AFA Alaska + Hawaiian

Representing the Flight Attendants of Alaska + Hawaiian

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

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 11 – January 2026

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

  • Our JNC met with management this week on January 27 to January 29 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for February 24 to February 26
  • Our MEC Air Safety Health and Security Chairperson and Air Quality Representative, along with the AFA-CWA Industrial Hygienist joined the JNC to speak to management about impacts of air quality on Flight Attendants

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management on January 27 to January 29 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight AttendantsRepresenting Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee ChairpersonAllen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberJoe Wonderly, Vice President, Labor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberCarmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberKalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberMike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff NegotiatorKaren Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska
Seth Heiple, MEC Air Safety, Health, and Security Committee Chairperson
Deb Wallstrom, MEC Air Safety, Health, and Security Committee Air Quality Representative
Judith Anderson, AFA-CWA Industrial Hygienist; Air Safety, Health and Security

During this negotiating session we were joined by the MEC Air Safety, Health, and Security Committee (ASHSC) Chairperson, Seth Heiple; MEC ASHSC Air Quality Representative, Deb Wallstrom; and AFA-CWA Industrial Hygienist, Judith Anderson. After an in-depth presentation to the JNC, our subject matter experts educated management on air quality from the Flight Attendant perspective and identified areas of improvement and concrete action-items to address the on-the-job injury process.

After the presentation, we passed our prepared proposal on Section 15 (Leaves of Absence) to  management.  We continue to advocate for improvements and protections in this Section.  The JNC also made our initial proposal on Section 22 (Expenses).  On Day 2, management passed their response on Section 15 (Leaves).  We are significantly apart in this area as we work to incorporate improvements from the Hawaiian Contract.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA will be used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Sections discussed in this session:

  • Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
  • Expenses (AS CBA Section 22 and HA CBA Section 4)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

  • General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)
  • Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 26 and HA CBA Section 34-28)
  • Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

  • Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
  • Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
  • Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

Local Council Meetings

Our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) attended the Master Executive Council (MEC) Meeting in Honolulu earlier this month. During the meeting the JNC provided the MEC with a negotiations update and collaborated on some of the more difficult decisions coming up as we work to combine two very different contracts. On January 15, the JNC met with Honolulu-based Members in a meet and greet event hosted by the Council 43 Leadership.  The JNC fielded questions, updated Members on the negotiations process, and addressed their concerns.

What’s Upcoming

Our next session with management is scheduled for February 24 to February 26.

Meet Our Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson–New Hire & Probation

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

We’re excited to introduce our newly elected pre-merger Alaska MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation, Meghan Casey. Meg began her term immediately upon being elected last week. Below, you’ll find a brief biography highlighting her background and experience as she begins her work supporting our Flight Attendant group.

Meghan Casey, MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation

Meg has been a Flight Attendant based in San Francisco since 2017, when she began her career at Virgin America. She grew up as an Army brat, moving every 2-3 years, which sparked her love of travel at a young age. Looking to pursue a career in service, she attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, earning a Bachelor’s degree in government, and subsequently served for 6 years as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. Following the completion of her commitment, she earned a Master’s degree in early childhood education from Lewis and Clark College, worked as a 3rd-grade teacher, and served in civilian administrative roles for the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy.  Looking for a job that combined travel, meeting new people, and flexibility, Meg decided to pursue a job as a Flight Attendant and hasn’t looked back since. She’s currently due to earn her second Bachelor’s degree in anthropology/archaeology from Cal State East Bay in the summer of 2026. 

For the first 4 years as a Flight Attendant, Meg bounced back and forth between being on reserve and holding a line. Knowing that being on reserve can be among the most challenging years as a Flight Attendant, she pursued a role as the Council 35 (SFO) Reserve Committee Chairperson, a position she has held since 2021. During this time, she worked to ensure reserves were being treated fairly per our contract and also served as a reserve buddy, welcoming the new reserves to SFO. She’s excited to step into this new role as the MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chair for New Hire and Probation and looks forward to serving as an advocate, resource, and supporter for Alaska’s newest Flight Attendants. 

Meg lives outside Sacramento with her husband and young daughter, and when she’s not flying, she enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and trying all the desserts.

Pre-Merger Alaska MEC Committee Chairperson Election Results

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

During this week’s MEC Meeting, our MEC held interviews for the position of MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation. We want to thank everyone who expressed interest in the available positions and their willingness to serve. After careful consideration and deliberation, the following candidate has been elected:

MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation: Meghan Casey

Meghan will carry out her role specific to our six pre-merger Alaska Local Councils as we continue to navigate the merger process. Her official term begins immediately. She will serve for the remainder of the current MEC Officer election cycle, which ends on December 31, 2028.

