Flight Attendants Praise Lawmaker Move to Maintain Good, Safe Aviation Jobs Through FAA Bill
Washington, D.C. (June 27, 2017) — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) praised Aviation Subcommittee Chair Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) for moving forward the Flags of Convenience Don’t Fly Here Act (H.R. 2150) in the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act (AIRR Act, H.R. 2997). The bill approved today by the committee advances priority safety and job protections for Flight Attendants.
“Chairman Frank LoBiondo made sure the FAA Reauthorization Bill is legislation that protects good American jobs and the frontline people who make aviation safe,” said Sara Nelson, AFA International President. “This bill would prevent the flags-of-convenience model from shipping aviation jobs out of our country, just like it destroyed 100,000 U.S. maritime jobs.”
The Flags of Convenience Don’t Fly Here Act will prevent the Department of Transportation from awarding foreign air carrier permits to airlines who utilize the business model in violation of the labor standards included in the U.S.-EU Open Skies Agreement. The bill, led by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA), gained significant bipartisan support leading up to the hearing today.
“Representatives DeFazio, LoBiondo, Larsen, and Ferguson are champions for good U.S. aviation jobs and American industry that connects even our smallest communities with the rest of the world,” Nelson stated.
Last week, AFA cheered the inclusion of 10-hours non-reducible rest and a Fatigue Risk Management Plan for Flight Attendants in the base bill. Following committee action, the 21st Century AIRR Act also includes several other Flight Attendant priorities: banning voice calls on planes, secondary cockpit barriers, customer service agent assault penalties, cabin evacuation certification standards, impact of seat pitch on safety, nursing rooms in airports, improved insecticide notification, expanded airport personnel human trafficking awareness training, and improved lithium ion battery regulations.
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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 71 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.
