EAP – Page 3

Council 35 News – August 2020

August 31, 2020 11:37

Important Dates Coming Up

Hawaii Travel Declaration Forms (online only): September 1
2021 Vacation Bidding Opens: September 4

Payroll Support Program Extension

Although Congress has technically recessed for now, work to extend the Payroll Support Program (PSP) continues in earnest during the recess. If PSP were to be extended at any point and involuntary furloughs subsequently prohibited, AFA and management would meet and confer over any necessary changes to furlough mitigations and involuntary furloughs pursuant to the October 2020 Involuntary Furlough Mitigations Letter of Agreement. Realistically, that would likely lead to discussion regarding voluntary leave programs similar to those offered over the last five months. Want to help ensure PSP continues? Volunteers for the AFA phone bank are needed! Please contact your Council 35 officers for more information.

IVF in SFO

With 119 Flight Attendants involuntarily furloughed (IVF), SFO is second behind SEA in the number of FAs affected by the IVF. However SFO is the largest Alaska base to have been relocated to a new domicile. On behalf of your Council 35 officers, we are sad to see you go. Please reach out if you have any questions or need support while adjusting to the change and moving to a new base. To ensure you get all the AFA information you need for your new base, it is recommended that FAs update their newsletter preference online.

California Wildfires

Our hearts go out to SFO Flight Attendants that have been impacted by the California Wildfires. For support and more information please refer to the August 22 communication. SFO EAP is available to support those affected by the Wildfires: eap.sfo@afaalaska.org. If you wish to donate to those affected or would like to apply for financial assistance, please visit:

No OAL Travel on Leave

As reported in the July 2020 Newsletter, AFA has been advocating for employee use of OAL travel benefits during one of the many staffing leaves. Unfortunately your Council 35 officers are sorry to report that AFA was not successful in persuading the company to reconsider their position on OAL travel.

Stay Informed

Although Flight Attendants are not required to read company emails and bulletins while on leave, it is recommended that FAs keep current with all the latest information while on leave during this time of constant change. Additionally it’s important to ensure the personal email address on file with AFA is up-to-date. To change your contact information, please visit the AFA website to update email and/or mailing address.

Membership Dues While on Leave

As a reminder, Article II.C.1.b of the AFA Constitution & Bylaws require that AFA dues continue to be paid during any leave of absence less than 90 days. If you currently pay your dues through payroll deduction, dues payments will continue to be deducted as long as you continue to receive a paycheck with sufficient funds for all other payroll deductions plus your AFA dues. If you are no longer receiving a paycheck or your paycheck does not cover all of your payroll deductions, AFA dues will not be deducted and you will instead receive an invoice from AFA International Membership Services. Members can pay dues online or submit invoice payment via mail. Please contact membership services for specific account information.

EAP is Here to Help

These are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that the SFO Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. For help, please contact sfo.eap@afaalaska.org.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

Using a personal email address, the preferred methods of contact are:

Open an Online Support Request ticket
Officer group email sfo@afaalaska.org (if one officer is flying /unavailable other officers can respond)
Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 officers please avoid the following methods:

Sending to/from alaskaair email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)

Please allow at least one business day for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

Stay healthy and safe!

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

Melissa Osborne, LEC President • Melissa.osborne@afaalaska.org • 415-275-1322
Aladrian Hillmon, LEC Vice President • Aladrian.hillmon@afaalaska.org • 415-991-3791
James Ikehara, LEC Secretary • James.ikehara@afaalaska.org • 415-289-9011
Bradley Young, Council Representative • Bradley.young@afaalaska.org • 916-508-3503

State of California Wildfires

August 22, 2020 20:54

Bay Area California Wildfires

As if battling a pandemic isn’t enough to deal with this year, sadly many Flight Attendants have been impacted by the California Wildfires. If you are unable to report to work as scheduled, please reach out to a supervisor as soon as possible: SFO Village: 650.218.6810

The AFA-CWA Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to support those affected by the Wildfires: AFA Alaska EAP: 949.922.1606 or eap.sfo@afaalaska.org.

AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund

We know that disasters can change lives forever. While we can’t stop destructive events from happening, we can, as a Union, assist our members with their recovery. AFA established the Disaster Relief Fund after September 11th to assist our members whose lives were placed in harms way. AFA members and retirees, whose primary residence is in the affected counties and who have suffered damage and/or dislocation, are eligible for $200.00 from the AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Fund. It is a gift made possible by the generosity of your fellow union sisters and brothers with AFA.

