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Association of Flight Attendants president urges solidarity, calls for industry-wide organizing
Summary
Sarah Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told a Missoula rally that flight attendants are "aviation's first responders," described bargaining fights at United and Delta, and urged solidarity and preparation for broader labor actions including a general strike.
Sarah Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told a crowd in Missoula that flight attendants are organizing for higher pay and industrywide protections and urged union solidarity that could expand into broader labor actions.
Nelson said the union represents "55,000 strong at 20 airlines" and described ongoing contract fights, including at United Airlines, where she said attendants are seeking "an industry leading contract that's long overdue." She noted that 29,000 Delta flight attendants were organizing to join the Association of Flight Attendants and framed the drive as part of a broader labor struggle against corporate cost-cutting: "our union is fighting the greedy business model that keeps some flight attendants paid at 45% less doing the same job."
Nelson emphasized flight attendants’ safety role, citing a Toronto evacuation: "These are flight attendants like the flight attendants in Toronto who safely evacuated 80 people from a plane after a crash landed and turned upside down. We are aviation's first responders." She tied that safety role to bargaining leverage and public value of the work in arguing for stronger contracts.
Nelson used the platform to push for collective action and preparation: "Solidarity is a force stronger than gravity. It lifts lifts us up, and we need to get ready for a general strike." She encouraged attendees to join picket lines and to move from attending events to active organizing: "A couple of events and you're an activist. Bring 10 friends and you're an organizer."
While urging large-scale tactics, Nelson framed the effort as practical organizing: calling/texting, meeting at picket lines, and building sustained local organizing rather than one-off gestures. She did not propose a specific timeline for any strike or describe an NLRB or legal filing in progress.
The remarks were delivered during a large rally in Missoula that also featured national elected officials and other labor leaders; Nelson’s comments focused on labor organizing, membership counts, and the role of flight attendants in public safety.
