A United flight attendant was harassed and called a snitch by other crew. Then she was yanked from her purser role. And all because she reported safety violations by her co-workers, according to a lawsuit she’s filed.
The Newark-based crewmember claims the airline didn’t investigate any of her reports.
- Other flight attendants texting during takeoff
- Wearing earbuds and watching videos on their cell phone from the jump seat during flight
- A gate agent closing an aircraft door without authorization as they rushed to achieve ‘D0’ – but without consulting crew to ensure it was safe.
In response, “airline supervisors and the company’s human resources department punished her,” she says. For 18 months she lost extra purser pay on international flights. And she suffered retribution from members of her union. One refused to serve her and “called her names” while on a Lisbon – Newark flight in business class. She didn’t even know them – but they knew her:
[S]he discovered on June 1 that a “mass social media posting was sent out” to more than 25,000 airline employees labeling her a “snitch.” ..[It] contains a photo of Raganova over her name and the words, “Snitch Alert. She likes to report flight attendants and harass. She has a report of reporting other FA’s.”
A veteran crewmember she also complains about junior colleagues saying “we have to get rid of these ‘senior mamas.” The lawsuit argues United is liable for failing to investigate her claims and for taking adverse employment action as a result of her whistleblowing.
Now, I know that United doesn’t uniformly ignore complaints by cabin crew, followed by retaliation from other flight attendants. They even fired two union leaders who acted against a flight attendant that they deemed a snitch. The union sued United for protecting this junior flight attendant – and United prevailed.
To be sure, when you work in a union shop, ratting out your colleagues usually doesn’t end well for you.
However the complaints she makes do seem petty, and it doesn’t surprise me that they weren’t elevated to the highest levels. They’re technical infractions, more or less, that go on every day.
The problem is that the AFA-CWA union, which represents cabin crew at United, claims that their jobs are vital to safety – they are ‘aviation first-responders’ – and so technical infractions matter.
The truth is that a flight attendant on their phone is more a bad look to customers. United has been demanding crew quit playing with their phones because it means they aren’t serving customers. But nobody’s safety was jeopardized.
Flight attendant training can be done in four weeks. On planes with out seat back entertainment screens they do safety demonstrations. Otherwise the technology does it for them. Inflight they would be in charge of emergency procedures which they are rarely called upon for. They grab the fire containment bag if a passenger’s lithium ion cell phone battery explodes.
Bureaucratic sclerosis and special interest politics will keep AI from replacing some crewmembers and reducing crew complement requirements. But we shouldn’t pretend that watching cat videos on a cell phone midflight jeopardizes safety, even if it compromises customer service.
I am never on a phone or other device while taking off. Instead I am alert to the sounds of the engines, the increase of speed, the lifting of the wings as rotation speed approaches and alert to the rotation itself. I like looking out the window as the airplane takes off. Someone who’s job is safety should take it seriously, especially during one of the two most critical times of a flight. The flight attendants are suppose to be extra eyes and ears for the pilots if something goes wrong. They should have their company cellphone in their hand, if any, not the one with cat videos.
Good on this brave woman . Always good to hear about an ethical person .
@jns … +1 . Except I’ve never had confidence in flight attendants for any purpose , especially safety. Years ago I lived in an apartment building which housed many crew members , and the flight attendants were basically ridiculous high school girls , who were shorted when brains were distributed .
I also hope she wins her lawsuit. Targeting her and retaliating was so so wrong.
She should be suing her union, not United.
Apropos of clueless , Camel-a making faces at a tv camera ?
Here’s typically how this works: Disgruntled former employee/ “Plaintiff” comes out swinging publicly via their attorney in an attempt to make a big media splash in the hopes of inducing a quick and large financial settlement. But they only show the cards that they want to show.
Company/”Defendant” stays silent as the process goes on. In almost all cases, the Company has other, valid, and preexisting reasons for the adverse employment action taken, and the Plaintiff only started “setting up” their employment law suit after they became aware that they may be about to be fired/investigated/disciplined by the company. That’s when the employee who finds themselves “on the ropes” starts making wild ADA accommodation requests, claims some form of discrimination, or, as in this case, starts reporting “violations” like crazy to set up a retaliation suit. All United has to do is show documentation (which it almost certainly has) that it had grounds to fire her prior to her starting her frenzied reporting of low level “infractions.”
@lars … however , in this case , the purser is likely ethical and in the right .
@Alert I’ve always had confidence in flight attendants. I currently live in a building with flight attendants, who are all lovely and very intelligent. One even has a medical science degree.
I mean I also have confidence in them given they’ve gone through weeks of intense training, and have to do quarterly retraining refreshers and then have recurrent training every year. All of which I as a passenger have not done so I have no logical reason like you obviously do to have more confidence in myself than the flight attendants.
@Andy … +1 . I defer to your current knowledge . .
@JNS – thannk you for what you do. I do the same whether working or travelling as a passenger.
UA would do well to dismantle the EWR base and replace the F/As with crew from other bases that are less hostile to customers (and apparently coworkers). Rudest flight attendants in the system.
@Andy
So you believe everything any FA says because they’ve had “weeks of intense training”? You’re an exceptionally high functioning world class idiot.
Union shop ought to be abolished.
Have flown United several times during illness of my family in Fl
Never ever once have had a less than wonderful group of Flight ✈️ Attendants ! Kudos to each and every one of you who reassure us and do your personal best to keep us all safe ! Do not believe bad actor, rude people who have an axe to grind !