If you would like to apply for assistance, visit the AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Funds website and download the Disaster Relief Fund Application and submit via:

Mail: AFA-CWA EAP Department, 6th Floor, 501 Third Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001-2797
Email: lfoster@afanet.org
Phone: 1.800.424.2406
Fax: AFA EAP Department at 202.434.1411

If you wish to make a contribution either by check or electronic payment, please visit AFA-CWA Disaster Relief Funds website for more information on donating.

Stay safe and healthy!

Your Council 35 Officers,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

Council 35 News – July 2020

July 30, 2020 14:13

Service Survey: Participation Needed!

AFA recently published a survey for Flight Attendants to give feedback on the current service. Many members have expressed their concern with the safety of the increased service levels amidst the COVID19 outbreak. Please take a moment to complete the survey! Additionally your Council 35 officers strongly recommend FAs file a report (FAIR) regarding passenger mask removal onboard.

OAL Travel on Leave

Council 35 officers have received many messages from concerned members about the loss of other airline (OAL) ZED travel while on leave coming up in October. Policy surrounding OAL travel is determined by the participating airline. ZED agreements require that to be eligible for travel, employees must be active. For an employee to be active, they need to be on payroll, or have a pay event in order to remain active for a given month. The leaves offered as furlough mitigation leaves are unpaid and FAs that are on these leaves are not considered active employees. AFA has discussed this concern with management, and have requested that options be considered to allow employees to remain eligible for OAL. Please stay tuned for progress on this request.

Rumor Control: Avoiding IV

There is a rumor that suggests that applying for a leave will alleviate any risk of involuntary furlough (IVF). Unfortunately this is not true. If an FA’s seniority number is in the furlough “zone” there is no action an FA can take that would prevent furlough from happening. The MEC has published multiple communications on what FAs can do to avoid furloughs at Alaska, which encourages FAs to reach out to Congress to vote in favor of additional support for airline employees.

Staffing Leaves and Coordination

Another misconception about leaves is that cashing out vacation or sick bank hours will allow an FA to “coordinate” to keep the FA on payroll and active while on a staffing leave. The furlough mitigation leaves are unpaid, and FAs will not be able to cash out any days when on one of the upcoming staffing leaves.

Stay Informed

Membership Dues While on Leave

EAP is Here to Help

With Warn Notices and leave bid awards coming soon, these are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that the SFO Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. For help, please contact sfo.eap@afaalaska.org.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

Using a personal email address, the preferred methods of contact are:

Open an Online Support Request ticket
Officer group email sfo@afaalaska.org (if one officer is flying /unavailable other officers can respond)
Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
Calls/text (if situation requires more urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 officers please avoid the following methods:

Sending to/from alaskaair email (subject to company audits and therefore not private)
Officer personal Facebook/social media accounts (not actively monitored for AFA concerns)
Excessively lengthy texts (please use email for important information as it’s easier to respond and forward to appropriate resource-texts should be reserved for alerts to an issue that requires a timely response)

Please allow at least one business day for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text).

Stay healthy and safe!

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

Early Out and Other Furlough Mitigation Options

July 10, 2020 20:00

Furlough mitigation resources

AFA has compiled the following furlough mitigation resources for easy reference.

Company resources (AAG SSO required)

All furlough mitigation options
- Alaska Flight Attendant early-out & leave options
- Compare all Flight Attendant furlough mitigation options (grid)
Early Out (EO)
- FA Early Out Program Guide (aka FA Early Out Plan Document)
- Early Out Q&A
Extended Leaves of Absence (ELOAs) and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs (EVFs)
- ELOAs and EVFs Q&A (aka Leaves Q&A)

AFA resources

Combined resources – “Early Out and Leave Options” informational sessions

Management is hosting and AFA will also be co-participating in upcoming “Early Out and Leave Options” informational sessions in which all furlough mitigations will be addressed: Early Outs, Extended Leaves of Absence and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs.

Available Sessions – An individual calendar invite has been sent by management for each event. Please join us if you have questions!

Tue 7/14 @ 12pm – 1pm PT

Thu 7/16 @ 4pm – 5pm PT

Tue 7/21 @ 2pm – 3pm PT

“The Numbers”

Everyone wants to know the target numbers for the Early Out program, Extended Leaves of Absence and Enhanced Voluntary Furloughs. The MEC shared that feedback with management prior to publication of yesterday’s email announcing the EOs and other furlough mitigation options. According to the Company’s Early out Q&A (AAG SSO required), management estimates needing approximately 600 Flight Attendants to take the Early Out.

