Hotel Committee

Council 35 News – September 2021

October 1, 2021 12:44

Important Dates

September 30: Last day of COVID Points Forgiveness-today!
October 1: Vacation Round 2 opens
October 15: Last day to submit vaccination record for $200
October 18: Vacation Round 2 closes
October 25: Vacation Round 2 Awards posted
Various dates (see below): How-To Series

Hotel and Reserve Committee Opportunities

Council 35 has chair openings in the Hotel and Reserve Committees. Please review the duties and responsibilities of each position which can be found on our website. If you are interested in volunteering, please submit a letter expressing your interest to sfo@afalaska.org.

How-To Series Starts October 1st

Council 35 is happy to announce a new learning series to help Flight Attendants navigate a variety of scheduling and reserve activities. In collaboration with Inflight Base Managers Cierra Lewis and Benito Pasia-Garcia, our very own Virginia Fritz, SFO Scheduling Chair, is hosting these events along with PDX Reserve Chair, Anthony Eskander. Each event will include a short lesson about a scheduling or reserve topic followed by live Q&A. These short live events will be held throughout the month of October via Teams. Can’t make the event you want? No problem! All live events will be recorded and posted for FAs unable to attend. To view live events, past recordings or more information, visit the How-To website on Alaskasworld. Schedule and details can be found in the following links:

October 1: Personal and Management Drops
October 4:  Bidding Strategies for your Seniority
October 13:  Splitting and Advertising Reserve Days
October 14:  Trading Reserve Days
October 15:  Posting and Shifting Reserve Days and Understanding Coverage
October 15:  TO and Non-TO Days and Open Time
October 26:  Lineholder’s Picking up Reserve Days
October 28:  Precancellations

COVID MOU Sunsets

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) negotiated to remove points for COVID related absences will sunset today, September 30. AFA requested that management extend the MOU however the suggestion was not accepted and management will discontinue the COVID points forgiveness program as planned. Please be sure to submit for COVID related absences according the guidelines in the MOU. Flight Attendants returning from leave on October 1 have 14 days to submit documentation. Additionally, any FA that has a continuous absence that begins in September but carries over into October will also be considered for point forgiveness if reported in a timely manner. Please review the COVID Points Forgiveness MOU for more information. Reminder to CA based Flight Attendants: Please review the State Laws Part 3 communication for information on CA COVID laws.

Call to Action: Possible Government Shutdown

Transportation is one of the many industries that will be affected by a government shutdown. Join other AFA members and let your state’s representatives know that avoiding the shutdown is important to Flight Attendants. For more information and how this impacts our jobs, please read No More Shutdowns and take part in this important mobilization effort.

Save the Date: California Local Council Membership Meeting

The next membership meeting for Council 35 members will be Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 1100 via Zoom. The purpose will be to discuss news and events happening in California bases at Alaska. This meeting will be a combined council meeting and open to all Council 35 (SFO), 18 (LAX) and 15 (SAN) members in good standing (up-to-date on dues). Agenda, time and registration details will be sent in a separate communication.

AFA Membership Dues – Update

by LEC Secretary and Membership Chair, James Ikehara
Approximately 300 Council 35 members are in arrears with their monthly AFA dues based on the September 2021 report from AFA International’s Membership Services department. Although the amount of months in arrears vary widely, a member that is only one month late ($50) can fall into a “Bad Standing” status if the amount owed is more than 90 days delinquent; there are approximately 102 members that fall into this category. A delinquency may have been caused by the following

A type of leave of absence you incurred in the past and were not coordinating enough sick leave or vacation to cover your dues
You flew low TFP’s in any given month and there was not enough money for an auto-deduction
When you are on any type of leave and you are completely off payroll (not coordinating any sick leave or vacation time) you are obligated to pay the first 3 months during your leave according to the AFA-CWA, Constitution & Bylaws. Once the 3 months have been fulfilled you have met your obligation and you do not owe union dues until you return to work.

