From Pregnancy To Pilot Prohibition: Union Head Sara Nelson Blasts Breeze Airways Conduct Rules ‘Out Of 1952’

Flight attendants union head Sara Nelson, who is trying to organize at JetBlue founder Dave Neeleman’s startup Breeze Airways, took to social media to blast the airline’s employee handbook as antiquated and outdated. She compares their conflict of interest policy to a “pregnancy and the weight program” from 1952. Except the airline’s policies seem… downright reasonable?

The section begins in a pretty anodyne way:

Team members should avoid situations that create a conflict of interest with their employment with Breeze. A conflict of interest occurs when a Team Member becomes personally involved outside of the workplace with a competitor, vendor, or subordinate Team Member o the Company in a manner that interferes with the Team Member’s ability to perform their job duties or to exercise independent judgment on the Company’s behalf, and where the conflict constitutes a disruption of Company operations or can bring accusations of favoritism. Engaging in a conflict of interest may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Then it’s the stuff of basic sexual harassment law: don’t become romantically involved with a subordinate or supervisor. Those situations can end badly for the company’s liability, so they’re forced to prohibit it.

What’s interesting about the policy is that it also says “this includes instances of temporary leadership such as Pilot in Command or other lead role” but honestly don’t sleep with the pilots is good life advice for any flight attendant.

Finally, “full-time team members may not have a second job while employed by Breeze” without written permission, and by the way don’t take a leave of absence and work another job.

Breeze doesn’t pay pilots enough not to have a second job, it’s pretty much de rigueur at an airline for a pilot to have an insurance side business or otherwise. But for a headquarters employee this is pretty standard stuff.

Unions gained prominence during the industrial revolution, highlighting excessively long workdays and life-threatening conditions from dangerous machinery. Is the union class struggle today really focused on… tearing down prohibitions on sexual harassment?

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. I’m a flight attendant at an AFA union-represented airline. We have the same policy about romantic relationships, and we have to notify the company about not all, but certain second jobs. For as much as I support our union, that policy wouldn’t go away with AFA.

  2. I’m with the FAs on this one . People will get together regardless . Allow them to enjoy life .

  3. Just a worthless union scumbag attempting to look big and strong in front the lemming who follow her

  4. They’re just trying to keep the pilots from knocking up the flight attendants.
    Paid Parental Leave can get expensive.

  5. I can’t take anyone seriously who still support Black Lives Matter in 2024. Even black people don’t believe their lies anymore.

  6. I’m generally pro-union but Nelson is a miserable poster child for flight attendants.

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