AFA Interactive (June 26, 2020): CARES Act Extension, Register to Vote, more
- Aviation Unions Call for Extension of Payroll Support Program
- E.U. Plans to Bar U.S. Travelers When Bloc Reopens
- COVID-19 Alert: Fraudulent Face Mask Flyers
- Register to Vote & Request a Mail or Absentee Ballot
- AFA in the News
- $600 Unemployment Benefit Details
Aviation Unions Call for Extension of Payroll Support Program
In a letter to Congressional leadership, the leaders of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the Transport Workers Union (TWU), and the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), are calling on lawmakers to extend the Payroll Support Program (PSP) in the CARES Act through March 31, 2021.
The program, which allocated grants to commercial airlines and airline contractors for the exclusive purpose of keeping employees on payroll with wages and benefits, is set to expire September 30, 2020. To date, PSP funding has kept hundreds of thousands of airline workers employed and covered under their healthcare plans during the pandemic. Without a clean extension of PSP funding, labor leaders warn mass layoffs in the aviation industry are inevitable as airlines continue to struggle amid the COVID-19 crisis, and demand for air travel remains at or below 20 percent of last year’s levels.
“Not only will hundreds of thousands of workers lose their jobs and health insurance, but the industry would lose a large portion of the experienced and credentialed workforce that will be critical to bringing the sector and the broader economy back to prosperity once the COVID-19 crisis is over. Airline industry employment cannot simply be put back together overnight, and mass layoffs will do great damage to the sector, with potentially irrevocable consequences,” aviation labor leaders write.
“Only through an extension of PSP grants can Congress ensure that airline workers will continue to stay on payroll and ready to turn the industry around, prevent mass unemployment in October, and keep aviation workers ready to lift off as travel picks back up. We urge you to include this simple and necessary provision in the next COVID-19 response package, and appreciate your continued support for airline and airline contractor employees in our country.” Read the full letter >
We will need every Flight Attendant and aviation workers' action in the coming weeks. Look for action items next week.
E.U. Plans to Bar U.S. Travelers When Bloc Reopens
"The European Union will bar most travelers from the United States, Russia, and dozens of other countries considered too risky because they have not controlled the coronavirus outbreak, E.U. officials said."
We’ve been warning of this outcome for over 3 months. Since aviation first took flight, America set the standard for safety, competence, and honesty in governance of aviation. Decades of our leadership is being destroyed and putting our jobs further at risk. Read the article >
COVID-19 Alert: Fraudulent Face Mask Flyers
A Facebook group dubbed the Freedom to Breathe Agency, or FTBA, is promoting fake face mask exemption cards featuring an eagle image reminiscent of the Department of Justice (DOJ) seal. Images of the laminated cards began circling social media on Wednesday and have been deemed fraudulent by the DOJ.
Register to Vote & Request a Mail or Absentee Ballot
As Flight Attendants, we are not always able to predict our schedules. The COVID-19 crisis has made it even more difficult. We may not be able to go to the polls on Election Day. It’s important each of us make a successful plan to cast a ballot in the General Election. Make a plan now to vote:
- Is your voter registration status up to date?
- Request a mail-in or absentee ballot to vote from home.
- Learn the issues and check what is on the ballot.
AFA in the News
- The Hill: Aviation workers' unions ask Congress for another $32 billion in payroll aid amid COVID-19 resurgence, June 25, 2020
- CNBC: Airlines warn passengers: ‘wear a mask or you can’t fly,' June 25, 2020
- Squawk Box (TV): Masks are Important for Safety and Our Jobs, June 24, 2020
- Detroit News: Airlines, airports fly blind without federal coordination of COVID-19 safety protocols, June 23, 2020
$600 Unemployment Benefit Details
"Many out-of-work Americans counting on receiving an extra $600 a week through the end of July may be surprised to discover that benefit will disappear nearly a week earlier than they expected.
"The additional $600 in weekly jobless benefits provided by the federal government is officially set to end July 31. But states will pay it only through the week ending July 25 or July 26, a significant blow to unemployed workers counting on that money to bolster state benefits that average just $370 a week." Read more >