In our June 5^th “A Message About Current Events, and Planning for the Future” communication, the MEC projected that Alaska Airlines will possibly need 35%-50% less Flight Attendants systemwide—at least temporarily—beginning on October 1. We now project the impact to be fairly significantly less, but the MEC cannot say more due to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). However, the MEC will continue to press management to be more forthcoming with projections as soon as possible.

Company Early Out

Management has now released the details of the Company Early Out program (AAG SSO required). As mentioned in the June 30^th edition of the AFA Update, AFA did not negotiate this Early Out package. AFA approached management back in March regarding our interest in negotiating an Early Out, but management declined our offer.

AFA’s assessment is that the Company’s EO package will not attain even close to the desired number of takers. Candidly, the Master Executive Council (MEC) is disappointed in the Company’s EO; we had hoped the Company’s EO would be more in line with industry leading Flight Attendant EOs like at Southwest Airlines. However, the EO will interest some Flight Attendants who were already considering retirement or who are interested in early retirement.

Involuntary Furlough (IVF) Mitigations

No lower line averages

Pursuant to §18.A [Involuntary Furlough Mitigation], AFA and management have been working on furlough mitigations over the past two weeks. After careful consideration and in consultation with industry experts, AFA has declined to lower the line averages or adjust the line value range. AFA already lowered the minimum domicile average line value from 78 TFP to 75 TFP in the 2014-2019 CBA, which allows individual lines to be built up to 10 TFP lower at 65 TFP. Our analysis is that the scale of anticipated reduced staffing is so great and the duration of lower lines so uncertain that these mitigations would be unacceptable to the majority and seen as a concession.

October 2020 Furlough Mitigations Letter of Agreement

Click here for the October 2020 Furlough Mitigations Letter of Agreement >

Furlough mitigation enhancements and clarifications that are in addition to Extended Leaves of Absence and Voluntary Furlough provision in Section 18.A [Involuntary Furlough Mitigations]:

Extended Leaves of Absence of 12-month duration (ELOA-12) -> No change to contract
- COBRA-eligible for healthcare
- Regular 480 unpaid credit of 1.333 TFP per day
- Base guarantee
- See contract for additional details
“Enhanced” Voluntary Furloughs of 6-, 9-, 12- and 15-month durations (EVF-6, EVF-9, EVF-12 and EVF-15)
- Company-paid healthcare premiums
- Double 480 credit
- Base guarantee on EVF-6 & EVF-9 (contractual voluntary furloughs have no base guarantee)
- No base guarantee on EVF-12 or EVF-15 unless recalled June 2021 or earlier
Productivity Premium Program eligibility on ELOA & EVFs (and on IVF via separate email acknowledgement from management)
Recall procedures
- Order of recall clarified: IVF followed by EVF (followed by ELOAs requested but not required)
- “Live” recall or bypass form
- Full-time student bypass for the remainder of the term while on ELOA, EVF or IVF (proof of enrollment in accredited college or university required)
Staffing Adjustment Leaves (SALs) -> Enhancement to §15.B [Staffing Adjustment…]
- Offered one month at a time (in order to avoid the perception of seniority violations) but may be awarded consecutively
- Double 480 credit
- Company-paid healthcare premiums
FAs on involuntary furlough may choose to remain current by attending regulatory training (RT/RQ)
- Company-paid healthcare premiums during the month of training
- Out of domicile provisions if FA is required to take training out of domicile (e.g. SANFAs)
- Positive space Company Business travel provided to and from domicile if required
Unemployment insurance (UI)
- Company will not contest UI
- Company will provide support letter to the FA
“Reconvene clause” in case legislation (e.g. potential extension to the CARES Act) is subsequently passed that prevents IVFs

Reduction in Force 2020 Sideletter of Agreement

Click here for the Reduction in Force 2020 Sideletter of Agreement >

AFA and management recognized that references to “seniority” in §18.A [Involuntary Furlough Mitigations] and §18.K [Involuntary Furlough Seniority Retention] required clarification to reflect intent and established practice:

Occupational Seniority always accrues: FAs always receive scheduled pay increases and are not negatively impacted in bidding seniority or relative seniority while on any type of leave or furlough.
Company Seniority always accrues: FAs always receive scheduled vacation accrual increases and are not negatively impacted for non-rev seniority while on any type of leave or furlough.
Longevity: 401(k) vesting and retirement eligibility are ‘frozen’ (i.e. retained but not accrued) while on certain types of leave or while on furlough.

