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        You are here: Home / Archives for lawsuit

        Council 35 News – September 2022

        October 5, 2022 20:22


        Important Dates
        September 30:  Q3 CBT Due Today!
        October 03:  Vacation 2023 Bidding Round 2 Opens
        October 10:  NGP Benefits Enrollment Opens
        October 18:  Vacation 2023 Bidding Round 2 Closes
        October 25:  Vacation 2023 Bidding Round 2 Awards
        October 27:  Vacation 2023 Trading Opens


        SFO ISC Update

        by Raymond Ramirez, C35 ISC Chair
        The Inflight Service Committee met with management at their quarterly meeting on September 21, 2022. The addition of the third cart on PLH flights is on management’s radar, but the ISC continues to advocate against this service. The lack of trash stowage, not enough supplies for three services, and long bathroom lines are the biggest concerns that have been brought forward. ISC’s goal is to work with the company to reach mutually agreeable solutions with the work group. Please continue to use Block2Block, FAIRs and ASAP to write up trash stowage concerns, flights loaded without empty carts in the AFT galley, and when supplies run out during cart service. Also, certain stations are implementing single door catering, potentially causing delays with boarding. Always notify CSAs that boarding cannot begin until the caterers finish blocking the aisle, and if it causes a delay it needs to be written as an FAIR and a safety hazard report. Other items that were brought to management’s attention include a time zone glitch on Block2Block when working Mexico flights, feedback regarding the main cabin menus needing a link to AlaskaReceipts.com for passengers, and reworking the menu layout to help avoid confusing pre order fresh food for picnic packs/retail snacks. 

        Supplemental Insurance Open Enrollment

        from the Benefits Committee

        National Group Protection (NGP) announces the open enrollment period for supplemental benefit plans for AFA members at Alaska Airlines.  

        NGP offers services to include:

        • Accident Insurance 
        •  Hospital Indemnity
        • Critical Illness Coverage
        • Whole Life Insurance

        NGP offers the following options:

        • Supplemental – these plans supplement any existing coverage
        • Voluntary – members choose to participate
        • Limited Underwriting – no medical or physical exams required
        • Family Coverage – available with all of the plans
        • Portable – members can continue coverage if they leave the company
        • Payroll Deduction – premiums are paid through payroll deduction

        The Virtual Enrollment for Alaska AFA members is open from October 10-31, 2022.  

        New Bus Service from Hayward and Castro Valley to SFO

        Go>SFO Shuttle is a new commuter bus for all workers at SFO, serving Hayward and Castro Valley. Please review the info bulletin for route schedules and details.

        Participation Request from SFO Airport

        by FlySFO
        The SFO airport has convened an Employee Safety Task Force, and we want to hear your ideas and suggestions so we can continue to enhance safety measures at the Airport. We are seeking your input as we continue to better understand how you feel about safety and security, as well as the possibility of implementing a Chaperon Program. Therefore, your survey participation is valuable. Please complete the Safety and Security Survey, by 1700 Wednesday, October 5, 2022.  For questions, please contact Ralf Ruckelshausen at Ralf.Ruckelshausen@flysfo.com.

        Negotiations Update

        Stay updated on the progress of negotiations by visiting the Negotiations subsite, which can be found on the AFA Alaska website.  Want to get involved?  It’s not too late!  Council 35 is looking for Mobilization Committee members to support Section 6 Negotiations in SFO.  Please reach out to Trista Vanta, the C35 Mobilization Committee chair and/or fill out the online request form to participate in events.

        Bernstein v. Virgin America Lawsuit Updates

        A member of the Alaska legal team will be hosting CA base sits for September and October to answer Flight Attendant questions. Flight Attendants who take advantage of this opportunity are strongly encouraged to visit the Bernstein v. Virgin America subsite, on the plaintiff’s attorney webpage. This will provide for a well balanced viewpoint of the issue.

        Got a question?

        Contact information for Council 35 committee members can be found on our website.  You can also open an online support ticket and the appropriate rep will respond.

        In solidarity,

        Melissa, Virginia, James and Brad


        Melissa Osborne, LEC President •  melissa.osborne@afaalaska.org • 415-275-1322
        Virginia Fritz, LEC Vice President •  virginia.fritz@afaalaska.org • 408.489.8200
        James Ikehara, LEC Secretary •  James.ikehara@afaalaska.org  • 415-289-9011
        Bradley Young, Council Representative • bradley.young@afaalaska.org • 916-508-3503

        Filed Under: Council 35 SFO Tagged With: Bernstein, Council 35, Inflight Service Committee, lawsuit, negotiations, Newsletter, September, supplemental, transportation

        July Updates and Information

        July 7, 2022 12:14


        Bernstein v. Virgin America Ruling


        Since the ruling was announced (06/30/2022) Council 15 LEC Officers have been inundated with questions related to the potential impact to our base.  At this point, we do not believe any decisions have been made. I personally feel the company has created unneeded panic before there is even a plan going forward.

