Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) International Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Creighan issued the following statement of support to the more than 1,600 Washington Hospital Center nurses who staged a one-day strike today in Washington, DC:

“We stand with our sisters and brothers from National Nurses United as they fight corporate greed for stronger safety provisions for their patients and themselves. As fellow First Responders, Flight Attendants understand that having strong safety protections in the workplace is crucial. 

“As we have seen far too often in the airline industry, greed and corporate interests have taken over Washington Hospital Center. Executives from the MedStar Health chain continue to erode patient care conditions and have prompted an exodus of hundreds of experienced RNs, further undercutting care standards.

“We applaud our fellow professionals who remain dedicated to making patient care a top priority. Just as Flight Attendants are committed to protecting the safety and security of passengers, the health professionals at National Nurses United are doing the same for their patients.

“Union members with the right to collectively bargain set a standard for workers throughout the country. It is through the accomplishments of unions that we even have employment standards in the country. We applaud the union members of National Nurses United for standing up for the nurses and patients across the country and we are with them every step of the way. Their fight is our fight.”  

For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA, the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.