March 2024 HRE Update

Dear Crew,

March is Women’s History Month and women’s rights and bodies are still under attack!

Choice and self-determination are at the foundation of why we formed our union 75 years ago. Women's Reproductive Rights and Health are still under attack today. This month, and always, please, uplift the voice and work of those fighting for bodily autonomy. 

The HRE Committee is asking you to join us in March to recognize, support and show solidarity with women, by wearing a white ribbon behind their AFA pins in celebration of the achievements of women. While we have come a long way, we have a long way to go. The color white is symbolic for two reasons, the first being the ribbons worn during the women’s suffrage movement were white, purple, and yellow. Second, in 1991, the White Ribbon Campaign was launched in Canada to bring awareness to violence against women. 

I will be distributing white ribbons to wear behind your AFA union pins this month. I will be coordinating with someone from the MIA base to give them some ribbons as well so they are able to share with crew in their base.

We ask you to join us in giving back to our communities by volunteering at and holding clothes and toiletry drives for women’s shelters. Contacting a local shelter and asking what items they need is a great way to connect with a center and focus on their needs.  We will celebrate Women’s History Month by protecting, supporting, speaking out, and standing up for Women.

Please also take it to the polls https://iamavoter.com/! This is a pivotal election year and we need to make sure that women's rights are also at the forefront of issues we are vetting candidates on.

Do not stay silent this month. Supporting and Fighting for the respect and protection of ALL Women who are under attack today and everyday.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." 

Martin Luther King Jr

See the graphics for this month's HRE Committee update put together by our AFA International Vice President, Keturah Johnson.

Pride At Work

Pride at Work is an important initiative that has a mission of seeking “full equality without restrictions or barriers for LGBTQIA+ individuals in our workplaces, unions, and communities, creating a Labor Movement that cherishes diversity, promotes inclusion, encourages openness, and ensures safety & dignity. We do this through education, alliances, and building solidarity across our large and diverse communities.”

They oppose all forms of bias and discrimination on the job, in our unions, and in the public square based on sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, veteran status, national or ethnic origin, immigration status, age, disability, HIV status, marital status, religion, or political views. They also seek to promote the ability of all working people to self-organize and act collectively to advance the power, needs, and interests of the working class in addition to the principles of justice, true democracy, and equality.

This is a very important initiative to be a part of, and we would love for you to sign up as a member. For more information about Pride At Work, head to prideatwork.org. Join today using THIS LINK.

Take These Important Surveys

Click the image to take the HRE survey

This survey allows you to tell us the issues that are important to you and helps give us some direction to focus on the causes that matter to our membership.

Click the image to take the Uniform Survey

This survey is about Uniform Gender Expression and seeks to identify how the crew feels about uniform choices, policies & guidelines at our airline and how it relates to their gender. 

Building HRE Awareness and Membership

We are continuing to build our committee and so if you are interest in joining, please come to our Monthly HRE Call March 11, 2024 at 3 PM EST. 

Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions, concerns or ideas, don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Reminder:

You can find all our recent newsletters and information about the union and what we are working on at the Norse AFA website.
Visit the website today at norseafa.org

Sign up to receive important text alerts from your Norse AFA MEC by texting afanaa to 49484 or by clicking THIS LINK to register.

Cheers,

Jhenelle (she/her)
HRE & Communications Committee Chair