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Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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AFA Special Update – Negotiations

In This Edition (October 25, 2019)

  • Open Time Negotiations – October 22 Recap
  • Back to Book
  • Fixing Crew Access

Open Time Negotiations – October 22 Recap

Your AFA Alaska Negotiating Committee resumed Open Time negotiations with management on October 22 in Seattle. The Negotiating Committee started out the day with high hopes based on the progress we made in the prior session. Although the parties made their best effort to maintain our momentum, we were unable to break through to an agreement on the final terms and found ourselves at an impasse.

The AFA Negotiating Committee had a mandate from membership to preserve direct dropping into Open Time, eliminate trading codes, allow day-for-day or greater trading in Open Time and to address “super closing” of days. The parties discussed several variations of new and prior proposals, but management firmly believed that all of them would potentially create an unacceptable operational and financial liability for the Company.

Back to Book

Consequently, AFA and management agreed we will be going “Back to Book” as soon as possible. The current Open Time trading rules will remain in place until the Back to Book trading rules can be programmed into Crew Access. The Back to Book trading rules are outlined in the second Section 12 [Exchange of Sequences] of the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA), labeled Back to Book (BTB) Section 12. (Yes, there are two Section 12s.) The Back to Book trading rules are found under (BTB) Section 12.F [Trades with Open Time]. Those rules are further modified by the “Withholding Open Time Award” (No. 36-99-02-18-11), which is found at the back of the JCBA under Grievance 1.

Most Flight Attendants today were not flying at Alaska when those Open Time trading rules were last in effect, so naturally there are many questions. Be on the lookout for a future communication dedicated to Back to Book Open Time trading rules.  

Fixing Crew Access

Open Time trading is essentially ineffective without the real-time, stable trading system that management is obligated to provide. Your AFA Master Executive Council (MEC) had a very encouraging meeting with management and Ken Sain, President of Digital Solutions and Analytics for Boeing Global Services, and members of his team. Management will be communicating the details of that meeting.

Although the MEC is tentatively optimistic that the Crew Access issues are finally getting long-overdue attention by the right people, we’re not relying on sincere apologies and handshakes to get us there. You can help by sending a letter to management to fix Crew Access. It’s super easy—just click the link below.

>> Click here to send management your letter <<

We must stand together and speak with one overwhelmingly loud voice to ensure that management hears our message—that they need to honor their obligations and fix Crew Access NOW!

Coming Soon

Stay tuned for the following AFA negotiations special updates (order of release subject to change):

  • Block hours vs. TFP
  • Block or Better vs. Block Delay
  • Incentive Pay vs. Productivity Premium Program (PPP)
  • Inflight Team Leader (ITL) Pay vs. “A” Pay
  • Section 6 Negotiations Overview
  • Negotiating for Our Future
  • Back to Book Open Time Trading Rules

Wrapping Up Membership Engagement Focus Month: Stronger Together

July was a remarkable month for our Membership Engagement Committee. We set out with a clear purpose: to bring our Flight Attendant community closer together, share valuable resources, and build authentic connections throughout our system. Over the past four weeks, we explored what it means to be engaged in our AFA family. We kicked things […]

Benefits Committee Meeting Recap – July 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Wednesday, July 22, our pre-merger Alaska Benefits Committee Chairpersons met for their regular monthly meeting. This meeting was an internal AFA-only meeting and did not involve management.  Representing you at the meeting were Ava McWilliams Ellington (LAX), Linda Gunselman (PDX), Sonia Quackenbush (SAN), Kathy O’Malley (SEA), […]

Discover The AFA Online Learning Academy

As part of Membership Engagement Committee Focus Month, we’re excited to spotlight one of our core missions: empowering you with knowledge and confidence to participate more fully in our Union. When we understand how our Union works, we strengthen our collective voice and create a more engaged community. To help you on this journey, we’re […]

Scheduling Committee Meeting Recap – July 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, July 21, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Scheduling Committee Chairpersons and Representatives met in person at Alaska Global Training Center to discuss their ongoing work to represent our Flight Attendants and push for improvements in our workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Rebekah Olds (ANC), […]

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 17 – July 2026

This session, the JNC focused on refining the Reserve survey to ensure a comprehensive representation of member concerns. Significant progress was also made on Section 23 (Insurance Benefits), with proposals aimed at enhancing Flight Attendant protections and securing tailored insurance provisions. Additionally, productive discussions continued on Section 30 (Training). Further improvements are anticipated pending management’s response to our latest proposal.

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