Sara Nelson has served as the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO since 2014, representing 55,000 of aviation’s first responders at 20 airlines. She has been a union Flight Attendant since 1996, when she started flying at United Airlines. Sara designed the successful payroll support program that was an historic Worker’s First relief program that kept aviation workers connected to their paychecks, healthcare, and other benefits for 16 months during the COVID pandemic while banning stock buybacks and dividends across the industry and capping executive compensation for two years after the relief period ended making aviation the only industry not to grow in inequality during the pandemic. Sara believes labor should set the agenda every time.

The New York Times called her “America’s most powerful flight attendant” for her role in helping to end the 35-day Government Shutdown, InStyle Magazine placed her on their Top 50 Badass Women list, the New Yorker did a major profile in 2022, and Fast Company made her one of their Top Ten Innovators of the last ten years. Sara often says corporations have money and control but workers have the power. She encourages women everywhere to join unions and run unions.