Focus on Truth: What Management Doesn’t Want Us to Know

SkyWest Flight Attendants are organizing because we know our worth—and we are ready to claim it. In our most recent survey, 93% said they feel SkyWest management prioritizes profit over people, and 89% said they don’t feel protected under current policies. We are organizing to win enforceable rights, true protections, and a powerful voice on the job.

This survey was open for nearly a year (10 months), ensuring every Flight Attendant who wanted their voice heard had multiple chances to participate. Any SkyWest Flight Attendant subscribed to the SkyWest AFA email list received several invitations and reminders to complete the survey and share their priorities. This was just one of many opportunities Flight Attendants will have to directly shape our collective priorities, with many more surveys, discussions, and votes to come—because our union is driven by us.

We hear the same message loud and clear across the system: “We love our job, but we need respect and protections.” Management knows that when we stand together, we win—and that’s exactly why they fear our unity. But we’re not backing down. We are organizing with AFA to secure the rights and respect we deserve.

💵 The Truth About Dues

One of management’s favorite scare tactics is to talk about dues—but when they do, they’re really projecting. Management accuses unions of "just wanting dues money" while lining their own pockets with millions in bonuses and stock sales. They don’t want us to have the resources to stand up to them. Our dues aren’t about greed—they are an investment in securing our careers, rights, and futures. At SkyWest, top executives have sold off millions in stock just this year—while 87% of surveyed Flight Attendants said they “would gladly pay dues for real protections.” That’s exactly what AFA delivers.

Here’s the truth:

✅ You don’t pay a penny in dues until we vote to approve a contract.
✅ Dues fund legal experts, professional negotiators, safety reps, and grievance enforcement.
✅ AFA is a non-profit, Flight Attendant-run union with full financial transparency required by law.
✅ Dues also ensure our union stays independent, strong, and capable of standing up to management. They fund the critical resources we need to enforce our contract, defend our rights, and hold management accountable—something SIA can never do because it is controlled and funded by the company.

As one Flight Attendant put it: “If paying dues means management can’t fire me on a whim, it’s worth it.”

🗳️ The Truth About Leadership and Democracy

91% of SkyWest Flight Attendants surveyed said they have “no faith in SIA to represent Flight Attendants’ interests.”That’s because SIA is a management-controlled entity with no legal standing.

With AFA:

✅ We elect our own leaders via secure election processes.
✅ We control our agenda - we don’t let management dictate.
✅ We hold our leaders accountable through democratic elections.

One Flight Attendant said it best: “I want a union that works for us, not one controlled by the company.”

🤝 The Truth About Negotiations

SkyWest Flight Attendants are tired of take-it-or-leave-it policy changes. 94% said they want a seat at the table to negotiate pay, work rules, and protections. That’s exactly what AFA delivers.

✅ We decide our priorities through bargaining surveys and open discussion.
✅ No contract is finalized unless a majority of Flight Attendants vote to approve it.
✅ Negotiations are protected by law and give us real power to shape our future.

Management often tries to scare us by claiming that union negotiations “take too long”—but what they don’t say is they are usually the reason for those delays. When management delays negotiations by submitting unacceptable proposals, stalling meetings, or refusing to move on key issues, they are intentionally dragging out the process—and then turning around to blame the union for the timeline they created.

This isn’t about negotiations being inherently slow. At carriers with management teams that actually want to work collaboratively, contracts get done faster. The truth is, SkyWest management doesn’t want to share power or lose control. Their goal is to frustrate us, wear us down, and make the union look ineffective. But this narrative tells on them—it exposes that their priority is maintaining control and suppressing worker power, not negotiating in good faith.

They don’t spread this message because they care about us. They spread it because they want to scare us into staying powerless.

As one Flight Attendant said in the survey: “I want a contract, even if it takes time. We’ve waited long enough to be respected.”

With AFA, we’re in control. We have the legal right to demand better—and management will finally be required to listen.

