| Dear
Council AFA-CWA Members,
We are approaching a
political crossroads - a point in time from which the fate
of our profession will follow one of two distinct paths.
The first path is the defensive path; the one we are
currently on. It is a march toward a profession degraded
by management greed under a government that tolerates, and
even encourages, the erosion of American jobs. The second
path is a proactive path, one in which we regain control
over decisions that affect us and one that promises to
restore dignity and respect to our profession.
You will play an important
role in deciding what path we will follow in the coming
years. The Congressional elections to be held on November
7th provide us with a unique opportunity to support
candidates that will lead us toward the better path. Many
politicians and airline management want to see a future
for our industry that allows foreign airlines to come in
and run the day-to-day operations of our airlines. They
want to be able to outsource the flight attendant position
on ANY airline that leaves U.S. airspace. (That would
include flights to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.) Some
even want to go so far as to lift all barriers to foreign
airlines and allow any airline, no matter the country of
its origin, to serve the US market. Imagine a future with
low-cost, third world airlines competing with us. Those
proposals do not promise us a very bright future.
We need politicians in
Washington that will stand up to fight these efforts and
protect the U.S. aviation system and jobs from cheap,
unfair foreign competition.
We are also at the
threshold of seeing the working conditions in our industry
degraded to what many are calling the "Walmartization of
the skies." Our benefits and working conditions are under
continuous assault. We should not have to bargain for many
of the conditions that other workers in this country are
afforded under the law. Things such as meaningful
qualification for FMLA for both reserves and line-holders
that take into consideration time spent away from home and
family. We deserve workplace safety and health protections
that protect us from unsanitary working conditions, noise
levels, cosmic radiation and poor air quality that most
other workers enjoy through OSHA protections. And we all
agree that rest requirements that actually allow us to get
a decent rest rather than a simple 8-9 hours off duty are
a top priority.
These are all things that
are difficult to achieve at the bargaining table. However,
just as other workers in the country enjoy these benefits
through the passage of legislation, we could accomplish
the same. But first we need to elect Representatives and
Senators that will support us and our issues.
I hope that you will
consider supporting Jim Webb as the next Senator from
Virginia. The current Senator from Virginia, George Allen,
has a long history of refusing to support any of the
legislative initiatives promoted by AFA-CWA during his six
years in the United States Senate. In fact, he voted
against flight attendant certification, a decades long
goal of AFA-CWA, when it was before the Senate Commerce
Committee. Airline management strongly opposed giving us
this professional respect and certification. During
discussion of the issue, he told an AFA-CWA representative
that he would always side with the company over the union
on issues such as this. He further stated that he would
never trust a union's claim that they knew how to save
money for a company.
AFA-CWA members from
Virginia have repeatedly visited George Allen's office
over the past six years on our important issues. Hundreds
of AFA-CWA members have emailed, faxed, called and written
his office urging him to support our issues. He has never
once supported us on any issue. In fact, in the past two
years, George Allen;
- Refused to cosponsor the
Leave All Blades Behind Act. This legislation would have
reinstated the ban on potentially dangerous items such
as screwdrivers, scissors and other items that were
allowed back onboard the aircraft by the TSA in 2005.
- Refused to cosponsor
legislation that would have reversed the Bush
Administration decision to allow foreign investors to
control the day to day operations of US Airlines, event
though it was supported by a bipartisan group of
Representatives and Senators.
- Refused to join a
bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives in
contacting Northwest Airlines to tell them that their
proposal to outsource flight attendant positions on any
flight leaving U.S. airspace was wrong and dangerous for
aviation safety and security.
Many AFA-CWA members,
myself included, have had the opportunity to visit with
and discuss our issues with Jim Webb. He has expressed his
support for our many issues that would keep our jobs safe
and secure. Having him as our next Senator from Virginia
would be a tremendous change in the response that AFA-CWA
members receive and in the support for our issues. I hope
that when you decide which candidate to cast your ballot
for on November 7th, that you will consider the AFA-CWA
support of Jim Webb.
There are many issues that
we take into consideration when deciding which candidates
to support. I know that how you vote is a personal
decision. I do hope that you will at least consider the
position of the candidates on the issues that will impact
our industry, our profession and our lives as flight
attendants when casting that vote.
In Solidarity,
Alin Boswell
LEC President, DCA
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA |
