Five years ago an American Airlines flight attendant grabbed a passenger’s stroller and nearly hit her baby. The whole thing was filmed. Then-flight attendants union head Bob Ross put out a statement that the real story about putting this woman’s child in danger is about the passengers who stuck up for her – because they’re the ones suffering from ‘air rage’ and should be prosecuted. It was a classic ‘but your honor, his face got in the way of my fist’ move.
Ross was elected to head the flight attendants union after Laura Glading was run out of the union for working closely with US Airways management on the takeover of the airline and on the contract that would be imposed on flight attendants after the merger if something better wasn't agreed to and accepted. Glading is related to a former US Airways and American Airlines executive. She is the Executive Director of the Office of Labor and Employee Relations at the FAA.
The union has been weak and rife with infighting. Sara Nelson is the head of the Association of Flight Attendants which used to represent US Airways flight attendants.
Bob Ross, the former APFA President, was found to have misappropriated funds while running the union. He billed a family vacation to the union credit card, used his personal furniture and even toilet paper to the union, and had the union pay for a personal office he wasn't entitled to.
The suit was filed to overturn the judgment. He argued that he shouldn't be treated differently than other past union Presidents because of his improper financial practices.
He claims that the accusations against him are part of Sara Nelson's plot.
A power struggle ensued between the AFA and APFA in which AFA ended up infiltrating APFA with their eye on a merger of the two unions. The result has been the use of APFA’s Disciplinary Procedures as a method of victimizing those within APFA’s union that stand against a merger between AFA and APFA.
…Since the day after Ross was elected APFA National President, his administration and supporters were met with stonewalling tactics, disparaging remarks, and conflict from those APFA members who remain loyal to the AFA agenda seeking a merger and ultimate takeover of APFA (“AFA/APFA”).
Sara Nelson may be motivated by a desire to deliver the Association of Professional Flight Attendants into her hands. It's even more important not to give them anything like diverted flight attendant dues to personal use when they're trying to get you.
Delta flight attendants are not stuck dealing with these people.
The battle between the APFA union and the national AFA reminds me of Monty Python's Life of Brian. They forgot they were supposed to be fighting the Romans. The union needs to build a war chest.
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Airline unions become like Ponzi schemes because they benefit the first in at the expense of those who join later. Senior flight attendants were paid to stay home when American Airlines took payroll support money from the government.
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