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Dear fellow Council 82
Flight
Attendants, Dear Mr. Faber,
I am compelled to address your recent commentary on Friday’s Squawk
on the Street. I am Rob Wessinger; Local Executive Council President
of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA representing the New
York based Flight Attendants for US Airways. You were quoted stating
"Just what we need, exactly, more power invested in those Flight
Attendants." THOSE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS? This is reckless
"journalism" at best. It was nothing more than a biased personal
opinion and was a direct attack on the members which I represent as
well as every Flight Attendant throughout the world. I am appalled
by your irrational judgment to degrade the profession of the very
Safety Professionals who are FAA certified and trained to save your
life in various emergency situations aboard an aircraft. There is
simply no place for this condescending type of "journalism" and I am
calling on you to retract these insensitive remarks. It is quite
apparent that you and your colleagues found a great deal of humor in
demeaning other individuals at the expense of their profession for a
brief chuckle on television. You might have better served your
audience- the traveling public- by pointing out that US Airways had
more than 60 days to devise a comprehensive plan for their Onboard
Beverage Sales model and failed to do so, thus leaving flight
attendants to deal with the mess.
I have been a long time viewer of Squawk on the Street and have
always found your show to be informative and in good taste. However,
you have left me speechless. I had a great deal of respect for you
and Mark Haines, as well as Jeff Kernen from Squawk Box. I was under
the impression that your job responsibilities were to report the
news and not convey those views of a personal nature. It is apparent
that I could not have been further from the truth. Being domiciled
in New York I have had the opportunity to fly the New York-Boston
and New York-Washington, DC routes on numerous occasions. I have
also had the opportunity to serve various colleagues of your company
on segments such as these and have always offered nothing short of a
superb customer service experience. I was hoping you would offer the
flight attendants that same courtesy through your "journalism".
Mr. Faber, since it is very obvious that you are far removed from
the aviation industry and the role of the flight attendant
profession, I would suggest you pick up a couple of the
aforementioned movies made for television based on true stories
which involve some of the dangers flight attendants face in our
industry such as an airplane crash, hijacking or everyday medical
emergencies. You may very well have a different opinion of "THOSE
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS" after viewing these selections.
1984 made-for-TV drama
1. "Air Florida 90: Disaster on the Potomac"
1988 made-for TV drama
2. "Uli Derickson: The Taking of Flight 847"
Uli Derickson TWA Flight Attendant portrayed by Lindsay Wagner
In addition, Mr. Faber, Let us not forget "THOSE FLIGHT
ATTENDANTS" who perished in the hijacking and suicide missions
of 4 airliners on the morning of September 11, 2001, including the
Flight Attendants aboard American Airlines Flight 11 and United
Airlines Flight 175, into the North and South Towers of the World
Trade Center. Another group of hijackers flew American Airlines
Flight 77 into the Pentagon. A fourth flight, United Airlines Flight
93, whose ultimate target was either the U.S. Capitol building or
the White House, crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
I am certain 9/11/2001 rings a bell since The New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE), the American Stock Exchange, and the NASDAQ did not
open on September 11 and remained closed until September 17. As you
well remember when the stock markets reopened, the Dow Jones
Industrial Average (DJIA) stock market index fell 684 points, or
7.1%, to 8921, its biggest-ever one-day point decline. By the end of
the week, the DJIA had fallen 1,369.7 points (14.3%), its largest
one-week point drop in history. U.S. stocks lost $1.4 trillion in
value for the week. Our profession also suffered a loss, one much
greater than any dollar amount, the loss of human lives and the
suffering of the many loved ones left behind of our deceased Flight
Crew members inclusive of pilots and flight attendants.
Perhaps I need remind you of yet another security issue onboard the
airplane which was detected by "THOSE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS" on
the aircraft, after Richard Reid a.k.a. "Shoe bomber" successfully
entered through a TSA security line and boarded his flight
undetected. Please feel free to review the attached report by Cathy
Booth Thomas detailing the skills and perception of the flight
attendants who were directly responsible for averting yet another
catastrophe and saving many lives.
In closing I would ask you to re-examine your position regarding the
role of the Flight Attendant, a Safety Professional, and the power
that has been invested in us as well as the skills and training we
possess. I am once again calling for you to do the right thing and
publicly rectify this unfortunate situation.
Very truly yours,
Rob Wessinger
LEC President
Council 82 / LGA
315-736-3483 OFFICE
315-404-5257 CELL
315-736-7577 FAX
rwessinger@afausairways.org
Rob
Wessinger
LEC President
Council 82-LGA
Association of Flight Attendants - AFL-CIO
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