Association of Professional Flight Attendants · Section 2
Structural Axes of Authority
Who has a vote, which decisions belong to members, and how Board and Executive Committee authority differ.
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Membership and governing authority
APFA’s Constitution distributes authority among members, the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and officers or committees with defined responsibilities. The Constitution is the union’s supreme governing document, and final control rests with the membership. Members elect officeholders and also exercise constitutional amendment, ratification and recall powers.
Those powers have different initiation and approval rules. The amendment and recall procedures explain how members can use them.
Sources: Constitution, Art. III §§1–2 (printed p. 9; PDF p. 19); Art. VIII (printed pp. 45–48; PDF pp. 55–58).
Board membership, votes and quorum
The Board includes the National President, National Vice President, National Secretary, National Treasurer and each Base President. Base Presidents make up the Voting Board. Each Base President has one vote; votes are not weighted by the size of the base.
| Question | Constitutional rule |
|---|---|
| Who votes? | Base Presidents each have one vote. The four National Officers have voice without an ordinary vote. |
| Presidential tie-break | The President must cast the deciding vote when all Voting Board members are present and their vote is tied with no abstentions. |
| Quorum | Two-thirds of the total Board of Directors. |
| More than a quorum present | The default passage rule is a majority of the Voting Board, unless the Constitution specifies a different threshold. |
| Only a quorum present | The default passage rule is a two-thirds majority vote of that quorum, subject to the Constitution’s specific exceptions. |
The Board sets policy, may amend the Policy Manual and approves the annual budget. The Constitution also governs substitutions, proxies and the separate delegate rules used to elect or remove Ad Hoc members.
Sources: Constitution, Art. III §3.B, F, H–J (printed pp. 10–12; PDF pp. 20–22); Art. III §3.L (printed pp. 12–13; PDF pp. 22–23).
Executive Committee and delegated functions
The nine-member Executive Committee consists of the four National Officers and five Ad Hoc members. It acts for the Voting Board within the Constitution’s delegation. Its interpretation of the Constitution is subject to Board approval. Seven members constitute a quorum, and the ordinary decision rule requires at least five affirmative votes.
Ad Hoc members serve staggered three-year terms. Recorded convention delegates elect them by secret ballot with a two-thirds majority. Election and removal of Ad Hocs use the Constitution’s delegate rules, rather than every person who may otherwise attend or substitute at a Board meeting.
Sources: Constitution, Art. III §4.A–H (printed p. 14; PDF p. 24); Art. III §3.B(3), J and §4.J(2), (5), (9) (PDF pp. 20, 22, 25–26).
A limit on Board review: the five Ad Hocs also act as the Grievance Appeal Panel. Its decision on the specified grievance appeal is final and binding and cannot be reversed by the Executive Committee or Board. See grievance review and sponsorship.
Sources: Constitution, Art. III §4.J(11) (printed p. 16; PDF p. 26).
Member control and the base connection
Base Presidents combine local representation with a national governing vote. Base Vice Presidents and designated substitutes have defined roles when a President is absent. Base Council Representatives assist with grievances and specialized representation, but a BCR position does not itself confer a general Board seat or vote.
National departments and Regional Representatives add specialized support. Their duties come from the Constitution and Policy Manual. Constitutional committees and reserved member powers remain part of the decision structure alongside the Board’s authority.
Sources: Constitution, Art. III §3.I–J (printed pp. 11–12; PDF pp. 21–22); Art. III §7 and Art. IX (PDF pp. 34–36 and 59–61).
Current structure and change history
The October 2026 posted Constitution reflects a change in National Officer terms from 48 to 36 months following the OLMS determination. Base-representative terms remain 24 months.
Separately, APFA’s October 13, 2026 notice reports that four proposed constitutional measures did not advance to a membership ballot after the September 8 discussion and September 15 votes. They concerned combining the Secretary and Treasurer offices, restructuring the Executive Committee and two Article VII matters. Those proposals did not change the current structure.
Sources: Constitution, Art. VI §3 (printed p. 33; PDF p. 43); OLMS determination letter, March 27, 2025; APFA notice, October 13, 2026.