Experience and Skills Important to Being an Effective Officer

Experience is extremely important and having held previous union positions is certainly useful. As with most other careers, you will not usually start at the top but begin in an entry level position. For AFA-CWA that means gaining experience by serving on a committee that interests you or volunteering to work in an unofficial capacity. Through hands-on experience you learn the structure of AFA-CWA and what representing your co-workers involves. Work experience from a past job or from volunteer work outside the union may well provide useful technical skills to support your candidacy. It is possible for a member with no previous AFA-CWA experience to get elected and be an effective leader, but it requires hard work and time to learn the job.

The flight attendant membership will expect a union officer to be familiar with the contract or, in the case of a newly organized carrier, with what the flight attendants hope to secure in a first contract. They will want their leaders to care about solving problems on and off the line. Understanding the carrier’s goals and needs will help in working out problems with the company management.

The local council office must administer and maintain a budget, provide oversight and direction to flight attendants on local committees and ensure these committees function properly, be knowledgeable of business communications procedures, understand the functioning of office equipment, and be willing to acquire new skills at AFA-CWA leadership training seminars.

The actual job requirements will vary from council to council primarily because the size of AFA-CWA councils varies significantly. For a full understanding of the workload of your local council, you can talk with current local officers.

Finally, commitment is essential. At times, the hours are long and the challenges trying. The support of your family will be critical. If you are determined that these difficulties will not get you down and if you are dedicated to solving problems and resolving disputes, you may find union leadership very rewarding.