Flight Attendant Union Urges Congress To Stop Hurting Families And End Government Shutdown
Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) today implored Congress to display responsible leadership for the nearly two million families who will be harmed without a paycheck during this government shutdown and to restart the federal government before the damage becomes irreversible:
“While some politicians are using this shutdown as a way to posture and position, it is the hundreds of thousands of women and men who work behind the scenes to keep our country running who are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden.
“Once again, misguided ideologues have eviscerated the jobs of hard-working Americans. Today, it is middle-class American families who are shouldering the impact of obstructionists in Congress who stand in the way of responsible funding of government.
“While essential FAA and TSA safety-related functions continue, infrastructure projects that are providing essential services that allow our country to operate and compete with the world, and which are employing people in communities all over the country, will come to a halt. This includes the implementation of NextGen. The longer this shutdown continues, the more devastating trickle-down effect it will have.
“The House and Senate are playing a political game of chicken over passage of a continuing resolution to keep the government operating and this is likely to be the first of several budget fights this fall. It is time to put an end to this government shutdown. It is time that those who are stalling progress step aside so Congress can pass a clean spending bill that restores our country to full working order.”
The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 68 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 60,000 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 .
