AFA Alaska

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council

Click here to report an issue to AFA
You are here: Home / Archives for Grievance Committee

AFA Update – November 20, 2020

In This Edition

  • Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  Termination cases are typically prioritized in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases.  AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors. 

Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination.  COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in the FA’s file for 18 months, and then are removed.  If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation.  Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline.  If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline.  There is no middle ground for certain violations.  

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

  • Theft.  Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination.  (Temporarily there are COVID-19 exceptions).  
  • Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things.  Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted.  If management determines abuse it results in termination.  
  • Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay or picking up additional trips to inflate pay protection after notification of a COVID-19 exposure.  Management has terminated for these violations.
  • Drug/Alcohol violations
  • Harassment
  • Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
  • Social media violations, including “friending” or “following” passengers on social media from information gained from the IMD
  • Commuter Violations
    • Flight Attendant was released from deadhead and used D8Y (commuter boarding priority) to travel home from an outstation
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel
  • Lost IMD or other required items
  • Failing to complete CBT—even if FA just forgets to hit the close out x at the top to switch it from in process to complete.

Recent Arbitration/Mediation

ArbitrationJulyContractual Grievance
ArbitrationAugustContractual Grievance
ArbitrationSeptemberDisciplinary Grievance

Recent Arbitration Awards

None

Recent Grievance Settlements

None

Grievances Pending Final Settlement

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-144-19-Violation §13.D.1 Uniform Allotment and Optional Pieces.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §13.D.1 [Uniforms:  Uniform Allotment/Credits], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it refused to give Flight Attendants the ability to purchase Luly Yang inspired by Alaska Airlines optional uniform pieces (which are or will be available for purchase at the Alaska Airlines Company store) with their contractual uniform allotted funds.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-170-19-Violation of §19.A Investigatory Meetings.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement § 19.A [Grievance Procedures], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about October 29, 2019, at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), it conducted an investigatory meeting related to a slide deployment with all Flight Attendants assigned to work flight 623 (IAD-SFO) while they were on duty, without providing adequate opportunity to obtain Union representation in the form of an AFA Grievance Representative, and without providing the option of conducting the meeting on their day off with accompanying pay of four (4.0) TFP.  

Grievances Recently Granted by Management 

Grievance 36-99-2-275-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training:  Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about July 23, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in Seattle were released at 5:07pm, seven (7) minutes past the contractual release time of 5:00pm.    

Details:  Flight Attendants who attended in this particular class will receive an additional 1.0 TFP.

Grievance 36-99-2-279-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training:  Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about August 11, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in Long Beach (LGB) were released at 4:03pm, three (3) minutes past the contractual release time of 4:00pm.    

Details:  Flight Attendants who attended in this particular class will receive an additional 1.0 TFP.

Grievances Recently Filed

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-320-20-Violation of §30.C.4 Computer Based Training (CBT).  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.4 [Training:  Training Pay/Computer Based Training (CBT)], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about September 28, 2020, it added a 5th Computer Based Training for Flight Attendants to complete for 2020.  Prior to adding the 5thCBT, it issued Quarter 1 CBT, training videos CBT, Quarter 2 CBT and Quarter 3 CBT.  

Grievances Recently Filed and Denied

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-301-20-Violation of §3.D Scope of Agreement.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §3.D [Scope of Agreement:  Scope], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it announced beginning October 2020 through July 2021, it will operate flights with cargo in cabin seats; although such flying will occur without passengers, the Company intends to staff the flights with non-Flight Attendant employees, who will be trained to perform Flight Attendant duties, specifically including but not limited to:  Firefighting duties, cargo stowage in the passenger cabin and aircraft door operation in normal and emergency mode.    

More Information

For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.

AFA Update – July 24, 2020

In This Edition

  • REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program
  • Onboard Service Expansion
  • Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present
  • REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey
  • Grievance Committee Update

REMINDER: Call Congress to Extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program

Government Affairs Committee

Keep up the pressure on our lawmakers to do the right thing and extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program.  The House of Representatives is scheduled to break for recess on July 31st and the Senate on August 7th. Make your calls today and every day!

House – (888) 907-9365
Senate – (888) 848-4824

Sample Script:

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.

Onboard Service Expansion 

Master Executive Council (MEC)

Last week, management implemented an expansion of onboard service by increasing beverage choices for passengers and re-introducing hot beverages as an available menu option.  This expansion of onboard service took place despite vocal objections by our Master Executive Council (MEC), Inflight Service Committee, and Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC).  Among these objections are management’s failure to adequately address the increased risk of exposure that our Flight Attendants are facing due to the additional time being spent interacting with passengers to offer the prescribed service.  In light of the recent nationwide increase in COVID-19 cases and many jurisdictions postponing or rolling back plans to reopen businesses, the expansion of onboard service seems counterintuitive and does not indicate that management is serious about “owning safety”.

The MEC is currently developing a survey to gather more information about the specifics of how the expanded onboard service has impacted our Flight Attendants.  More information will be available in soon in another AFA update.

Free Online Learning Course—African American History: From Emancipation to the Present

Human Rights Committee

Yale University is currently offering a free course on African American history taught by Jonathan Holloway.  Professor Holloway was Professor of History, African American Studies, and American Studies at Yale University and Dean of Yale College. 

This course represents a unique opportunity to assist in fulfilling our union’s promise to redouble our efforts to seek out, listen to, and amplify the voices of black and brown Flight Attendants within our Union and to address the systemic racism in our Union, our industry and our nation.

Additional information about the course can be found in the excerpt below from the Yale University website.  You can access the course directly by clicking here.

About the Course

The purpose of this course is to examine the African American experience in the United States from 1863 to the present. Prominent themes include the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction; African Americans’ urbanization experiences; the development of the modern civil rights movement and its aftermath; and the thought and leadership of Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X.

Warning: Some of the lectures in this course contain graphic content and/or adult language that some users may find disturbing.

Course Structure

This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2010.

REMINDER: Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey

AFA International

As a reminder, AFA International is currently running a Flight Attendant COVID-19 Survey to collect Flight Attendants’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential to our work with our airlines, the federal government, and Congress to get your feedback.

Is there available PPE at work? Have you tested positive for COVID-19? How many trips have you worked since March? What’s your experience with aircraft cleaning? Are you on leave?

Click here to take the survey

All individual responses will be de-identified, kept confidential and only utilized publicly in the aggregate.

Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases.  AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors. 

Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination.  COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in a Flight Attendant’s file for 18 months, and then are removed.  If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation.  Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline.  If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline.  There is no middle ground for certain violations.  

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

  • Theft.  Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination.  (Temporarily there are Covid-19 exceptions).  
  • Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things.  Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted.  If management determines abuse it results in termination.  
  • Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay.  Management has terminated for this violation.
  • Drug/Alcohol violations
  • Harassment
  • Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
  • Social media violations Including “friending” passengers on FB from information gained from the IMD
  • Commuter Violations
    • Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities
    • Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel
  • Lost IMD or other required items
  • Failing to complete CBT—even if FA just forgets to hit the close button within Cornerstone to switch the CBT from in process to complete.

