Meet America's Most Powerful Flight Attendant

WAMU 88.5

Published December 16, 2019 at 9:06 AM CST

Sara Nelson, the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, speaks during a press conference on aviation safety during the 2019 government shutdown.

The New York Times called Sara Nelson “America’s most powerful flight attendant.”

They’re not wrong. She’s the president of the Association of Flight Attendants and was an outspoken voice on behalf of her fellow airline workers during the January 2019 government shutdown.

In fact, presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders privately attributed the end of the shutdown to events related to Nelson’s advocacy.

More broadly, it’s not just the flight attendants Nelson’s looking out for. She called for a general strike, which would have led workers in almost every industry to walk off the job. Few union leaders have ever publicly invoked such an idea.

What are the most important issues facing flight attendants and other airline employees today?

Produced by James Morrison.

GUESTS

Sara Nelson, International president, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO; @FlyingWithSara

For more, visit https://the1a.org.