If you have any questions about the MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation elections, please reach out to your LEC President.

Reserve Committee Meeting Recap – 4th Quarter 2025

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants

On Thursday, December 11, representatives from our AFA Local Reserve Committees met to discuss their ongoing work to advocate for Reserve Flight Attendants. Representing you at the meeting were Conner Gallager (SEA), Anthony Eskander (PDX), Meghan Casey (SFO), Kanako Yamada (LAX), and Rebecca Garcia (SAN). Also present were MEC Reserve Committee Chairperson Julie Thornton, MEC Reserve Committee Vice Chairperson—New Hire & Probation Jarod McNeill, and MEC Scheduling Committee Chairperson Jake Jones. 

The Committee met with the new Director of Crew Scheduling Terrance Chariandy, and Interim Manager of Inflight Crew Scheduling Matthew Trujillo.

The committee is next scheduled to meet on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

Topics of Discussion

The committee reviewed several items during both internal AFA-only discussions and meetings with management. Some of the topics discussed include:

  • New Crew Access Errors And How They Affect Reserves: Alaska IT Management is investigating the causes of these errors and exploring solutions to remedy them. These new errors will be added to the known issues document next week. This will provide guidance to Reserve Flight Attendants on what the errors are and how Scheduling can assist with manually processing specific tasks.
  • Out-Of-Order Assignments: If a Reserve Flight Attendant believes they were assigned out of order, they can notify Crew Scheduling. If confirmed by Scheduling, an annotation will be made to pay the out-of-order premium. However, the trip should not be removed and given to another Reserve Flight Attendant, as that also would be a violation of our contract.
  • CBA timeline implementations of outstanding items that will affect Reserves.
  • New update to Crew Access and upcoming updates to Crew Access next year.
  • Crew Scheduling Desk Assignments: A more in-depth explanation of what desks (positions) there are in Scheduling, what duties each desk is responsible for, and staffing updates.

What The Committee Is Working On

  1. Developing Additional Tools & Resources for Reserve Flight Attendants: Working to update Reserve 101, the Reserve survival guide and flow charts with new CBA provisions.
  2. Assisting Reserve Flight Attendants Through the Reserve Buddy Program: Answering questions from and providing support to Reserve Flight Attendants through an expanded AFA Reserve Buddy program.
  3. Addressing Reserve Contractual Concerns: Researching and investigating reports from Reserve Flight Attendants and actively ensuring that management complies with our contract.

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have feedback for the Committee, concerns you’d like to share, or items you’d like brought up with management? Please let us know! Your Local Reserve Committee is your voice to management. You can open a support request on the AFA Alaska Online Support Center or contact us directly using the information on the Reserve Committee page of the AFA Alaska website.

Joint Contract Negotiations Session 10 – December 2025

This message is for both pre-merger Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants

  • Our JNC met with management this week on December 9 to December 11 in Seattle; our next negotiation session is scheduled for January 27 to January 29
  • A Tentative Agreement has been reached for Section 27 (Association General)
  • Our JNC continues to analyze the Vacations Section of both the AS CBA and the HA CBA alongside the vacation survey results

Negotiations Update

Our AFA Alaska + Hawaiian Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) met this week for three days of collective bargaining with management. The JNC met with management on December 9 to December 11 in Seattle, WA. At the negotiating table for this session were:

Representing AFA and our Flight AttendantsRepresenting Management
Tim Green, Joint Negotiating Committee ChairpersonAllen Thieman, Vice President of Inflight, Alaska
Martin Gusman, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberCarmen Williams, Managing Director, Labor Relations, Alaska
Jeffrey Fuke, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberKalani Sloat, Senior Director, Labor Relations, Hawaiian
Virginia Fritz, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberNeil Osato, Director, Labor and People Relations, Hawaiian
Heather Reier, Joint Negotiating Committee MemberMike Link, Labor Relations Program Manager, Alaska
Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff NegotiatorKaren Themelis, Senior Labor Relations Business Partner, Alaska

During this negotiating session we continued to narrow issues in Section 15 (Leaves of Absence). The JNC also received the company’s first proposal on Section 24 (General and Miscellaneous). We were able to reach a Tentative Agreement (TA) on Section 27 (Association General) and secure additional resources to support our growing Flight Attendant group.

The JNC has also begun the process of meticulously analyzing Section 14 (Vacations). During this process, we are also reexamining the vacation survey results in conjunction with assessing the vacation provisions.

Section by Section Progress

The Alaska CBA will be used as the basis of the joint contract for language purposes. Each section and provision from both contracts will be reviewed individually to incorporate and amend the strongest elements from each agreement.