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

ArbitrationApril 21Disciplinary Grievance
ArbitrationMay 27Contractual Grievance
ArbitrationJune 15Contractual Grievance
ArbitrationJune 25Disciplinary Grievance

Recent Arbitration Awards

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-52-17-Violation of §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 JCTE Denying Unlimited Trading of Reserve Days Due to Classification as a Reserve Block Split.  This grievance alleged the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 [Reserve:  Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades/Reserve Day/Blocks], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system denied unlimited trading of reserve days pursuant to §11.H.4 due to JCA incorrectly classifying such trade as a reserve block split pursuant to §11.H.3.b. 

Arbitrator’s Decision:  The grievance is denied.  Alaska Airlines did not violate Sections 11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 and/or any and all related sections of the collective-bargaining agreement or past practice when its Jeppesen Crew Access trading system denied transactions where Reserve Flight Attendants sought to give away less than an entire block more than once per month.  Alaska Airlines properly classified these transactions as a reserve block split pursuant to Section 11.H.3.b.

Recent Grievance Settlements

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-30-19-Violation of §28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy.  This alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §28.G.2 [Domiciles:  Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.  

Details:  See the July 13, 2020 AFA Update for more information.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-159-19-Violation of §11.F, §11.F.13 and §11.D.2.c Airport Standby Reserve and On Duty at 4:29 am.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §11.F [Reserve:  Airport Standby], §11.F.13 [Reserve:  APSB on Duty at 4:29 am] and §11.D.2.c [Reserve:  Notice of Time to Report], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to or inconsistently compensated Flight Attendants when they were:  1)  Sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am; 2) Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am; and 3)  Sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am and while on said APSB was given a flight assignment after 4:29 am. 

Details:  

  1. Reserve Flight Attendants sitting airport standby (APSB) prior to 4:29 am local domicile time who do not receive a flight assignment during APSB:
    1. Will be compensated pursuant to §11.D.2.c at one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives less than nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment; or 
    1. Will be compensated straight time (1.0x) towards the reserve guarantee for the APSB assignment if the Flight Attendant receives at least nine (9) hours’ notice of the APSB assignment.  
  2. Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment prior to 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.   
  3. Reserve Flight Attendants sitting APSB prior to 4:29 am local domicile time and while on said APSB are given a flight assignment after 4:29 am will be compensated one and one-half times (1.5x) the trip rate for all TFP flown or credited or APSB in that duty period of which one-half times (0.5x) the trip rate will be paid above guarantee.

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-116-18-Violation of §10.J.4 Bidding Timelines.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 10.J.4 [Scheduling:  Bid Packets and Bidding Timelines], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about March 13, 2018, management re-opened its Preferential Bidding System (PBS), NAVBLUE, for a full bid re-award for April 2018 because it was not programmed to match the bid “duty on” preference on the new web application user interface.  However, due to system limitations the re-award required the PBS to reopen which allowed access for Flight Attendants to submit new bids after the contractual bid submission deadline.   

Details:  The Company and AFA will The parties will actively work on installing an administrative lock-out function (or other mutually agreed upon solution) in the NAVBLUE bidding system (or any successor system).  The lock-out function will allow the ‘back end’ of the bidding system to be opened for bid protests, technical issues, or other adjustments while locking out Flight Attendants from altering their bids on the ‘front end’. It is unknown whether NAVBLUE can accommodate a lock-out function exactly as described in this paragraph. If it is not possible, the parties will work together and mutually agree on the alternate solution and how it would work.  If an alternate solution is not mutually agreed upon, AFA reserves the right to refile this grievance.  

Compensatory Settlement:  The Company will pay compensation to all Flight Attendants whose adjusted April 2018 bid resulted in a loss of four (4) or more TFP and at least one day of flying from their original April 2018 bid.  Approximately 150 Flight Attendants are in this pool, plus two additional Flight Attendants who do not meet the requirements but whose situations present unique circumstances that warrant settlement.  The total TFP amount to be paid out is 1130.6 TFP. A list of said Flight Attendants will be provided to the Company by the Association pursuant to this Settlement Agreement.  The Company will pay the TFP to all the above-named Flight Attendants no later than on their June 20, 2021, paycheck.  For any affected Flight Attendant who is inactive  (due to separation or furlough) as of June 20, 2021, the Company will mail a check (less applicable withholdings) to the Flight Attendant’s last known address.  The pay will be at the respective rates in effect on the day the Flight Attendant is paid.  Payment will be paid above the reserve guarantee if applicable.  

Click here to view the complete settlement agreement.

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

None

Grievances Recently Filed and Denied

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-200-20-Violation of §25.C.1 Failure to Include ASHSC in Safety Meeting.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.C.1 [Air Safety Health and Security: Safety Meetings], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about April 3, 2020, it failed to include the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) in a meeting to discuss passengers who were scheduled to travel on Alaska flights after disembarking from a cruise ship which had suffered an outbreak of COVID-19. The company instead opted to brief AFA about the issue after the meeting and decision was made about how to proceed. 

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-201-20-Violation of §10.Q & §11.E.4.d Violation of Reserve Assignment List Order.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10.Q [Scheduling:  Low-Bid Option] and §11.E.4.d [Reserve:  Order of Assignment, Assignment of Open Sequences/Assignments], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system places low-bid option and no-bid lineholder Flight Attendants who pick up reserve days and opt out of the Reserve Assignment List (LTFA) at the top of the list rather than listing them in inverse seniority order following all other Reserves within the same classification (AM/PM/ER) and with the same number of days of availability.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-207-20-Violation of §10, §11.D & §24.L Bundled Scheduling Notifications.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §10 [Scheduling], §11.D [Reserve: Scheduling/Notice of Time to Report] and §24.L [General and Miscellaneous: Company-Provided Inflight Mobile Device (IMD)], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) scheduling system sent bundled scheduling notifications to Flight Attendants on their Inflight Mobile Devices (IMDs) or directly in Crew Access, requiring Flight Attendants to batch acknowledge or ignore such notifications and thereby resulting in Flight Attendants potentially waiving multiple contractual protections via an extra-contractual point of contact (i.e. Crew Access scheduling notifications).  

More Information

For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.

AFA Update – March 25, 2020

In This Edition

  • Contacting AFA Representatives for Support
  • Pre-Cancellations (JCBA Section 10.S)
  • REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity
  • Grievance Committee Report

Contacting AFA Representatives For Support

As always, AFA representatives remain available to provide assistance during the current situation.  In order to provide you with the best possible support, we ask that you continue to reach out using the following methods of contact:

AFA Online Support Center.  Contractual concerns, scheduling or reserve problems, and payroll issues can all be reported using the AFA Online Support Center.  Once you open a ticket, your concern will be assigned to a specific AFA representative who will assist you in resolving the issue.  Click here for more information about the AFA Online Support Center.

