Happy Thanksgiving, Aviation's First Responders!
November 23, 2023
Dear Flying Partners, friends and family,
First and foremost, thank you. TSA estimates that’s we’ll set all-time records this month. They expect to screen more than 30 million passengers between Nov. 17 and Nov. 28—including more than 2 million per day this week. (Check out our holiday travel tips!)
It’s easy to get lost in numbers that big, so we want to stop and think about what that means for a moment. Our work—in many cases sacrificing our own holidays and missing out on valuable time with family and friends—makes it possible for passengers to reconnect and spend time with loved ones this holiday season. We often say that our job connects the world. It’s true both literally and figuratively. Connection is at the root of solidarity. And as we look around the world today, it’s clear that people around the world crave solidarity.
This year, we’re grateful for the millions of workers in the United States and around the world who found solidarity, linked arms and held strong to fight for a better future. Screenwriters, actors, auto workers, UPS workers, nurses and health professionals, fast food workers, casino workers, teachers, bus drivers and many more. Most importantly, we came together around our fellow workers to bring them our solidarity when it mattered most.
We’re grateful for the courage of AFA Flight Attendants at Alaska, United, Air Wisconsin, Omni, PSA, ATI, Avelo, and Eastern who have come together to demand fair contracts, and the Spirit Flight Attendants who demanded and secured a contract that raised the bar for all of us.
We’re grateful for the Delta and SkyWest Flight Attendants who have continued to work for their own unions in the face of disgusting attacks and illegal union busting by management—and we’re grateful for the incredible solidarity demonstrated by members of our union in supporting these campaigns.
Thanksgiving began as a day to celebrate unity, to find common ground across great differences. It was first designated a holiday by President Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War.
It is our true and firm belief that workplace solidarity is the key to finding solutions in the world around us. In our unions, we find common ground with one another across political, religious and cultural differences. We learn to work together, to support one another, to advocate for our positions and to listen to others. We learn compromise and negotiation and how to link arms to fight against those who would exploit and divide us.
Some of us may be preparing mentally and emotionally for the conversations that will cause strife or anger this holiday season—in our workplaces or at our Thanksgiving tables. We encourage you to remember that each and every one of us craves solidarity. We encourage you to remember the skills you’ve learned in your union meetings and break rooms and in your training as Aviation’s first responders and last line of defense.
When you hear talking heads on TV talking about division, or when an argument breaks out over pie, remember that we have a solution. That solidarity can and will save us, if we have the courage to find it.
We are grateful every day for the opportunity to lead this union, for the trust you have put in us, and for the incredible opportunity we have, together, to create solidarity in this world.
Whether you are flying, celebrating with family and friends, or have other plans, we send warm wishes to you and yours for a safe and a very Happy Thanksgiving!
With Gratitude and In Solidarity,
Sara Nelson, International President
Keturah Johnson, International Vice President
Dante Harris, International Secretary-Treasurer
