EVA Airways Corporation, a certified SKYTRAX 5-star Airline, also the winner of World's Top 10 Airlines, World's Cleanest Aircraft Cabins, World's Best Airport Services, World's Best Cabin Staff, The Best Airlines in Asia, Best Airline Staff in Asia, now ignores its flight attendant union's request to adjust strict policies, puts both travelers' and flight attendants' safety at risk, and disregards the human/labor rights of its employees (flight attendants). 

A group of flight attendants of about 2300 (of a total of 4000) from EVA Airways, one of the two major airlines in Taiwan and a member of Star Alliance, have been on strike for almost 2 weeks without any resolution. This group is represented by Taoyuan Flight Attendant’s Union(TFAU). The company’s management has traditionally been under heavy Japanese influence, and has a centralized management style which controls every aspect of the company. They DO NOT hire any male flight attendant despite the country’s law stating fairness and equality. They are known to be abusive, punitive toward employees and pay little to no respect when they are pushed to work overtime or are sick. They were the only airline that forced and risked the lives of the passengers and employees to fly during dangerous typhoons. TFAU has been in negotiation with the airline for almost two years and has had 20 meetings. Thus far, the company has avoided reaching a resolution. The flight attendants decided to vote on a strike and received over 80% of union members’ support to call a strike 2 weeks ago. Ever since the strike started, the airline has been operating at 40% capacity, this has affected over 200k travelers and incurred a loss of over 60 million USD. Despite the loss, the company has manipulated the media into writing biased reports, has been condescending toward the poor young flight attendants and called them B**tches; it also set up the internet and media to attack them for their legal strike. Since the strike began almost two weeks ago, the company has attempted just one negotiation with promise to strike a deal, both the union and its members acted in good faith. The majority vote supported the cessation of the strike. However, EVA air then decided not to honor the deal, particularly on promising no punitive action on the union members. The situation is still developing, and the company is not even willing to discuss on a fair level.

It's uncommon to have strikes in Taiwan where only 7% of all workers have the option to join a union. The airline not only showed the illegal and immoral practice of sexism, but also risks the lives of many of its employees with low wages and long hours to gain their SKYTRAX status. 

Aside from the strike, The airline’s abusive, punitive and inhumane culture is not tolerable on any scale. EVA Air’s willingness to sacrifice weeks of income with the goal of dividing and ultimately dissolving the union is truly appalling. EVA Airways failed to arrange solutions for travelers who purchased the tickets, made the flight attendants take the blame and haven't done anything to keep travelers informed travelers, even though the company has known there was the possibility of a strike since April/May this year. 

Please help us get the flight attendants’ plight and the injustice dealt to them be known around the world!

A detailed timeline of the strike (in Chinese): http://youtiline.com/cat/evaair-strike

- Copy: Steven Hsu
- Edits:  Leslie Jin (revision 1: 7/1 07:00), Johnathan Lee (revision 2: 7/1 14:20), Ethan Clansky (revision 3: 7/5 19:00) 
- Timeline: Rex