Puchala started as a flight attendant in 1969 with North Central Airlines;[1] in a 1985 article she noted that was a time when women had to resign when they married or reached age 32.[2] North Central Airlines merged with Republic Airlines and Puchala served as the master executive council chairperson.[3]
In 1979 she was elected as president of the Association of Flight Attendants and, once she convinced her family to move to Washington, DC,[4] she served in that role until 1986.[5] Puchala viewed herself as a candidate for the position because of her ability to serve as a mediator.[6] As noted in the 1982 book From sky girl to flight attendant: women and the making of a union, she faced multiple challenges including airline deregulation and rising costs.[7] In 1984 the Association of Flight Attendants union was linked within the AFL–CIO,[8] making Puchala the first female president of a chartered federation union.[1][9] She was active in addressing issues with discrimination against women in aviation[10] and in 1985 she spoke with the New York Times about how women are turning to unions in the aviation industry because of inequitable treatment.[2] She also worked to increase the association's ability to effectively generate publications that were shared with members.[11] In 1985, when Puchala was denied a place on the executive committee of the Air Line Pilots Association, labor activists were surprised and noted that despite advances, women were still not treated equally in the workplace.[12]
Puchala served on President Barack Obama's transition team and he nominated her for the National Mediation Board in 2009.[13][14] She was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 21, 2009.[15] Her past with unions was noted as a positive given the pending contract negotiations between airlines and their unions, and the potential for conflict during the negotiations.[16] She help negotiate contracts between labor unions and multiple companies including UPS,[17] US Airways,[18] and United Airlines.[19] Her appointment to the National Mediation Board was viewed by some as a favor to unions given the board's changes to the National Rail Act in May 2010 which made it easier for unions to recruit new members.[20]
President Donald Trump nominated her for an additional term on the National Mediation Board,[21] and she was confirmed to a second term in August 2013.[citation needed]
She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for her third term on November 2, 2017.[22] In 2022, she was nominated by Joe Biden to serve as a member of the National Mediation Board.[15]
