June 27, 2018

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Citing a violation of First Amendment rights, the United States Supreme Court today ruled that public sector unions cannot charge fair-share fees to non-members. The 5-4 majority opinion of the court in Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 has far reaching implications beyond this union member and the Council. This decision deals a blows to all of our freedoms as citizens of the United States of America.  

It is difficult to understand how the constitutional tenant of free speech can be used to undo decades of legal precedent that supports the freedom of working people to join together, to actually give them a voice in the work place. In fact, protecting this free speech is essential to our democracy and maintaining the balance of power in the workplace.

In the workplace, without the right to speak up against safety issues, health dangers or to collectively bargain for fair wages and benefits, worker’s rights are essentially ignored and, in contradiction to the concept of free speech, worker’s voices are silenced.

In contradiction to the tenants of our U.S. Constitution, which gives voices to those who would otherwise stand or work alone, this decision undercuts the essential balance of power necessary for our country to remain free.

As a collective, this issue demands our attention. We must be prepared to not only stand together in opposition to this attempt to silence our individual voices by attacking our freedom to join together, we must be prepared to act when called upon. 

In order to protect our collective future, we must stand together for our freedoms, our right to a safe workplace with decent pay, and respect for our hard work that contributes to our economy. 

In the weeks ahead, you will be called upon to vote, sign union cards, and encourage Flight Attendants to talk with their family, friends, and neighbors about the importance of joining together in unions. We trust you will accept this challenge in the interest of protecting our collective future.

Together we will form the ‘more perfect union’ contemplated by our founding fathers and, together, our voices will be heard.

In Solidarity,

Ken Diaz, President

United Master Executive Council