E-Mail.  Your Local Committee Members, Chairpersons, and LEC Officers can all be contacted by email.  Please refer to your Local Council’s committee roster for contact information for each of your committees.  Your LEC Officers can also be easily be contacted as a group using by email addresses below.  Using the group email address ensures that your question or concern can be addressed as soon as possible by the first available officer.

ANCanc@afaalaska.org
SEAsea@afaalaska.org
PDXpdx@afaalaska.org
SFOsfo@afaalaska.org
LAXlax@afaalaska.org
SANsan@afaalaska.org

When making contact by email, please use your personal email address and not your company-provided Outlook email account.  Company-provided email accounts are subject to monitoring by management and there is no expectation or guarantee of privacy.

Telephone Call.  Telephone numbers for most Local Committee Members, Chairpersons, and LEC Officers can also be found on your Local Council’s committee roster.  If you receive a voicemail prompt, please leave a message that includes your full name, PeopleSoft number, and contact telephone number.  Voicemail messages will be returned as soon as possible and within 24 hours.

In order to ensure that your request, question, or concern is properly documented and receives the appropriate follow-up, please limit contact to one of the methods outlined above when reaching out to AFA representatives.  Text messages, messages sent to personal social media accounts, and other methods of contact may not necessarily be regularly monitored for AFA-related communications and could cause a significant delay in response.

Pre-Cancellations (JCBA Section 10.S)

Scheduling Committee

Pre-cancellations occur prior to your trip, while reassignments occur same day.  Currently, trips are being pre-cancelled, and you may have more than one trip that is affected.  Crew Scheduling may offer more than one alternate trip if multiple awarded trips are cancelled when you call.

If you have a pre-cancellation, a CR code will be placed on your roster. You may acknowledge your cancellation on your roster, however the JCBA requires you to call Crew Scheduling.  If you fail to contact Crew Scheduling prior to your trip, you must report to work as scheduled.  If you are flying during your pre-cancellation, then you are required to call Crew Scheduling no later than release at domicile if the trip reports the next day.

If you do not report at the original show time and you have not contacted Crew Scheduling, you will be subject to the attendance policy and will receive a no-show under Section 32 of the JCBA. Crew Scheduling will send you an email via Outlook and leave a message for you to call them back using your PeopleSoft phone number on file, so ensure your numbers are up to date. You may be offered an alternate assignment (the footprint of which can begin or end 2 hours beyond original footprint of the trip) or you may decline the alternate assignment and waive pay protection. If the flight you are offered has a check in and/or release time outside of the footprint described above, you will have a third option to contact Crew Scheduling the night prior to that assignment. Pay protection may apply depending on the options available at the time you contact Crew Scheduling.  Please refer to sections 10.S.2 and 10.S.3 for your contractual options prior to calling Crew Scheduling.  Please always remember you are able to decline the alternate assignments and waive pay protection. 

The Scheduling Committee has compiled a “cheat sheet” on the pre-cancellation process and section 10.S language that you can access by clicking here.

Questions?

If you have any questions about pre-cancellations or reassignments, please contact your Local Scheduling Committee.

REMINDER: Negotiating Committee Interviews – Additional Opportunity

Master Executive Council (MEC)

The Master Executive Council (MEC) conducted interviews with several Negotiating Committee candidates during the March Regular MEC Meeting.   The candidates interviewed in March ranged from less than one year to eight years of Flight Attendant seniority.  All candidates who met the original deadline of March 3 to express interest will be given the opportunity to interview and will be included in the candidate pool that the MEC will elect the Negotiating Committee from.

It is important to the MEC that the candidate pool is representative of the entire Flight Attendant group.  As such, the MEC has re-opened the expression of interest process for Negotiating Committee Members.  Additional interviews will be conducted at the April Regular MEC Meeting.  The MEC is specifically seeking additional candidates with 25 years or more of Flight Attendant seniority and/or those with previous negotiating experience.  Other candidates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Our current Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) becomes amendable on December 17, 2021 but also contains an early opener clause for the negotiating process to begin as early as December 2020.  In anticipation of early openers, the Master Executive Council (MEC) will be conducting interviews for the Negotiating Committee during the April Regular MEC Meeting, to be held April 7 and 8, 2020.  All three Negotiating Committee positions are up for interview and consideration.  Per the AFA Constitution & Bylaws, the MEC President is the chairperson of the Negotiating Committee and rounds out the Committee as the fourth member.

The Negotiating Committee is charged to negotiate and institute the needs and desires of the Flight Attendants into an effective collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  The Committee should have a good working knowledge of the current CBA and be willing to devote their full time to the Committee during negotiations.  The members of this Committee shall serve as the CBA Interpretation Committee until a new agreement is completed.

Selection of Committee Members

  • Any person seeking a position on the Negotiating Committee must submit a resume to the MEC
  • Committee Members will function until a new Committee is selected
  • The Chairperson of the Negotiating Committee will be the MEC President or her/his designee
  • Committee Members are selected by majority vote of the voting members of the MEC (LEC Presidents)

Committee Member Duties & Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Negotiating Committee shall include the following:

  • The Committee, with the advice of the Staff Negotiator shall have the authority to conclude an agreement, subject to the provisions of Article XII of the Constitution and Bylaws.
  • All members of the Committee, including alternates whenever possible, shall complete a negotiations training seminar prior to writing an “opener.”
  • Be familiar with Union policy and keep abreast of new developments in the industry.
  • Utilize the facilities and resources of the Union and the experience and knowledge of Union Officers, International Office staff and study committees of the Union. (eg., Legal, Retirement and Insurance, Wage and Working Conditions, etc.).
  • Maintain a current record of the:
    • Financial condition of the company.
    • Management lines of authority and methods of communication.
    • Operations statistics and experiences of the airline which may be used in bargaining, grievances, litigation, etc.
  • Be familiar with the wishes of the Flight Attendant group with respect to wages, working conditions, and work rules, through, for example, system-wide distribution of contract surveys, periodic road shows, etc.
  • Prepare the contract opener with the advice of the Staff Negotiator
  • Provide regular updates to the membership on the status of negotiations
  • Proof CBA language and agree with the Company on implementation and effective dates
  • Review tentative agreement with the MEC
  • Prepare membership summary package and Roadshow schedule
  • Present the tentative agreement to the members
  • Proof printed agreement and prepare CBA index
  • Prepare CBA interpretations for new concepts
  • Remain available as a resource for interpretations
  • Maintain a complete record of the negotiations, including proposals, notes and communications, and such record is the property of AFA-CWA.  A copy of this record will be forwarded to the International Office by the Negotiating Committee.
  • Maintain contact, through the MEC President, with IAM, ALPA, TWU, AMFA, and other applicable labor unions on property

Flight Pay Loss Reimbursement

Flight pay loss (FPL) reimbursement will be provided to Negotiating Committee Members at the rate of 6 TFP at “A” pay for 8 hours of work.  FPL is not reimbursed for days that solely contain travel to/from an activity.

Expressing Interest and Interview Scheduling

The MEC will hold interviews during the April Regular MEC meeting from April 7-8, 2020.  Please plan to arrange your schedule accordingly to accommodate.

Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/YGCUtxVETB3z9aZW7.  The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Friday, March 27.  After that time, MEC Secretary-Treasurer Linda Christou will contact qualified candidates to schedule a specific interview time.

Please note that in order to submit an expression of interest, you must have a Google account.  If you do not have a Google account, you can create one for free at https://accounts.google.com/signup.

Questions?

Any questions regarding the Negotiating Committee positions or application process should be directed to MEC President Jeffrey Peterson at jeffrey.peterson@afaalaska.org.

Grievance Committee Update

Grievance Committee

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible; however, we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases.  AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors. 

Steps of discipline are confirmation of oral warning (COW), written warning (WW), suspension (varied number of days) to termination.  COWs, WWs, and suspensions remain in the Flight Attendant’s file for 18 months, and then are removed.  If a Flight Attendant is in a step of discipline and gets another violation, the new violation will build on the previous violation.  Management doesn’t always progressively travel up the steps of discipline.  If management investigates a Flight Attendant for theft or abuse of sick leave, for example, management will terminate the Flight Attendant if there is evidence to support its findings; if there is no evidence, then the Flight Attendant will most likely be issued a record of discussion (ROD). A ROD is not considered discipline.  There is no middle ground for certain violations.  

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

In order to keep terminations low, we want to give you an idea of what areas management has recently focused on in regard to disciplining (including terminating) Flight Attendants.  See below: 

  • Theft.  Anything other than an opened/used bottle of water, unused pilot crew meal or purchased food removed from the aircraft will result in termination.  (Temporarily there are Covid-19 exceptions).  
  • Sick leave and FMLA abuse—Terminations on the rise due to travel audits among other things.  Anything written in the comments posting of trip trades and personal drops can be seen, even if eventually deleted.  If management determines abuse it results in termination.  
  • Timecard fraud—For example: Holding the door open to obtain sit pay.  Management has terminated for this violation.
  • Drug/Alcohol violations
  • Harassment
  • Reserves commuting during reserve availability period even if self-assigned a trip. Management has terminated for this reason several times.
  • Social media violations Including “friending” passengers on FB from information gained from the IMD
  • Commuter Violations-1. Flight Attendant released from DHD and used D8Y home; 2. Flight Attendant used D8Y when they picked up out of base; 3. Flight Attendant used D8Y to/from incorrect cities; and 4. Flight Attendant used D8Y for pleasure travel.
  • Lost IMD or other required items
  • Failing to complete CBT—even if Flight Attendant just forgets to hit the close out x at the top to switch it from in process to complete.

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

ArbitrationThursday, January 30Disciplinary Grievance
MediationTuesday, March 3Contractual Grievance
ArbitrationTuesday, March 31 (postponed)Disciplinary Grievance

Recent Settled Grievances

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-5-16- Non-Negotiated Compensation.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 21 [Compensation] and Section 32 [Attendance Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Railway Labor Act when it awarded, without prior consistent notice, policy and application, $5 gift cards to all Anchorage based Flight Attendants for meeting the daily attendance goal.

Settlement:  The Company will issue one $5.00 (five dollar) Starbucks gift card to Flight Attendants who were employed by Alaska Airlines as Flight Attendants as of 12/31/15, except for those based in ANC as of that date. Management agrees not to issue non-negotiated compensation related to the contractual attendance policy. This is not intended as an agreement that non-negotiated compensation is or is not permissible in other circumstances.  

Note:  The settlement will be distributed when management can obtain the correct information regarding which FAs were based outside of ANC at that point in time.  

Grievances Recently Granted by Management 

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-161-19- Violation of §12.E Withholding Trips from Open Time.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.E [Exchange of Sequences:  Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) failed to immediately place all uncovered sequences or portions of sequences including but not limited to sick calls, Management Drop(s), Personal Drop(s), leaves of absence, jury duty, bereavement leave.

Management’s Response:  On September 24th, during a scheduled JCTE release, a bug was unknowingly, and regrettably, introduced to JCTE that caused long delays (up to 10 minutes at times) in trips showing up in Open Time if a scheduler made a change to the sequence.  Although the company did not intentionally delay these trips from showing up in Open Time immediately, the bug in the system did cause a delay. For this reason, this grievance is sustained. This issue was resolved with the November 8th JCTE release.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-20-20-Violation of §25.C.1 Failure to Include ASHSC in Safety Meeting.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.C.1 [Air Safety Health and Security:  Safety Meetings], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 13, 2020, it failed to include the Air Safety, Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) in a reactive safety risk assessment (SRA) meeting regarding unaccompanied minors who are sent to the wrong destinations.  

Management’s response:  After investigation, I agree with you that we did not appropriately include the ASHSC in the SRA meeting regarding unaccompanied minors who are sent to the wrong destinations.  Going forward, the ASHSC will be included in all inflight safety meetings that the Cabin Safety Manager is invited to attend.  As such, this grievance is sustained.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-27-20-Violation of §12.F.3 Threshold Sequence Number Determination for Seattle Domicile February 2020.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.F.3 [Exchange of Sequences: Threshold Sequence Number Determination], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 16, 2020, it was discovered Crew Planning did not review and increase the Threshold Sequence Number (TSN) for the Seattle domicile from 12 to 13 for February 2020.  

Management’s response:  After investigation, I agree with you that we did not appropriately increase the TSN for the Seattle domicile from 12 to 13 for February 2020, prior to Open Time commencing on January 16, 2020.  For this reason, this grievance is sustained and the Director of Crew Planning and the Director of Crew Scheduling commit to working together to develop a documented process to ensure this does not happen again in the future.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-30-20-Violation of §30.C.1 Training Pay.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.1 [Training:  Training Pay/Recurrent Training], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) home study exceeded five (5) hours; per the agreed upon computer based training (CBT) run time test process, the run time was calculated to be six hours and twenty six minutes (6:26).

Management’s response:  After investigation, I have found the above referenced information to be true and therefore the grievance is sustained.  Our agreed remedy is that each Flight Attendant that completes the 2020 Recurrent Training (RT) home study will receive a flat pay out of $125.00 versus the $75.00 flat pay out referenced in Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.1.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-37-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training:  Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 24, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in SEA were released at approximately 5:08pm, eight (8) minutes past the contractual release time of 5:00pm.   

Management’s response:  After investigation, I have found that on the date referenced above, that the class did in fact release at 5:08pm.  This class ran late due to the addition of the flashlight exercise at the end of the day.  For this reason, the grievance is sustained.  The agreed upon remedy is 1 TFP for all Flight Attendants who attended this class.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-125-20-Violation of §30.A.2 Training Hours.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.A.2 [Training:  Hours], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about February 14, 2020, Flight Attendants attending Recurrent Training (RT) in ANC were released at approximately 5:28pm, twenty-eight (28) minutes past the contractual release time of 5:00pm.    

Management’s response:  After investigation, I have found that on the date referenced above, that the class did in fact release at 5:28pm.  The R2 training door was not airworthy and had to be re-built late the night before, pushing hands-on and drill evaluations to the second day.  For this reason, the grievance is sustained.  The agreed upon remedy is 6 TFP for all Flight Attendants who attended this class.

