MEC Grievance Committee Quarterly Update

This is the first installment of a new quarterly report from our MEC Grievance Committee. The quarterly reports will include an easy-to-read breakdown of the issues reported to the Committee, Contract knowledge, clarity on the issues we face on the line every day, and what our Union is doing to support you in resolving disputes with the company.

Knowing your Contract is the best way to ensure your rights are protected every day. With a growing operation that runs nonstop 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, there will be times that disputes arise. Ensuring that the Union is made aware of issues in a timely manner is imperative to protecting our Contract.

Section 23 of our Contract provides a framework for what we should do when disputes arise. The first step of the grievance process is to file a worksheet with your Local Council. This allows the Grievance Committee to become aware of an issue and begin researching it to determine whether a violation/dispute exists.

Members filed a total of 338 Worksheets systemwide in the 4th Quarter of 2025. Out of the 338 worksheets filed, 21 worksheets reported issues that pertained to multiple Contract sections, bringing the total number of issues reported to 359. Total worksheets filed in 2025 was 1,568.

Statistics on Worksheets Filed

Notice of Dispute (NOD)

What happens when the Grievance Committee determines a violation exists?

After the Local Grievance Committee determines a violation exists, they then have to determine what the potential impact is to Flight Attendants. Does the violation affect only a single Flight Attendant or a group of Flight Attendants, or does it have the potential to affect all Flight Attendants? If the violation only affects a single Flight Attendant or a group of Flight Attendants, the Grievance Committee will file a Notice of Dispute (NOD) with the company to seek resolution to the violation. If the violation has caused any loss of pay, the resolution sought would be to make the Flight Attendant(s) whole.

DRC - Dispute Resolution Committee

What if the Local Committee can’t get to a resolution? If a NOD cannot be resolved at the local level, the next step would be to submit the NOD to the DRC (Dispute Resolution Committee). This Committee is made up of four (4) participants, two (2) appointed by the Union and two (2) appointed by the company.

The mission and purpose of the DRC is to: 1) promote the prompt, effective, and local resolution of disputes through the use of interest-based dispute resolution, and 2) preserve traditional arbitration primarily for timely adjudication of discharge grievances and contractual disputes that have significant and widespread impact among Flight Attendants.

MEC Grievances

When disputes are determined to have the potential to affect all Flight Attendants, these issues are raised to the MEC Grievance Committee, and an MEC Grievance is filed. These issues are then researched, and resolution is achieved by working with the Company to find a settlement or through the System Board process, which includes mediation and arbitration.

We are awaiting decisions from an arbitrator for two cases and successfully resolved one.

EWR-01040-2019 dealing with multiple reassignments, this was filed because of the Company providing subsequent reassignments after the cancellation of the first.

MEC 6-24 dealing with restoration of days off. This was filed when the Company pre-emptively blocks days off without regard to a Flight Attendant’s schedule. In some circumstances, making it impossible for a Flight Attendant to utilize a Restored Day Off.

MEC 3-25 We recently filed a grievance on the reserve availability list outage, and the Grievance was sustained, providing a win to AFA. Thanks in part to the steadfast work of the MEC Reserve Committee and the timely worksheets filed by our Members.

Discipline

Contract disputes are not the only thing the MEC Grievance Committee is involved with. We also provide guidance and support to Flight Attendants who have been disciplined by the company, specifically those Flight Attendants that have been terminated.

For the last quarter of 2025, we have had five (5) Flight Attendants returned to work.

We are currently awaiting arbitration decisions for four (4) cases pending before the System Board.

Top issues currently contributing to termination include:

• Sick Call Abuse / FMLA Abuse
• Social Media and the Working Together Guidelines
• Attendance Points

Contract knowledge is the foundation of our careers. As we continue through 2026, we are committed to providing regular quarterly updates and publishing more articles to support ongoing education.