02/09/2024
I am a 25 year Flight Attendant with 16 years at a regional airline and 9 with Southwest Airlines. I began my career in this industry at the age of 19 which shortly after, I began to see the injustices inflicted by my previous carrier thus resulting in becoming an engaged Member with my Union. Slowly I began “getting my feet wet” by attending meetings and training in 2002 to become a Grievance Member. This is where I learned the value of a Union and how important it is to ensure the company upheld their part of the contract. It became my mission to educate and mobilize the members on ALL I knew so they could be stronger with the knowledge of their rights. My intention is to strengthen our membership with all I have learned from previously being your Board Member at Large and from my previous Union experience with AFA.
Speed forward to 2015- while enjoying my day off after training, our Members voted down the TA by a historic (at that time) 9,913. As I watched the redrick play out on social media (much like we have seen in the last couple of months), I was taken aback! The division of our Membership was so incredibly disheartening to me. Unity of my fellow union brothers and sisters became my main focus- I couldn’t imagine how the Membership at my new company could be so divided, yet have such a high NO vote turnout on a TA. I began reaching out to those I felt comfortable with at the time of being so new and educating myself.
The 2017 Delegate Convention nominations were approaching and I was asked to run with a team of cohearts I personally nor professionally did not know nonetheless, I believed we could begin making changes-REAL changes such as language in our TWU Constitution and in our local TWU556 Bylaws. I left the Convention disappointed, broken hearted and deflated yet knew my fight for our Membership to be Unified was NOT over. Afterwards, I was asked to campaign with 11 Delegate attendees from the TWU International Convention. I was honored and believed I would be able to help “build a bridge” of Unity within our Membership.
After the 2018 Executive Board election, we were challenged with consistent charges brought against several board members by fellow board members and members, grounding of the MAX8, COVID and last but not least, charges that removed me as BMAL days before the election for the current EB term. I have not shied away from my charges and have been very transparent about them. Any questions you may have, I will gladly answer- what I will NOT do is mud sling those who were involved with my removal nor any candidate campaigning. I believe in leading by example and if we want to enact real change, it starts from within.
My goals for the membership have not changed- I will do everything in my power to unify our Membership and heal from within. I vow honesty and transparency with what I am legally permitted to disclose and most importantly, listen to YOU, THE MEMBERS.
If I am your choice, I will once again be your advocate in the boardroom ensuring this by listening to your ongoing concerns and addressing them in our monthly board meetings.
I appreciate your support and faith in allowing me to be your voice!
Voting by Mail-in- Ballot
February 26 - March 18
