You have heard the same motto time and time again. AFA is the union of Flight Attendants for Flight Attendants. It represents over 50,000 of us across 17 airlines. You have heard Sara Nelson go on and on about how this is a democratic association, and I want to clarify that description has nothing to do with political parties.
AFA has a democratic leadership style. By definition, it is a style in which group members take a participative role in the decision-making process. The people the union represents have not only the rights but also the responsibility to participate in due process.
Believe it or not, the most significant influencer, the person who holds the power cards in this union, is you.
It all begins with the local members. We at our base electing three people amongst our peers to represent us. Every three years, the people we elect as our President, Vice-President, and Secretary comprise the Local Executive Council (LEC). Let me tell you; this is a significant decision. They are the ones that speak for us. They are our first point of contact. They are the ones that will deal with base-specific issues with the base management. They are the ones that will take note of our concerns and will bring them to the table to be addressed across the airline. They are people we know, fly with, and have the most contact with. But, above all, the LEC is the foundation of the union structure.
The President of each base will vote to elect three officers (A president, Vice President, and a Secretary-Treasurer) to lead the Master Executive Council (MEC). The MEC also serves a three-year term once elected and doesn’t deal locally. The decisions made at the Master Executive level govern all Alaska Flight Attendants.
From here on is when it branches out. All the Master Executive Councils from the airlines AFA represents form the Executive Board. Every LEC president from every council of every airline that AFA represents forms the Board of Directors, giving way to the International Officers.
This will be the part where I imagine myself looking like Sally Field in Norma Ray, but I will probably sound more like I’m impersonating Larry David, impersonating Bernie Sanders.
We talk, oh my dear do we talk! We air our grievances like it is Festivus on every flight. But when it comes time to take action, there are a plethora of excuses about how, where, and why. You don’t need a Political Science Degree to get involved. All you need to do is care enough to keep your information up to date, read the union emails, and visit the website once a month. Find out who represents your base.
Last May, there were LEC elections on three bases. Out of the 419 Flight Attendants in San Diego, 74 voted. In San Francisco, only 52 votes out of the 488 active members. In Los Angeles, of the 812 Flight Attendants, only 98 cast a ballot.
Nothing changes if nothing changes! If you have time to complain, you have time to get involved. We hold the power to improve our wages, quality of life, working conditions, and benefits. It is up to us to show up and speak up to the people representing us at the bargaining table. It is our right, responsibility, and moral duty to participate in any and every way possible to improve the life of any and every flight attendant. We owe it to those who fought before us and those who will come after us.
Most importantly, we owe it to ourselves. We are the Union. We are the driving force right here right now. When we say “In Unity,” it does not mean we have to always agree to everything. It means that we are working together towards a common goal. Our collective power can push us as forward as our strength can hold us. Together we are stronger, and we can become unyielding.
I have a question for you: do you care enough to show up?