Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

Happy Labor Day, 2014, AFA Members!

Today is often recognized as the end of summer and its busy travel season, a return to school and a day to spend with family. This day is a celebration of you! It is a celebration of the American worker and what we contribute to the prosperity of our economy and the communities where we live and work. This is your day! As you go about your day, take a moment to thank the workers you see today who make it possible for others to have a holiday.

Labor Day grew out of a strike by the American Railway Union in 1894 after the Pullman Company cut the workers’ wages. The resulting boycott spread to a quarter million workers across the country. After thirty workers were killed and President Grover Cleveland called out the Army, the strike ended but the outrage did not. Hoping to ease the lingering discontent, Cleveland and the Congress initiated Labor Day as a federal holiday. So, in a very direct sense, Labor Day is indeed about unions and about workers.

On Tuesday, September 23^rd at 6:30 pm, AFA-CWA is proud to host a reception for our members, executive board, allied organizations, White House and Congressional representatives and the greater DC community.

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The event at Washington DC’s Newseum includes a special screening of The Rugby Player, an uplifting and stereotype-shattering documentary about Mark Bingham, one of the passengers on United

 "Congress may be on break, but this month the Obama Administration faces a watershed decision with huge implications for the global aviation industry and its workforce.

The outbreak of Ebola, a viral hemorrhagic fever that has claimed approximately 1,000 lives in West Africa since March, is of great concern to Flight Attendants as safety professionals. Given the potential for the spread of Ebola to other continents through air travel, health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are providing ongoing updates and issuing guidance to various stakeholders. Links to up-to-date information for our profession are posted on the AFA Air Safety, Health & Security website.

United Flight Attendants and their families have a special opportunity to tour the Pentagon in honor of the crew members on United Flight 93 and United Flight 175. On September 9th and 10th, 2014, the Pentagon will host 200 United Airlines employees and family members.

In the span of a single week, three airline tragedies have shaken the global aviation community.

On Thursday, July 24, news broke of the disappearance over West Africa of Air Algerie Flight AH5017 about 50 minutes after it left Burkina Faso. It was carrying 116 people.

On Wednesday, July 23, a TransAsia Airways passenger plane crashed on one of Taiwan's Penghu Islands in the high winds of Typhoon Matmo killing 48 people.

July 17, 2014 - We are deeply saddened by today’s reports that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was shot down near the Russian-Ukrainian border. The flight had 15 crew members and 280 passengers on board.

As aviation’s first responders, we have dedicated our careers to maintaining the highest levels of safety and security in the aircraft cabin, and the news of Flight 17 strikes at the heart of our union. As we wait for answers to the many questions surrounding this incident, we hold the crew, passengers and their families in our hearts and minds.