What Next | Daily News and Analysis The Flight Attendant Who Wants You to Go on Strike | 2025 in Review
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Dec 22, 2025 
Sara Nelson, the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, discusses the crucial state of labor organizing amid rising financial precarity among flight attendants. She advocates for a general strike to unite unions against government attacks on worker rights. Nelson emphasizes the importance of collective action, connecting immigration issues to labor power. Her inspiring stories include lessons from her early career, strategies like ‘chaos strikes,’ and reflections on labor's historic role in fighting for rights and reform.
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Mobilize Locally Through Quick Contacts
- Turn to neighbors and commit to quick communications like calls or texts to mobilize for actions.
- Sara Nelson tells people to treat solidarity as the organizing instrument, not certifications.
Union Roots From A First Paycheck
- Sara Nelson became a flight attendant in 1996 after hearing about pay, healthcare, and a pension from a friend.
- She was drawn into union activism after a coworker covered her missed paycheck and veterans taught her contract power.
Shutdown Sparked A Strike Moment
- During the 2019 government shutdown Sara Nelson called for a general strike as workers were forced to work without pay.
- Ten air traffic controllers later didn’t show up and LaGuardia partially shut down, helping end the shutdown quickly.