Christian Flight Attendants' Religious Discrimination Case Against Union Can Go Forward |
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Christian Flight Attendants' Religious Discrimination Case Against Union Can Go Forward
Eugene Volokh | 6.29.2026 9:33 AM
As I noted this morning, on Wednesday the Ninth Circuit allowed a religious discrimination claim against Alaska Airlines to go forward. The plaintiffs (Marli Brown and Lacey Smith) were Christian flight attendants who were fired for objecting on a company-run intranet to the company's statement in favor of a federal ban on sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. (The case is Brown v. Alaska Airlines, Inc., written by Judge Daniel Bress and joined by Judge Kenneth Lee and, in large part, by Judge Morgan Christen.)
But the plaintiffs also sued their union, the AFA (the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA AFL-CIO), for religious discrimination. And the panel also unanimously allowed that claim to go forward. First, a bit of the factual allegations:
While drafting the company's response [to the two plaintiffs' posts], Andy Schneider, Alaska's Senior Vice President of People, coordinated with AFA Master Executive Council President Jeffrey Peterson. The AFA Master Executive Council is the main governing body for AFA's membership at Alaska. As Master Executive Council President, Peterson was the executive officer in charge of administering the collective bargaining agreement between Alaska and AFA. Peterson had substantial communications with Alaska about plaintiffs' posts on Alaska's World as the company was contemplating its response and disciplinary actions against the plaintiffs….
Peterson, the AFA Master Executive Council President, separately sent an email to his AFA colleagues expressing dismay about Smith's post. Referencing Smith, he wrote, "Employees get to be bigots in their private lives and to express their bigoted and misinformed opinions while not at work—as horrifying as that may be." He added that "the post is reprehensible and there should be repercussions." Peterson also told others at AFA that "this will be an ongoing and evolving conversation with management over the next couple weeks."
Peterson separately texted "I hate her" (referring to Smith) to a friend who was an Alaska pilot. He also texted Toni Monroe, an Alaska employee, that Smith's post was "bullshit" and that "Mngmt needs to send [Smith's] bigoted ass packing for a variety of reasons." Still, Peterson informed his AFA colleagues that the union would "represent [Smith] through the grievance process fairly, in good faith, and without discrimination." …
That same day, Peterson flagged Brown's comment to Alaska management in a text chain that included Alaska's Carmen Williams and Michaela Littman, the Managing Director of Flight Operations. Peterson texted these Alaska executives to "[c]heck out Marli Brown's post on [Alaska's World] re: Equality Act. Definitely lighting up social media tonight, as if Lacey [Smith] wasn't enough." Peterson........