Final Notice for Outstanding Dues Payment

by James Ikehara, Council 35 Secretary

There are several Flight Attendants in jeopardy of being terminated by January 31 for failure to correct their outstanding dues obligation. Final notices were sent on January 16, informing the Flight Attendant if the amount owed is not received by January 31, the company will move forward with termination, without the ability to dispute the discipline via the grievance process.  This process is outlined in the JCBA §26.D.

Flight Attendants have one last supplemental income opportunity to help meet their dues obligation by using today’s PBP payout. Please note that payment needs to be received by AFA International before January 31, 2020, 2pm Eastern Time, in order for the payment to be successfully credited to the account.

To make a payment:

https://secure.unasecure.net/afanet/dues_payment.cfm

Have you recently moved or need to update your email address? Use the Change of Address link on the AFA-CWA website to make any changes and keep up to date with information regarding all union activities.

Preparing for RT 2020 

We get it…it’s a mess.  If you have any concerns or want to share about your Recurrent Training 2020 experience, please contact your Council 35 Officers for assistance.  We are here to support you while preparing for the changes to the program and want to help alleviate any stress or trepidation Flight Attendants may be experiencing with the prospect of attending RT 2020.  There have been many communications sent by both AFA and management regarding this issue and more is to come.  AFA continues to strongly advocate for management to “do the right thing” and create a program that sets F/As up for success, not failure.  Please stay tuned for more info as changes to the program are happening frequently. To review AFA publications regarding RT 2020, please visit the latest news on our website. 

Understanding 480 for 2020

Welcome to a new year of benefits!  As a reminder, L-VX F/As are no longer exempt from the 480 TFP requirement to maintain benefits for the following year (2021).  Please familiarize yourself with the provisions that require the 480 TFP minimum in the JCBA:

• §13.D.6 Uniforms
•  §16.L.4 Vacation
• §22.B.1-4 Eligibility for Insurance
• §32.G.4  Attendance
• §32 Addendum #26 Record Improvement

Calculators found on the Inflight Webpage can be useful for tracking yearly progress for attaining the 480 requirement.   To navigate to the calculators:  Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Calculators.

Trending SFO Disciplines

The Grievance Committee has seen the following trending issues in cases for discipline following a performance investigation:

• 10-hour rule violation on reserve
• Layover/hotel incidents
• Commuter policy
• Insubordination
• Holiday Sick Leave

If you have any questions about discipline and the performance investigation process, please contact your Council 35 Officers.  

Reserve and the 10-Hour Rule

As a reminder, reserves that enter an on-call/availability period (RAP) are considered for potential duty at that time and the countdown for drinking abstinence would be 10 hours prior.  For example: a reserve that goes on-call at midnight, would need to stop alcohol consumption before 1400 the day prior.  This is also true if a reserve self-assigns a trip that has a scheduled show-time later than RAP start time.  For example: a reserve that goes on-call at midnight, but has self-assigned a trip that has a show time of 0900, will still need to refrain from consuming alcohol before 1400 the day prior.  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to the SFO Reserve Committee.

Commuter Policy FAQs

The Grievance Committee has represented many Flight Attendants flagged for investigation as a result of the commuter policy audit.  Management has indicated that they will no longer be giving “grace” for unintentional misuse.  Please familiarize yourself with the policy, which can be found on the Inflight Webpage: Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Commuter Form Instructions.  The 3-month audit has identified common errors in commuter boarding priority usage.  Please be aware that using D8Y listings is not permitted in the following situations:

• Commuting from a non-registered city as a result of dropping a DHD either before or after a pairing 
• Commuting from a non-registered city as a result of picking up out of base
• Different cities other than officially registered cities unless part of an approved connection within FLY and required due to route structure or flight loads 
• Commuting to/from base with registered cities but no trips on F/A’s schedule  
• Partial OAL routing to/from base (i.e. commute part of the way on another airline and pick up an AS flight in a connecting city)

Honor System for Trading Trips

The Scheduling and EAP/Professional Standards (PS) Committees are still hearing about Flight Attendants “stealing” trips or giving away trips to F/As that don’t want them.  Please be aware of your trading habits and do the courtesy of ensuring the other F/A is in agreement with the transaction.  Your Council 35 officers and Scheduling Committee recommend that explicit details be included in the trade request.  To initiate a trade, be sure to read and comply with all the conditions requested by the trade post.  It is frustrating and disappointing that the current trading system does not allow for a more fail-safe trading procedure, however until that issue is resolved, please “do the right thing” and respect your fellow Flight Attendants whenever transacting a trade.  If you find yourself with an unwanted trade, please reach out to EAP/PS for assistance.  The company has taken the position to not participate in resolving any disputes regarding trips trades and will refer F/As to EAP/PS for assistance.

