First, a short read on what we're up against. Then five modules: swipe the slides, read the notes, pass the check, earn your wings. Then go be the source of truth at your base: private, never pushy, always on their terms.
Before you begin, sign in.
Some of you we already know. Some of you found this on your own. Either way, your Base team can't back you up if they don't know you're here.
Seen only by the organizing team. If you're not yet in your Base Advocate WhatsApp group, a Core Leader will add you.
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Before you begin
Start Here: What We're Up Against
Read this first. It's the reason the Academy exists. The five modules follow below.
Swipe, or use the arrows below the cards.
The truth1
Union-busting isn't a reaction at SkyWest. It's a business model.
Keeping Flight Attendants without a contract keeps pay flexible, rules changeable and profits high. The consultants, the posters, the websites and SIA are line items, not accidents.
Day one2
It starts in initial training.
Before a new hire works a single trip, the company has taught them its story: "best place to work," "highest-paid regional," "a stepping-stone," "unions are outsiders." Many of us have never known anything else.
Waking up3
Many have already seen through it.
The moment usually comes when a rule changes overnight, a friend is disciplined with no recourse, or a mainline crew describes what a contract actually does. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Your job4
Help people see the truth. Be the source.
Not to win debates. To put facts where the company put a story. Point to ooitstime.com, the podcast, the contracts, the AFA Constitution. Let people check for themselves.
The stakes5
The standard was set by union Flight Attendants.
Rest rules, FMLA for our schedules, whistleblower protections, the smoking ban, the Payroll Support Program. Now it's our turn: a true voice for SkyWest Flight Attendants, and a hand in redefining regional Flight Attendant careers everywhere.
Hold these three ideas at once
The person in front of you is not the problem. The story they were handed is. Question the story, and stay on the side of your coworker.
You don't have to convince anyone. Just help connect them to our resources containing factual information so they can make their own decision.
Privacy comes first, always. Cards, contacts and conversations are confidential. Nobody is pressured. People come to the facts on their own terms, and we protect them while they do.
"I believed it, too. Then I read what a contract actually does. Want the link?"
Your wings0 of 5
Academy complete.
The five modules. Take them in order.
01
Step 1 of 5
How AFA Works
Most questions you will get are about this. Know it cold.
Swipe, or use the arrows below the cards.
Who we are1
55,000Flight Attendants at 19 airlines
Flight Attendants representing Flight Attendants.
AFA-CWA is run by working Flight Attendants, not outsiders. SkyWest AFA will be run by SkyWest Flight Attendants.
Who runs our union2
We do. Every level, elected by us.
1
Every SkyWest Flight AttendantVotes. On leaders, on the contract, on what we fight for.
2
Base leadersElected by the Flight Attendants at each base.
3
SkyWest AFA leadershipThose base leaders, together, running our union airline-wide.
Management picks none of it.
The path3
How we get our union.
1Majority of SkyWest FAs sign cards (50% + 1)
2National Mediation Board schedules the election
3We vote YES
4We negotiate our first contract
5We vote on the contract
Dues4
$0until we approve our first contract
Not a penny until we vote YES on a contract.
And we only approve a contract that makes dues worth it. Dues keep our union running independently of the company. They fund enforcement: reps, attorneys, protection. AFA is a not-for-profit dedicated to protecting our careers.
Contract vs. policy5
Why a contract changes everything.
Policy manualWritten by management. Changed at will. Enforced by nobody.
AFA contractNegotiated by us. Voted on by us. Backed by federal law.
A contract stays in place during future negotiations, protecting what we won while we fight for more.
Talking points
"Our union" means it: SkyWest Flight Attendants set the priorities, elect the leaders, and vote on the contract.
Management knows we want representation. So they built a fake union, SIA, to make us think we already have it. SIA is funded and overseen by management.
Without a contract, SkyWest decides pay, schedules, attendance, rest, discipline and work rules, and can change any of it anytime.
