Jury ruled TWU union and Southwest Airlines violated federal law in firing Charlene Carter; Fifth Circuit upheld ruling

DALLAS, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a victory at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Southwest Airlines flight attendant Charlene Carter has now received almost $1,000,000 in damages in her federal case against both Southwest and the Transport Workers Union (TWU). Her case charged both the union and airline with violating her rights by terminating her for expressing her personal and religious beliefs in opposition to TWU political activism. Carter has received free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys in her nearly decade-long case.

Carter's case began in 2017 when she sued both the union and airline in the Northern District Court of Texas for firing her in violation of both the federal Railway Labor Act (RLA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Through private communications, Carter had criticized the TWU Local 556 president for using union dues to send flight attendants to the 2017 "Women's March" and also panned the union's support for a host of divisive political positions. Title VII protects against religious discrimination in the workplace, while the RLA guards the right of workers in the air or rail industries to criticize union leadership.

Five years later, a jury found in Carter's favor, awarding her a $5 million verdict. The District Court ordered Southwest (NYSE: LUV) and the union to give Carter the maximum amount of compensatory and punitive damages permitted under federal law, in addition to other forms of relief. The District Court also ordered that Carter be reinstated as a flight attendant at Southwest. On appeal, the Fifth Circuit affirmed the District Court's finding that both Southwest and the union had discriminated against Carter based on her religious practice.

Now, a Satisfaction of Judgment filed with the District Court indicates that Carter was paid damages totaling $946,102.87 as her nine-year litigation comes to a close.

Southwest Attorneys May Still Be Held in Contempt

"Being a flight attendant is my livelihood and my passion, and union officials tried to manipulate company policy to upend my career simply because I spoke out about my most sincerely held beliefs," commented Carter. "This case has been a long, hard fight, but I'll never stop sticking up for what I know is right, and I hope that both my employer and TWU union bosses have learned that it doesn't pay to stifle flight attendants' freedom of religion and speech."

The case continues at the District Court, however, with the court asking for briefs on whether a contempt order against Southwest is necessary and, if so, what form a contempt order should take. Contempt arose as an issue in Carter's case after Southwest attorneys issued notices to flight attendants incorrectly informing them of the District Court's holding that the company had discriminated against Carter on the basis of religion.

"Ms. Carter was courageous in standing up to protect her religious and personal beliefs from the schemes of radical union officials and a compliant employer. While she is finally receiving compensation for her struggle, no one should forget that federal law still forces workers to accept union 'representation' they oppose and, adding insult to injury, forces workers to pay unwanted unions," commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. "It is outrageous that, even though the court confirmed that the TWU union and Southwest violated Carter's legal rights, Carter to this day is still forced to subsidize TWU union bosses or else be fired by Southwest. We hope Carter's case will prompt a long-overdue conversation about how coercive union boss power infringes on the rights of millions of hardworking Americans."

Find out more about Carter's case here.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year. Its web address is www.nrtw.org.

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SOURCE National Right to Work Foundation