I know the law states that pilots have full and unrefutable ability to throw people off planes. I did not realize this extends to flight attendants; and I don't think it does. I guess it may be true in reality, because if the FA refuses to fly, then the flight is normally grounded, and a pilot might rather inconvenience one or two pax rather than a whole plane load.

In any case, I don't think anyone is saying that authority should be removed from pilots. They should be, and they will be, held accoutnable for their actions. They should remember there are thousands of qualified pilots just waiting to take their job in the wings...