If your delinquency is not corrected, the following is the progression of steps taken for non-payment based on AFA International’s bylaws:

Standing 2 (S2) – this letter indicates you are now in bad standing and this is the first stage of the AFA-CWA delinquency process. A flight attendant goes into S2 when you have ONE or more dues billings that are over 90 days old and remain unpaid.
Standing 3 (S3) – this letter indicates that the FA remains delinquent after receiving the initial “Bad Standing” warning letter. You now receive your S-3 letter via certified mail return receipt (if AFA International has an incorrect address on file, the LEC President or Secretary will put it into your co-mail file at work and it is treated as if it was sent via certified mail). Nonpayment could result in discharge per our FA Collective Bargaining Agreement, Section 26 C & D.
Standing 4 (S4) – this is a pending status which means your International Membership Services department is researching your account for you.
Standing 5 (S5) – this is your final warning and this becomes very serious. After receiving your S-2 and S-3 letters for nonpayment, our International AFA office in Washington, D.C. sends a letter to Alaska Airlines requesting discharge for nonpayment and a copy of this letter is also sent to your LEC President.

If you have received a text or email from me, or a letter from AFA International’s Membership Services department about your dues, it is important you contact AFA-CWA Membership Services by calling them directly at 844-232-2228, extension 3 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Eastern), or by submitting an online inquiry via this link to verify the amount owed on your account. If you were on any type of leave, ensure you note the dates of your leave in the comments section and they will investigate and make the necessary changes. Debit and credit card payments can be made via this link.

If you need to complete a Dues Check Off (DCO) form to ensure your dues are automatically deducted from your account, you can access the form here. After printing and signing the DCO, mail it to the Washington, D.C. address at the bottom of the form. Please note the following: the paycheck you receive on the 20th of each month (Advice Date) pays you for all of your flying for the previous month. However, the AFA dues that are payroll deducted from this check pays for the month it was deducted (i.e., the $50 deduction for October 20th will be for October dues, not for the previous month). For those returning to work from one of the mitigated leaves of absence, your dues may not be deducted since you were not active in the previous month.

If you are not able to pay your balance in full, payment options are available and can be coordinated with the Membership Services office. We are here to offer assistance in ways of paying your obligation so it is very important that we work together to ensure that Section 26 C, D & E of our Collective Bargaining Agreement are not applied for non-payment of dues which could result in termination once you have reached a Standing 5 status. We want to ensure the status of your AFA membership stays current and appreciate your prompt attention to correct this issue.

In solidarity,

Melissa, James and Brad

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

Council 35 News January 2021

January 29, 2021 12:45

Important Dates

January 31: Union Plus Scholarships
February 1: Black History Month begins

Union Plus Scholarship Opportunity

Union Plus provides comprehensive information for the college-bound individual as well as a suite of scholarships. The deadline to submit an application is January 31. Union Plus Scholarships are open to current and retired members, spouses, and dependent children. Information about each scholarship is available on the website. This offer can save members thousands of dollars!

Black History Month Pins

Your Council 35 Officers have ordered 400 pins for SFO! Base leadership has offered to assist with distribution of the pins. Please stop by the supervisor’s office in the SFO Village to get your pin.

Can I Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

by Brad Young, ASHSC Chair and Council Representative
Maybe. Several Bay Area and Southern California Flight Attendants have reported that they have successfully received their first dose of the vaccination. You may or may not be asked to show your Alaska letter and Crew ID so please be prepared–you may or may not be approved. Please go to your Health Care provider app or website and try to book an appointment under the current criteria eligibility. To print a copy of the Alaska Vaccination Letter:

Alaska’s World>> Inflight Page>> Safety>> COVID-19 Resources>> Vaccine Prioritization Letter

SFO Pairings Update

by Virginia Fritz, Council 35 Scheduling Chair and MEC PBS Committee Member
Flight Attendants will continue to see the pairings in SFO shift from month to month as Network Planning moves routes around, does aircraft rotation, and changes timing of certain flights we are accustomed to seeing in our SFO pairing selection. AFA Pairing Analyst Karen Ferrell and Local Scheduling chairs continue to advocate based on the feedback received from members. The most recent months of pairing selections have been the company’s solution rather than the AFA solution. While there is no guarantee that the company will always apply our desired changes, they continue to attempt to find the right balance of pairing trip length distributions that SFO prefers based on feedback. Trip Layovers, while in normal times is easy to advocate for by requesting soft locks, have been harder to apply as our route structure continues to vary. Most recently the committee has been advocating for more 4K’s, Hawaii layovers, more 2 days, less 4 days and as always, commutable productive trips as a whole. Please continue to send both positive and negative feedback each month so that we can continue to advocate for SFO and thank you for your patience while we navigate these changes. For more information, please reach out to Virginia Fritz, Scheduling Chair.

