Posted on 07/16/2022 10:11:38 PM PDT by Morgana
A former Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was fired after sparring with her union president over abortion won a $5.3 million jury verdict against the airline and the union Thursday.
A jury in a Dallas federal district court handed down the verdict, ruling Charlene Carter had been fired for her religious stance on abortion, which she shared to social media, and that her termination was in violation of her right to advocate against her union.
If it stands, Carter could collect $4.15 million from Southwest and $950,000 from Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union, mostly in punitive damages.
Southwest said Friday that it 'has a demonstrated history of supporting our employees' rights to express their opinions when done in a respectful manner.' It plans to appeal.
A lawyer for the union said jurors might've misunderstood the judge's instructions and it also plans to appeal.
Carter alleged she was fired in March 2017 after complaining to the union president about flight attendants going to the Women's March in Washington, D.C., in January of that year, where more than 500,000 people protested former President Donald Trump's positions on abortion and other issues.
he longtime flight attendant, who had clashed with the union for years, believed dues were going to fund an anti-abortion protest.
Carter sent a series of Facebook messages, some containing videos of purported aborted fetuses, to Audrey Stone, who was president of the union at the time, calling her 'despicable' and saying she would be voted out of office.
'This is what you supported during your paid leave with others at the Women’s March in D.C.,' she wrote in one message to Stone, according to the Dallas Morning News. 'You truly are despicable in so many ways.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“The longtime flight attendant, who had clashed with the union for years, believed dues were going to fund an anti-abortion protest.”
Wasn’t it a pro-abort protest?
Sweet.
Yes but the brits and their funny English
OUTSTANDING news!
> “The longtime flight attendant, who had clashed with the union for years, believed dues were going to fund an anti-abortion protest.”
Perhaps the writer intended “... fund an anti-abortion DECISION protest”(?!?!?)
Nope
They are going to appeal
She won’t see any winnings
Then she has to get them to actually pay her if she wins the appeal
Agreed but this story shows the utter strangle hold of organizations the left has in this country. I am glad southwest will suffer but all woke companies need to suffer as do their woke employees.
How does supporting abortion and the march help union members?
Is a ploy for corporations to control workers with union pimps… all a shakedown gig. Unions are just a branch of Corporate PR.
A real Union would not allow forced covid covid vaccination or beg the “white man” for vaccinations, a real union would not embrace divisive ploys such as funding obscure groups fr abortion outside its own prerogatives, obscure groups probably favoring corporate as dark money front lobbies in congress etc…
“ employees’ rights to express their opinions when done in a respectful manner” Sure … whatever the company / union determines is respectful is allowed.
It can be confusing. Protesting anti-abortion involves two negative connotations. Easier to describe as protesting pro-life.
Protesting anti-abortion translates to acting against those who are against abortion.
President Trump was and is pro-life and had campaigned as such before he was elected.
The union organized women’s march was funded for the purpose of protesting against the newly inaugurated President’s goal to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
This union member had every right to complain that her union dues were being used to kill life in the womb. She thought what they were doing was despicable and she let them know it. They fired her and the jury decided they violated her rights. Now they are punished more than $4 million.
It’s safe to say that SW Airlines and their transport union are going to terminate the persons who violated Carter’s rights, that SW Air will then sue the transport union after the lawyers lose the appeal of the jury verdict.
Bottom line is transport union members will take a hit and likely refrain in the future from following union leaders that organize against pro-life groups and persons.
This is good news.
Hope it all works out.
SWA is appealing the verdict. Not a done deal yet.
Another interesting SW Airlines story:
Was reading my Bible in an aisle seat when the flight attendant knelt down next to me and told me her co-worker had just accepted Jesus and asked me to pray for her.
She said she was so excited that she had to share it with someone, and when she saw me reading my Bible....
To that un-named SW flight attendant:
If you are reading this, know that I have not stopped praying for you and your co-worker.
How does supporting abortion and the march help union members?
= = =
Got to eliminate those squawking kids on the flights.
That is heartwarming and uplifting.
Thank you.
Indeed
Violation of her right to advocate against her union.
(free speech)
And yet, a buddy of mine whose relative works for Southwest says the the company never gave the baggage handlers gloves or masks when the pandemic was declared, and the media was stirring everyone into a panic. How woke was that, right?
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