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AFA US Airways MEC E-Line
for May 24, 2003
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this E-Line |
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This week, the full House Transportation Committee passed it's version of the FAA Reauthorization bill, which included AFA supported provisions to certify flight attendants. The certification provisions have full support from the leadership of the Committee and we believe that they will remain in the bill when it reaches the floor of the House for a vote by the entire House of Representatives. The language in the FAA Reauthorization is not identical to H.R. 1889, the Lowey/Kelly bill, but it is an important compromise that has received support from all interested parties.
The Senate FAA Reauthorization also includes language that certifies flight attendants, but the Senate version is not supported by the airlines. We hope to address those problems and have identical language on the Senate side. Regardless, we do appear one step closer to finally achieving an almost 30 year fight for flight attendant certification.
The Senate has "hotlined" it's FAA Reauthorization, which means that it may come up for a vote before the entire Senate at any time. We believe that it will come up for a vote early the first week in June. Congress is out on recess for the Memorial Day holiday from May 26 - 31st. We believe that the House will vote on its version of the FAA Reauthorization the week of June 9th. After both chambers vote on the legislation, it will go to a conference committee, composed of members from both chambers to work out differences between the two bills. So far, the only contentious issue seems to be over the issue of increasing the number of flights allowed to take off and land at DCA. Their seems to be room for compromise on this issue and we believe that the Conference Committee may go quickly and that the bill could become law by late June.
We are also working on including provisions on Cabin Air Quality in the bill. Currently, the House bill includes provisions to monitor several
contaminants in cabin air and a system to track pesticide exposure and illnesses. We are working with Senator Dianne Feinstein to introduce an amendment on the Senate floor to include similar provisions in the Senate bill.
The House bill also contains provisions that would force the Secretary of Labor to act on a whistleblower complaint ( i.e. if a flight attendant reports a safety or security violation) within a certain time frame or the case will go to the courts.
We continue to work with our Senate and House supporters to insert lanaguage that would address the lack of OSHA protections for flight attendants. We will continue to push this issue and hopefully include some form of protections into the legislation.
AFA had a tough fight this Wednesday over the issue of flight attendant security training. At the House Transportation Committee Hearing to vote on the FAA Reauthorization, Representative LaTourette ( R-OH) had agreed to introduce an amendment on behalf of the carriers that would make flight attendant security training completely voluntary (a flight attendant would have to step forward and volunteer to be trainined in security proceedures), the flight attendant would have to do it on their free time and pay for it themselves and would prevent any joint training between flight attendants and pilots.
We were able to lobby almost every member of the Committee to let them know how controversial this provision was and how horrible it was, especially at a time when we are at Code Orange and hightened security measures. Finally, when it came time for Rep. LaTourrette to introduce the amendment, he acknowledge that it was controversial but that requiring such training would bankrupt the carriers. But in light of the controversy, he would not offer the amendment. We believed that we had enough members to vote against the amendment, but fortunately we were able to avoid such a vote.
The carriers have made it clear though that they will do everything possible to pass legislation to gut flight attendant security training. We will of course remain vigilant and attempt to defeat any attempts. They have made it clear that they may offer an amendment on the floor of the House to the FAA Reauthorization in order to get their way on this issue.
I have also attached a list of cosponsors on HR 1889.
Again, thanks for all your hard work and dedication.
HR 1889 cosponsors:
Abercrombie
Boehlert
Boswell
Capuano
Case
Conyers
Corrine Brown
Crowley
DeLauro
Eddie Bernice Johnson
Ford
Frost
Holden
Kelly
Kilpatrick
Kleckza
Levin
LoBiondo
Michaud
Millender-McDonald
Norton
Rick Larsen
Solis
Weiner
Gordon
Costello
Roybal-Allard
Sandlin
Gutierrez
Honda
Hooley
Pallone
Thompson
McCarthy, Carolyn
Lampson |
Maloney
Cummings
Lantos
Jim Moran
Schakowsky
Hinchey
Latourette
Tauscher
Kildee
Markey
Eshoo
Grijalva
Rhom Emanuel
Filner
McHugh
Lincoln Davis
McNulty
McCollum
Peter King
Walsh
Alcee Hastings
Diaz-Balart, Mario
Tom Allen
Holt
Blumenauer
McGovern
Patrick Kennedy
Lynch
Udall, Mark
Baird
Frank, Barney
DeGette
Lee
Delahunt
Jackson-Lee |
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