Southwest flight attendant wins $5.1 million after she was fired for complaining that union supported abortion and funded anti-Trump Women’s March
- A jury in federal district court in Dallas handed down the verdict Thursday. If it stands, Charlene Carter could collect $4.15 million from Southwest Airlines
- Carter could also receive $950,000 from Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union, mostly in punitive damages
- Southwest said Friday it ‘has a demonstrated history of supporting our employees´ rights to express their opinions’ and plans to appeal
- Carter alleged she was fired in March 2017 after complaining to the union president about flight attendants going to the Women’s March in Washington
- The longtime flight attendant, who had clashed with the union for years, believed due were paying for an anti-abortion protest
A former Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was fired after sparring with her union president over abortion won a $5.3 million jury verdict against the airline and the union Thursday.
A jury in a Dallas federal district court handed down the verdict, ruling Charlene Carter had been fired for her religious stance on abortion, which she shared to social media, and that her termination was in violation of her right to advocate against her union.
If it stands, Carter could collect $4.15 million from Southwest and $950,000 from Local 556 of the Transport Workers Union, mostly in punitive damages.
Southwest said Friday that it ‘has a demonstrated history of supporting our employees’ rights to express their opinions when done in a respectful manner.’ It plans to appeal.
A lawyer for the union said jurors might’ve misunderstood the judge’s instructions and it also plans to appeal.
Carter alleged she was fired in March 2017 after complaining to the union president about flight attendants going to the Women’s March in Washington, DC, in January of that year, where more than 500,000 people protested forming President Donald Trump’s positions on abortion and other issues.
A former Southwest Airlines flight attendant who was fired after sparring with her union president over abortion won a $5.3 million jury verdict against the airline and the union Thursday
The longtime flight attendant, who had clashed with the union for years over other issues, believed due were paying for an anti-abortion protest
The longtime flight attendant, who had clashed with the union for years, believed due were going to fund an anti-abortion protest.
Carter sent a series of Facebook messages, some containing videos of purported aborted fetuses, to Audrey Stone, who was president of the union at the time, calling her ‘despicable’ and saying she would be voted out of office.
‘This is what you supported during your paid leave with others at the Women’s March in DC,’ she wrote in one message to Stone, according to the Dallas Morning News. ‘You truly are despicable in so many ways.
According to court documents, the airline said it fired Carter because her Facebook posts, in which she could be identified as a Southwest employee, were ‘highly offensive’ and that her private messages to Stone were harassing.
The airline said she violated company policies on bullying and use of social media.
Carter sent a series of Facebook messages, some containing videos of purported aborted fetuses, to Audrey Stone (pictured), who was president of the union at the time
Carter, a 20-year veteran of Southwest, said the union didn’t fairly represent her and retaliated against her for expressing her views.
Her lead attorney came from the National Right To Work Committee, which campaigns against compulsory union membership.
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