AFA Featured at the October Washington AeroClub Meeting
October 25, 2019 — AFA International President Sara Nelson spoke at the Washington AeroClub on October 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Representatives from the aviation industry in attendance included Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Boeing, Airlines for America (A4A), the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Industry, and more.
This is the first time a Flight Attendant or Flight Attendant Union has ever addressed the Club in its 110 year history. The Aero Club of Washington was founded in 1909 by a group of forward-thinking Washingtonians, who wanted to enthuse the public about the fledgling aviation business. Since then, the Aero Club has hosted hundreds of national and international aerospace leaders at its monthly luncheons – from aviation’s early heroes to those making current headlines.
Sara highlighted the ways the Aviation Industry can come together to accomplish great things like ending the Government Shutdown, taking on human trafficking on our planes, stopping the Administration's Family Separation policy, and more. She also called on the industry increase Flight Attendant staffing and do more for Flight Attendants at regional airlines, "Flight Attendants and gate agents working on U.S. regional airlines, providing feed to major carriers earn on average 45% less, often have fewer work rule protections and many times one Flight Attendant must manage all safety, security and service requirements for 50 passengers who bought the ticket through the mainline Delta, American, United or Alaska. They are earning poverty wages for this work, while 30 billion has been awarded in stock buy backs to Wall Street. The poverty wages and conditions for aviation workers at regionals, in airline kitchens, or doing contract work at our airlines is a stain on our industry and one that we need to end."
