The Master Executive Council (MEC) Officers want to take a moment to reiterate the importance and value of filing grievances/reports when you feel the collective bargaining agreement (contract) has been violated; and/or reporting issues when the company is not complying with their contractual obligations. Much like management’s requirement of irregularity reports for addressing issues, AFA also requires official submissions of complaints in order to facilitate change. This is accomplished through flight attendants filing grievances or any issue at www.afahorizon.org. Our union is here to assist you and ensure management follows the contract. The Local Executive Council Officers (LEC) do their best to monitor QXAFA Facebook and respond when possible. However, frustrations and concerns posted to this social media page do not act as a substitute for official grievances or reporting of issues. Without these reports, your LEC Presidents can do very little on your behalf.

Whether it be SAP errors, multiple aircraft swaps, eCrew outages, eCrew incorrect denial codes, or potential contract violations, we need you to submit grievances/reports in order to affect change! The website www.afahorizon.org, is user friendly and the process for submitting grievances and reporting issues is fairly quick and straight forward. AFA representatives need to know what you’re dealing with and cannot assist unless they are included via this process.

As your MEC works to hold management accountable for SAP issues and other eCrew “glitches”, including screen shots will increase our ability to speak with a UNIFED voice. While we support and encourage open, respectful communication on the QXAFA Facebook page, we also ask that you assist us by filing these glitches and/or grievances. We need to take the fight where it belongs and hold management accountable!

Taking all of this into consideration, if you feel that you were affected by the most recent SAP irregularities, if you have experienced AIMS irregularities, if you feel the contract has been violated and/or if you have experienced multiple aircraft swaps, please take a moment to visit the website and submit a grievance/report an issue. It’s not too late.

Going forward it’s incredibly important that you use this tool each and every time you feel something needs to be addressed so that we can push for accountability and change. Be assured that your AFA volunteers are committed to representing you and ensuring contractual compliance. As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We are stronger together, better together!

In Solidarity,

Your Grievance Committee,

Kirk Hansen, Marcella Oswald and Jennifer Levcun

Your MEC,

Lisa Daviswarren – MECP, Jamie Moore – MECVP, and Aimee Baird – Secretary/Treasurer

Your Right To A Union Representative – Understanding the Grievance Process

As a union member, you have certain rights you would not have if you were working at a non-union airline. One of those rights is to file a grievance over a violation of your contract or unfair discipline.

If you are called to a meeting with management that might result in discipline, what should you do? Call a trained grievance representative or an AFA-CWA officer. You have a right to a representative or a witness in situations like this. Discipline of employees should be corrective – not punitive. In other words, for first offenses, coaching and warnings should suffice. If the infractions continue, then loss of pay might ensue. This is known as “progressive” discipline. Exceptions to this rule are for serious infractions such as theft.

Your union officers cannot be everywhere at once, and our “eyes and ears” cannot see and hear all that occurs on the line. It is the responsibility of every flight attendant to know your contract and call a Grievance Representative in a timely manner if the contract is violated or if you are called in for discipline.

Follow these steps if you are called in for a meeting with management:

1.  Call your LEC Grievance Chair and request that a grievance representative accompanies you. If that is not possible, get their advice before the meeting.

2.  Do not say anything in the meeting which might be used against you.

3.  Take notes on everything that is said in the meeting and call one of your AFA-CWA leaders when the meeting is over.

4.  AFA-CWA, as the certified bargaining representative, is entitled and obligated to provide representation for you. We will attempt to find a satisfactory solution.

5.  AFA-CWA provides training for our grievance representatives and we have excellent lawyers on staff to assist us. The initial hearing with management is only a first step in the process. If the decision at the lower level is unsatisfactory, we have the right to proceed to System Board. Under the Railway Labor Act, we can take our grievances to final and binding arbitration by a neutral arbitrator.

AFA-CWA representatives can help make an investigatory meeting proceed more coherently by helping the flight attendant bring out the relevant facts in a truthful and forthright manner and by assuring that “principles of just cause” are followed by management.

tool using your SSO (Simplified Sign On).