April 2025 Negotiations Update

AFA and management met on April 16-17, 2025, to continue negotiations for our new contract. The AFA Committee consists of MECP Lisa Davis Warren, Heather Coleman, Lexie Massey (all current Flight Attendants), and our Staff Attorney and Negotiator, Kimberley Chaput. Management was represented by Shelly Parker, Vice President Station Ops and Inflight; William Casalins Altimar, Manager, Inflight Labor and Performance; Mark Schuck, Finance, and Latrice Lee, Senior Corporate Counsel, Alaska Legal. 

  Although we have applied for mediation, our mediator, Mike Kelliher, cannot meet with us until June. He encouraged the parties to negotiate without him for now. We wanted to save the significant economic issues until he could be present, so we discussed some of the articles with just a few open issues remaining.

  We reached tentative agreements on three articles. We still have a ways to go before we reach a complete contract, but this was a good start at addressing some smaller issues.

  In Seniority (Article 13), we reduced the probationary period from 210 days to an industry-standard 180 days. It can still be extended by 35 days if needed. We also maintained our current language on the computation of Company Seniority. The Company has consistently stated that it wants to remove all “me-too” provisions from our contract. We prevailed and kept our language that we cannot have our Company seniority calculated less favorably than any other work group.

  In Grievance Procedures and System Board of Adjustment (Article 23), we did not make significant changes other than increasing the time for the Company to respond to grievances by seven days. We went back and forth on several other issues, including setting a finite limit on the length of disciplinary investigations. Management was unwilling to commit to that and began dragging in unrelated items. We knew we were not getting anywhere, so we returned to our current contract language.

  Finally, in Safety, Health and Security (Article 26), the only remaining open issue involved being removed from a trip after assisting with life-saving medical emergencies. We had a grievance on this issue and wanted to clarify the language further to prevent further misunderstandings. Management wanted to limit the scope of the language by calling out specific actions that would qualify as lifesaving. AFA had concerns about this, and we could not get management to agree to any language. Consequently, we decided to keep our current language, which was better than management’s proposals.

  While these issues are relatively small, it was still a productive session. We are clearing the path to the big issues—money, scheduling, and quality of life. We will meet with the mediator from June 23 to 25 at the NMB office in Chicago. We are aware of the challenges ahead of us, but we remain steadfast in our determination to get the contract we deserve. 

  As always, we will update you again after our next session. In the meantime, wear your white AFA pin.