Grievances Recently Filed and Awaiting Response from Management 

None

More Information

For more information, including the status of previously filed grievances, please visit the Grievance Committee Activity Page.

Questions?

Please contact your Local Grievance Committee if you have any questions about the Grievance Committee update.

MEC Grievance Update – Quarter 2, 2019

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The ratified Joint CBA increased our arbitration dates from the previous 10 to 13 dates yearly to argue discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible, however we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases.  AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors. The following is a list of open contractual grievances. 

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

  • Sick leave abuse (there has been a noted increase in terminations due to travel audits and comments associated with posted trips)
  • Drug/alcohol violations
  • Social media violations (recent increase in terminations due to initiating contact with passengers based on information obtained from Block2Block) 
  • Lost IMD or other required items
  • Theft
  • Harassment
  • Cell phone usage on duty

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

ArbitrationApril 4, 2019Disciplinary Grievance
ArbitrationApril 24, 2019Disciplinary Grievance
ArbitrationMay 16, 2019Disciplinary Grievance
ArbitrationJune 18, 2019Contractual Grievance #36-99-63-17
(Withholding Sequences From Open Time)
ArbitrationJuly 17, 2019Disciplinary Grievance

Recently Settled Grievances/Mediations

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-3-17-Violation §30.A.3.c. Failure to Pay for Lodging for Recurrent Training. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 30.A.3.c. [Reserve/Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to pay for a Flight Attendant’s lodging when she came to Seattle to attend required Recurrent Training.

Details:  Management paid FA a portion of her hotel room bill.

Grievances 36-99-2-137-17, 36-99-2-205-17, 36-99-2-104-18, 36-99-2-133-18, 36-99-2-351-18 & 36-99-2-22-19 (Computer Based Training Contractual Grievances) and 36-99-2-4-19 (Missing Required Items Grievances).

Details:  Management will ensure all CBT can be taken on a computer as well as IMD; make best effort to give FAs 60 days to complete; and make CBT due on the last day of the quarter as best practice, though it won’t be required to do so.  If FA doesn’t complete CBT by due date or reports to work without a required item:  FA will receive an email from management with AFA included, notifying of discipline and asking FA to respond with an explanation no later than 7 days from the date of the email.  Management will issue all oral warnings or written warnings by 5:00pm PST on the day of deadline via email and certified mail.  If the disciplinary action is a suspension or termination an in- person meeting will occur.

Grievances Filed and Awaiting a Response from Management

None

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

None

Grievances Previously Filed, Denied by Management and Currently Awaiting Arbitration Dates

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-22-14-Violation of Required Maternity Leave.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 15.D. and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to require Flight Attendants to begin Maternity Leave after the 28thweek of pregnancy.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-41-15- Section 34.C.3. Alternative Hotel Selection/Site Visit.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 34.C.3. and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to include the hotel committee in the selection of alternate hotels; and when it failed to provide site visits on alternate hotels.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-5-16- Non-Negotiated Compensation.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 21 [Compensation] and Section 32 [Attendance Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Railway Labor Act when it awarded, without prior consistent notice, policy and application, $5 gift cards to all Anchorage based Flight Attendants for meeting the daily attendance goal.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-1-17- Violation of §32.C.5. Assessing Short Sick Call Points to Flight Attendant on FMLA.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §32.C.5 [Attendance Policy:  Short Sick Call], past practice, all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Federal Law when it assessed short sick call points (2 ½) to Flight Attendants on qualified Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) status when they called in sick within two hours of scheduled check-in. 

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-52-17-Violation of §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 JCTE Denying Unlimited Trading of Reserve Days Due to Classification as a Reserve Block Split.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 [Reserve:  Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades/Reserve Day/Blocks], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system denied unlimited trading of reserve days pursuant to §11.H.4 due to JCA incorrectly classifying such trade as a reserve block split pursuant to §11.H.3.b. 

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-54-17-Violation of §23.A.1 Flight Attendants Incurring a 3% Fee for Online Payments to COBRA Management Services.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §23.A.1 [Insurance Benefits:  Flight Attendant Insurance Plans], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when for the convenience of the Company it used a third-party vendor to administer collection of healthcare premiums for Flight Attendants on leaves of absence; and the Company allowed their third-party vendor to charge the Flight Attendants a 3% fee for online payments to COBRA Management Services (CMS). 

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-55-17-Violation of §21.V Winds Aloft Adjustment of Sit Pay in JCTE.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21.V [Compensation:  “Scheduled” or “Actual” For Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs) and/or Sit Pay], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system displayed each posted trip as a static ‘snapshot’ taken at the time of posting rather than a ‘live’ view, thus denying the Flight Attendant the ability to determine whether a trip is eligible for 1.0 TFP of Sit Pay due to an automated scheduling adjustment (e.g. by the Winds Aloft program).

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-56-17-Violation of §15.C.4 Medical Leave of Absence.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §15.C.4 [Leaves of Absence:  Medical Leave of Absence], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when in December 2016 it denied [a Flight Attendant’s] medical leave of absence (MLOA) because she did not also qualify for FMLA and because the MLOA was less than 10 days in duration.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-63-17 Violation of §11.C.3.c & §12.E.1.c-d Withholding Sequences From Open Time. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §11.C.3.c [Reserve: Classifications of Reserves/number of Extended Days (ER) and Conversion to ER/ER Conversion Contactability] & §12.E.1.c-d [Exchange of Sequences:  Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it removed pairings from Open Time and placed them on Reserve Flight Attendants’ lines for more than 15 minutes, outside of the time period 2pm-6pm, and hid the pairings from view on the Reserves’ schedules until the Reserves became available for contact or Extended Reserve (ER) conversion.    

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-64-17 Violation of §27.P.1.f-h Company Business Flight Pay Loss.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §27.P.1.f-h [General-Association:  Company Business Flight Pay Loss (CB)/Company Meetings], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it requested Flight Attendants attend an Inflight Announcement Focus Group on or about August 7, 2017, without compensating for company meeting pay nor the five percent (5%) override and “A” pay, and without regard to contractual duty day applications; alternatively it provided non-negotiated compensation.   

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-159-17-Violation of §12.A & §12.E Withholding Trips from Open Time and Suspended all Trading due JCTE Issues.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.A & E [Exchange of Sequences:  Unlimited Trading/Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about September 30, 2017, to October 1, 2017, for approximately 8 hours, it either withheld all trips in open time or suspended all trading due to an issue with its Jeppesen Crew Tracking system.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-116-18-Violation of §10.J.4 Bidding Timelines.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 10.J.4 [Scheduling:  Bid Packets and Bidding Timelines], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about March 13, 2018, management re-opened its Preferential Bidding System (PBS), NavBlue, for a full bid re-award for April 2018 because it was not programmed to match the bid “duty on” preference on the new web application user interface.  However, due to system limitations the re-award required the PBS to reopen which allowed access for Flight Attendants to submit new bids after the contractual bid submission deadline.   

