Mediation Session 5

• After an intense week of negotiating at the National Mediation Board, and the clear deadline we set for the company, we have a Tentative Agreement (TA) for a record contract. 
• Your actions over the last two years of bargaining, including gaining support from lawmakers for our right to strike, ensured we had the leverage to extract every last dollar from Alaska Airlines management.
• Over the next several days, both parties will work to clean up the contract language to present the full text of the TA to the Master Executive Council (MEC).
• The MEC then votes on release of the agreement for a full membership ratification, roadshows will be scheduled, and details will be released to Members. Stay tuned for updates!

This week, our Negotiating Committee and Negotiations Strategic Communications Representative met in Washington, D.C., with management and the mediator assigned by the National Mediation Board (NMB). AFA International President Sara Nelson and AFA General Counsel joined the Committee for this session. Our Negotiating Committee is supported throughout the entire process by AFA International Collective Bargaining and Legal departments. Alaska Airlines’ Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Constance von Muehlen joined management’s bargaining team at the session. 

All of our actions together and the leverage we created made it possible to achieve this Tentative Agreement. The Agreement was reached with oversight of the NMB. Over the next several days, both parties will work to clean up the contract language in order to present the full text of the TA to our Master Executive Council (MEC).

Next Steps

Our Negotiating Committee will present the full text of the agreement to the MEC during a special meeting next week. The voting members of the MEC (Local Executive Council Presidents) will conduct a thorough review of the TA prior to the release of details and a membership ratification vote. 

The MEC then votes on release of the agreement for a full membership ratification. Next, roadshows will be scheduled and full text of the TA along with summary explanations will be released to membership. The Negotiating Committee will present the terms and answer questions during the Roadshows.

There will also be virtual Roadshows for those who cannot attend a meeting in person. The membership ratification vote will begin immediately following the final Roadshow. 

Additional details on timelines will be provided soon – expect extensive information in the coming weeks.

Our Path to Today

The AFA Alaska Negotiating Committee would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for the support and efforts of Members and our Mobilization Volunteers over the past two years. With the solidarity and unity of our workgroup and the real, credible threat of a release, management felt the pressure needed to get this Tentative Agreement.

You directly put this pressure on management, including these actions:

• Red Pins and Lanyards on every flight 
• Pop Up Pickets
• August 2023 Informational Picket
• Red Hot Summer Campaign, including stickers and passenger leaflets
• Holiday Informational Picket
• 99.48% Strike Vote
• February Worldwide Flight Attendant Day of Action
• Extraordinary participation in the Financial Security Survey
• Pushing Congress to tell the NMB to end protracted negotiations by making it clear we have the right to strike
• June Worldwide Flight Attendant Day of Action immediately preceding this final session at the National Mediation Board

Stay Tuned for Updates

Check your personal email (sign up for AFA email here) and our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram) for updates as they come in. Full text, additional information, and details will be posted on the Negotiations Website.