AFA Update

January 11, 2020 by Lisa Davis-Warren (MEC President)

MEC Committee Chairperson & Appointed Position Interviews and Recent Resignation

Master Executive Council (MEC)

In accordance with Article VII.B.1 of the AFA Horizon Air MEC Policy and Procedures Manual, the term of appointment for the MEC Committee Chairpersons is concurrent with those of the MEC Officers. As the current MEC Officer term of office ended on December 31, 2019, the MEC will be conducting a review of the MEC Committee Chairperson positions on February 3, 2020. More information will be distributed after this meeting.

The Horizon Air Master Executive Council, as well as all of the Local Council 16 and 17 Officers, Chairs and Volunteers, would like to thank Cyndy Mathison for volunteering as the Crew Planning Liaison.

Cyndy recently provided us the following statement explaining her resignation effective December 18, 2019:

“I accepted the position of the Master Executive Council (MEC) Crew Planning Liaison in order to advocate quality of work/life balance for you; my QXFA family. However, it is with genuine regret that I submit my resignation as your Crew Planning Liaison.

It was a short span of time, but a concentrated one filled with tenacity and perseverance. Whenever I heard a fellow FA say, “next bid looks good!!!”, it was extraordinarily gratifying. When I heard “this is our next bid?”, it was the fire that kept me going.

All I can say is that I’m going to miss this role. My decision was a difficult one to make. However, I look forward to working alongside of you more out on the line…through the good and challenging times. And most importantly, as a continued supporter of our AFA Horizon team.”

Peter Oxentenko has agreed to a one-year commitment beginning with January’s pairing build (January 20^th – 24^th) and will serve as the acting Crew Planning Liaison while we seek new volunteers and offer those individuals an opportunity to shadow Peter over the next six to eight months. This will enable those interested flight attendants the opportunity to see the entire build process and ensure a more transparent view into the process.

Please join all of us in saying thank you to Cyndy for all of your time and efforts and we hope you will be volunteering for us again when the time is right.

What Happens When You Report a Human Trafficking Tip?

In our role as aviation’s first responders, Flight Attendants have the ability to make a substantial impact in the fight against human trafficking. Education and training about how to identify and report suspected human trafficking has been included in Flight Attendant Recurrent Training for the past several years and additional reminders have been included in various communications from AFA and management.

Flight Attendant procedures for suspected human trafficking involve reporting the event at which point authorities take over and follow up on the tip. Reports from Flight Attendants and other aviation employees are a part of the Department of Homeland Security—Customs and Border Protection’s Blue Lightning Initiative, which provides a voluntary platform to identify potential human trafficking victims and to notify federal authorities for front line workers at U.S. commercial airlines. The diagram below provides an overview of what takes place once a report is submitted.

Reporting Human Trafficking

If you suspect a case of human trafficking:

Call toll-free (866) 347-2423 from anywhere in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Call (802) 872-6199 (not toll-free) from any country in the world.
Report the tip online at www.ice.gov/tips.
If in flight, report the situation to the pilots.

Questions?

You can learn more about human trafficking and the Blue Lightning Initiative at https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign.

Dues—Know Your Obligation

Each of us has an obligation to ensure that our AFA dues payments are current and up-to-date. Section 26 of our collective bargaining agreement outlines the requirement for each of us to pay dues as a condition of employment. If you receive a notice that dues are past due, it is important to remedy the past due amount immediately. Failure to remedy a past due amount may result in termination of employment.

How Do I Know If I Have a Past Due Amount?

If you have a past due amount, you will receive a statement from the AFA International Membership Services Department sent to your mailing address on file with AFA. The statement will show for which month(s) dues have not been paid.

What To Do If You Receive a Past Due Notice for AFA Dues

If you receive a statement indicating that you owe dues, the easiest way to make a payment is through the AFA Membership Services website. You can also contact the Membership Services Department to discuss options for a payment plan if you are unable to pay the owed amount immediately. More information about payment options can be found here.

What If I Don’t Pay The Amount I Owe?

If you don’t pay the amount you owe within 15 days of receiving final notice from AFA, AFA will provide notice to the Company that you have not made the required payment. At that point, the Company will terminate your employment in accordance with Article 22.F of our collective bargaining agreement.