The parties clarified the procedures for returning from an Extended Leave of Absence under §18.A:

Domicile protection while on ELOA and recall in Occupational Seniority order

The parties will allow Flight Attendants to conduct Union Business (UB) or Company Business (CB) while on a voluntary furlough under §27.AA [Union Business and/or Company Business…]:

Flight Attendants who routinely conduct UB and/or CB work may be potentially willing to take voluntary furloughs, and this provision would allow them to do so while continuing to provide necessary services to the Company and/or to the Association.
Examples: Inflight Training Instructors, Special Project work Flight Attendants and union reps

Tell Congress: Extend the CARES Act

If not enough Flight Attendants voluntarily take the Early Out, Extended Leave of Absence or Enhanced Voluntary Furlough, then at least some of our sisters and brothers will be involuntarily furloughed starting in October. Consequently, it is vitally important that each and every one of you help AFA-CWA, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 achieve a six-month extension to the CARES Act in order to protect Flight Attendant jobs. Tell Congress to keep our industry intact by extending the CARES Act!

These are extremely difficult and stressful times. Please remember that your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee is always available as a support resource. As your direct representative on the MEC, your LEC president is available to answer questions or concerns that you may have about all the information presented here. Contact information for your respective LEC president can be found by clicking here. We hope to see you at one of the upcoming “Early Out and Leave Options” informational sessions on 7/14, 7/16 or 7/21!

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Matt Cook, Terry Taylor, Steve Maller, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green and Brice McGee

AFA Update – July 2, 2020

July 2, 2020 12:00

In This Edition

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program
Substance Use During COVID-19 Pandemic
Vanguard Retirement Webinar—Coming Soon
Union Plus Program Hardship Benefits
Updated Board of Directors Information
The Dues Pie Chart – Where Do My Dues Go?

Tell Congress: Extend the Payroll Support Program

AFA International

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556 are calling for a six-month aviation Payroll Support Program (PSP) extension through March 31, 2021, to protect our jobs, extend the restrictions on stock buybacks, dividends, and executive compensation, and maintain service to all of our communities. Tell Congress to keep our industry intact to ensure aviation can help fight the virus and contribute to economic recovery as opposed to adding to an economic depression.

Amplify Your Voice With a Call

In addition to sending a letter, you can amplify your voice by following up with a phone call to your Members of Congress. Call your Representative and Senators and say:

Hello, I am a constituent calling to ask [Representative]/[Senator] to help save my job as an essential worker. Take legislative action in July to extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program for aviation workers in order to avoid massive job loss in October. Keep us connected to our jobs, our paychecks, and our healthcare. Thank you for your urgent attention to this.

AFA COVID Relief House – (888) 907-9365
AFA COVID Relief Senate – (888) 848-4824

Substance Use During COVID-19 Pandemic

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)/Professional Standards Committee

Historically, crisis events tend to trigger increased drug and alcohol abuse. Post 9/11, for example, the National Institutes of Health raised concerns about increased substance use by those impacted by the tragedy. Meanwhile, after Hurricane Katrina, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that hospitalization for alcohol use disorders rose by 35 percent in New Orleans. Experts fear that we will see similar trends this time, but on a national scale. People frequently self-medicate with drugs and alcohol to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety. Uncertainty about the future, loneliness, lack of routine, economic dislocation, job loss and fear of death by disease, can all be triggers for those who are vulnerable to substance abuse, including those in recovery – even after long periods of abstinence. Meanwhile, stay-at-home orders in effect for COVID-19, limit access to support systems such as friends, neighbors, therapists, church, family and recovery groups. Early indications aren’t good. Researchers are seeing spikes in alcohol sales, marijuana use, and anti-anxiety and pain medication prescriptions.

If you are concerned about substance abuse for yourself, a family member or flying partner, now is the perfect time to consider treatment, especially if you are on a voluntary leave. Your AFA EAP Committee can discuss and coordinate all treatment options while maintaining your right to privacy. If you are getting ready to return from a leave and would like to discuss preventing safety risk associated with drug and alcohol testing violations, contact your AFA EAP Committee for a confidential conversation. Contact information for your Local EAP Committee can be found at afaalaska.org/eap.

Vanguard Retirement Webinar—Coming Soon

Retirement Committee

As the company will be offering early out packages, your AFA Retirement Committee, in conjunction with Vanguard, the company’s 401(k) plan administrator, will be conducting an online webinar to provide information and answer questions about the planning process for retirement. Meeting date, time, registration information, and information about how to submit questions in advance will be posted to the Retirement Committee page of the AFA Alaska website and communicated in an AFA update email once finalized.

Retirement Plan Resources

In addition to the upcoming retirement webinar, a list of retirement plan resources and links to these online tools can be found on the retirement resources page of Alaska’s World (AAG sign-on required).

Union Plus Program Hardship Benefits

AFA International

Many of the Union Plus programs, which are an AFA Member benefit, provide hardship benefits.

Members who currently have a Union Plus Mortgage, Credit Card, Personal Loan, or Supplemental Insurance programs may be eligible for additional hardship assistance through the Mortgage Assistance Program and Union Plus Hardship Help. The Union Plus Mortgage Assistance Program provides interest-free loans and a $1000 grant to help eligible members make mortgage payments when disabled, unemployed, furloughed, locked out or on strike.

Union Plus Credit Card holders are eligible for a $300 job loss grant if they have been laid-off or furloughed for 45 days or more due to COVID-19. The eligibility criteria and application process can be found at www.unionplus.org/hardship-help/union-plus-hardship-help-benefits.

The MetLife Legal program is making available additional resources including free consultation and document review and access to a self-help library so members can get questions answered and also review and complete Wills, Powers of Attorney, Healthcare Directives and similar documents for free through July 31, 2020. Additional info, including the instructions to reach the self-help document library, is available here: https://www.unionplus.org/blog/consumer-tips/free-legal-document-review-and-consultations-through-july-31-2020.

The Free College program is making available additional financial aid to students who may need additional assistance for education-related expenses due to COVID-19. Info on Free College is here: https://www.unionplusfreecollege.org.

Updated AFA Board of Directors Information

AFA International

The Board of Directors were scheduled to meet in-person during May 2020, but due to the pandemic conditions, that meeting was cancelled. The BOD met virtually via a Zoom Meeting on May 20, 2020. The purpose of this meeting was to address the 2020-2021 Proposed Annual Budget.

Visit the AFA International Board of Directors resource page for updated meeting documentation that includes the single Agenda Item (Annual AFA Budget), the four Resolutions that were considered and other useful material.

The Dues Pie Chart – Where Do My Dues Go?

AFA International

The Dues Pie Chart depicts where all funds at AFA are budgeted. About 80% of dues dollars are directly allocated to fund the work at each airline (i.e. Local Councils, Master Executive Councils, Negotiations, and System Board). The remaining budgets at the International Office support Government Affairs, Air Safety, EAP, and Communications Departments, each of which provides expert services that are Flight Attendant focused and provide resources for the local leaders and committees of Flight Attendants at each airline. 100% of our dues dollars are allocated to priorities that provide Flight Attendant representation.

There are four distinct areas where dues money is spent:

Local and Airline-Specific

Each base has a Local Executive Council (LEC) with elected Officers who provide direct representation and deal with local grievances and other issues. These Local Officers will answer your phone calls and make sure member interests are represented in front of management. For example, in the event of discipline or a contract violation, Local Officers will address the issue where it happened and work to get swift resolution. Additionally, elected Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers provide representation at the corporate level. At both the LEC and MEC, there are committees that solve problems in areas such as safety, schedules, hotels, grievances, etc. These committees also enforce the contract specific to their area of expertise, produce newsletters, and participate in union meetings. The role of your LEC and MEC Officers and committee representatives at each airline is to ensure you are represented by Flight Attendants who know your job because they share it with you at your airline. AFA promotes this autonomy at each airline where your representatives, assisted by experts, negotiate with management and develop and maintain the relationship between airline management and the Union.

Negotiations

Bargaining for pay and working conditions is one of the core representation activities performed by the Union. We start with a membership survey, schedule meetings with management, conduct caucuses with the committee, develop contractual language, support membership engagement and information programs, and we work with AFA-CWA professional negotiators throughout the process including all direct negotiations/mediation with management. The end result is improved contractual language with higher pay, better working conditions, and improved benefits.

System Board (Grievances)

The first step in any grievance is to try to resolve the matter locally. Some airlines have negotiated an alternative dispute process for a faster, collaborative resolution. If that fails, then the final stage for resolution, whether disciplinary or contractual, is an appeal to a neutral arbitrator. An AFA-CWA attorney will work with our Grievance Committee to present our case to the neutral arbitrator. We defend the contracts we negotiate.

International Office Support

While your LEC is the face of the Union to local management and the MEC to corporate management, the International Office is the public persona and brand of the Union. Our presence and name recognition can legislate or improve federal regulations, remove obstacles from the bargaining table, better our position in negotiations and improve our experience on the job across the profession. The International Office maintains the professional staff of attorneys, negotiators, and other personnel that provide administration, accounting and membership services to members and elected leaders. We all work together to support the programs that encompasses our profession.

Questions?

If you have questions about AFA dues, please contact your LEC President.

Early Out and Other Furlough Mitigation Options