Hotel Committee News and Info

by James Bozanich, Council 35 Hotel Chair

As we round the corner from 2020 to 2021, the Hotel Committee wanted to share some information that may be helpful. Here are some hot topics:

Crew Transportation

Crew vans are for assigned crew only. All of our transportation is provided to us clean and sanitized to keep us safe and healthy. Unfortunately, no family or friends are permitted to join us at this time.

Van Drivers not Wearing a Mask

Let someone know via REPORT IT app. Each state and county have different rules and regulations which can cause confusion on this topic. As a reminder, it is Alaska’s policy that all of our transportation drivers wear a mask for Flight Attendant’s safety. If this is not happening, write it up in the Report It app as a safety concern. It will then be addressed by management and shared with the AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee to drive corrections. If this issue requires urgent attention, FAs should contact the Crew Scheduling Duty Manager and request new transportation.

Resources

As a reminder, the current hotel and transportation list can be found in our Flight Attendant webpage under hotels and on the IMD: Good-Reader>>ASFA Supplemental>>Hotel Hotline. Questions can be directed to James Bozanich, Hotel Chair.

ASHSC Committee Member Needed

The SFO Air Safety Health and Security Committee (ASHSC) is looking for one additional committee member. Please review the ASHSC webpage and review the requirements for more information. Please email Brad Young with your expression of interest and for any additional information.

COVID Vaccine for Flight Attendants

Message from AFA International
Despite their role to maintain critical industry, Flight Attendants are not in a priority tier for the COVID vaccine in most of the country. To help bring awareness and to advocate for priority status in all states, AFA is asking that FA’s write a letter to their governor and ask that Flight Attendants be included in Tier 1B. To read the full article and for more information on how to help with his advocacy please visit AFA Interactive.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

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

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

When contacting Council 35 officers please avoid the following methods:

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

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

In solidarity,

Melissa, James and Brad

AFA Update – August 16, 2019

August 16, 2019 12:00

In This Edition

Hotel Crew Room Blocks Card Now Online
REMINDER: Human Rights Committee Forming
TAKE ACTION: Stop Toxic Fumes!
Cabin Air Quality Resources

Hotel Crew Hotel Room Blocks Card Now Online

Hotel Committee

Your AFA Hotel Committee has succeeded in their effort to have the Crew Hotel Room Blocks card uploaded to an easily accessible location on both the Inflight website and the IMD. The Crew Hotel Room Blocks card (commonly known as the “purple card”) is a quick reference card that provides information about appropriate hotel room features and room locations. This card can be shown to hotel staff when you are assigned a hotel room that does not meet the requirements of the company’s contract with the hotel in order to hopefully remedy the situation on-the-spot.

Going forward, the Crew Hotel Room Blocks card will be published on the first page of the monthly Hotel Hotline document. The Hotel Hotline can be found on the Flight Attendant website under Hotel, Travel & Station > Hotel Hotline. On the IMD, you can find the Hotel Hotline under ASFASupplemental > Hotel Hotline.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your Local Hotel Committee.

REMINDER: Human Rights Committee Forming

Human Rights Committee

In 2018, the AFA Board of Directors approved the creation of Human Rights Committees across AFA, with committees to be formed at each Local Council and MEC. Members of the Human Rights Committee will work to promote activities that foster greater understanding of one another and the diversity of our membership in order to build the strength of our Union through our common struggles and goals rather than allowing others to divide us by our differences. This work will involve close coordination with local community and CWA allies to engage in efforts that advance both human rights and worker’s rights.

As part of the formation of the Committee, volunteer involvement opportunities are available both at the local level (Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson) and the airline level (MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson). If you are interested in filling the role of Local Human Rights Committee Chairperson, please refer to recent communications from your Local Executive Council (LEC) Officers or contact your LEC President.

MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson

Information about the MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson can be found in the August 2, 2019 AFA Update.

