Flight Attendants Cheer Passage of House FAA Reauthorization Bill with Rest Provisions and More
Washington, DC (April 27, 2018) — The 50,000 Flight Attendants at 20 airlines represented by the Association of Flight Attendants–CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA), today cheered the House of Representatives vote for the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 4). The bill includes the union’s top safety priority for equal minimum rest with the flight deck, protections against eroding U.S. aviation jobs, and enhancements to the security of our aviation system.
“Congressional fatigue studies have concluded Flight Attendants don’t get enough rest in our safety sensitive work. AFA made 10 hours minimum rest free from duty - equal with the flight deck - our top safety priority in this bill. Today, the House voted for legislation that fixes this safety loophole of Flight Attendant fatigue. This is about safety, health, and equality,” stated AFA International President Sara Nelson.
“We applaud Chairman Shuster (R-PA), Ranking Member DeFazio (D-OR), Chairman LoBiondo (R-NJ), and Ranking Member Larsen (D-WA) for their leadership in shaping this bill that will improve our rest, tackle current aviation issues that matter to the traveling public, and maintain a strong U.S. aviation system with good jobs. We urge the Senate to act quickly to do the same. We especially thank Flight Attendants around the country for making calls, signing postcards, rallying, and taking other actions to achieve this outcome today. We will take the same spirit to the Senate,” Nelson concluded.
The bill includes these AFA safety priorities:
- 10-hours minimum rest and a FRMP for Flight Attendants
- Protecting U.S. aviation jobs by preventing approval of any new applications by airlines operating with a flags-of-convenience model
- Ban of Voice Calls on Planes
- Harmonization of Service Animal Standards
- Cabin Cyber Security Vulnerabilities
- Secondary Cockpit Barriers
- Safe transport of lithium batteries
- Study on Cabin Evacuation Certification
- Requiring privacy for nursing in the airport
- Evaluation and update of emergency medical kit contents
- Required notification of Insecticide use
- Promoting Women in Aviation
- Banning electronic cigarette smoking on planes
- Training on Sexual Harassment and Assault
- Protect Customer Service agents from assaults
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 72 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
