A United flight attendant who confronted Houston Schools District Superintendent Mike Miles in one of the airline’s airport lounges is appealing her termination, saying she accosted Miles and his Deputy Chief of Staff while off duty and out of uniform.
Virginia ‘Ginny’ McDavid was a veteran flight attendant and also a union activist for the official United crew member union until she was fired just weeks after she confronted Miles at a United Club lounge at Houston Intercontinental Airport in April.
McDavid was traveling as a passenger and enjoying the perks of the United Club when she spotted Miles. A longtime parent of the Houston school district, McDavid is unhappy with how Miles is running the district after being brought in by the Texas Education Agency to improve standards.
After spotting Miles, the off-duty flight attendant decided this was her opportunity to tell him exactly what she thought, posting a recording of the conversation to her own social media account.
“Thanks a lot for ruining our school district,” McDavid blasted. “You need to get the hell out of town. Go back to Colorado.”
McDavid says she never identified herself as a United Airlines employee and was simply exercising her rights as a citizen. In total, McDavid confronted Miles for around two minutes before they went their seperate ways.
But days later, the school district made an official complaint to United Airlines, and not long after, McDavid was fired. She is appealing her termination and reportedly has the backing of her union.
The schools district has admitted making the complaint to United, saying in a statement: “While traveling on United Airlines and waiting for his flight in a United lounge, Superintendent Miles was verbally accosted by a United Airlines employee who used vulgar and aggressive language, which she later posted to social media and shared with the press.
The statement added: “Any personnel decision made by United Airlines regarding the conduct of its employees is a matter between United Airlines and that employee.”
Matt’s Take – A United Club was not the appropriate forum for this exchange
While McDavid says she was exercising her rights as a citizen, you have to question whether a private airline lounge is the appropriate forum for accosting someone and airing your grievances against them.
Of course, this issue is further complicated by the fact that McDavid works for United. While she was off-duty and out of uniform at the time, you can safely assume that it wouldn’t be appropriate to have this conversation in uniform anywhere.
But let’s say an off-duty United employee started misbehaving during a flight. Although they aren’t in uniform and don’t identify themselves as an airline employee, you could reasonably expect United to take disciplinary action.
United, no doubt, believes that the same expectations should apply to its airport lounges.
Whether flying non-rev (which this would certainly be a violation of company rules) or having bought a ticket (especially if using the UA20 discount which would still have non-revish behavior rules apply), it’s on the property of her employer and whether working or not, it’s inappropriate and a violation of code of conduct. If I work at Wal-Mart, I can’t go shopping at another Wal-Mart store and cause a scene…. doesn’t matter if in my particular area of employment or on the clock. If she was in the UA Club, she had to have a United boarding pass and whether revenue or non-revenue, rules apply.
I agree with NedsKid 100%. If there is any hint that this woman was a United employee, then she’s representing United Airlines. Whether she’s a “non-rev” or bought an employee discounted positive space ticket, she’s still a UAL employee. To my knowledge, at an airline “onboarding” of a new employee, these standards are given to the new hire. I just love it when narcissistic members of the dumb masses get what they deserve. It doesn’t matter how, but she was identified as an employee of a company. She then decides to berate a customer and then has the stupidity to post it for the world to see. The she wonders why she gets fired! DUH! Let’s see her get a job with another airline when they run a background check and note that she was fired for cause. Me…me…me…pay attention world…MEEEEEE! BUH BYE. Hopefully UAL will prevail and (while doubtful) other members of the dumb masses will get the hint.
Yeah, nah, have some more respect for the rights of your fellow colleagues. You do not, under any circumstances, have to defend United or any other company in this industry.
There are three issues here:
1. First amendment rights to freedom of expression
2. United Club terms and conditions all parties agree to prior to admittance
3. Was United Airlines right to terminate her employment
In the United States with two minor exceptions you have the right to express yourself freely in public. (The exceptions are incitement to violence or making a threat upon the president.)
IS the United Club public? Probably not based on the membership or flight-status or pay requirements. Can any person in the airport terminal go into the United Club? No. So if that “standard” holds true, the FA was wrong in abusing her “status” as a United Club customer to harass another such customer. First amendment protection is out.
And then is the question of whether the United Club has rules, regulations, terms and conditions, etc. that prevent this sort of contact. Yes, they do. See e.g. https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/united-club-terms-and-conditions.html and specifically:
> During your visit to any Lounge, your attire and conduct must be consistent with a professional and family friendly environment.
So she’s not protected by the first amendment. She violated the United Club’s “professional” environment rule, which just leaves — can United Airlines fire her for this?
She was not in uniform, did not identify as a UAL employee, and did not use her UAL status (as an FA) to change the nature of the interaction. To that extent she was just a rude person in a club. The Club could have ejected her and her guests (not mentioned in the story). Her employer, however, is another matter.
I’m going with – you don’t accost people in a private establishment. The United Club is private, it is an elite perk, and there are no indications this was “instigated” by anyone other than the FA. By doing so she violated Club Rules.
Was she stupid to post it on social media? Sure. Never post videos of yourself violating laws, rules, procedures, or anything you don’t want to see brought up later. This also makes it a moot point whether she was “stalked” to get the complaint UAL received. She was stupid enough to post it… and chickens do come home to roost.
And yet, does UAL have the right to terminate her. Houston is in Texas, a right-to-work state, meaning union membership is voluntary AND the employer can terminate employment “at will” when they run out of will.
I doubt she will prevail, but I also doubt this will go to court. UAL doesn’t want to set precedent by not being able to fire people for some reason or no reason or just because. The union doesn’t want to set precedent by losing a case for the same reason. The FA is either great at her job (so she’ll find work elsewhere but lacking seniority) or she was already on the chopping block — that COULD come out if it went to court, but since it will settle, we’ll never know.
You know who the real losers are? The kids in Houston schools having to put up with the gentleman and his policies. But then Texas is known for blind stupid idiots running their governments, so this is nothing new. (Cruz, Paxton, Abbott, etc.) It seems Texas is where fat stupid white rich people go to tell everyone else how to live. I wouldn’t personally know — driven through there three times in my life and people seemed nice.
Agree with Win Whitmire and Nedskid, you don’t cause a scene or accost people on your employer’s property, especially customers. She has less rights than a member of the public at that point, as she has a higher standard of behavior as an employee than a customer does.
She deserves to be fire.
You all are so pliant, you love authority, and you don’t actually support free speech. All this whining about nonviolent confrontation. It’s un-American. Grow up.
She must have made quite a scene for the guy to complain to UA.
No doubt people in the club knew who she was. Otherwise, if he said “That woman harassed me.”, the club manager wouldn’t have know who she was. They check you in, but after that, they don’t have any idea who a given person is.