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This week we would like to feature the remarkable Edith Lauterbach for Women in Aviation Wednesday. She helped establish what is now known as the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA which represents nearly 60,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines. Edith Lauterbach began working for United Air Lines 1944. She noticed the flight attendants, mostly women, had not gotten a raise from 1930-1946. To amend this issue, she and four fellow flight attendants officially established the Air Line Stewardess Association (ALSA) in 1945 and recruited 75% of United Air Lines flight attendants. Though they were careful to call it an association, the ALSA was the first union established by women, lead by women, and primarily represented women. Few labor unions at the time even had female membership. The Air Line Stewardess Association was the first collective bargaining group recognized by airlines. After months of negotiations, in 1946, the flight attendants successfully negotiated a rise in monthly pay, set rest periods, limits on duty hours, and established a grievance policy. The AFA-CWA continues to be the voice for flight attendant.
This image was posted on September 02, 2015.