The MEC will hold interviews for the position of MEC Human Rights Committee Chairperson during the September MEC meeting on Tuesday, September 17. Interested candidates should submit an expression of interest and resume online at https://forms.gle/bns2FHqC11PLe3889. The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Pacific time on Tuesday, September 10. 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.

TAKE ACTION: Stop Toxic Fumes!

Government Affairs Committee

The Cabin Air Safety Act of 2019 aims to protect airline passengers and crew from the harmful effects of toxic cabin air.

“Our workspace is the public’s travel space and in that space today, crews and passengers are breathing toxins and it has to stop,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson.

Call your Representative and Senators today and tell them to cosponsor the Cabin Air Safety Act. The House bill is H.R. 2208 and the Senate bill is S. 1112.

Call Your Representative: 866-937-4359

Call Your Senators: 877-750-7411

“Hi, my name is_________. As a constituent and a Flight Attendant, I am calling to ask you to cosponsor the Cabin Air Safety Act of 2019. Flight Attendants and passengers can be exposed to toxic fumes in the cabin. We need the FAA to intervene and implement protections. Support clean air onboard for passengers and Flight Attendants!”

AFA’s efforts to improve the cabin environment span the last three decades, from advocating for smoke-free skies to stopping poisonous pesticide spraying to addressing the dangers of contaminated bleed air. We advocate that the airline industry either end the use of engine bleed air for cabin air supply like on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or mitigate the circulation of contaminated air. In 2015, AFA was an active member of the ICAO task group that published Circular 344, which advises airlines to enhance their operational procedures to minimize onboard exposure to smoke and fumes. This led to an FAA Safety Alert published in 2018. This is progress, but it doesn’t go far enough.

“Most Americans go to work with the expectation of breathing clean air. Flight Attendants don’t have this guarantee, and it is past time for that to change,” AFA President Sara Nelson said.

Cabin Air Quality Resources

Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee – Air Quality Subcommittee

Your AFA Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) and Air Quality Subcommittee have worked with AFA International to put together a number of tools and resources to use in the event of a cabin air fume event. Some of the resources available are listed below.

Air Quality Fume Event FAQs

The Committee has compiled a comprehensive question and answer document to help provide information about many of the questions and concerns that have been received about cabin air fume events.

You can access the Q&A document by clicking here.

Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card

The Air Quality Exposure Quick Reference Card is a wallet sized card that explains what to do in a contaminated cabin air exposure event. The card can be kept in a badge holder behind your company ID or in your wallet.

The card was recently updated by the Committee and now includes information about the Airbus fleet. If you currently have an older version of the card, please destroy your old card and replace it with a newly updated one. The updated cards are currently being distributed to each domicile.

Look for more information from your Local Council about where to pick one up at your base. You can access and print the card on the AFA Alaska website by clicking here.

AFA Alaska Website

Additional air quality information, including a flow chart that describes what to do in a cabin air fume event, can be found at afaalaska.org under Committees > Air Safety, Health, & Security (ASHSC) > Air Quality.

Questions?

If you have additional questions about cabin air quality or the AFA resources available, please email airquality@afaalaska.org or contact a member of your Local Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC).

Layover Hotel and Transportation Issues: 4 Things to Know

August 23, 2016 17:00

Along with the busy summer travel season has come an uptick in issues with crew hotel accommodations and layover transportation. Management has a responsibility to provide hotel accommodations and corresponding transportation to and from the hotel to Flight Attendants on a layover. This information is contained in section 34 of the contract.

1. If you have a problem with your hotel or transportation, report it!

Management, in conjunction with their hotel vendor API, has recently launched a new version of CrewCare, the website that is used to give feedback on hotel and transportation issues. The new system, My Crew Care, can be accessed through the new Flight Attendant Website.

In order to take action on issues with layover hotels and transportation, your AFA Hotel Committee needs to know when you have a problem. Reports submitted through My Crew Care are automatically routed to your AFA Hotel Committee so they can track issues and trends in our layover locations.

To Access My Crew Care

Log-in to the inflight website (http://asainflight.alaskaair.com)
Open the menu
Click “Hotels”
Click “Hotel Links”
Click “My Crew Care”
Open the menu
Click “Feedback”
Click “Provide Feedback”

First Time Using the New My Crew Care System?

