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Association of Flight Attendants

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AFA-CWA<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Association of Flight Attendants:AFA-CWA logo</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Association of Flight Attendants</td></tr><tr><th>Founded</th><td>August 22, 1945</td></tr><tr><th>Members</th><td>55,000</td></tr><tr><th>Country</th><td>United States</td></tr><tr><th>Affiliation</th><td>AFL-CIO, CWA,ITF</td></tr><tr><th>Key people</th><td>Patricia A. Friend, president</td></tr><tr><th>Office location</th><td>Washington, D.C.</td></tr><tr><th>Website</th><td>www.afanet.org</td></tr>

The Association of Flight Attendants (commonly known as the AFA) is a union representing most flight attendants in the United States. They represent 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines in their membership and are currently led by Patricia Friend, a United Airlines flight attendant since 1966. AFA is the world's largest flight attendant union. Since 2004 AFA is part of the 700,000 member Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO. AFA is also a member of the 5,000,000 member International Transport Workers' Federation.


Contents

History

AFA was founded in 1945 by flight attendants at United Airlines. The first president was Ada Brown Greenfield. The organization was originally known as Airline Stewardess Association or "ALSA". In 1949 "ALSA" merged with the Air Line Pilots Association(ALPA) division Air Line Stewards and Stewardess Association (ALSSA). In 1973 ALSSA flight attendants chose self-determination and formed an independent Association of Flight Attendants, leaving ALPA. In 1984 the AFL-CIO granted AFA a charter. Facing economic difficulties after the September 11, 2001 Attacks and a costly unsuccessful attempt to organize flight attendants at Delta Air Lines, AFA members voted to merge into an autonomous union within the Communications Workers of America.

C.H.A.O.S.™

Association of Flight Attendants:Splitsection
It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled C.H.A.O.S.. (Discuss)
Association of Flight Attendants:AFA-CWA members threaten CHAOS™ at Northwest Airlines August 15, 2006 at San Francisco International Airport
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AFA-CWA members threaten CHAOS™ at Northwest Airlines August 15, 2006 at San Francisco International Airport

The AFA has used a tactic in the past, known as the 'C.H.A.O.S.™ Strike' which stands for 'Create Havoc Around Our System'. In this type of strike, individual flight attendants are asked to leave their duty. This will place an affected flight under the minimum flight attendant staffing requirement of the FAA, thus the flight is delayed or cancelled. On August 17, 2006 Judge Allan L. Groper, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York, upheld the AFA's right to strike intermittently in Northwest Airlines vs. Association of Flight Attendants. AFA also used C.H.A.O.S.™ by actually striking seven flights at Alaska Airlines in 1993. The right to use selective and intermittent work stoppages was upheld in court in that labor dispute as well.

Airlines With AFA Flight Attendants

Organizing

Article 1.C.1 of the AFA-CWA Constitution and By-Laws states AFA's objective to unite all cabin crew members in the airline industry regardless of age, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression who are eligible for membership.In July 2006, in a contested election, Northwest Airlines flight attendants voted to replace their independent union with AFA. According to the AFA web page, AFA is currently seeking to organize flight attendants with Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, and Omni Air International.

Locals

The AFA has an international network of locals.

United Airlines

Northwest Airlines

US Airways

See also

Categories


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