Air, Safety, Health & Security (ASHSC)

By Brad Young, ASHSC Chairperson and Council Representative

Boeing MRTs

MRTs will be added to Boeing since we will be losing the pin-backed name tags with our new uniform. They will be under the jumpseat like Airbus and Inflight and Engineering know it needs to be accomplished before the new uniform launches on 3/18/20.

Airbus Assist Handle

The ASHSC Chair and Vice Chair will be meeting in the hanger with the company on January 23rd to assess a subway strap type assist handle the company is proposing. It attaches to the L1 & R1 aft assist handles which the Company made unusable with the forward screen placement on Aura interiors. The original strap type handle proposed was so long that we were concerned it would get caught in the door or allow the F/A to swing out of the A/C while pulling the manual inflation handle. We do not have time line for adding these yet, but once approved and procured installation should happen fairly quickly.

A Joint Message from the Council 35 Hotel and Scheduling Committee

By James Bozanich, Hotel Chair  andVirginia Fritz, Scheduling Chair

Now that the new year is upon us, we wanted to bring a couple items to your attention and let you know what recourse you have when things don’t exactly go as planned in regards to your overnight.  As scheduling and hotel issues often share some overlap, this is a joint PSA between the Hotel and Scheduling Committee.

When rooms are not available upon check-in:

Please let Crew Scheduling know when you arrive and rooms are not ready. Keeping in touch with Crew Scheduling allows them to correct the situation more quickly. Once you have gotten your rooms please call Crew Scheduling to let them know as well. These calls record the length of your delay. Please email sfo.scheduling@afaalaska.org to let them know the time stamps of the delay as well the pairing and date affected. We will then reach out to crew scheduling to attempt to ask for additional compensation for your delay.

When company provided transportation is late:

When transportation is not provided within thirty-five minutes (:35) from block-in or within ten minutes (:10) of the scheduled departure time from the hotel, Flight Attendants will be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred for transportation to or from the airport. This is laid out under Section 34.B of our contract. 

The procedures to document and seek transportation:

• Call Crew Scheduling to notify of delayed transportation.
• Scheduling will first attempt to coordinate with API to find alternate transportation (including API to order an Uber for the crew).
• If that does not work, or in an extreme transportation delay, the Inflight MOD will skip the step above and use a business Uber or Lyft account to transport the crew.  NOTE:  the business Uber or Lyft is subject to availability and the priority for those accounts are FAs that are sick online or need transportation for testing
• If crew opts for their own transportation when delayed longer than contractual agreement, they will be reimbursed for any expenses incurred

Although there is a scheduling process in place to arrange alternative transportation, organizing your own transportation may be the quicker option in certain situations.  However, scheduling MUST be notified first so that it can be documented.  Please note that if you choose to organize your own transport, you will need to pay upfront and then submit for an expense reimbursement through PeopleSoft:   Alaska’s World >> Benefits/Pay >>PeopleSoft Login >> Expense Reimbursement >> Expense Reimbursement (Add: for new expense reports).  No expense report is necessary if the company arranges alternative transportation for you.  

Don’t Miss Out on Free Money!

by Aladrian Hillmon, VP and Interim Benefits/Retirement Chair 

Vanguard Group offers a Bi-annual retirement meeting in SEA to update the various Employee Union Retirement committees on the progress of our retirement plan. 

During the meeting in November it was brought to our attention that 1200 of our flight attendants either aren’t enrolled in our retirement plan. This means they are not eligible to receive the 7.5% company match. 

It is important to understand that company will match your contributions dollar for dollar up to 7.5%. Essentially that can be seen as “free money” added to your retirement the Alaska. Those funds have the potential to add up to a significant amount over the course of your career at Alaska. 

We urge each of you to go onto Alaska’s World and read up on the retirement options that are available to everyone of us. Your Council 35 Officers would hate to see any of our members not take advantage of this investment. Please remember, this is an opportunity to invest in yourselves and your futures.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 Officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:

• sfo@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the 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.com 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, Aladrian, James and Brad

December Update:

‘Tis the season….for IROPS 

Now is the time to get to know your contract.  With irregular operations (IROPS) due to weather or operational challenges, be aware of what is contractually supported for scheduling changes.  Refer to Sections 8 and 10 for lineholders and Section 11 for reserves.  Additionally, Junior Assigning (Section 9) has already occurred this holiday season so be aware of the contractual limitations of this practice.