Questions?

If you have any questions about dues, please contact one of your local officers or AFA International Membership Services at (800) 424-2401, ext. 707.

At Risk Drinking–How Much is Too Much?

How much alcohol is too much? It could mean drinking too much at one time, drinking too often, or both. It’s important to be aware of how much you are drinking, whether your drinking pattern is risky, the harm that some drinking patterns can cause, and ways to reduce your risks.

Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a drink. In the United States, a “standard” drink is any drink that contains about 0.6 fluid ounces or 14 grams of “pure” alcohol.

What is “Low Risk” Drinking?

“Low risk” is not “no risk.” Even within these limits, alcohol can cause problems if people drink too quickly, have health problems, or are older (both men and women over 65 are generally advised to have no more than 3 drinks on any day and 7 per week). Based on your health and how alcohol affects you, you may need to drink less or not at all.

What is “at risk” or “heavy drinking”?

For healthy adults in general, drinking more than these below single-day or weekly limits is considered “at-risk” or “heavy” drinking: remember too much + too often = too risky.

Men: More than 4 drinks on any day or 14 per week

Women: More than 3 drinks on any day or 7 per week*

Remember, as safety sensitive professionals, Flight Attendants must also comply with company policy that requires no alcohol use 10 hours before duty and no BAC above a 0.00%. If at an international destination, Flight Attendants must also comply with the myriad of laws dictated by other countries. Any use of alcohol within these restricted parameters should be considered “too risky” for your personal wellness, flight safety and career retention.If you are questioning your drinking and have concerns, please contact your AFA EAP thru the confidential helpline at (800) 424-2406 or the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program at (855) 333-2327. Help is available 24/7.

*Alcohol use impacts women differently than men due to physiological differences such as lower body weight and having lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes in the stomach that help eliminate alcohol. Consuming more than one drink per day places women at risk for health concerns such as heart disease, breast cancer, and, for pregnant women or women trying to become pregnant, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. For some women, no alcohol use is recommended.

We Support Delta Flight Attendant Efforts to Join AFA

Last Friday, AFA launched a new effort to help Delta Flight Attendants become AFA Members! Thousands of Flight Attendants at Delta Air Lines have asked AFA to join them in efforts to become full members of our union. Now is the time to affirm our full support of their efforts to join AFA. Watch the welcome video from AFA International President to Delta Flight Attendants by clicking here.

As long as Delta management retains control of pay, benefits and working conditions at the industry’s most profitable airline, our bargaining power at each of our airlines is cut short. As long as Delta can claim to speak for the 25,000 Flight Attendants at the airline, our efforts to achieve proper staffing, rest, job security, and safety standards through government regulations are undermined.

Right now, we can start to correct this by helping to lift the voices of Delta Flight Attendants and protect their rights under the Railway Labor Act as they organize. And, when Delta Flight Attendants vote to join AFA we will strengthen our voice, our bargaining power, and our standing in every issue that affects our jobs like never before.

AFA Endeavor Flight Attendants are a Delta wholly-owned regional airline, and this effort directly affects their representation too as we address issues like concerns about toxic uniforms and the ability to share in Delta’s success.

Already, talk of AFA at Delta has encouraged management to improve the wage scale, announce plans to implement 10 hours minimum rest by February 2020, and promise to implement certain provisions of the United contract that produce more compensation for Flight Attendants. But, as long as Delta Flight Attendants are without a contract like management at Delta has for themselves, promises can change and our ability to move our careers forward will not reached its full potential.

AFA has a long history with Delta Flight Attendants, and we have always thought of all Flight Attendants as part of our AFA family. Interestingly, over 40 percent of the seniority list has been hired at Delta since the last union vote nine years ago. The energy and excitement for our Flight Attendant union is palpable. Help us welcome Delta Flight Attendants to our union today as we work together to build power for aviation’s first responders. Visit afacwa.org/deltawelcome to learn more about how you can support Delta Flight Attendants.

Show Your Support!

It’s easy to show your support for Flight Attendants at Delta Air Lines who are working to earn representation through our Flight Attendant union. Put on your AFA pin, take a pic, and post it with a brief note of support and the hashtag #SelfiesForSolidarity