Tentative Agreements reached in this session:

  • Association General (AS CBA Section 27 and HA CBA Section 22)

Sections discussed in this session:

  • Leaves of Absence (AS CBA Section 15 and HA CBA Section 17)
  • General and Miscellaneous (AS CBA Section 24 and HA CBA Section 27)

Sections in ongoing discussion:

  • Commuter Policy (AS CBA Section 26 and HA CBA Section 34-28)
  • Training (AS CBA Section 30 and HA CBA Section 26)

Sections listed below are on hold until discussions regarding future sections, which affect specific provisions, take place.

  • Seniority (AS CBA Section 6 and HA CBA Section 9)
  • Grievance Procedures (AS CBA Section 19 and HA CBA Section 23)
  • Charters (AS CBA Section 33 and HA CBA Section 12)

Sick Leave Survey

Thank you for taking the time to participate in the Sick Leave Survey. We had a total of 3,358 Flight Attendants take part, which is consistent with our previous surveys. Your responses, including partial responses, will be reviewed and taken into consideration during the evaluation process.

Local Council Meetings

Our Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) attended the Joint LAX Local Council Meeting with Council 18 (Alaska LAX) and Council 47 (Hawaiian LAX) on Friday, December 12 in Los Angeles. Our next stop will be in Honolulu during the month of January. Please check your Local Council communications for updates about future meetings.

What’s Upcoming

Our next session with management is scheduled for January 27 to January 29.

Boeing 787 Seattle International Service Observation Period Update – May 2026

This message is for pre-merger Hawaiian Flight Attendants Over the past few weeks, Alaska-branded 787 International Service launched with flights on April 25 (SEA-ICN), April 28 (SEA-FCO), and, coming soon, May 21 (SEA-LHR). As many of you know, the Seattle international service has not yet been formally agreed upon. Per the Hawaiian Contract [Section 29.I.4.], […]

Council 19 (SEA pmAS) LEC Officer Election Results

Polls closed at 12 PM PT today for the election of Council 19 LEC Officers, representing Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants based in Seattle. The following AFA Flight Attendants have been elected to Local Council Officer positions: LEC President: Paula Isla-McGillLEC Vice President: Melinda JorgeLEC Secretary: Adam ClareyCouncil Representatives: Kiersten Larson and Andrew Stinson These newly elected officers will begin […]

Government Affairs Committee Update – 2nd Quarter 2026

Voting Primaries/ Important Dates Alaska Primary: July 19Registration Deadline: Aug 18 California Primary: June 2Registration Deadline:  May 18 Florida Primary: August 18Registration Deadline: July 20  Hawaii Primary: August 8Registration Deadline: July 29Deadline to request absentee ballot: August 1 Oregon Primary: May 19Registration Deadline: PASSEDBallots began being mailed to registered voters on April 29, check your mailboxes! […]

Uniform Committee Meeting Recap – 2nd Quarter 2026

This message is for pre-merger Alaska Flight Attendants On Tuesday, May 5, our pre-merger Alaska AFA Uniform Committee Chairpersons met to discuss their ongoing work to represent Flight Attendants and push for improvements in the workplace. Representing you at the meeting were Kim Mazzolini (ANC), Dena Heath (SEA), Bob Moore (PDX), Slater Areno (SFO), Heather […]

Crew Meal Survey Now Open

Crew meals are an important aspect of supporting the health and effectiveness of Flight Attendants. As part of ongoing efforts to enhance these provisions, the JNC is collecting feedback from Flight Attendants. Your participation in the Crew Meal Survey will directly influence future meal standards and help ensure that your needs and preferences are represented.

Recent Posts

News By Month

News By Category

AFA News Now Air Quality Air Safety, Health, & Security Committee (ASHSC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) AS/HA Merger AS/VX Merger Benefits Committee Committees Communications Committee Contract Contract 2014 Negotiations Blog Council 15 SAN Council 18 LAX (pmAS) Council 19 SEA (pmAS) Council 30 ANC Council 35 SFO Council 39 PDX Council 43 HNL Council 47 LAX/SEA (pmHA) EAP/Professional Standards Committee Extension 2021 Blog Featured Government Affairs Committee Grievance Committee Hotel Committee Human Rights & Equity Committee Industry News Inflight Service Committee Inflight Training Committee JNC Blog Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) Latest News Local Councils Master Executive Council (MEC) Membership Engagement Committee Message from the MEC President 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?

Stay up-to-date on AFA Alaska + Hawaiian news and information by signing up for our email and text message updates. Click a button below to get started or update your preferences if you're already a subscriber.
Sign Up for Emails
Sign Up for Text Updates