CWA-AFA · Flight-attendant sector
Governance Structure & Decision Authority
Local, airline, sector and parent authority, with the powers and limits of each governing body.
Evidence reviewed through .
Analysis: authority is assigned by body
CWA-AFA’s structure combines local membership decisions, airline representation and sector-wide governance. The Board of Directors and the sector Executive Board are different bodies. They also differ from the parent CWA Executive Board. The table identifies the governing responsibility rather than implying one uniform chain of command.
| Body | Composition or selection | Authority and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Local Council | Active membership of the council; members elect local officers. | Membership forum, local policy and petitions under Article III. |
| Local Executive Council (LEC) | Elected President, Vice President and Secretary, with additional elected Council Representatives where authorized. | Manages local council affairs and establishes local committees; Article III.C/E. |
| Master Executive Council (MEC) | At multi-council airlines, Local Council Presidents; at a single-council airline, the LEC serves as MEC. | Chief governing body for the airline, subject to sector rules; elects officers, sets airline policy and coordinates councils; Article VII.A–B. |
| Board of Directors | Local Council Presidents, with specified International and MEC officers ex officio. | Highest sector governing body; sets policy, interprets/amends the constitution and elects International Officers when required; Article V.A–B. |
| Sector Executive Board | MEC presidents; International Officers ex officio. | General management and continuity subject to the Board of Directors and constitution. Cannot amend the constitution, change dues or levy assessments; Article VI.A–B. |
| International Officers | President, Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer, selected under Articles IV/VIII. | Administer sector policy, operations and finances within the authority assigned by the governing bodies. |
| Parent CWA | Parent constitutional institutions; sector president also holds the CWA sector vice presidency. | Parent powers must be read with the sector’s merger protections; parent Constitution IX.6, XII.10, XV.2(d). |
Sources: Constitution and Bylaws, Articles III–VIII, physical pp.18–49; CWA Constitution, IX.6, XII.10 and XV.2(d), physical pp.15,22,27.
The two sector governing boards
The Board of Directors has final sector governing authority under Article V. Its regular meeting is annual; the constitution differentiates the agenda for even and odd years. The Executive Board maintains continuity and manages affairs between those sessions, but its powers do not include changing the constitution, dues structure or assessments.
Voting rules are also different. Board of Directors roll calls count the active members in good standing represented by each delegate. Executive Board members have one vote each. International Officers’ ex-officio status does not itself supply a vote; the Board of Directors chair has a specified tie-breaking exception. See the body-specific voting analysis.
Sources: Constitution and Bylaws, V.A–D/G and VI.A–C, physical pp.28–36.
The boundary with parent CWA
The merger agreement preserves the sector’s internal organization and flight-attendant jurisdiction, with specified consent protections concerning dissolution, merger and impairment of authority. It retains bargaining and grievance administration, discretion over specified assets and a sector budget process coordinated with CWA. These terms must be considered alongside parent rules.
The sector president’s CWA vice-presidential office creates a formal parent governance connection. It does not convert the sector into a geographic district or erase the separate rules governing the sector’s own councils and boards.
Sources: Constitution and Bylaws, Appendix A §§4–6,9–11, physical pp.161–163; CWA Constitution, IX.6, XII.10, XV.2(d), physical pp.15,22,27.
Budget authority and accountability
The International Secretary-Treasurer prepares the sector budget for Board of Directors review and approval before implementation. At the airline level, the constitution calls for an annual report to members that includes expenditures, quarterly expenditure statements to the MEC and access to specified records for members in good standing. Internal budget-and-expenditure reports have a viewing provision and are not designated for public republication.
Sources: Constitution and Bylaws, IV.E.1(g); VII.B.1(i), VII.C.2(c), physical pp.26,38–40.
The current dues decision is the March 11, 2026 adopted amended action, which sets $65.36 monthly dues beginning June 1 and authorizes optional annual rebate arrangements. The finance analysis distinguishes that decision from the earlier proposal and subsequent execution.
Sources: Adopted action, pp.1–2; United MEC explanation, March 17, 2026.
Significance
An accountability question should identify the decision and the body empowered to make it. Local elections, airline decisions, sector budgets and parent service allocations involve different actors and records. The formal distribution of powers does not establish participation levels, responsiveness or the quality of representation; those require evidence of actual practice.