Government Affairs

Since the founding of the Association of Flight Attendants over 60 years ago, it has been our goal to improve the working conditions and lives of all flight attendants. We have fought to make the flight attendant job a safe, secure and respected career. Much of the time, this fight takes place with our employers at the bargaining table. However, as workers in an industry that is heavily regulated by the federal government, decisions that affect flight attendants’ daily lives and working conditions are also made in the halls of Congress and by government agencies. AFA-CWA firmly believes that it is important for us to have a voice and a presence in Washington, D.C., and to have a seat at the table in Congress when decisions that impact our lives are being made.

Approximately 20 years ago, AFA-CWA established a Government Affairs Department and began to develop Government Affairs Committees at all AFA-represented airlines. Since then, AFA-CWA has established a strong presence in Washington, D.C. and around the country in influencing policy that impacts our profession and industry. Through AFA-CWA, hundreds of flight atten-dants have been trained as effective lobbyists for our profession. These dedicated individuals regularly travel to Washington, D.C. to walk the halls of Congress and advocate for the issues that affect flight attendants. Because it is the rank and file members of AFA-CWA who work on the aircraft every day, we are the ones who know best what issues matter most. Together, with the constant support of AFA-CWA’s professional staff, we are our own best advocates.

AFA-CWA is known on Capitol Hill and by all decision makers in Washington, D.C., as the world’s largest flight attendant union and the only one that represents a cross-section of our entire profession. For decades, members of Congress and the federal government have not only respected our knowledge of the industry, but have turned to us in times of crisis – as did then Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta after September 11th, when he appointed AFA-CWA International President Pat Friend to the DOT Rapid Response Team for Aircraft Security.