Association of Flight Attendants International President Sara Nelson accepted the 2019 AFL-CIO Martin Luther King Drum Major for Justice Award on Monday. In her acceptance speech she called for a general strike of aviation workers in solidarity with the 800,000 government workers who are either being forced to work without pay or who are ordered to stay off their jobs. She expressed her concern for the safety of the flying public:
The situation is changing rapidly. Major airports are already seeing security checkpoints closing. Many more will follow. Safety inspectors and federal cybersecurity staff are on furlough, not working. The layers of safety and security that keep us safe are not in place due to the shutdown.
But, in keeping with the occasion and the day, she focused on the need to respond to the injustice of the Trump shutdown with action:
Almost a million workers are locked out or being forced to work without pay. Others are going to work when our workspace is increasingly unsafe. What is the Labor Movement waiting for?
Go back with the Fierce Urgency of NOW to talk with your Locals and International unions about all workers joining together – To End this Shutdown with a General Strike.
We can do this. Together. Si se puede. Every gender, race, culture, and creed. The American Labor Movement. We have the power.
And to all Americans – We’ve Got Your Back!
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