Southwest Airlines Permanently Barred from Using Future Social Media Posts to Terminate Anti-Abortion Flight Attendant
A North Texas district judge has issued a permanent injunction preventing Southwest Airlines from using any future social media posts by anti-abortion flight attendant Charlene Carter as grounds for disciplinary action or termination. This ruling is the latest development in a nine-year legal battle between Carter, Southwest Airlines, and the Transport Workers Union, Local 556 (TWU556). Carter was fired in 2017 for sending graphic anti-abortion images to colleagues via Facebook, which Southwest deemed a violation of its social media policy and workplace bullying. A jury initially sided with Carter in 2022, awarding her over $5 million, later reduced to approximately $1 million. The court also ordered Southwest to rehire Carter with full seniority and instructed the airline to issue a corrected statement to all flight attendants clarifying that it cannot discriminate based on religious practices and beliefs, including those expressed on social media concerning abortion. 
