeyes with 24 hour rest are not very popular and we frequently find them in our base. Many are awarded to Junior lineholders for coverage in PBS showing they are not very desirable. While we request that management attempt to build us 2 day “day sleep” Redeye Pairings the flight schedule does not always allow those to be legally built with the 10 hours necessary layover rest. We have found that the JFK schedule could allow some to be built and have asked for those flight numbers specifically to be built together when possible going forward. We have not been able to find a flight schedule on other city layovers that would allow that. Please reach out to the scheduling committee if you find specific flight examples that could create the desired 2 day Redeye pairings so that we can add those to our soft lock requests going forward!

Hotel Wait Times

Summer travel is upon us and we aren’t the only industry that is impacted. Hotels are selling out and management is sometimes finding itself scrambling to find us rooms. If your rooms are not ready when you are checking in please reach out to crew scheduling to let them know. Keep them updated with any changes and definitely let them know when you have finally been given a room. We have been successful in requesting compensation for Flight attendants who have had to wait more than an hour for their hotel rooms. Calling Crew Scheduling allows us to verify the time stamps in your delays and ensure we can fight to get you any compensation you may be due for the delay.

Council 35 Grievance Update: Six-Month Stats

The first half of 2022 has been the busiest 2 quarters since 2017! To date we have had 33 disciplines:

Oral Warnings: 13
Written Warning: 5
Suspension: 3
Terminations: 12

Compared to last year we have seen discipline rates more than double. Below is a summary of the issues that resulted in discipline YTD:

Issue Summary	#Cases
CBT	9
Job Abandonment*	5
Personal Conduct*	4
Commuter Violation	3
12+ Points*	2
Late to Plane/Delay	2
Delay	2
Uniform	1
Social Media	1
Sick Leave Abuse*	1
Reserve Out of Base*	1
Insubordination	1
Expired Leave of Absence*	1
Total	33

*termination

This also summarizes the number of grievances filed, as the Grievance Committee files grievances on all discipline issued.

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,

Council 35 Officers

Melissa Osborne, President
Virginia Fritz, Vice-President Elect
James Ikehara, Secretary
Brad Young, Council Representative

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

AFA Council 19 (SEA) Election Results

AFA Council 39 (PDX) Election Results

May 2023 MEC Meeting Recap

COVID-19 Grievance Mediation & Settlement

Mental Health Awareness Month

Response to the November 18th Inflight Town Hall Webcast

ALPA Alaska Approves Tentative Agreement for Pilot Ratification

Masks Are No Longer Required in Airports or Onboard

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