Sara Nelson (union leader)

Sara Nelson
Born	Corvallis, Oregon
Occupation	Flight Attendant, Labor Leader
Title	International President

Sara Nelson is the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO. A United Airlines flight attendant since 1996, she previously served as AFA's International Vice President for a term beginning January 1, 2011. Today, AFA-CWA represents nearly 42,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines.

Nelson has been a flight attendant with United Airlines from August, 1996 through the present. Soon after beginning her career, based in Boston for United Airlines, Nelson became an activist in the Boston AFA Local. She served there in a variety of roles including the elected position of Council Representative. In 2002 Nelson was tapped by AFA leaders at United Airlines to serve as Communications Chair.

In nearly 10 years as the union's chief spokesperson for United flight attendants, Nelson played a central role in the union's strategic response to every major event affecting the airline industry and, by extension, the members she helped to represent. In 2002, a year after the devastating impact of the September 11 Attacks rocked the airline industry, the SARS outbreak devastated international air travel. Airlines including United Airlines undertook cost cutting measures, and Nelson served as the primary spokesperson for the union during those extensive pre-bankruptcy reorganization negotiations. By December 2002 when United Airlines filed the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history, Nelson was leading both the internal and external communications response to what would become one of the longest corporate bankruptcies when it finally ended over three years later. When United used the bankruptcy to terminate the flight attendants pension plan, Nelson announced AFA's intent to engage in a strike.

She later served simultaneously as the union's CHAOS strike chair during two rounds of labor negotiations, and provided communications support to other groups of AFA flight attendants including those at Northwest Airlines where she served as AFA spokesperson during bankruptcy negotiations and strike preparations. In 2011 Nelson left the communications post when she was elected International Vice President, the union's number two leadership position.

Shortly after her election as International Vice President, Nelson undertook the leadership of AFA's internal and external organizing efforts. Under her leadership AFA prevailed in an representation election versus the International Association of Machinists for the bargaining rights covering the combined flight attendant workforce of United Airlines, Continental Airlines and Continental Micronesia following the merger of those carriers. Covering nearly 25,000 workers, that campaign culminated in one of the largest private sector union elections in decades. She later led the union's successful organizing drive to represent the combined unit of flight attendants from Mesaba Airlines, Colgan Air and Pinnacle Airlines, following the merger that created Endeavor Airlines.

...
Wikipedia