the United States Congress on issues of importance to flight attendants, like the Known Crew Member Program and the No Knives Campaign. In 2019 Nelson played a key role in the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown. On January 20, 2019, nearly a month into the shutdown, Nelson called for a general strike. In a speech on January 24, 2019, Nelson excoriated government officials for the shutdown, citing 800,000 federal workers who were forced to work for free or furloughed without pay. Nelson argued that TSA officers and air traffic controllers were distracted by the burdens the shutdown placed on them, and that was eroding the safety of the airline industry. The shutdown ended the next day as flights began to be cancelled at New York La Guardia Airport due to air traffic controllers no longer able to serve safely due to the impact of the shutdown. Nelson's militancy as a labor leader and her skill as a communicator have both been recognized as key to her effectiveness in the shutdown fight and beyond. InStyle named Nelson as one of its "50 Badass Women". Other positions On August 12, 2014, Nelson was elected to the Aviation Steering Committee of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), the global federation of transportation unions from 148 countries, representing a combined membership of 4.5 million, at the ITF Congress in Sofia, Bulgaria. On May 13, 2020, Nelson was named co-chair of the Economy Task Force formed by Democratic nominee Joe Biden and former candidate Bernie Sanders to create a unity platform for the Democratic Party. After Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election, Nelson was mentioned as a possible cabinet appointee for a position in the United States Department of Labor. In February 2023, it was reported that Nelson was being considered by the Biden administration as a potential successor to secretary of labor Marty Walsh after his resignation. Personal life Nelson and her husband, David Borer, live in Washington, D.C., and have one son. Borer is an attorney serving as the general counsel of the American Federation of Government Employees. See also Jessica Gonzalez Jaz Brisack References External links 1973 births Activists from Oregon AFL–CIO people American women trade unionists American women's rights activists Corvallis High School (Oregon) alumni Flight attendants American trade union leaders Living people People from Corvallis, Oregon Principia College alumni Trade unionists from Oregon