Association of Professional Flight Attendants · Section 4
Elections and Member Control
Election terms and dates, eligibility, amendment petitions, recall and internal accountability.
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Terms and the OLMS determination
National Officers serve 36-month terms under the October 2026 posted Constitution. Base-representative terms remain 24 months. The OLMS letter dated March 27, 2025 reaffirmed its June 7, 2024 determination that APFA is a local labor organization for LMRDA purposes and must hold secret-ballot officer elections on a three-year cycle.
The national term changed from four years to three. This federal classification does not create a parent-union affiliation or remove the Constitution’s separate Board, Executive Committee and base roles.
Sources: Constitution, Art. VI §3.A–B (printed p. 33; PDF p. 43); OLMS determination letter, March 27, 2025.
The 2027 election
APFA’s corrected October 14, 2026 notice provides for online or mail voting. The following dates are scheduled as of October 23, 2026. All times are Central Time.
| Step | Opens at 10:00 a.m. Central | Closes at 10:00 a.m. Central |
|---|---|---|
| National Officer Willingness-to-Serve | November 2, 2026 | December 2, 2026 |
| National Officer primary voting | December 16, 2026 | January 15, 2027 |
| Base Willingness-to-Serve | December 8, 2026 | January 7, 2027 |
| National runoff, if needed, and base voting | January 25, 2027 | February 24, 2027 |
The notice also schedules candidate forums for December 3, 2026 and January 8, 2027, both at 1:00 p.m. Central Time.
An online vote is final. If a voter also returns a paper ballot, the duplicate paper ballot is voided unopened. Members should consult the corrected notice for participation instructions and any later official updates.
Sources: Corrected APFA election notice, October 14, 2026; 2027 election timeline linked in that notice.
Votes, eligibility and candidacy
The National Ballot Committee administers balloting and certifies results. Voting eligibility, candidacy and Willingness-to-Serve requirements depend on the office and the relevant electorate. Active members in good standing are eligible to vote under the Constitution’s rules; base elections use the applicable base membership.
| Election | Winning rule |
|---|---|
| National Officer | A majority of valid votes cast for the office. If no candidate has a majority, the top two candidates proceed to a runoff. |
| Base Representative | The highest number of valid votes cast for the position. A tie triggers a runoff under the governing procedures. |
The Constitution and Policy Manual govern eligibility deadlines, candidates, certification and election challenges. The current election notice supplies the scheduled filing windows and candidate instructions.
Sources: Constitution, Art. VI §§2, 4–6 (printed pp. 32–36; PDF pp. 42–46); Policy Manual, §14 (printed pp. 14.1–14.34; PDF pp. 177–210); Corrected 2027 election notice.
Amendment and recall routes
Changing the Constitution and removing an officeholder use different procedures. Their petition and ballot thresholds must be read with the appropriate electorate.
| Procedure | How it starts | Approval or removal threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Constitutional amendment | A two-thirds recommendation of the Voting Board, or a petition signed by at least 25% of active members in good standing. | An affirmative majority of active members in good standing who return valid ballots. |
| National Officer recall | A two-thirds vote of the Voting Board, or a petition signed by at least 30% of active members in good standing. | An affirmative two-thirds vote of active members in good standing who return valid ballots. |
| Base Representative removal | A petition signed by at least two-thirds of the relevant base constituency’s active members in good standing, subject to Article VIII §2.D. | Removal follows verification of sufficient valid signatures; there is no separate removal ballot. |
The Constitution also specifies petition form, signature verification, time limits and appeal procedures. Those requirements remain part of each process.
Sources: Constitution, Art. III §1 (printed p. 9; PDF p. 19); Art. VIII §§1–6 (printed pp. 45–48; PDF pp. 55–58).
Internal charges and the 2026 record
Article VII charges, contractual grievances, recall and election protests are separate processes. The March 2026 Policy Manual adds mediation and specificity provisions for Article VII proceedings. Mediation is offered before scheduling arbitration; it proceeds by agreement, or an arbitrator may require participation. The specificity standard requires enough factual detail to give notice of the charge, rather than proof of the case at filing.
Sources: Constitution, Art. VII (printed pp. 40–44; PDF pp. 50–54); Policy Manual, §17.X–Y (printed pp. 17.6–17.9; PDF pp. 226–229); Section 17 revision history (printed p. 17.10; PDF p. 230).
Proposals that did not advance: APFA’s October 13, 2026 notice reports that four separate constitutional measures did not proceed to a membership ballot after September’s Board discussions and votes. They concerned combining the Secretary and Treasurer offices, restructuring the Executive Committee and two Article VII matters. These were not adopted constitutional changes.