AFA President Sara Nelson & United AFA Flight Attendant to Attend Presidential Joint Address to Congress
Nelson will accompany Congresswoman Jayapal & United AFA Flight Attendant Lily Meyer will join Senator Schumer to represent aviation’s first responders as aviation safety is top of mind
WASHINGTON – Today, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson – representing 55,000 Flight Attendants across 20 airlines – and United AFA Member and United Airlines Flight Attendant Lily Meyer will represent aviation’s first responders as they join Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA 7th District) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), respectively, as their guests to President Trump’s joint address to Congress.
"We appreciate Congresswoman Jayapal putting Flight Attendants front and center as lawmakers gather for the joint address to Congress. Aviation safety is top of mind, especially as Flight Attendants have been recognized in the midst of gut wrenching tragedy when a midair collision crashed 67 people instantly into the Potomac moments before landing at DCA on January 29th and for their life saving work to evacuate all 80 travelers from Delta Endeavor 4819 that came to a rest upside down in the middle of extreme weather in Toronto,” said AFA President Sara Nelson.
“The actions of this administration have added risk to our workplace and the stability of the industry - from halting the work of USAID that helps to keep us safe and able to deliver aid around the world on our planes, to the firing of workers across government in an aviation system that is already stretched thin,” continued Nelson. “It is scientifically documented that Flight Attendants experience higher rates of cancer and often are the first to come in contact with communicable disease. In order to do our jobs and come home safely to our families we need federal worker cancer research to continue, information about the latest public health risks fully communicated, and all U.S. resources available to stop the spread of deadly disease before it reaches our airports. We can't do our jobs without a functioning government. Aviation is the symbol of freedom and we will fight for our freedoms to do our work and live our lives with economic and social justice."
“I am honored to represent aviation’s first responders at the Capitol this evening thanks to an invitation from my Senator. Leader Schumer has fought for Flight Attendants to remain in our jobs during COVID and he is supporting our negotiations for the industry leading agreement we have earned,” said United AFA Flight Attendant Lily Meyer, who lives in and flies out of New York. “Everyday we are on the frontlines keeping the flying public safe as we continue to fight for the contract and livelihoods that we deserve for Flight Attendants across the industry.”
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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 79 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.
