Portside

As the economy opened up to women a half century ago, one in three working women was an office employee. As the clerical workforce grew by leaps and bounds, so did a sense of injustice among the women, leading to the founding of the 9 to 5 Movement.

Workers say they just want a fair deal on pay, conditions and schedules at an airline has long resisted union efforts.

While Ms. Shuler's moving up the AFL-CIO hierarchy has been the favored route to the organization's presidency, Ms. Nelson will be counting on her elevated profile as an outspoken leader of a militant union if she runs against her.

Nelson is emblematic of the new rising labor movement—one increasingly defined, unlike that of the past, by women and so-called women’s work.

A key way to build broader support for the Green New Deal among organized labor, some labor experts say, is to help workers change who head the Laborers, Mine Workers and Electrical Workers unions, which oppose the Green New Deal.

Having Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, as AFL-CIO president would be a big step towards a more democratic, militant, progressive labor movement. It won’t be easy, but there’s a real path to getting her elected.

Sara Nelson is working overtime to help craft a relief package for the teetering airline industry that keeps all employees on the payroll—a model she says can be “a template” for a national bill to give relief to all workers.

Unions want to see employees supported directly instead of funds for airline companies.