The AFA’s endorsement underscores Senator Markey’s consistent record of fighting for aviation workers, strengthening aviation safety laws, and building working-class power throughout his decades in Congress. The AFA represents more than 55,000 unionized flight attendants across 20 airlines nationwide.

Senator Markey has stood with AFA members in their contract fights – including at United Airlines and in the union’s ongoing organizing campaign among Delta flight attendants. Both carriers operate major hubs out of Boston Logan International Airport.

Senator Markey and the AFA have maintained a longstanding partnership in the fight to protect aviation workers and strengthen aviation safety. As the nation approaches the 25th year anniversary of September 11, the commitment to Never Forget and rigorous aviation security standards remains as urgent as ever.

“AFA is proud to endorse Senator Markey for reelection. This endorsement of Ed Markey by our Flight Attendant union is also a personal one for me,” said Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO. “I’ll never forget standing in the middle of our crisis room at the Hilton Logan in the wake of 9/11, grieving the loss of people I love and trying to make sense of our new world, when Ed walked in without fanfare to listen, grieve with us, and commit to Never Forget. He fights every day like our pain is his pain. He demands results because real people fuel his fight. He fought with that same conviction to secure the historic worker’s first relief during COVID that kept two million aviation workers connected to our paychecks and healthcare while capping executive pay and banning stock buybacks. Ed Markey fights for the working class and the people who need a champion. He stands with us. And we stand with him.”

Senator Markey thanked the AFA for its endorsement:

“Flight attendants are aviation’s first responders – the first and last line of defense in our skies,” said Senator Ed Markey. “They don’t just serve passengers – they save lives. The Association of Flight Attendants organizes, fights, and wins. I’m honored to earn the AFA’s endorsement and I’m proud to stand with them to protect aviation workers and the safety of every passenger in the sky. I will never stop standing up for aviation workers and working families across Massachusetts and the nation. Under Sara Nelson’s leadership, the AFA has become one of the most formidable fighting unions in America, winning not just for flight attendants, but for the common good.”

Background:

In 2013, Senator Markey introduced bipartisan legislation to block the Transportation Security Administration’s misguided proposal to allow certain knives back into aircraft cabins. At the time, the TSA had announced plans to permit blades up to 2.36 inches long on flights for the first time since September 11, 2001. Working alongside the Association of Flight Attendants,

Senator Markey fought to keep passengers and crews safe, and ultimately secured permanent protections in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 to ensure knives are never again allowed on commercial planes.