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-303-18-Violation of Airbus Transition Training Letter of Agreement CBT Pay.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.4 [Training:  Training Pay/Computer Based Training (CBT)], Airbus Transition Training Letter of Agreement (2.8.18), principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Transition Training CBT was allocated for four (4) hours, however based on initial feedback, the Association believes it likely takes longer than four (4) hours to complete, and therefore Flight Attendants will need to be paid accordingly.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-321-18-Violation of §§21, 24, 30 & 34 Hotel at Domicile for Transition Training.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21 [Compensation], §24 [General and Miscellaneous], §30 [Training] and §34 [Hotels], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when some Flight Attendants requested and were provided hotel rooms at base for Transition Training while others who requested a room were not provided one.   

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-361-18-Violation of §24.A Jury Duty and Trip Trading.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §24.A [General and Miscellaneous:  Jury Duty], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on several occasions management argued it did not have to pay the TFP actually scheduled on Flight Attendants’ lines when they were scheduled for jury duty.  These Flight Attendant subsequently traded their trip for another trip on the same days, and the trip ultimately dropped from the Flight Attendants’ schedules due to the Flight Attendant performing jury duty service.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-7-19-Violation of VX Grievance Procedure and SBA LOA Failure to Conduct a Full Investigation with Union Representation, Contractual Pay Provisions for Failing to Provide Doctor’s Notes.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of VX Grievance Procedure and System Board of Adjustment LOA, and all related sections of the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement when beginning approximately January 2019 it issued progressive discipline to Flight Attendants for failing to provide doctor’s notes without conducting an investigation, providing Union Representation or honoring related contractual pay provisions.    

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-30-19-Violation of §28.G.2 Ground Commuting Policy.  This alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §28.G.2 [Domiciles:  Commuter Policy/Ground Commuting Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when during the February 2019 Pacific Northwest snowstorms, it did not allow Flight Attendants to use the ground commuter policy because the Company did not consider a snowstorm-related ground commuting failure to be unanticipated.  

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-40-19-Violation §25.B Failure to Provide a Safe and Healthy Workplace. This alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.B [Air Safety, Health and Security:  Safe and Healthy Workplace], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to provide a safe and healthy workplace when it installed new bulkheads on the retrofitted Airbus (“Aura”) aircraft that effectively renders the aft assist handles near doors L1/R1 as unusable and unnecessarily increases the likelihood and potential severity of Flight Attendant injury during an emergency evacuation.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-41-19-Violation of §25.D.2 Failing to Notify MEC President and ASHSC of Reconfiguration or Re-design Prior to Final Decision.This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §25.D.2 [Air Safety, Health and Security:  Safety Information], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to notify the MEC President of a decision to reconfigure or re-design the interior of the Airbus aircraft and when it failed to discuss with the ASHSC the parties’ interests and concerns for inflight safety prior to making a final decision on the reconfiguration/re-design. 

In Solidarity,
Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Linda Christou, Lisa Pinkston, Terry Taylor, Mario de’Medici, Melissa Osborne, Tim Green, Brice McGee; MEC Grievance Committee Chairperson Stephanie Adams and MEC Grievance Committee Assistant Bianca Dew

MEC Grievance Update – Quarter 3, 2018

The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  Section 20.N.2 of the Flight Attendant Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) allows for 10 arbitration dates per year to argue discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  The ratified Joint CBA increases this amount and provides for 13 dates that will be incorporated into our 2019 schedule.  AFA typically prioritizes termination cases in order to return a Flight Attendant back to work as soon as possible, however we seek a balance between discipline and contractual cases.  AFA and management mutually decide which cases to arbitrate next based on many factors. The following is a list of open contractual grievances.

Subject of Most Recent Discipline

  • Drug/Alcohol Violations
  • Social Media Violations
  • Cell Phone Usage While on Duty
  • Theft
  • Sick Leave Abuse
  • Harassment

Recent and Upcoming Arbitration/Mediation

Arbitration October 25, 2018

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-29-15-Commuter Boarding Priority. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 28.G.6. and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it allowed Company employees (and their dependents) on pleasure travel to be given higher boarding priority than commuting Flight Attendants.

Arbitration November 13, 2018

Disciplinary Grievance

Recently Settled Grievances/Mediations

Three disciplinary grievances were settled in quarter 3.

Grievances Filed and Awaiting a Response from Management

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-321-18-Violation of §§21, 24, 30 & 34 Hotel at Domicile for Transition Training.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21 [Compensation], §24 [General and Miscellaneous], §30 [Training] and §34 [Hotels], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when some Flight Attendants requested and were provided hotel rooms at base for Transition Training while others who requested a room were not provided one.      

Grievances Recently Granted by Management

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-2-16- Violation of ASAP and Discipline LOA.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Letter of Agreement:  ASAP and Discipline July 2006 and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to allow the ASAP process to complete prior to disciplining and terminating a Flight Attendant.  The Letter of Agreement specifically states, “Flight Attendants participating in the ASAP program, whether reporting or non-reporting as defined in the ASAP Memorandum of Understanding, will not be subject to discipline.  Neither the written ASAP report nor the content of the written ASAP report will be used to initiate or support any company disciplinary action.”

Grievance 36-99-2-129-18 Violation of ASAP and Discipline LOA.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Letter of Agreement: Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Additional Provisions (October 2017) and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on April 27, 2018, it failed to follow the ASAP provisions and suspended a Flight Attendant.  The Letter of Agreement specifically states, “Flight Attendants participating in the ASAP program, whether reporting or non-reporting as defined in the ASAP Memorandum of Understanding, will not be subject to disciplinary actions.  Neither the written ASAP report nor the content of the written ASAP report will be used to initiate or support any company disciplinary action.”

Grievance No.  36-99-2-135-18 Violation of ASAP and Discipline LOA.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Letter of Agreement:  Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Additional Provisions (October 2017) and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on March 21, 2018, it failed to follow the ASAP provisions and issued an oral warning to a Flight Attendant.  The Letter of Agreement specifically states, “Flight Attendants participating in the ASAP program, whether reporting or non-reporting as defined in the ASAP Memorandum of Understanding, will not be subject to disciplinary actions.  Neither the written ASAP report nor the content of the written ASAP report will be used to initiate or support any company disciplinary action.”

Grievance No.  36-99-2-136-18 Violation of ASAP and Discipline LOA.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Letter of Agreement:  Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Additional Provisions (October 2017) and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on February 27, 2018, it failed to follow the ASAP provisions and issued an oral warning to a Flight Attendant.  The Letter of Agreement specifically states, “Flight Attendants participating in the ASAP program, whether reporting or non-reporting as defined in the ASAP Memorandum of Understanding, will not be subject to disciplinary actions.  Neither the written ASAP report nor the content of the written ASAP report will be used to initiate or support any company disciplinary action.”

