Contents:

• Worker Relief Blocked Again
SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW FLIGHT ATTENDANTS BY CONTACTING YOUR SENATORS
• Airline crisis isn't as deep as feared on Sept. 12
Except for USAir, carriers show signs of faster recovery
• Screening plan for frequent fliers holds promise, risk

Worker Relief Blocked Again
SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW FLIGHT ATTENDANTS BY CONTACTING YOUR SENATORS

On January 29, the U.S. Senate came within three votes of extending, expanding and improving unemployment benefits for laid-off workers as part of an economic stimulus package.  Because of the close vote, Senator Durbin is expected to revisit the amendment next week.  The Senate adjourned last night, January 29, without taking final action on the stimulus bill.  However, this adjournment has provided us with a window of opportunity to continue on our campaign.  For those people who were not able to get the letters sent out on time, now is the time to do it.

The Legislative Affairs Committee is asking you to send out this email that has the most up-to-date information and the link so that you can contact your Senators.  This legislation will provide benefits to our furloughed flight attendants who need and deserve our crucial support on this important issue.  The Committee requests that everyone participate in the process.  By using the link below you are walked through a process, step-by-step, that takes only a few minutes.

Hopefully, this second round of letters that our membership sends out will push us over the top.  Collectively we can make a difference. Thank you for your participation in making our voice heard in Washington.

The Legislative Affairs Committee would be grateful if you could give this email as wide a distribution as possible.

Worker Relief Blocked Again

SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW FLIGHT ATTENDANTS BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/durbinui

The Senate came within three votes Jan.  29 of extending, expanding and improving unemployment benefits for laid-off workers as part of an economic stimulus package.  The 57 "yes" votes, including 10 from Republican senators, fell three votes short of the 60-vote super-majority needed because of Republican leaders  parliamentary maneuvering.
  
The action come on an amendment to a stimulus bill offered last week by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).  In an effort to reach a compromise on a much-needed stimulus package, Daschle offered a slimmed-down version that would extend unemployment benefits, grant tax rebates to low-income families that did not qualify for last year's rebate and provide some tax breaks for business investment. The Daschle bill also included $5 billion in aid to state Medicaid programs to help state governments struggling with massive budget shortfalls.  It dropped a Republican-opposed subsidy to help laid-off workers pay for health care coverage and Democrat-opposed tax breaks aimed at businesses.
  
Sen.  Durbin s (D-Ill.) amendment would have granted additional weeks of unemployment benefits to those who have exhausted theirs, made more workers eligible to receive benefits and increased the benefit amounts.

Because of the close vote and the absence of three Democratic senators, Durbin is expected to revisit the amendment next week. The Senate adjourned Jan. 29 without taking final action on the stimulus bill.

The latest U.S.  Department of Labor figures show the crucial need to extend unemployment benefits.  In the third quarter of 2001, more than 750,000 workers exhausted their unemployment benefits without finding new jobs.  That s almost three times more than during the previous quarter and does not reflect the surge in layoffs that followed Sept. 11.

SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW FLIGHT ATTENDANTS BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/durbinui
 

Airline crisis isn't as deep as feared on Sept. 12
Airline crisis isn't as deep as feared on Sept. 12 Except for USAir, carriers show signs of faster recovery
By Paul Adams The Baltimore Sun Staff
Originally published January 27, 2002

With traffic slowly returning, many airlines are beginning to recall employees let go after the Sept.  11 terrorist attacks.  The news trickles out in newsletters and e-mail exchanged within a network of unemployed airline workers, many of whom have found it difficult to find work outside the industry.

Five months after they went before Congress to secure a multibillion-dollar rescue package, the nation's airlines are predicting that traffic and employment will rebound faster than many anticipated on the morning of Sept.  12.

And some analysts forecast a return to profitability by the middle of this year for some carriers.  The exception so far has been Arlington, Va.-based US Airways Group Inc., which reported a larger-than-expected $1.01 billion fourth-quarter loss.  Many analysts also look for UAL's United Airlines to report a huge loss this week.

Read the article:...
http://www.sunspot.net/business/bal-bz.airlines27jan27.story?coll=bal%2Dbusiness%2Dheadlines
 

Screening plan for frequent fliers holds promise, risk
USA Today January 28, 2002 Page 10A

Tossing a new perk to frequent fliers, as American and Northwest airlines did last week by promising to eliminate blackout dates for award travel, should prove popular.  Likewise, the frequent-flier lanes some airlines have set up should help their best customers avoid long post-Sept.  11 passenger check-in lines.

Still, in the face of recession and terrorism, neither is likely to lure large numbers of travelers back to the skies on a regular basis. That will take renewed confidence that flying is not only secure but also relatively hassle-free.  The best solution is one the airline industry has already hit upon: a "trusted traveler" program in which passengers could voluntarily undergo significant background checks and obtain an ID card to ease their passage through security checkpoints.

Read the article:...
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020128/3807007s.htm