April 15, 2009

Dear Fellow Flight Attendants,

As many of you already know I have decided to step down from the positions of the Master Executive Council President and the Council 99 Representative position in Honolulu.  I informed the Presidents who comprise the MEC at the Association of Flight Attendants CWA Board of Directors.  I then sent an internal email to all of our Northwest officers and representatives.  I felt an obligation to inform all of them first so that they would be able to answer any questions that you, the Northwest Flight Attendants, may have regarding my decision.

The decision to step down was not one that was made lightly.  Working 24/7 for the Union, first as Local Council 99 Honolulu Vice President, then Local Council 99 President, and now Master Executive Council President and Council 99 Representative has taken a toll on my health as the stress of every day life during these times has on many of you.  The last visit to my physician called for a lifestyle change.  It has also taken a toll on my family.  My father was diagnosed with terminal small cell lung cancer a little over a year ago, and I have been very involved with the treatment plan that has kept him going.  Illness takes a toll on the entire family and it is a time when all should come together and assist.  That is what families do.  

I have stated many times in the past that my philosophy is to prioritize - health first, family and friends second and to remember that we “work for a living” and not live to work.  Once you forget that you lose focus.  Recently, I began to lose focus with all that is going on with the merger and integration.  For that reason alone I feel I need to step aside and let someone else take the reins.   I have held off for quite some time with my decision but personally I feel now is the time.  I need to devote more time for my health and my family.

In my last message I quoted President Obama from his campaign:  "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

Once again I am asking that you step forward to make that change for the betterment of us all as flight attendants and workers here in America.  I am asking you to step forward and work to keep a united voice that will improve our lives for the future.

We have made great strides over the past few years with implementation of the concessionary contract we were handed by the court system and negotiated by our former union.  Many do not see the daily strides made by those silently working on your behalf but they have been made and with the input of our flight attendants.

I have always said that even though I did not vote for the ratification of the current contract I could live with it if we could improve it.  It has been a long battle, but we have made great strides in the worst anti-union climate I have seen in my almost thirty years here at Northwest.  For that I want to thank our negotiators and in-house attorney, Scott Goodman, at the Northwest AFA. 

I will continue to fight to keep a voice for the future with a union just as I did in 1998 when I was in federal court fighting to protect first amendment rights for Free Speech: on the Internet with the ClearDaze Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant web site.  We were heard around the world then and we must continue to be heard. 

In this day and age we cannot afford to allow a few overpaid executives to decide our futures.  We must decide for ourselves to make our own future.

For those who might question my reasons for stepping aside I ask you to call or email me.  I will try to respond to as many calls and emails as I can.  As I have stated many times in the past, I prefer to give the facts, so please contact me if you have questions.  There was a claim that my Board of Directors agenda items calling for more democracy in the union failed and that was the reason for my departure.  That simply is not true.  It is true that I will fight for more democracy as I have in the past with our union.  I believe the more involved the members are the stronger the union.  Collectively we can make a difference.

For those who may be interested in the position of the Master Executive Council President or any other position within the union I ask that you contact our office with a letter of interest.   It is a challenge and never a dull moment I promise you.  The MEC will be meeting again on April 17, 2009 to select my replacement.   You are always welcome as a working union member.   As a united group we can create change.

Lastly, I just want to say that it has been an honor to work for all of you as Master Executive Council President. I look forward to working with you once again on the line and working to keep a voice for our future.

In Unity and for a Better Future,

Kevin Griffin, President

Northwest Master Executive Council

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA