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EAP/Professional Standards Committee News – March 2023

EAP/Professional Standards Committee

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.

AFA EAP is a confidential resource available to Members, demonstrating care and concern for its Members individually and collectively.

EAP/Professional Standards Committee Chairpersons

ANCBonnie Waltersanc.eap.chair@afaalaska.org(907) 230-7208
LAXJeanne McCleave  lax.eap.chair@afaalaska.org(949) 922-1606
PDXContesa Nicolaidis  pdx.eap.chair@afaalaska.org(503) 970-6873
SANMelanie Buker   san.eap.chair@afaalaska.org(208) 890-1849
SEAAndrea Koricansea.eap.chair@afaalaska.org(206) 419-2637  
SFOZarah Cummings  sfo.eap.chair@afaalaska.org(925) 577-5733
MECElizabeth Dillon (Chairperson)
Lisa Haugen (Vice Chairperson)		eap@afaalaska.org(949) 470-0493 

DID YOU KNOW: There’s a New Program Called FAAS?

What is FAAS?

FAAS stands for Flight Attendant Addiction Support. It’s a new assistance program developed and run jointly by AFA EAP and management. Any non-probationary Flight Attendant is eligible to use the program.

What does FAAS offer?

  • FAAS is structured to encourage Flight Attendants to seek help before on-the-job misconduct occurs.
  • Those who self-disclose to the company before a work-related performance issue occurs will have access to 30 days of residential treatment at a facility fully paid for by the company,  whether you have Kaiser Insurance, Premera Blue Cross/Blue Shield, or NO Insurance.
  • AFA EAP and your Base Director/Manager will be part of your recovery support team during the treatment period.
  • Should a Flight Attendant’s substance use progress to the point that they show up at work under the influence, the Flight Attendant will have access to company-funded treatment IF the Flight Attendant self-discloses before boarding the first flight of the day and before a reasonable suspicion test is requested. 
  • Should a Flight Attendant’s on-the-job impairment result in a test positive, a pathway to return to flying for Alaska has been developed under the FAAS program following their separation.
  • FAAS is also designed to encourage co-workers to feel comfortable approaching or identifying a Flight Attendant whose impairment risks flight safety. Under FAAS, only the struggling Flight Attendant can jeopardize their job by failing to self-disclose before boarding their first flight of the day or before being identified for testing. Even then, the Flight Attendant will have a pathway for reinstatement.

Does FAAS replace AFA EAP or the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP)?

No. AFA EAP/FADAP offers confidential assistance without company knowledge or involvement.  AFA EAP can confidentially help you decide which of these assistance programs is best for you and your work circumstances.  Unlike FAAS, AFA EAP can also work with probationary Flight Attendants and their family members.  Don’t hesitate to call any of your EAP Committee Members in a safe, confidential setting.

FADAP Contact Information

https://www.fadap.org 
Phone: (855) 33-FADAP / (855) 333-2327
Direct Line: (202) 355-6337

Did You Know: Wings of Sobriety Telephonic Meetings

Meetings are open to all Flight Attendants exploring their need for or seeking recovery from substance use disorders. Meeting times are scheduled every Wednesday at 12 PM Pacific time and Sunday at 2 PM Pacific time. Meetings generally last between 45 minutes and 1 hour. The conference call number to join is (855) 544-2320.

AFA Update – April 20, 2020

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.

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska Committee Chairperson & Representatives

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Meet Our Merged MEC Committee Chairpersons & Representatives

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Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – October 2025

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Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of pre-merger Alaska MEC Committee positions to be elected for the upcoming MEC Officer term. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful […]

Merged MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the next group of merged MEC Committee Chairpersons and Representatives. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidates have been elected: MEC Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee […]

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