Shorter probation is common at AFA carriers (often 6 months). SkyWest's year-long probation leaves new hires exposed.
Module 1 check
1. Who runs SkyWest AFA once we win?
2. When do dues start?
3. What share of SkyWest Flight Attendants must sign cards to get an election?
4. Who schedules the union election?
5. What is the key difference between the policy manual and an AFA contract?
02
Step 2 of 5
The Ask
Every conversation ends with a card or a contact. Here is how.
Swipe, or use the arrows below the cards.
Open1
"Are you a SkyWest Flight Attendant? Me, too!"
Break the ice, then your name and base.
Public areas only: the concourse, the coffee line, the departure screen, the hotel van. Wherever you would talk layover plans.
Bridge2
"Did you know we are organizing to have a SkyWest AFA Flight Attendant Union?"
Then listen.
Ask what they would change first: pay, trip construction, reserve, discipline. Their answer is your talking point.
Ask3
"When you sign a card today, we are one card closer to voting. Can I get yours now?"
Ask directly. Then be quiet.
Cards are private and protected. Management never sees them.
The card4
Every field, legibly.
Full name
Email
Cell phone
Date
Signature
Then offer to mail it in for them. A card in your bag is a card that counts.
If it's a no5
Keep the contact.
"No problem. Can I text you the It's Time Live podcast and the website?" Take name, base and cell. A "no" today is a follow-up next trip.
The rule under every rule6
Private. Never pressured. On their terms.
A card, a contact, a conversation: all confidential. Management never sees any of it and has no right to. We don't push people. We connect them to accurate information and let them decide.
Talking points
Signing a card is not a vote. It gets us the right to vote. Nothing changes until we negotiate and vote.
Supporting a union is your legal right.
Cards are precious. Before handing over extras, get a commitment: "Who do you know who believes we need our own union? Would you get a card to them?" If they name people, give them that many cards. If not, keep the cards for someone who will.
More cards, pins and bag tags: the "Base Advocate Supplies" page under Resources at ooitstime.com, or DM a Core Leader.
If they hesitate: "What would you want in a first contract?" Let them talk. Most people sign after they hear themselves say what they want.
Module 2 check
1. Where should concourse conversations happen?
2. A card is signed but the cell number is missing. What do you do?
3. After someone signs, the best next step is:
4. Someone says "not today." You should:
5. Who can see a signed authorization card?
03
Step 3 of 5
Handling the "No"
The five objections you will hear most, and what to say back.
Swipe, or use the arrows below the cards.
Objection 11
"We're already the highest-paid regional."
The rate is the headline. The work rules are the fine print.
A high pay scale with vague, unenforceable work rules lets SkyWest claw the shiny rate back behind the scenes: trip construction, reserve, pay protections, rest. Without a contract, any of it can change at will. SkyWest made about $70,000 in profit per Flight Attendant in 2024.
Objection 22
"I don't want to pay dues."
Neither do we, until it's worth it.
Not a penny until we vote to approve a contract that improves pay, work rules and protections. We decide if it's worth it.
Objection 33
"SIA already represents us."
SIA is funded and overseen by management.
Management knows we want representation, so they built a fake union to make us think we already have it. SkyWest AFA answers only to us.
Objection 44
"Will I get in trouble?"
Supporting a union is your legal right.
Cards are private. Management never sees them. If management interferes, we follow their instructions in the moment, then report it to AFA Legal at ooitstime.com/report. AFA Legal is already holding SkyWest management accountable in court for past interference.
Objection 55
"I'm leaving for mainline anyway."
Then you know what a contract is worth.
Management calls our jobs a stepping-stone to justify regional pay. A contract protects you every day you are here, and the person who takes your seat.
The pattern
Remember where the objection came from. Most of these objections were taught in training. The person repeating them is not your opponent; the story is. Management builds anti-union messaging into every touchpoint because they want all the power, and they spend millions on union-busting consultants to deny us a real voice at work.
Agree with the feeling; correct the fact. "I get it. Here's the part they leave out."