Grievance No.  36-99-2-137-18 Violation of ASAP and Discipline LOA.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Letter of Agreement:  Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) Additional Provisions (October 2017) and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on February 27, 2018, it failed to follow the ASAP provisions and issued an oral warning to a Flight Attendant and removed pay from her.  The Letter of Agreement specifically states, “Flight Attendants participating in the ASAP program, whether reporting or non-reporting as defined in the ASAP Memorandum of Understanding, will not be subject to disciplinary actions.  Neither the written ASAP report nor the content of the written ASAP report will be used to initiate or support any company disciplinary action.”  Additionally, while the Company did render her discipline moot since it added an IMD loaner program after the fact, it failed to pay protect her for their failure to not have a loaner program initially.

Grievances Previously Filed, Denied by Management and Currently Awaiting Arbitration Dates

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-22-14-Violation of Required Maternity Leave.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 15.D. and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to require Flight Attendants to begin Maternity Leave after the 28thweek of pregnancy.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-15-15- Limiting Access to the SAN Domicile.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 28.I [Company Provided Computers and Printers at Domiciles], when it limited access to the SAN Domicile including contractually required resources to only those Flight Attendants based in SAN.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-41-15- Section 34.C.3. Alternative Hotel Selection/Site Visit.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 34.C.3. and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to include the hotel committee in the selection of alternate hotels; and when it failed to provide site visits on alternate hotels.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-5-16- Non-Negotiated Compensation.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 21 [Compensation] and Section 32 [Attendance Policy], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the Railway Labor Act when it awarded, without prior consistent notice, policy and application, $5 gift cards to all Anchorage based Flight Attendants for meeting the daily attendance goal.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-32-16-Automation of Stranded and Delay Pay.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 21 [Compensation], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it continues to automate its payroll system yet failed to include automated stranded pay for the entire crew.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-1-17- Violation of §32.C.5. Assessing Short Sick Call Points to Flight Attendant on FMLA.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §32.C.5 [Attendance Policy:  Short Sick Call], past practice, all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Federal Law when it assessed short sick call points (2 ½) to Flight Attendants on qualified Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) status when they called in sick within two hours of scheduled check-in.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-3-17-Violation §30.A.3.c. Failure to Pay for Lodging for Recurrent Training. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement Section 30.A.3.c. [Reserve/Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to pay for a Flight Attendant’s lodging when she came to Seattle to attend required Recurrent Training.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-52-17-Violation of §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 JCTE Denying Unlimited Trading of Reserve Days Due to Classification as a Reserve Block Split.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §§11.H.3.b & 11.H.4 [Reserve:  Reserve Exchange of Days, Pick-Ups and Trades/Reserve Day/Blocks], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system denied unlimited trading of reserve days pursuant to §11.H.4 due to JCA incorrectly classifying such trade as a reserve block split pursuant to §11.H.3.b.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-54-17-Violation of §23.A.1 Flight Attendants Incurring a 3% Fee for Online Payments to COBRA Management Services.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §23.A.1 [Insurance Benefits:  Flight Attendant Insurance Plans], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when for the convenience of the Company it used a third-party vendor to administer collection of healthcare premiums for Flight Attendants on leaves of absence; and the Company allowed their third-party vendor to charge the Flight Attendants a 3% fee for online payments to COBRA Management Services (CMS).

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-55-17-Violation of §21.V Winds Aloft Adjustment of Sit Pay in JCTE.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §21.V [Compensation:  “Scheduled” or “Actual” For Minimum Pay Rules (MPRs) and/or Sit Pay], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Jeppesen Crew Access (JCA) trading system displayed each posted trip as a static ‘snapshot’ taken at the time of posting rather than a ‘live’ view, thus denying the Flight Attendant the ability to determine whether a trip is eligible for 1.0 TFP of Sit Pay due to an automated scheduling adjustment (e.g. by the Winds Aloft program).

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-56-17-Violation of §15.C.4 Medical Leave of Absence.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §15.C.4 [Leaves of Absence:  Medical Leave of Absence], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when in December 2016 it denied [a Flight Attendant’s] medical leave of absence (MLOA) because she did not also qualify for FMLA and because the MLOA was less than 10 days in duration.

Grievance No.:  36-99-63-17 Violation of §11.C.3.c & §12.E.1.c-d Withholding Sequences From Open Time. This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §11.C.3.c [Reserve: Classifications of Reserves/number of Extended Days (ER) and Conversion to ER/ER Conversion Contactability] & §12.E.1.c-d [Exchange of Sequences:  Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it removed pairings from Open Time and placed them on Reserve Flight Attendants’ lines for more than 15 minutes, outside of the time period 2pm-6pm, and hid the pairings from view on the Reserves’ schedules until the Reserves became available for contact or Extended Reserve (ER) conversion.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-64-17 Violation of §27.P.1.f-h Company Business Flight Pay Loss.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §27.P.1.f-h [General-Association:  Company Business Flight Pay Loss (CB)/Company Meetings], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it requested Flight Attendants attend an Inflight Announcement Focus Group on or about August 7, 2017, without compensating for company meeting pay nor the five percent (5%) override and “A” pay, and without regard to contractual duty day applications; alternatively it provided non-negotiated compensation.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-137-17-Violation of §19.A.1.a Failure to Conduct a Full Investigation with Union Representation and Contractual Pay Provisions.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §19.A.1.a [Grievance Procedures:  Dismissal or Disciplinary Procedures], Grievance Settlement 36-99-2-10-16 [Mandatory Attendance Counseling Violation Section 32], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related section of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about September 1, 2017, it issued approximately 80 Confirmation of Oral Warnings and/or Written Warnings via certified mail without performance supervisors first conducting an investigation, issuing an actual oral warning and/or providing Union Representation or contractual pay provisions.  See Grievances Recently Granted by Management for information on related disciplinary grievances.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-159-17-Violation of §12.A & §12.E Withholding Trips from Open Time and Suspended all Trading due JCTE Issues.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §12.A & E [Exchange of Sequences:  Unlimited Trading/Open Time], past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about September 30, 2017, to October 1, 2017, for approximately 8 hours, it either withheld all trips in open time or suspended all trading due to an issue with its Jeppesen Crew Tracking system.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-205-17 Violation of §19.A.1.a Failure to Conduct a Full Investigation with Union Representation and Contractual Pay Provisions.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §19.A.1.a [Grievance Procedures:  Dismissal or Disciplinary Procedures], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about November 7, 2017, and November 8, 2017, it issued approximately 41 Confirmations of Oral Warning via certified mail without performance supervisors first conducting a full investigation, issuing an actual oral warning and/or providing Union Representation or contractual pay provisions.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-104-18 Violationof §19.A.1. Imprecise Charges and Failure to Conduct a Full Investigation with Union Representation and Contractual Pay Provisions.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §19.A.1. [Grievance Procedures: Dismissal or Disciplinary Procedures], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about January 3-5, 2018, it issued approximately 103 confirmations of oral warning (I-6s) with inaccurate information and imprecise charges via certified mail without performance supervisors first conducting a full investigation, issuing an actual oral warning and/or providing Union Representation or contractual pay provisions.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-109-18-Violation of §32 Attendance Policy.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 32.C.1.a. and Addendum to Section §32 question #6 [Attendance Policy], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargain Agreement when on December 21, 2017, it issued 3 points for a no show without performance supervisors first conducting a full investigation for contractual performance provisions resulting in a Flight Attendant receiving a no show for an unapproved trade placed on her schedule without mutual consent. In the spirit of the Attendance Policy it is important to note the Attendance Policy is not about finding fault with anyone. It is a tracking system to show whether or not you were at work when you were scheduled to be there.  In this case the Flight Attendant was not aware of the scheduling obligation placed on her line by another Flight Attendant.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-116-18-Violation of §10.J.4 Bidding Timelines.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Section 10.J.4 [Scheduling:  Bid Packets and Bidding Timelines], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about March 13, 2018, management re-opened its Preferential Bidding System (PBS), NavBlue, for a full bid re-award for April 2018 because it was not programmed to match the bid “duty on” preference on the new web application user interface.  However, due to system limitations the re-award required the PBS to reopen which allowed access for Flight Attendants to submit new bids after the contractual bid submission deadline.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-120-18-Violation of §32.C.1 Attendance No Shows.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §32.C.1 [Attendance Policy:  Attendance Policy Definitions/No Show], past practice, and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when due to a no show it assigned three (3) attendance points to a Flight Attendant for a trip in February 2018.

