Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) International President Veda Shook made the following statement today in recognition of the global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements women have made throughout the past century:

“International Women’s Day is a time when we honor the progress the world has made in women’s rights. While there is still much work to be done, the past 100 years have seen significant improvements for gender equality.

“The Association of Flight Attendants has been on the forefront of advancing women’s issues since our inception over 65 years ago. By challenging discriminatory policies based on gender, race, age, weight, pregnancy and marital status, AFA raised the bar for all Flight Attendants across the country. AFA was also the leader behind the repeals of the marriage and pregnancy bans, giving female Flight Attendants the opportunity for a career instead of losing their job when they started a family.

“Today we take a moment to reflect on our past accomplishments and once again renew our pledge to protect and advance the rights of women across the globe.”

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.