        Please review the following communications from AFA and look for updates as more information becomes available. 

        AFA News Now – Supreme Court Ruling on Bernstein v. Virgin America
        Alaska MEC 
        (06/30/2022)

        “In our opinion, management’s various communications are largely speculative and suggest that somehow safety provisions and meal and rest breaks cannot coexist. Arguably, the meal & rest requirements are applicable only to CA-based FAs working for a CA-based airline solely on intra-CA flights (e.g., SFO-LAX but not SFO-JFK).Rather than focus on practical solutions, management simply continues to gripe about having to comply with this law. As the 9thCircuit Court of Appeals already told them more than a year ago, there are many ways to comply with this law.”

        Meal and Rest- Don’t Exempt, Negotiate 
        AFA International (05/27/2022)

        “Instead of meaningfully seeking to address the provisions of the law, airline executives have argued the most onerous outcomes of applied law. For example, one argument the industry makes is that this law will require augmenting crew on long haul flights. They mount this argument despite the fact that the case is limited to California-based flight attendants flying in California. The court did not address the applicability of meal and rest provisions to long-haul flying, which primarily would take place outside of California and therefore may not even fall under this law.”

         AFA stands ready to work out a solution with management that is compliant with the law and is a mutually agreeable path forward for all stakeholders.


        SAN Mobilization Chair Selected for Negotiations


        We would like to thank those who expressed interest for the San Diego Mobilization Chair. Both candidates showed passion, knowledge, and drive and we were excited to have such strong candidates. With that being said, Samantha Wolff has been selected and accepted the position. She will attend training at the beginning of August with the other local mobilization chairs. More opportunities to get involved with the committee will be announced later this summer.

        Samantha began her career as a flight attendant flying for Virgin America in 2011. She quickly upgraded to Inflight Team Leader which was the airline’s purser position, and flew as the ITL until the merger with Alaska Airlines in 2018.

        She has a bachelor’s degree in fine art and is a painter, sculptor and photographer. She also has a background as a legal assistant. She and her husband, who is an Alaska captain and ALPA volunteer, are empty nesters for his 2 adult sons and they currently live in San Diego with their 3 rescue cats.

        She is a passionate union advocate and although this is her first volunteer position with AFA, she is dedicated to provide our union members with timely information during membership surveys, contract negotiations and voting.


        Email Verification


        With negotiations quickly approaching, we want to make sure all emails are up to date. If you are using a company email address, please be sure to update it to a personal email address by clicking here. AFA does not send communications to the Company provided email. Over the next few weeks we will be reaching out to anyone with a company email address on file to make sure a personal address is listed or we will purge your information from the AFA data base.


        Negotiations Survey Coming Soon


        Get Ready for Our Negotiations Survey—Update Your Contact Information Now!
        In just a few months, our Negotiating Committee will be conducting a Negotiations Survey of all Flight Attendants.  The survey results will be used to help our Negotiating Committee prepare our Opening Proposal.  When it’s ready to launch, the survey will be sent out to all Flight Attendants using the contact information on file with AFA.  If your contact information has recently changed, update it as soon as possible so you can receive your invitation to complete the survey. Read more about our Negotiations Survey here.


        Local Committee Updates


        We have made some changes and additions to a couple of the committees

        Reserve Committee

        We want to welcome Rebecca Garcia as the New Reserve Chair and thank Joe Coneglio for his time as Reserve Chair.

        New to Reserve? Familiarize yourself with Reserve [Section 11] & Hours of Service [Section 8] of the Contract and the Reserve Survival Guide.  It may be found on your IMD. Search “Reserve” or go to ASFA Supplemental> Collective Bargaining Agreement> AFA Alaska Reserve Survival Guide. 

        If you believe you have received an illegal assignment, don’t hesitate to contact our local Reserve Committee.  They have been helping members work through their concerns. When a contractual violation is identified- they can assist you. 

        Read more about the Reserve Committee here.

        Uniform Committee

        We want to welcome Jesus Perina Jr. “JP” as the New Reserve Chair and thank Denise Sheldon for her time as Uniform Chair and wish her well in her retirement from Alaska.

        Don’t hesitate to contact our local Uniform Committee.  They can assist you with any questions or concerns.

        Read more about the Uniform Committee here.

        A full list of Local Committees can be found here.


        Questions and Concerns


        Contact information for Council 15 committee members can be found on our website.  You can also open an online support ticket and the appropriate rep will respond.

        In Solidarity,

        Brice McGee, President

        Melanie Buker, Vice President

        Stephen Couckuyt, Secretary

        Filed Under: Council 15 SAN Tagged With: lawsuit, Mobilization, negotiations, Newsletter, San Diego

        Need Help?

        Have an issue or concern to report to AFA?  Click here to access the AFA Alaska online support center.

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