When you open the My Crew Care site for the first time, you’ll need to register with your alaskaair.com email address. After registering, the system will send you a confirmation email. From the confirmation email, click the link to confirm your registration. Once you complete this registration process, you won’t need to do it again.

API has written a user guide for the My Crew Care system that you can access here: https://api2.apicrewcare.com/Uploads/Public/UserGuides/CrewMember/CrewmemberUserGuide_AlaskaAir.pdf.

2. If your transportation is late, you can take a taxi, Uber, or Lyft!

If your van hasn’t arrived to pick you up from the airport within 35 minutes of block-in, you have the right to take other transportation and submit the expense for reimbursement from management. The same thing applies if your van hasn’t arrived to pick you up from the hotel within 10 minutes of the scheduled departure time. You can find this contractual language in section 34.B. Be sure to save your receipt and submit an expense report after your trip. Your supervisor can assist you with completing an expense report.

3. There’s been an increase in unscheduled layover hotel blunders

Recently, Crew Scheduling and the Company’s hotel vendor, Accommodations Plus International (API), have dropped the ball in multiple cases involving unscheduled layover hotels and transportation. Your Hotel Committee has been advised of recent situations where layover hotel rooms were not secured until after crew arrival in a layover city, transportation not being booked, and hotels being booked that didn’t meet minimum contractual requirements. Crew Scheduling is following policy and using a hotel vender as required by management, so AFA holds management ultimately responsible for these unacceptable and ongoing slipups. Management has an obligation to have contractually compliant hotel accommodations reserved and transportation arranged prior to crew arrival in their layover city. AFA has requested a meeting with management and API to call for immediate resolution of these issues.

4. You can check to see if your unscheduled layover hotel meets contractual minimums

Example of how to determine the Travel Weekly classification for a specific hotel

If you end up with an unscheduled layover, it’s possible that the regular crew hotel in that city could be full and you might end up with a room at an alternate hotel. Section 34.A.4 of the contract specifies that the company must make every reasonable effort to ensure that an alternate hotel meets the minimum requirements outlined for regular layover hotels. At a minimum, Flight Attendant layover hotels must meet a rating of 5 or above as rated by Travel Weekly. You can check to see how your alternate hotel is rated by typing the hotel name into the search box at http://www.travelweekly.com/Hotels.

If you have been placed at a hotel that doesn’t meet the minimum rating of 5 or above, you should contact Crew Scheduling immediately to request a different hotel that meets contractual minimums. If you’re told that no other hotels are available, please forward your pairing information, hotel name, and hotel address to your Local Hotel Committee as soon as possible.

Have Questions?

Your Local Hotel Committee can help! You can find contact information on your Local Council’s committee page or on the Hotel Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Satterlee, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Tim Green, Brice McGee and MEC Hotel Committee Chairpersons Laura Hinojosa and Jodi Snow

AFA Update – August 16, 2019

Layover Hotel and Transportation Issues: 4 Things to Know

1. If you have a problem with your hotel or transportation, report it!

To Access My Crew Care

First Time Using the New My Crew Care System?

2. If your transportation is late, you can take a taxi, Uber, or Lyft!

3. There’s been an increase in unscheduled layover hotel blunders

4. You can check to see if your unscheduled layover hotel meets contractual minimums

Have Questions?

That’s a Wrap on Government Affairs Focus Month!

Human Rights & Equity Committee Meeting Recap – 3rd Quarter 2026

MEC Town Hall Video and Q&A Recap – September 23, 2026

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – September 2026

Register Now: Reserve Webinar – Wednesday, October 21

Recent Posts

Local Councils

Master Executive Council

Contract

Committees

News By Month

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Connect With AFA

1. If you have a problem with your hotel or transportation, report it!

To Access My Crew Care

First Time Using the New My Crew Care System?

2. If your transportation is late, you can take a taxi, Uber, or Lyft!

3. There’s been an increase in unscheduled layover hotel blunders

4. You can check to see if your unscheduled layover hotel meets contractual minimums

Have Questions?

Recent Posts

Local Councils

Master Executive Council

Contract

Committees

News By Month

News By Category

Want To Stay In The Loop?

Connect With AFA