Court rules against Southwest Airlines and TWU Union in Charlene Carter case

Earlier today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in favor of Charlene Carter, a flight attendant who had filed a case against Southwest Airlines and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556. The court found that both entities violated federal law by terminating Carter in retaliation for expressing her religious beliefs.

The legal battle began in 2017, with Carter receiving assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The foundation's president, Mark Mix, commented on the ruling: "This decision is another victory for Charlene Carter. The Court of Appeals has affirmed that both TWU union bosses and Southwest Airlines violated Carter’s legal rights when the union instigated her termination by Southwest in response to voicing her opposition to union political activism, including union activities that violated her religious beliefs."

Carter's case underscores ongoing tensions between employees' personal beliefs and organizational policies within labor unions and corporations.