News

From the negotiations table - July 2024 session

AFA and management met July 1-3, 2024, to continue negotiations for our new contract. The AFA Committee consists of MECP Lisa Davis Warren (SEA), Heather Coleman (PAE), and Lexie Massey (SEA), who are all current Flight Attendants, and our Staff Attorney and Negotiator, Kimberley Chaput. Management was represented by Shelly Parker, Vice President Station Ops and Inflight; Cheri Ruger, Managing Director, Labor Relations; William Casalins-Altimar, Manager, Inflight Labor and Performance; Amber Hopkins and Mark Schick from Finance; Latrice Lee, Senior Corporate Counsel, Alaska Legal; and Molly Gabel, outside legal counsel.   

This was, at best, a frustrating session. The parties passed proposals on Article 11 (Vacation), Article 14 (Leaves of Absence), and Article 25 (General). Movement was minimal, leading to deadlock. 

In the midst of this, the Alaska tentative agreement came out. While Alaska Flight Attendants may not be happy with it—we won’t know until the votes are counted in August—the fact remains that the wages and other gains in that agreement far surpass what we currently have at Horizon. We received their usual spiel when we brought this to management’s attention. Capsule version: We love and appreciate Flight Attendants, but we are a regional airline and need to compete with other regionals. When asked why the system could not be changed, they responded that they didn’t wish to “be the catalyst” for such systemic change.

Management also told us that they had “given” a lot at the table already and expected to do some “taking” as well. This prompted the AFA Committee to compile a list of “improvements” to which we have agreed.  It’s…sad. After nine negotiating sessions, starting in November 2023, here is what they’ve agreed to:

Article 4, including Sideletter 7

  • Management will not book Flight Attendants into hotels with striking workers
  • Flight Attendant may request to move to a different hotel if a hotel situation will cause inadequate rest
  • Minimum hotel standards apply to TDY
  • Transportation identified as commercial on the exterior of the car
  • $15 for delivery fees for food if one or no restaurant near the crew hotel
  • Hotel rates provided to AFA during the RFP process

Article 5

  • Golden days for new hires (current practice, but not in contract)
  • Proration of golden days during the last (less than full) month of employment
  • Release time adjusted if deplaning more than 15 minutes

Article 6

  • Drop one trip in 24 hours of Open Time opening, no 7-day limit

  • Reduced credit must be at least 5%, no exception

Article 8

  • Training hotels will have slightly different minimum standards (currently, the Minimum Hotel Standards do not apply at all)

Article 12

  • Lunch bag, upon requesst, available in initial uniform

  • $50 per year allowance for bags (other than day bag and suitcase)

Article 13

  • Probationary period reduced from 210 to 180 days 

Article 14

  • Sick leave/vacation to make up difference STD/LTD

Article 25

  • AFA agreement required on substantive changes to FADAP

  • Pumping/feeding facilities in all domiciles 

Article 26

  • Trip dropped with Premium Pay for active shooter and/or if a Flight Attendant must seek shelter

  • Safety training and compensation for AFA reps

These are good things, of course, but there should be a much longer list after nine months! Management has stated that they want to put all the money in our wages, but many, many other important issues remain unresolved—sick and vacation accruals, benefits, retirement, scheduling, reserve, and per diem, to name a few.

We will discuss scheduling and reserve during our next session. After that, it’s time to talk money! We do the same work (often with more flights and longer days) as our mainline counterparts for way less money. This needs to end. 

What can you do to help? First, as always, wear your AFA pin. Second, if you would like to help organize actions and events and help your flying partners stay informed, attend our Mobilization Training on August 23 from 9:30 to 1:30 in PDX. Our AFA International Mobilizing Coordinator, Toni Higgins, will present the training, and we will also hear from Negotiating Committee members about where we are and what our next steps will be. If you would like to attend, please fill out this form. To learn more about the role of a Mobilzation Committee Volunteer, click here.

Things are heating up, and over the next several months, we may call on you to help. We all need to walk our talk and show management that the Flight Attendants will not settle for less than we deserve.

We will update you again after our next session, scheduled for August 13-15. Until then, remember that we are Stronger Together, Better Together!