CBT Deadline December 31

A friendly reminder to complete the 4th Quarter CBT is due 12/31/19.  In the event accessing Cornerstone through the app is unsuccessful, please reach out to your base supervisor for assistance. Additionally Flight Attendants may access Cornerstone via computer (non-mobile device) through the In-flight Page on Alaskasworld.  Failure to complete quarterly CBTs by the deadline historically has resulted in progressive steps of discipline.

Leftover Guest Passes?  Save them!

Remember to convert your unused companion travel passes before the end of day December 31st. Once converted the pass codes will remain in your FLY account under Guest Passes>>Manage Guest Passes. Converted passes must be ticketed within 3 months after the pass code has been generated.

Recurrent Training 2020

The recurrent training home study CBT was released 12/26/19 and available online for those taking recurrent in January. The CBT portion of recurrent training must be completed at least 2 hours prior to the start of training class.   As a reminder, for 2020, recurrent training will be two days.  AFA has been advocating for a streamlined and fair recurrent training process due to recent and sudden changes that have occurred.  This is an ongoing issue so please look out for more communication from the training department and the MEC regarding any updates to the program or guidelines.

Uniform Update 

Rollover of uniform funds are defined in the Uniform Allotments and Rollover Letter of Agreement.  Flight Attendants with remaining uniform funds will rollover at 50% value.

New uniforms will begin to ship in January, with the expectation of a March launch (actual date to be announced).  It is recommended that uniforms be tried for fit as soon as received.  This will allow ample time to make any adjustments or exchanges if necessary.

With the new uniform roll-out just around the corner, management has indicated an increase in compliance checks for current uniforms.  There are 3 stages of compliance checks:

• 2019:  a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform will be subject to a “conversation” with base management regarding current uniform policy.  
• January 1, 2020 –  launch of the new/custom uniform:  a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform will be issued a Record of Discussion (ROD) which will be documented in the FAs personnel file.
• Custom uniform launch and beyond: a Flight Attendant found wearing a non-compliant uniform that is not “fixable” will be sent home.

Clean Slate for 2020

Flight Attendants who…

1. achieved 480 TFP (L-VX exempt in  2019)
2. had 4 or fewer attendance points at the end of 2019
3. and who did not accrue any points in November and December 2019

…will start 2020 with zero points.  This process is defined in the JCBA S32.G.4.  The adjustment is a manual process done by the performance supervisor team, so please allow until mid-January for the process to be complete.  After the adjustments have been made, any discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the SFO performance supervisor, Raquel Wehrwein. 

Clock Resets for 480 on January 1

All Alaska Flight Attendants (including L-VX) will be required to achieve 480 TFP for the year 2020 to maintain the following benefits:

1. Uniforms  §13.D.6
2. Vacation §16.L.4
3. Health Insurance §33.B.1-4
4. Attendance year-end record improvement §32.G.4 

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:

• sfo@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the 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.com 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 24 business hours for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text). 

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad

November Update:

Trending Discipline: Commuter Travel

Performance has initiated an investigation of commuter travel for Flight Attendants.  Recent travel audits have revealed that use of the D8Y travel designation has been used for flights other than commuting between registered cities for work.  The investigation has included all bases to include SFO and have resulted in discipline.  For more information please review the commuter policy in §28.G of the JCBA. The policy indicates that only travel between registered cities for work is allowable.  The D8Y listing is not  permitted when dropping a deadhead or picking up out of base if the cities pairings are not the registered cities. The performance team has indicated that the audits will occur monthly so this will be an ongoing investigation. If you have any questions regarding travel while commuting to/from work, please reach out to FCABPS@alaskaair.com or your Council 35 officers.  L-VX Transition Agreement.

480 Reminder 

The JCBA defines the 480 requirement for maintaining certain yearly benefits, and now is the time to make up any hours before the year ends. Flight Attendants with less than 480 total hours will not be eligible for benefits the following calendar year.   As a reminder, L-VX FAs are exempt from the 480 requirement in 2019 to retain benefits for the year 2020. However beginning January 1, 2020, all FAs (including L-VX) will be required to accrue 480 hours to retain benefits in 2021.  For more information please reference the

PPP Collective Block Payout Coming up!