⚖️ The Truth About Legal Rights and Enforceable Protections

Right now, SkyWest Flight Attendants work under at-will employment. 92% of us said we feel vulnerable to unfair discipline, and 89% have experienced favoritism or inconsistent treatment.

Management says, “Just be good,” but we’ve seen too many good Flight Attendants punished, pushed out, or retaliated against for speaking up.

AFA contracts fix that:

✅ Just cause protection—no discipline without valid reason.
✅ Guaranteed representation—you’re never alone in discipline meetings.
✅ Binding grievance and arbitration rights—we fight unjust discipline and win.
✅ Due process and anti-retaliation protections—you can stand up for yourself without fear.

“We’re not asking for favors—we’re demanding fairness,” said one Flight Attendant. “I’ve seen too many good people fired without reason,” said another. With AFA, fairness isn’t optional—it’s enforceable.

📜 The Truth About Contracts vs. Company Policy

96% of Flight Attendants surveyed said company policy “changes too often and is enforced inconsistently.” That’s because policies are written by management, for management.

AFA contracts:

✅ Cannot be changed without our vote
✅ Are legally enforceable
✅ Provide transparency and fairness

If policies worked, we wouldn’t need to organize. But they don’t—contracts do.

🛬 The Truth About Scheduling Rights

Scheduling was one of the top issues in our survey: 95% of Flight Attendants said they “feel scheduling is unfair and chaotic.”

AFA contracts provide:

✅ Predictable scheduling rules
✅ Fair reserve systems
✅ Pay protection for cancellations, reroutes, and reassignment

Survey responses emphasized: “We need predictability—we deserve the right to plan our lives.” With SkyWest AFA, we will make that happen.

🧾 The Truth About AFA’s Proven Record

AFA has already shown up for SkyWest Flight Attendants by:

✅ Securing the 10-hour rest rule
✅ Delivering $700 million in pandemic relief, to SkyWest alone, while blocking executive bonuses
✅ Protecting whistleblowers

Across the industry, AFA here are just some of what has won:

✅ Single occupancy hotel rooms
✅ Pay protection for cancellations and reroutes
✅ Shorter probation periods
✅ OSHA standards in the cabin
✅ No Knives on Planes protections
✅ Known Crewmember (KCM) access
✅ Anti-discrimination clauses
✅ Enhanced commuter policies

Every major gain for Flight Attendants traces back to AFA’s collective power.

When AFA-represented Flight Attendants fight for and win improvements, SkyWest management often copies the most visible highlights into company policy—but without enforceable protections. Flight Attendants have seen it time and again: SkyWest announces policy updates mimicking AFA contract gains, only to quietly claw back pay and benefits behind the scenes, because policy is written by management, for management.

Contracts negotiated by AFA are carefully crafted with legal protections, closing loopholes and preventing management from pulling back what was won. By contrast, SkyWest policies are designed to look good on paper but are filled with loopholes that management exploits at will—changing rules, withholding promised raises, or selectively enforcing policies whenever it suits them.

AFA was also the driving force behind the Payroll Support Program (PSP), securing nearly $700 million in federal relief funds that SkyWest management gladly accepted during the pandemic while simultaneously fighting Flight Attendants organizing for rights. AFA continues to defend SkyWest Flight Attendants targeted by management for whistleblowing, organizing, and speaking up for safe, fair workplaces.

Flight Attendants at other AFA carriers don’t just get empty promises—they get binding contracts with rights they can enforce, and that’s exactly what we are fighting to win at SkyWest.

💡 The Truth About Our Power

SkyWest Flight Attendants are the largest non-union group left in the industry. 99% of survey respondents agreed it’s time to change that.

✅ We are the heart of SkyWest.
✅ We make this airline run.
✅ We deserve contracts, rights, and respect.

One Flight Attendant summed it up: “Management has shown us who they are—it’s time to show them who we are.”

✅ Lead with truth.
✅ Stand with your coworkers.
✅ Sign your card.
✅ Let’s win the respect we deserve—together.Together, we change our airline—and the industry—for the better.