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Introducing AFA Pairing Analyst Karen Ferrell

At the January meeting of the Master Executive Council (MEC) earlier this week, your MEC interviewed candidates for the position of MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson for Pairing Construction, commonly referred to as the AFA Pairing Analyst.  In total, four candidates interviewed for the position (one Anchorage-based flight attendant, two Seattle-based flight attendants and one Los Angeles-based flight attendant).  The MEC sincerely thanks the candidates for stepping forward.  After much discussion, the MEC has appointed Karen Ferrell to the position.

About Karen

Karen has worked for Alaska Airlines for over 37 years in various job capacities. Currently she is an Anchorage-based flight attendant and has been for 17 years. Karen is also the AFA Council 30 Anchorage vice president and Local Executive Council (LEC) co-chair of the Scheduling Committee.

Karen says, “I have always been interested in the scheduling aspect of our job, and before the current system sat with [Anchorage based flight attendant and former AFA line builder] Anita Davis on a few occasions to try to learn and understand what was then ‘line building.’ …Over the last several years, the quality of our pairings has continued to deteriorate. And though I understand there are many variables to consider, it is my hope that there is a solution that will satisfy the Company’s desire to save money AND create a variety of pairings that can satisfy the diverse needs of our work group.”

* * *

The MEC thanks MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones for continuing to run pairing solutions on behalf of AFA until Karen can be brought up to speed. She is scheduled to attend training at a Jeppesen training facility in Montreal in early April. Congratulations, Karen!

 

In Solidarity,

 

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones; and AFA Pairing Analyst Karen Ferrell

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AFA Alaska MEC Pairing Analyst Interviews

Your Alaska Master Executive Council (MEC) would like to take this opportunity to thank Sherrijon Gaspard for stepping up to the plate as MEC Pairing Analyst for the last six months. Regretfully, she recently stepped down from her position due to unforeseen family circumstances. The MEC is now in search of qualified individuals interested in becoming the new MEC Pairing Analyst.

Background

  • The official title in the AFA Alaska MEC Policy Manual for the AFA Pairing Analyst is MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction. The Pairing Analyst is chairperson and sole member of the Pairing Construction Subcommittee, which is a part of the Scheduling Committee. See below for additional information.
  • Both the Crew Planners and the AFA Pairing Analyst individually use a computer system provided by Jeppesen to construct pairings each month.
  • The pairings in our bid packets are “optimized” (usually for least cost) and built using a computer program designed by Jeppesen. Inflight management selects the final pairing solution to be used.

Additional Background from the AFA Alaska MEC Policy Manual

PAIRING CONSTRUCTION SUBCOMMITTEE

Scope

(i)        The Pairing Construction Subcommittee will work with the company and the Inflight Crew Planning Department to build Flight Attendant pairings

Policy/Responsibilities

(i)        The Pairing Construction Subcommittee shall consist of the MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson—Pairing Construction.

(ii)       The Subcommittee shall:

(A)       Regularly communicate with and provide updates to the MEC Scheduling Chairperson on the activites of the subcommittee

(B)       Meet on a monthly basis with the Company and the Inflight Crew Planning Department to review problems and suggested resolutions regarding construction of Flight Attendant pairings and monthly lines of flying.

(C)       Maintain a permanent file for all local schedules for the use of the MEC Scheduling Committee.

(D)       Keep the MEC informed on all activities relating to the pairing construction process.  When meetings or communications are due to unusual scheduling activities, a written report will be made.

(E)       Keep the membership informed of the results of the pairing construction process on a monthly basis through the MEC Communications Committee Chairperson.

(F)       Solicit feedback from the membership regarding desired pairings, trip lengths, and types of flying through Local Scheduling Committees and advocate for such during the pairing construction process.

(G)       Discuss any problems occurring within the pairing construction process with the Local Scheduling Committee Chairpersons on a monthly basis and will provide any suggestions for remedy of problems to the MEC.

Skillset/Requirements

  • Strong computer skills are a must.
  • Ability to independently meet several deadlines throughout the month.
  • Potentially frequent travel to Seattle for training and meetings. However, duties may generally be fulfilled remotely.

Duties

  • Build pairings solutions using a pairings optimizer computer program (Jeppesen).
  • Work collaboratively with Crew Planning in regards to pairing building.
  • Review, validate and comment on the monthly pairing solutions.
  • Write a monthly pairings report.
  • Correspond with Local Scheduling Committee chairpersons, the MEC Scheduling Committee chairperson, and LEC presidents regarding pairing solutions and related concerns brought forward by flight attendants.
  • Advocate for flight attendants in the pairing building process.

Time Commitment and Compensation

  • This is a paid position compensated by the Company under 27.P Company Business (CB) Flight Pay Loss with a 5% override and “A” pay. CB is compensated at 0.75 TFP per hour of work.
  • Estimated 16 to 20 hours per month (12 to 15 TFP per month), most of which may be accomplished remotely.

Reporting Structure

  • Directly reports to the MEC Scheduling Committee chairperson, who in turn reports to the MEC.

Interested?

