HOUSE PASSES BILL TO HELP AIRLINE CREWS CARE FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

Washington, DC - Today the House of Representatives passed legislation originally authored by Congressman Tim Bishop (NY-1) to ensure that flight crews are treated fairly and are able to qualify for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits. Airline pilots and flight attendants currently face unexpected hurdles to qualify for FMLA. These hurdles are unique to airline employees since their non-flying hours are not counted toward their total hours of service. To remedy this situation, Bishop introduced the Airline Flight Crew Family and Medical Leave Act to clarify the original FMLA 1993 law. Senator Patty Murray introduced a companion bill, which was passed by the Senate last month and came before the House for a final vote today. The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature.

“Because of the unique way that airline personnel’s hours of work are counted, many workers have been unable to take advantage of the leave under the Family Medical Leave Act,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, Chairwoman of the Committee on Education and Labor’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee.  “This legislation which the House has passed today, changes that, and airline workers will now be able to take much needed time to care for a sick child, parent or spouse.”

“When airline crewmembers need to take time away from serving passengers in order to care for themselves or family members, they face unexpected hurdles. This bill would prevent crewmembers from being losing out on their FMLA benefits, which have helped so many working families in this country,” said Bishop, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee.

"We are very pleased at the passage of Congressman Bishop's FMLA bill, which finally addresses loopholes in the current language that have denied many flight attendants from qualifying for coverage," said Patricia Friend, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. "Every flight attendant in this country is so grateful to Tim Bishop for passing this legislation on such a strong bipartisan basis."

The FMLA requires most employers to provide job-protected unpaid leave to employees who have worked 60 percent of a full-time schedule over the course of a year. However for flight crews, non-flight hours on the job, between flights or on mandatory stand-by do not count toward their FMLA credit. The Airline Flight Crew FMLA would correct this unintended oversight of the original legislation. 

For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for flight attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill.  More than 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world’s largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afanet.org.

COMPASS AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANTS JOIN AFA-CWA

Washington, DC – A strong majority of flight attendants at Compass Airlines today voted to join the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA). The election vote, conducted by the National Mediation Board (NMB), showed that 194 flight attendants voted for AFA-CWA representation.  Compass Airlines was formed in 2007 as a Northwest Airlink partner and now is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

“Compass flight attendants look forward to negotiating a contract that will provide security, as well as advance our careers. As AFA-CWA members, we will have a voice at the bargaining table and work alongside management in creating a leading regional airline contract that recognizes our role as safety professionals,” said Catriona Bagley, appointed transitional AFA-CWA Compass President.

This is the fourth flight attendant group to elect AFA-CWA as their bargaining representative this year. AFA-CWA filed a petition for election in September after a strong majority of the over 300 Compass flight attendants signed cards authorizing an election.

“Compass flight attendants recognize the benefits of a legally binding contract and the opportunity to advance their career through AFA-CWA representation,” said AFA-CWA International President Patricia Friend. “Compass flight attendants joined together to achieve their goal. They spoke in favor of having a voice in their workplace and today management heard their message loud and clear.”

For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for flight attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill.  More than 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world’s largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afanet.org.

USA3000 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS JOIN AFA-CWA

Washington, DC – Flight attendants at USA3000 Airlines today became members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) after an overwhelming majority voted for union representation. The election vote, conducted by the National Mediation Board (NMB), showed that 96 of the 114 eligible USA3000 flight attendants voted for AFA-CWA representation.

“We welcome USA3000 flight attendants to the world’s largest flight attendant union and look forward to working side-by-side in negotiating a legally binding contract that will provide the security they need to advance their profession,” said AFA-CWA International President Patricia Friend. “USA3000 flight attendants are committed to shaping the future of their careers and on behalf of our over 50,000 members, we proudly welcome them to AFA-CWA.”

This is the third election victory, as well as the second charter carrier, to elect AFA-CWA as their bargaining representative this year. AFA-CWA filed a petition for election in August after a strong majority of the over 100 USA3000 flight attendants signed representational cards.

For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for flight attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill.  More than 50,000 flight attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA-CWA, the world’s largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afanet.org

AFA-CWA LOOKS FORWARD TO PASSAGE OF FAA REAUTHORIZATION
Bill Includes Key Provisions for Flight Attendants Including Cell Phone Ban
 
Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) commended the U.S. House of Representatives today on bringing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill (H.R. 915) to the floor for a vote and anticipates its passage later this evening. The bill, which appropriates funding to the FAA for vast improvements, includes important enhancements directly related to the flight attendant profession.
 
“Flight attendants across the country support this FAA Reauthorization bill in order to advance our profession,” said Patricia Friend, AFA-CWA International President. “Within this bill are workplace safety and health protections for flight attendants that have been ignored for far too long.”
 
One provision included in H.R. 915 continues the current Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) ban on inflight cell phone use.
 
“We applaud Representative Peter DeFazio for including this important provision in the bill and are grateful for his continued dedication to protecting and preserving the interests of flight attendants and airline passengers. Cell phone use on aircraft is not a necessity. In far too many operational scenarios, cell phone use could be far worse than a mere nuisance: It could have catastrophic effects on aviation safety and security,” added Friend.
 
Other measures included in the FAA Reauthorization include funding for a flight attendant fatigue study; the inclusion of OSHA workplace safety and health protections; notification of pesticide application on flights; cabin air quality provisions that would initiate development of air quality sensors and filtration; a "Return to the Cabin" program that will allow flight attendants an opportunity for rehabilitation after testing positive for drug or alcohol abuse; temperature standards for aircraft; further definition of provisions restricting foreign control of U.S. airlines; and a ban on smoking onboard charter flights.
 

DAL ALPA MEC SUPPORTS DAL FLIGHT ATTENDANTS' UNION ORGANIZING CAMPAIGN

WHEREAS ALPA pilots have demonstrated a longstanding support of unionized airline employees, and      

WHEREAS the strong professional relationship between all members of a flight crew is based upon mutual respect and a history of cooperation, and     

WHEREAS all flight crewmembers have many common issues and needs in the performance of their duties and representation of their interests, and     

WHEREAS the Railway Labor Act, Section 152, delineates that:

“Employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing.  The majority of any craft or class of employees shall have the right to determine who shall be the representative of the craft or class for the purposes of this chapter.  No carrier, its officers, or agents shall deny or in any way question the right of its employees to join, organize, or assist in organizing the labor organization of their choice, and it shall be unlawful for any carrier to interfere in any way with the organization of its employees, ... or to influence or coerce employees in an effort to induce them to join or remain or not to join or remain members of any labor organization.”

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the DAL MEC fully supports the DAL Flight Attendants in their right to organize and select representation of their own choosing.    

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED the DAL MEC is committed to the ideals that Delta Air Lines employees can be both pro-union and pro-Delta.