A longtime flight attendant, formerly with Southwest Airlines, has been paid nearly $1 million over her firing for expressing her pro-life religious beliefs.
A report at LifeNews explains Charlene Carter had been fired in 2017 after she sent graphic anti-abortion messages to leaders of the Transport Workers Union Local 556.
She had resigned from the union several years earlier over its pro-abortion agenda, and sent the messages to protest the union’s endorsement of the 2017 Women’s March, a pro-abortion event linked to abortion industry giant Planned Parenthood.
Under the terms of her employment she still was required to pay the union fees.
She took both the union and the airline to court over her firing, charging they retaliated against her because of her religious views, and a federal jury in 2022 agreed, deciding that the defendants violated her rights.
That was affirmed by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr ordered Southwest to reinstate Carter and pay her more than $810,000 in damages, including about $150,000 in back pay. The judge also required the airline to notify employees of their rights against religious discrimination,” the report explained.
Months later, Starr held Southwest in contempt, saying the carrier “flaunted the court’s original order by twisting words” in its employee notice.
BREAKING: Southwest Airlines has paid nearly $1 million to a flight attendant it fired for expressing her pro-life views.
Charlene Carter, who worked 21 years as a flight attendant, was terminated in 2017 after she sent pro-life messages to leaders of the Transport Workers Union… pic.twitter.com/qlwlX6zLeW
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) May 5, 2026
The judgment, however, now has been settled with a payment of $946,102.87 to Carter, the report said.
“Flight attendants should have a voice and nobody should be able to retaliate against a flight attendant for engaging in protected speech against her union,” she said.
Southwest claimed the messages about her pro-life views constituted harassment.
“Carter’s attorneys maintained throughout the litigation that her pro-life views are protected religious expression and that no employee should face retaliation for opposing the use of union dues for causes they find morally objectionable. The jury’s verdict and the airline’s payment affirm that position,” the report said.