  • The MEC will hold interviews on Tuesday, January 26, 2016. Bid around the interview date or arrange to adjust your schedule accordingly to accommodate.
  • Interviews will be at the AFA Alaska MEC office in Seattle. Our office is located in the Alaska Airlines Flight Operations and Training Center, Suite 280 at 2651 S 192nd St, Seattle, WA 98188.
  • Submit a declaration of interest and resume to MEC Secretary-Treasurer Yvette Gesch at yvette.gesch@afaalaska.org no later than 5 PM Pacific Time on Friday, January 15, 2016. Yvette will be able to provide additional information regarding transportation and booking of flights if necessary.

 

* * *

 

In solidarity,

 

Your MEC—Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Lisa Pinkston, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt; and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones

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LAX LEC Scheduling Chair Tim Green

Congratulations to Tim Green, our new LOCAL SCHEDULING CHAIR. He will be the person advocating for our LAX flight attendant schedules and overseeing scheduling issues.

With our new contract we formed a new MEC Scheduling Committee. Jake Jones was appointed by the MEC as the new MEC Scheduling Chair. Our LEC Scheduling Chair Tim Green will be working with him and other chairs from all other bases.

We are also excited that LAXFA Sherrijon Gaspard has been selected as AFA’s Pairing Analyst. She took over Jeff Stein’s position earlier this year.

We want to thank Tim, Jake, and Sherrijon in advance for all of their hard work ahead. Please reach out to either of them with any of your suggestions and concerns. They would love to receive your feedback.

Tim Green ScheduleLAX@yahoo.com

Sherrijon Gaspard sggaspard@gmail.com

Introducing the AFA Pairing Analyst

At a meeting held last week, your Master Executive Council (MEC) interviewed candidates for the position of MEC Scheduling Committee Vice Chairperson for Pairing Construction, commonly referred to as the AFA Pairing Analyst.  In total, nine candidates interviewed for the position (three Seattle-based Flight Attendants, three Portland-based Flight attendants, two Anchorage-based Flight Attendants, and one Los Angeles-based Flight Attendant).  The MEC would like to thank those candidates for stepping forward in the spirit of Union service.  After much discussion, the MEC has appointed Sherrijon Gaspard to the position.

About Sherrijon

A passion for helping people has been a driving force in Sherrijon’s life for as long as she can remember.  This dedication to service has been apparent at Alaska Airlines, where she has been a Flight Attendant since 1998.  Her commitment to helping people does not stop when the plane hits the ground and the cabin door opens.  She has been creative and resourceful in generating new ideas and solutions applicable to both the inflight department as well as the Union serving on various committees (Reserve Committee, PBS Committee, Inflight Service Committee, Hiring & Recruitment).

As part of her dedication to improvement, in 2006, Sherrijon decided to pursue an MBA at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business Management.  At Pepperdine, she honed her innate ability for hospitality, team building and enhancing the customer experience and added developing and implementing integrated marketing and client satisfaction programs to her skill set. After earning her MBA in 2009, she founded Eos Ventures, a small business consulting firm and launched Vina Sympatica™ Sparkling Wines.

Now in her new position as Pairing Analyst, Sherrijon is ready to once again dedicate time to AFA and use her keen eye for detail and strong organizational skills to help ensure fair yet equal pairings and improved Flight Attendant quality of life while also paying close attention to management’s cost concerns and contractual obligations.

Thank You To Jeff Stein

The MEC would like to thank outgoing Pairing Analyst and Portland-based Flight Attendant Jeff Stein for his service to our Flight Attendants.  For years, Jeff worked hard to improve Flight Attendant quality of life by advocating for better pairings and more efficient flying.  Please join us in wishing Jeff well in his future pursuits.

In Solidarity,

Your MEC – Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Palmer, Yvette Gesch, Becky Strachan, Laura Masserant, Cathy Gwynn, Sandra Morrow, Stephen Couckuyt and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones

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Council 43 (HNL) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 12 PM PT today for the election of Council 43 LEC Officers, representing Hawaiian Airlines Flight Attendants based in Honolulu. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Kela Chong IVLEC Vice President: Martin GusmanLEC Secretary: Soon Kim View the certified election results here >> These newly elected […]

Council 39 (PDX) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 11 AM PT today for the election of Council 39 LEC Officers, representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in Portland. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Krystle Shae BerryLEC Vice President: Melodie AnderesLEC Secretary: Kevin Sharp View the certified election results here >> These newly elected […]

Hotel Committee Meeting Recap – May 2026

On Monday, May 11, our AFA Local Hotel Committee Chairpersons met virtually to receive an update about current layover hotels and transportation providers and discuss concerns with management. Representing you at the meeting were Dori Marron (ANC), Kelly Hepworth (PDX), Hilary Streem (SFO), Brian Sherill (LAX pmAS), and Kanani Vallot (SAN), with MEC Hotel Committee […]

AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall: Join Us Monday, June 8

This is your opportunity to connect, share, and be heard! Join us at our next AFA Alaska + Hawaiian MEC Town Hall on Monday, June 8. Get the latest AFA news and connect directly with our MEC Officers. Bring your questions—this is your chance to get answers directly from AFA Representatives. The Details What: AFA Alaska […]

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