Human Rights & Equity Committee
On January 12-14th, the MEC Human Rights and Equity (HRE) Committee joined more than 800 Union members, organizers, activists, and labor leaders from across the country in Montgomery, Alabama, for the 2024 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference. They were joined in solidarity with Flight Attendants from other AFA carriers’ HRE committees and AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson, who leads the AFA International HRE Committee.
The conference was an opportunity for activists to learn from the experiences of other Union leaders working on issues of human rights and equity within the labor movement. The committee attended panels and workshops that highlighted the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders within the labor movement to advance all workers’ rights.
At the AFL-CIO’s fourth convention in 1961, Dr. King explained to attendees the connection between the civil rights movement’s and labor movements' demands. He stated, “Our needs are identical with labor's needs — decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children, and respect in the community.” AFA has always fought for the rights that all Members deserve, and we are still fighting today.
The conference reaffirmed that although we are in an industry where labor Unions have made incredible progress throughout the years, we still have so much to fight for.