While working as a Flight Attendant for Continental Airlines, Maggie Jacobsen became active in the Flight Attendants Union, and eventually she won an election to become the union’s Secretary Treasurer. In that position, she helped the FAU separate from the Airline Pilots Union to improve their representation in grievances and collective bargaining. Subsequently, she accepted a job with Continental managing labor relations for inflight services, which included both flight attendants and pilots.
Because only a few women headed labor relation at the corporate level at that time, Maggie responded to many conference-speaking invitations. At one such event, FMCS Director Jim Scearce invited her to apply for a mediator job. During her airline industry work, she had met NMB Chairman Kay McMurray, later FMCS Director, who also encouraged her to consider neutral work. After four years with Continental management, she accepted a mediator position with FMCS and an assignment to San Francisco in 1976. At the time, there were only 12 women FMCS mediators in a staff of over 400 mediators.
When I recorded an interview with Maggie in March 1987, she had been with FMCS for eleven years. She spoke at length about what she needed to do to succeed in an occupation dominated by men. By all accounts Maggie excelled as a mediator and in preventive mediation work, which involved training labor and management to improve their relationship. A remarkable outcome for someone initially told that as a young, blond, petite woman she would not be taken seriously as mediator.
Earlier in her career, Maggie attended the Harvard Trade Union Program and earned an Industrial Relations Certificate at UCLA. Later, she earned BA in Industrial Relations at San Francisco State, and started working on an MA.
She remained with FMCS until 1993 when she accepted a Presidential appointment as a Board Member on the National Mediation Board (NMB) where she served three terms of three years each, including several years as Chair. NMB mediators who know her viewed her as a strong supporter of their role and as mentor of those who need that.
After her nine years on the NMB Board, she returned to the private sector, consulting and arbitrating in Camas, Washington. She died on January 5, 2008.
In the photo above, Maggie Jacobsen is presenting FMCS Director Wayne Horvitz with a Life Time Achievement Award.
