Sisters and Brothers:
Alaska Airlines’ recent decision to extend different versions of premium pay to only certain groups within the COPS/RSSA agreements is neither fair, nor equitable. Offering one group a higher rate of OT than others most certainly does not live up to the, “Do the Right Thing” maxim, that Alaska Airlines insist employees exemplify.
In late Spring of 2021, we started to have concerns about potential staffing issues at Alaska Airlines. We repeatedly expressed our apprehension to leadership and requested that the company take immediate action for those working the strenuous Summer and Holiday Seasons.
We spoke to the company’s inability to hire and retain employees and asked for a temporary increase in pay for all our hard-working members and for higher overtime rates. While we advocated for these incentives to start earlier and last longer than company leadership opted for, we do appreciate that Alaska Airlines ultimately provided extra financial relief during such an unprecedented year.
The premium incentives offered by Alaska Airlines in the Summer of 2021 and late December 2021 were much needed expressions of gratitude and respect for the extraordinary efforts you all provided in 2021. They proved to be an effective way to boost morale and helped keep the operation running as smooth as possible during these times.
All our members at Alaska Airlines face their own distinctive challenges during these harrowing times; Everyone is uniquely affected by inclement weather, staffing issues and the COVID strains of the world we live in.
While we are extremely disappointed in such an inexplicable and unbalanced decision, we will continue to pursue premium pay rates that are fair and equitable to ALL our members, across the board.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Jason McAdoo Dan Suafoa Kaleb Rosa
General Chair General Chair General Chair
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