Dante Harris

Dante Harris is a New York native raised by his father and stepmother. His father was a Bus Driver and Union Shop Steward for the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). From an early age, Dante was surrounded by talk of grievances, pay disputes, and the vigorous labor movement in America. That is where his passion for union activism was born. Dante’s stepmother was a manager for Verizon (New England Telephone, New York Telephone, NYNEX, etc.) who worked on the opposite side of the table from CWA. He grew up listening to both sides of an argument - Union & Management. It is what made him the unyielding yet balanced Union activist he is today. He can see every side of an issue and propose practical solutions for settlement. However, when management was obstinate, Dante developed his skill of articulate debate and compelling argument formation.

“Unwav Dante” is his entire first name. Unwav comes from the word, Unwavering. His mother gave him that name because he was born weeks after her due date. His mom said he had unbendable perseverance and strong determination, hence the name “Unwav Dante.” It was his childhood experiences that developed and shaped who he would become today and helped him realize his place in the world would belong in the labor movement.

Dante has been a United Airlines Flight Attendant for more than 2 decades. He got involved with the Union soon after being hired. He served on many committees at his local council and went on to be Local Secretary for Council 11 in San Francisco. After nearly 7 years, he transferred to Los Angeles Council 12 where he served on several committees and eventually was elected to 4 consecutive terms as the Council 12 President representing Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle based Flight Attendants.

Dante spent 10 years on national CWA Committees such as Finance Committee (Chair), Next Generation Committee (Chair), and Constitution Committee. In July 2019, Dante became first AFA-CWA Sector Representative to be elected to the International CWA Executive Board. He served in the At-Large Diversity Seat for the Western Region until June 2022.

In addition to serving on the AFA-CWA Board of Directors for over a decade, Dante served over 10 years on AFA international standing committees such as Strategic Planning and Finance.

Dante has received recognition in the Los Angeles labor community and all over the country. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Congresswoman Maxine Waters Trailblazer Award presented by the Los Angeles Inner City Youth Foundation at the Unsung Heroes Leadership Awards.

In May 2022 at the 49th AFA-CWA Board of Director’s Meeting, Dante Harris became the first minority to ever be elected to the position of AFA-CWA International Secretary-Treasurer. Diversity within our Union is extremely important as our background and experiences are important for building power in the organization and the labor community.

Dante is a member of the CWA Minority Caucus and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU). Additionally, he is a graduate of the CWA Minority Leadership Institute. All his responsibilities and experience have been integral to the broader labor movement, coalition building, and creating a stronger voice for our profession as Aviation’s First Responders.