Tifani Benjamin is a Chief Customer Service Agent with Hawaiian Airlines at the LAX station, where she has spent the past six years building firsthand experience with the unique challenges facing legacy Hawaiian Airlines employees following the merger with Alaska Airlines.

Legacy Hawaiian Airlines agents at LAX occupy a unique position as the only mainland station operating under the same union contract as the Hawaiian Islands. Understanding and communicating those unique working conditions can be challenging, which is what inspired Tifani to become a Shop Steward. She believes members deserve representation that understands their workplace, listens to their concerns, and can clearly communicate their rights and protections.

Tifani’s commitment to unionism is also deeply rooted in her family. Her mother was a United Airlines Flight Attendant for 30 years and participated in the 1985 strike in support of the Air Line Pilots Association. Watching her mother stand up for her coworkers, even while facing adversity, gave Tifani an early understanding of the importance of solidarity and the protections a strong union provides.

Originally from the East Coast, Tifani earned her BA from Whitman College and has lived in California for nearly 40 years, raising three children in the Los Angeles area. Her family also has a connection to Hawai‘i, with her grandmother born and raised in Hilo.

Tifani believes the Alaska-Hawaiian merger has reinforced the importance of strong union representation and that the IAM can continue to create meaningful change for its members. As part of the Forward Together slate, she is committed to listening, learning, communicating, and standing with members as District 142 moves forward.

Join Tifani Benjamin and the Forward Together slate. Stand with your coworkers. Stand for strong representation, solidarity, and a stronger IAM District 142.

This is what change looks like.