AFA Horizon

Council Newsletter, Sept 2023

AFA Horizon – Council 16 Newsletter (BOI, PAE, SEA, GEG)

In case you missed the last newsletter.

Labor Day
Happy #LaborDay, Flight Attendants! This is your day. It’s the day to celebrate our work and recognize that we bring all of the value to our economy.

Over the last 50 years the corporate elite has pushed hard to destroy our unions, our contracts, and make us work harder for less — telling us we should feel lucky to have a job.This Labor Day celebrate each other and every worker we see as we build power together to make management feel lucky to have our work.

On this Labor Day, tell a flying partner or another worker “Thank you.” Every single action of kindness and respect has an impact on us all. We want to tell all of you, thank you. We couldn’t be more proud to represent Flight Attendants and be on your crew. The truth is, the best part of our job is being together. Fly safe and know the world is watching our leadership. Together, we can make it a world with liberty and justice for all. Happy Labor Day.

September 11 – Never Forget
Twenty-two years ago, we made a promise to #NeverForget the events of September 11, 2001, and never allow them to be repeated. No matter the uniform we wear, the routes we fly, or the years we have worn our wings we will always remember the events of September 11th and lift up our heroes.

The eighth annual AFA Honor Guard will attend services at our nation’s three national memorials to ensure the public remembers the sacrifice of Flight Attendants. This Honor Guard is comprised of Flight Attendants who have done work to advance our Never Forget priorities.

AFA Committee
Committees are an integral component of how AFA operates. They directly engage membership and provide an opportunity for members to help other members. They also give volunteers an opportunity to learn, grow and build their skills in support of subjects they feel passionate about.

Why do we have committees?

  • The Officers can’t, nor should, do all of the Union work themselves, “many hands make for light work.”
  • Local Committees, designed by the needs of the members at each Local Council, involve members in improving our careers. 
  • Flight Attendants have specific talents and passions that should be utilized.
  • When issues arise, members can go to the committee handling the issue, thus spreading the network of responsibility and communication.

How are committees chosen?
Committees are created and filled by the elected leaders of the Local Executive Council (LEC). Each LEC collectively decides what committees are necessary for the efficient representation of the members at that council and coordination with Master Executive Council (MEC) committees. They then fill open positions to ensure proper functioning of the committee while including diverse representation of the Flight Attendant population. 

Committee Jurisdiction
Local committees work under the direction of the Local Executive Council and coordinate with their MEC committee counterparts and the respective International Departments (where applicable). Committee members are not authorized to establish policy and shouldn’t negotiate with management without the express direction of the Local Executive Council or MEC.  

For more information on how our union works >

Full-time vs. Part-time Yearly Status
As we approach the end of the year, Flight Attendants should be cognizant of the hours they’ve worked this year which will determine their status for 2024. A Flight Attendant’s status impacts certain benefits such as sick time & vacation accrual rates, uniform maintenance allowance, health care coverage, and short- and long-term disability insurance. For more information check out CBA Article 19.

Yearly Benefits Status

  • Full-time benefits applies to a Flight Attendant currently in active working status who has been credited with 550 hours for pay during the previous calendar year.
  • Part-time benefits applies to a Flight Attendant currently in active working status who has been credited with 350-549 hours for pay during the previous calendar year.
  • Ineligible Flight Attendant currently in active working status who has been credited with fewer than 350 hours for pay during the previous calendar year shall be classified as ineligible for benefits until they have received sufficient credits for eligibility.

A Flight Attendant who was not in Active Working Status every day during the preceding calendar year (e.g., because of leave of absence, furlough, newly hired during the year), will be assigned constructive credits at the rate of 1.571 per day in which day they were not in Active Working Status. These constructive credits will be used only for determining eligibility for the benefits in Article 19, and for accruals of vacation, sick leave, uniform maintenance allowance and uniform-replacement bank.

To check your 2023 hours, contact Crew Pay via Rainmaker.

Crew Room sit
There will be a SEA crew room on September 12th; 09:00-15:00. We look forward to seeing you and getting your perspectives.

Council Status Report
The information below is a status report of the current council roster.

If you have an unresolved outstanding balance pay online.  If you happen to find yourself in an arrears situation and do not know the amount owing or have any questions regarding what months you owe, please contact Council leadership.  We are here to help!

Know your contract

  • Article 9.F.3.c.
    • “A Flight Attendant will remain in active AR status until enough absences drop off her/his record so that she is below the AR threshold. Before discipline can be issued under Paragraph F.4, below, the Company will review the Flight Attendant’s record for the previous 12 months to determine if she/he is still on an AR.”
  • Article 9.F.4.a.
    • “While a Flight Attendant will remain on an active AR only for so long as she/he has enough absences to qualify for an AR, progressive discipline will remain active for twelve (12) months from the date of the triggering absence (six (6) months for six-month DVW).”

Upcoming events

  • Scheduling committee meeting – Sept 11
  • Hotel committee / Mgt. meeting – Sept 11
  • Base Sit, SEA – Sept 12
  • Council leadership / Mgt. meeting – Sept 12
  • ASHS committee meeting – Sept 14

Until our next check-in, fly safe!

“Stronger Together, Better Together”