AFA-CWA BOD 2025 Resolution #1 - AFA Supports Aviation's First Responders and Immigrant Rights
AFA-CWA Board Of Directors Meeting
April 5, 2025
Orlando, FL
WHEREAS, Flight Attendants are Aviation’s First Responders and last line of defense, and
WHEREAS, We know security is essential and benefits us all, and
WHEREAS, We believe in the power of aviation to connect the world and bring prosperity and peace, and
WHEREAS, We stand firmly for the U.S. Constitution and the rights of all people afforded by it, and
WHEREAS, The First Amendment provides critical rights to all Americans, especially the right to free assembly, the right to free speech and the right to petition our government for redress, and
WHEREAS, We recognize that the labor movement’s fundamental role throughout our history has been to uphold, strengthen and expand our rights to come together to lift ourselves and one another up, and
WHEREAS, The labor movement has been the most power force for economic growth and inclusion in history, and
WHEREAS, The fundamental principle of our labor movement is that an injury to one is an injury to all, and
WHEREAS, This administration, under the direction of unelected mega-billionaire Elon Musk has illegally assaulted the union rights of federal workers and thereby endangered the rights of all workers, and
WHEREAS, This administration has made explicit threats to undermine our freedom of assembly and speech, the constitutional separation of powers, and
WHEREAS, This billionaire-led assault on federal workers puts flight crews and the passengers in our care in greater danger, and
WHEREAS, This administration has alienated our allies and endangered our economy and thereby our jobs through reckless trade policy and dangerous handling of highly sensitive information, and
WHEREAS, This administration has launched a full-force assault on immigrant workers, including many union members, with little regard for legal status, and
WHEREAS, Both documented and undocumented immigrant workers perform vital jobs both as airline crews and in support of our work, including catering, RAMP, mechanics, airport security and operations, hotel and ground transportation and much more, and
WHEREAS, When these workers are unable to perform their duties because of the fear of being targeted by out-of-control immigration policy it endangers our industry and our personal safety, and
WHEREAS, Our union has direct experience fighting extreme policies as a direct result of the illegal and immoral detention in 2019 of Mesa Airlines Flight Attendant Selene Saavedra Roman by ICE, and
WHEREAS, Our members include native-born US citizens, naturalized US citizens, legal US residents including DREAMers, and international Flight Attendants who enter and exit the US legally in the course of their duties, and
WHEREAS, Under the current administration’s extreme and unlawful measures, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has wrongfully detained numerous tourists, students and visiting professionals based solely on their political beliefs, and
WHEREAS, This administration appears to have used ICE raids to target union organizers and immigrant workers who spoke out against exploitation, and
WHEREAS, Under the current administration’s extreme and unlawful measures, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has wrongfully deported lawful US residents, and
WHEREAS, Under the current administration’s extreme and unlawful measures, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has wrongfully profiled and harassed US citizens, and
WHEREAS, Flight Attendants working charter flights carrying individuals for deportation have reported serious safety and health concerns due to extreme, unnecessary and inhumane measures enforced by ICE agents aboard these flights, and
WHEREAS, Flight Attendants take seriously our duty to ensure every passenger in our care is treated with dignity, respect and the under the rule of law, and
WHEREAS, Flight Attendants have the moral right to refuse to facilitate inhumane treatment of individuals in our care, and
WHEREAS, The current administration’s actions have demonstrated a pattern of inhumane and illegal treatment of US citizens, lawful residents, tourists, and undocumented immigrants, and
WHEREAS, airlines have already begun to negotiate or sign contracts with ICE to participate in deportations, and
WHEREAS, Neither the administration nor our employers can or will guarantee that all deportees on these flights have been treated lawfully or are even eligible for deportation under the law, and
WHEREAS, Our union opposes any extreme, inhumane, or unlawful targeting of law-abiding immigrants, and
WHEREAS, Our union will defend the legal rights of our members to act in accordance with their moral and ethical beliefs,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AFA-CWA Will defend our members rights and our fellow workers’ rights at every step, and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AFA-CWA will work alongside our federal union siblings, our labor movement and civil organizations to defend our constitutional rights and the rule of law, and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AFA-CWA will continue to advocate for freedom of movement for all people and the rights of everyone to live with dignity, respect and economic opportunity, and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AFA-CWA will oppose the billionaire power grab underway at the highest levels of our government and economy which seeks to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a tiny few at the expense of all of us, and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AFA-CWA will support all flight crews and aviation workers who take action based on moral objection to facilitation of inhumane actions against people in our care , and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, AFA-CWA will fight for every flight crew member and aviation worker who is wrongfully detained or who experiences stress or trauma as a result of unlawful or extreme actions, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, AFA-CWA will work to ensure every flight crew member and aviation worker has full knowledge of their legal rights if approached by ICE agents or other agents of the state, and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, AFA-CWA will work with and advocate to our employers to prevent the use of our flights for the execution of extreme, immoral or illegal deportations.
Adopted unanimously, April 5, 2025
