United Defeats Terminated Flight Attendant’s Age Bias Suit

A former United Airlines Inc. flight attendant’s lost her age discrimination suit against the airline after a federal trial court ruled it had no jurisdiction over the case.

The conditions of Rosemary Sjoberg’s employment with United were governed by a joint collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Flight Attendants, according to a Tuesday order from the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The federal Railway Labor Act—the law governing labor relations for railroad and airline workers—precludes and preempts Sjoberg’s claims because they would require interpreting the collective bargaining agreement, Judge Keith P. Ellison ruled Tuesday.

Sjoberg ...