Grievance No.:  36-18-2-121-18-Violation of §32 Attendance Policy.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §32.C.1.a and Addendum to Section §32 question #6 [Attendance Policy], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on March 5, 2018, it issued to a Flight Attendant a no show with three (3) attendance points for a trip picked up on his schedule without his knowledge.  It is important to note the Attendance Policy is not about finding fault with anyone; it is a tracking system to show whether or not you were at work when you were scheduled to be there.

Grievance No.:  36-35-2-122-18-Violation of AFA VX LOA Virgin America Flight Attendant Commuter Policy.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Virgin America Work Rules (WR), AFA VX Letter of Agreement: Virgin America Flight Attendant Commuter Policy (9.14.17), and any applicable sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, when on or about March 18, 2018, it denied non-probationary Flight Attendants from class hire date July 10, 2017, a Stuff Happens Pass (SHP), while it allowed other Flight Attendants from the same class the ability to use the pass.  This is in contradiction to the WR which state, “a SHP is given at 90 days after initial employment and available for use once the Flight Attendant passes probation.”

Grievance No. 36-99-2-132-18 Violation of §19.A.1 Disciplinary Timeline.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §19.A.1 [Grievance Procedures: Dismissal or Disciplinary Procedures], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when in May 2018 it disciplined Flight Attendants outside of twelve (12) days from the date the Company reasonably had knowledge of the incident giving rise to the disciplinary action in direct contrast to contractual language and long standing past practice.

Grievance No. 36-99-2-133-18 Violation of §19.A.1 Failure to Conduct a Full Investigation with Union Representation, Contractual Pay Provisions and Violation of Timeline.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §19.A.1. [Grievance Procedures:  Dismissal or Disciplinary Procedures], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about May 30, 2018, it untimely issued approximately 154 confirmations of oral warning and/or written warnings (I-6s) via certified mail without providing adequate notice of the training required, without performance supervisors first conducting a full investigation, without issuing an actual oral warning and/or without providing Union Representation or contractual pay provisions; such discipline was issued for failing to complete Computer Based Training (CBT).

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-300-18-Violation of §30.C.4 Transition Training CBT Run Times.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.4 [Training:  Training Pay/Computer Based Training (CBT)], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it failed to determine run-times of the Transition Training CBT with AFA input.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-302-18-Violation of §34.A.2.a Hotel Requirements.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §34.A2.a [Hotels:  Lodging/Hotel Selection Process/Hotel Requirements], principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when on or about June 28, 2018,  its Detroit layover hotel, Doubletree by Hilton Detroit, assigned a Flight Attendant a ground floor hotel room, despite contractual language between the Association and the Company, and the Company and the hotel, specifying the hotel will avoid assigning ground floor hotel rooms to crew members.

Grievance No.:  36-99-2-303-18-Violation of Airbus Transition Training Letter of Agreement CBT Pay.  This grievance alleges the Company’s violation of Collective Bargaining Agreement §30.C.4 [Training:  Training Pay/Computer Based Training (CBT)], Airbus Transition Training Letter of Agreement (2.8.18), principles of just cause and due process, past practice and all related sections of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when its Transition Training CBT was allocated for four (4) hours, however based on initial feedback, the Association believes it likely takes longer than four (4) hours to complete, and therefore Flight Attendants will need to be paid accordingly.

In Solidarity,

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

Latest News

AFA Update – November 20, 2020

In This Edition Grievance Committee Update Grievance Committee Update Grievance Committee The Master Executive Council (MEC) has been very hard at work ensuring disciplinary due process and contractual compliance on your behalf.  The contract requires a minimum of 13 arbitration dates yearly to dispute discipline/termination cases and contractual issues.  Termination cases are typically prioritized in order to […]

AFA Alaska Update – November 12, 2020

AFA Alaska Update – November 12, 2020 In This Edition Annual Benefits Open Enrollment COVID-19 Pandemic Update Recurrent Training Update AFA Disaster Relief – Multiple Disasters Union Plus Holiday Giveback Annual Benefits Open Enrollment Benefits Committee Annual Benefits Open Enrollment is underway, and you have until November 18, 2020 to make changes to your benefits for […]

AFA Alaska Special Update – November 2, 2020

AFA Alaska Special Update – November 2, 2020 In this Edition Vote! The Jobs Crisis Does Not Stop for the Election Vote! Government Affairs High voter turnout by union members helps increase the power of our solidarity. Visit vote411.org/afacwa for helpful election information. Election Day is Tuesday—please vote on or before November 3rd! The Jobs Crisis Does […]

AFA Alaska Negotiations Update – October 24, 2020

AFA Alaska Negotiations Update – October 24, 2020 Master Executive Council In This Edition Recap Negotiations Delayed Until 2021 Final Full Pay Scale Increase of 2.5% Effective December 17, 2020 Contract and Negotiations Education Recap The contract is amendable in December 2021, but negotiations may start one year prior to the amendable date if notice […]

AFA Special Update – October 2, 2020

AFA Special Update – October 2, 2020 In This Edition November 2020 Staffing and Scheduling #ExtendPSP #ReliefNow November 2020 Staffing and Scheduling Master Executive Council Very time-sensitive information to report here! At AFA’s request, management has sent an email (“Base Transfers – November”) to Company email addresses, sent another email to involuntarily furloughed (IVF’d) Flight […]

Top Posts & Pages

News By Month

News By Category

Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Contract 2021 Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX Council 19 SEA Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX EAP/Professional Standards Committee Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Mobilization Committee Negotiations Pairing Construction Preferential Bidding System (PBS) Press Releases Reserve Committee Retirement Committee Scheduling Committee Uniform Committee

Want To Stay In The Loop?

The best way to stay connected with up-to-date AFA Alaska news and information is through a subscription to AFA Alaska emails!  Click the button below to sign up.  Already a subscriber?  You can make changes to your email by clicking below!
Sign Up