AFA Statement on Biden's Decision and Vision Forward
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 21, 2024) — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President President Sara Nelson released the following statement on President Biden's announcement that he will step aside from the 2024 election:
"The America Joe Biden has worked his whole life to build isn’t about ME, it’s about WE.
"In his first days in office after just one phone call he stopped airline furloughs and secured our jobs, while banning airline stock buybacks and capping executive compensation. He called on the public to respect Flight Attendants and for the DOJ to prioritize prosecuting disruptive and violent passengers. He put our 10 hours minimum rest back on track and got it implemented after the prior administration tried to kill it. He provided critical support to our members who are working parents. He doesn’t even know it, but his pro-union stance drove an airline CEO to call our union before starting a new airline which led to negotiating a first contract with the top starting pay in the industry and a requirement to hire Flight Attendants who had lost their jobs at airlines that went out of business during the pandemic. Just this past month, two major airlines agreed to significantly more at the bargaining table because President Biden stood strong for our bargaining rights and our right to strike.
“Joe Biden has always led with the conviction that working people know what’s best—we just need policymakers to give us a chance. Every time Flight Attendants sit down with Joe Biden, he treats us with dignity and respect as aviation’s first responders and the last line of defense. He took our input and put leaders in place in the Department of Transportation, the FAA and the Department of Labor who respect our voices and fight for our needs. We will be forever grateful for the real changes to our workplaces and our country that Joe Biden made possible for regular folks.
“Joining us on the picket line and advising the entire administration that it’s the job of the U.S. government to encourage unions gave working people the truth that we have power. When we stand together and decide to stand up for our right to live a decent life we can deliver on the freedoms we know are possible in our great nation.
"In his first days in office after just one phone call he stopped airline furloughs and secured our jobs, while banning airline stock buybacks and capping executive compensation. He called on the public to respect Flight Attendants and for the DOJ to prioritize prosecuting disruptive and violent passengers. He put our 10 hours minimum rest back on track and got it implemented after the prior administration tried to kill it. He provided critical support to our members who are working parents. He doesn’t even know it, but his pro-union stance drove an airline CEO to call our union before starting a new airline which led to negotiating a first contract with the top starting pay in the industry and a requirement to hire Flight Attendants who had lost their jobs at airlines that went out of business during the pandemic. Just this past month, two major airlines agreed to significantly more at the bargaining table because President Biden stood strong for our bargaining rights and our right to strike.
“Joe Biden has always led with the conviction that working people know what’s best—we just need policymakers to give us a chance. Every time Flight Attendants sit down with Joe Biden, he treats us with dignity and respect as aviation’s first responders and the last line of defense. He took our input and put leaders in place in the Department of Transportation, the FAA and the Department of Labor who respect our voices and fight for our needs. We will be forever grateful for the real changes to our workplaces and our country that Joe Biden made possible for regular folks.
“Joining us on the picket line and advising the entire administration that it’s the job of the U.S. government to encourage unions gave working people the truth that we have power. When we stand together and decide to stand up for our right to live a decent life we can deliver on the freedoms we know are possible in our great nation.
"Thank you, Joe Biden. Thank you for making power for working people central to the Biden/Harris administration. We will fight like hell to keep building on the progress you've made and the vision of what we can be."
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 78 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. 55,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
