-
Clarification of 1993
Family Medical Leave Act
Dear
Council AFA-CWA Members,
Clarification of
1993 Family Medical Leave Act for Flight Crew Members
Highlights Another Exciting Week for AFA-CWA Members
Another week has passed and another Bill benefiting all
AFA-CWA members is once again front and center of the
United States House of Representatives. On June 15,
2007, AFA-CWA Hero, Representative Tim Bishop (D-NY)
introduced legislation to correct a long overdue
omission to the 1993 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The original Act provided for an employee to qualify for
FMLA if they worked 60% of a normal schedule. That was
calculated in 1993 to 1250 hours in a 12 month period.
However, due to the unique nature in which flight crew
members are compensated it is nearly impossible for a
full-time airline crewmember to qualify for what
President Bill Clinton called "one of the most important
pieces of legislation passed during his administration".
Since the time FMLA became law, airline management has
used it as a bargaining tool during contract
negotiations. Beginning in 2007, the AFA-CWA Legislative
Policy Committee identified a number of issues that
could be removed from our contract negotiations so that
our various negotiating committees could focus on wages,
benefits and work rules. This is yet another effort to
"legislate it, not negotiate it".
During a press conference to announce the introduction
of Mr. Bishop's Bill, Diane Tamuk (LEC President Council
5 JFK) said "Being a flight attendant is a physically
and
 mentally
demanding career. It means I don't work from 9-5 each
day. In fact, it means that I am away from my home and
family for 3 or 4 days at a time. However, because this
career is so unique, my flying partners and I have been
excluded from the Family Medical Leave Act. For years,
flight crews have been denied FMLA coverage due to the
fact that our schedules do not equal those of the 40
hour-a-week workforce."
House Resolution
2744 (H.R.2744) has 30 original co-sponsors. They are:
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1]
Rep Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5] Rep Baird, Brian [WA-3]
Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] Rep Bordallo, Madeleine Z.
[GU] -
Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1] Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9]
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] Rep Green, Al [TX-9]
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17]
Rep Hirono, Mazie K. [HI-2] Rep Hooley, Darlene [OR-5]
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13] Rep Kucinich, Dennis
J. [OH-10]
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] Rep McCarthy, Carolyn
[NY-4]
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] Rep McNerney, Jerry
[CA-11]
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8]
Rep Napolitano, Grace F. [CA-38] Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4]
Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] Rep Schakowsky, Janice D.
[IL-9]
Rep Scott, Robert C. [VA-3] Rep Shea-Porter, Carol
[NH-1]
Rep Sutton, Betty [OH-13] Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] -
Rep Wynn, Albert Russell [MD-4]
This is a great start
but our work is not done. This legislation already has
bipartisan support and should not be a partisan issue.
If your representative is not a co-sponsor of this
legislation then you need to call their offices ASAP.
Don't just ask them to be a co-sponsor of H.R. 2744, but
if they do not ask them why not! Remember, they work for
you, not the other way around. You have something they
need and that is your vote. If your representative is
not working for you they are working against you.
In Solidarity,
Alin Boswell
Chairperson, Legislative Policy Committee
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
LEC President, DCA
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA |
