AFA Leadership Failures
AFA wants to become the exclusive union to represent Delta flight attendants. But with its track record of dysfunction at different airlines, is AFA really who you want representing you?
At Hawaiian Airlines and Endeavor Air, internal fighting between the AFA Master Executive Councils (MEC) and AFA Local Executive Councils (LEC) have resulted in 17 recalls and resignations of AFA leaders since 2022 (11 at Endeavor AFA and 6 at Hawaiian AFA). The MEC oversees union issues at the company level, while the LEC handles issues on local levels and represents members to the MEC.
AFA dysfunction is not a thing of the past, and runs as recently as October 2024, when the Endeavor AFA MEC President was recalled and the MEC Secretary-Treasurer resigned. At the same time at Hawaiian, members initiated a recall against an LEC President and Vice President.
The lack of stability does not come as a surprise after hearing the reasons shared in publicly available communications behind these departures:
Personal Attacks from Local AFA Leaders: In response to their recall, the Hawaiian MEC President said, “we are all being dragged through the hatred and darkness” and described it as a “one-sided soap opera taking place,” claiming that the LEC President who initiated the recall “call[ed] me a liar and just ranted on and on.” (August 2023)
Intimidation & Hostility within AFA Leadership: An Endeavor MEC leader heard from the MEC Grievance Chair that they were “struggling to work in an intimidating, hostile, and unsupportive environment.” (January 2024)
The same Endeavor MEC leader observed “constant bickering, lack of professionalism both verbal and written, and lack of respect for others and myself” while in the role. (January 2024)
Internal AFA Dysfunction: In July 2023, the Endeavor MEC President, speaking about other AFA LEC leaders who had called for their removal, said, “I have been thwarted at every turn. Phone calls not returned, assistance with local issues have gone unanswered, denigration of my character on social media.”
The MEC VP who resigned said this about ATL and NYC LEC leaders: “All this wasted time could have been spent working together as a team to benefit the Flight Attendants. This does not send a message to the members that you have their best interest at heart.”
Delta flight attendants don’t need a dysfunctional third party in between them and their leaders. Our direct relationship enables every employee to speak up, and we listen directly to that feedback to make improvements.
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