Never debate. Ask a question back: "Who decides when your schedule rules change?"
We are not anti-company. We are pro-Flight Attendant.
Management has lawyers. With AFA, we'll have our own legal department.
Bonus objection, "Nothing will change": "You're right; nothing changes until we negotiate and vote. That's exactly why we need the vote."
Module 3 check
1. "We're the highest-paid regional." Best response?
2. What is SIA?
3. Someone fears retaliation for signing. You say:
4. The best move when someone pushes back hard is:
5. "Nothing will change." The honest answer is:
04
Step 4 of 5
Safe and Discreet
Protect yourself, protect the campaign, protect your coworkers.
Concourses, coffee shops, hotel lobbies, the crew van. Not in work areas, and never in a way that interferes with duties. The rest area of the crew lounge is fine; the computer area where work is being done is not.
If management shows up3
Positive. Professional. Then report.
Stay calm and polite
If told to leave or move, comply
Ask them to state clearly what they are asking
Note names, time and place
Report it4
ooitstime.com/reportAFA Legal Incident Report
Same day, while it's fresh.
Don't let them shift the focus from their actions to your response. AFA Legal is already holding SkyWest management accountable in court for past interference. Your report adds to that record.
Backup5
You are never doing this alone.
Base Advocate WhatsApp group for real-time help. Core Leaders for judgment calls. FAQs at mobile.ooitstime.com.
AFA-CWA contact: Gailen David · gdavid@afacwa.org · 305-773-3627
Talking points
Keep conversations discreet. The goal is a quiet, steady build, not a scene.
Keep moving. If you are in a low-traffic area, check the flow board and go where the crews are.
Selfies in AFA pins are welcome. Photos of signed cards are not.
What someone tells you stays with you. Names, numbers and who signed are never shared, posted or discussed in front of others.
Module 4 check
1. Out of uniform at the airport, how many forms of ID do you carry?
2. A manager tells you to stop talking on the concourse. You:
3. Where do incident reports go?
4. Which photo is fine to post?
5. Where do you get real-time help mid-chat?
05
Step 5 of 5
Growing the Network
Your job is not just cards. It's the next advocate.
Swipe, or use the arrows below the cards.
The ladder1
Four things that count.
Conversations started
Contacts kept
Cards signed and mailed
Coworkers who join the campaign as advocates
Spot them2
Who is ready to build with you?
The one who is asking the sharp questions
The one who mailed their own card the same day
The one who other crews already go to for answers
The one who says "What can I do?"
Ask them3
"This is our AFA campaign. Want to be part of building it at your base?"
Open the door. Then connect them.
We are not signing people up. We are building our power together, the same way we will run our union once it's in place: everyone participates. When a coworker wants to become a Base Advocate, connect them with a Core Leader so they can be added to the Base Advocate WhatsApp group and given access to the Academy.
Check in4
Report your week in 60 seconds.
Conversations, contacts, cards, coworkers who joined in, and the one objection you heard. Numbers tell the story. When a detail matters, like a coworker who asked to be contacted or someone who turned out to hold a management title, share it with your Core Leader discreetly and in confidence. Protecting the privacy of our coworkers is a top priority as we grow.
Supplies5
Never run dry.
Cards, pins and bag tags: the "Base Advocate Supplies" page under Resources at ooitstime.com. Reorder before you hand out your last packet.
Why it matters6
This is bigger than SkyWest.
Every regional Flight Attendant is watching what happens here. When SkyWest Flight Attendants gain a true voice, the definition of a regional career changes for everyone who comes after us.
Habits that build a base
Every trip, one conversation. That alone puts a base ahead of most.
Follow up with every contact within a week. Text the podcast link, ask one question.
Tell the WhatsApp group what you heard. Objections are the next training module.
When a coworker who signed a card wants to do more, connect them with a Core Leader on day one. The Academy is for those who choose to become Base Advocates.
Module 5 check
1. Which of these counts as progress on the ladder?