JCBA §21.R outlines the Premium Productivity Program for FAs.  The collective block months will be complete at the end of November, and the payout will be December 20th.  Earlier this month the January information was missing from L-VX FA calculators however the issue has been resolved.  To see your actual accruals, please visit:

Alaskasworld>>Inflight Page>>Administration>>Calculators 

Delta Organizing

Call Professional Standards first!

Professional Standards (PS) should always be the first contact whenever Flight Attendants find it difficult to work together.  In the event you find yourself contemplating “turning someone in” to management, please consider Professional Standards as the first step in this process. Part of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) committee, PS committee members are trained to help facilitate a conflict resolution process between the affected Flight Attendants.  All this is done in a safe and confidential environment, without involving management.  PS can also facilitate conflict resolution with other Alaska Airlines work groups, such as pilots and Tech Ops.  For a confidential consultation, please contact EAP/Professional Standards Committee at sfo.eap@afaalaska.org.

Council 35 Advanced Secretary/Treasurer Training with AFA

-by James Ikehara Kevin Creighan, Secretary-Treasurer for AFA International, hosted a 2 day Advanced Secretary-Treasurer training session for local councils in San Francisco on November 14-15. Local council officers from United, Frontier, Air Wisconsin, Spirit, and Alaska were in attendance, in addition to Alaska’s MEC officers Brian Palmer, Vice President, and Linda Christou, Secretary-Treasurer. Both Brian and Linda were guest speakers and shared best practices for budget planning. Council 35 was represented by Melissa Osborne, President, and James Ikehara, Secretary. The training provided a deeper understanding of financial tools as well as matters pertaining to membership data, council elections, conducting meetings, constitutional provisions, parliamentary procedures, Department of Labor regulations, and building power through other AFL-CIO affiliations. 

Next CBT due December 31, 2019

-by James Ikehara
The Annual Compliance Training (ACT) from Legal is due December 31, 2019. Failure to complete the required quarterly trainings by the deadline can result in discipline. To access the training module, open the Cornerstone App on your IMD. After logging in, all uncompleted courses will show on the main page. Remember, it’s always a good idea to take screen shots of your completed courses as backup. If your main screen is blank, you can double check your completed courses by clicking on the 3 dots in the upper right hand corner and choosing the Completed tab which will show all of your completed courses. All non-completed courses will be under the Active tab. If you have any concerns regarding the current trainings contact your SFO supervisor.

Boeing 737 MAX Update:  10/25/2019

-information provided by Brad Young

FAA Statement on Lion Air Flight 610 Accident Report

The FAA’s first priority is always safety. The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee’s accident report on Lion Air Flight 610 is a sober reminder to us of the importance of that mission, and we again express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were lost in that tragic accident. We welcome the recommendations from this report and will carefully consider these and all other recommendations as we continue our review of the proposed changes to the Boeing 737 MAX. The FAA is committed to ensuring that the lessons learned from the losses of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 will result in an even greater level of safety globally. The FAA continues to review Boeing’s proposed changes to the 737 MAX. As we have previously stated, the aircraft will return to service only after the FAA determines it is safe.

AFA’s response to the Boeing MAX can be found here.

Did You Know? 

No Badge? No Problem!

Recent trends have emerged with SFO-based Flight Attendants forgetting or misplacing their badges while on duty.  If an FA finds themselves without a badge, contact Crew Scheduling for a temporary replacement.  The temp ID will be validated for the duration of the trip and allow the FA to work and get through security without the need for a gate pass, which can be a time consuming process.  For Flight Attendants that discover the missing ID in one of the six Alaska domiciles, base inflight management is available to print the temp badge in the office.  If the discovery occurs in a non-domicile location, please coordinate with the CSA team lead to print the badge provided by Crew Scheduling.  If an FA discovers the missing ID after boarding an A/C or performing duties, please remember to file an ASAP regarding the incident.  Following procedures for this type of incident will protect FAs from potential discipline.  If you have any questions, please reach out to your supervisor or Council 35 officers.

How do I contact Council 35 Officers?

The best way to contact Council 35 officers is via email using a personal email account. The preferred methods of contact are:

• sfo@afaalaska.org (this is the group contact for all officers-if one officer is flying /unavailable the other officers can respond)
• Individual officer emails (if information is for a specific officer)
• Calls/text (only if situation requires urgent attention)

When contacting Council 35 Officers please avoid the following methods:

• Sending to/from alaskaair.com 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 24 business hours for a response to any method of contact (email, phone, text). 

In solidarity,

Melissa, Aladrian, James and Brad