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“Occufly” At LAX -
Flight Attendants Hold Large Protest As Part Of The 99% By Steve Hall |
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February 6, 2012 - Flight Attendants from over 20
airlines, represented by the Association of Flight
Attendants-CWA (AFA), and concerned citizens from across
the country will hold an OccuFLY protest at Los Angeles
International Airport today.
Flight Attendants and supporters will protest the latest
attack on collective bargaining rights included in the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization
bill.
The FAA Reauthorization has rapidly been moving toward
passage over the past two weeks. On Friday, the House of
Representatives voted, passing 248 to 169 accepting the
conference report. The Senate is scheduled to vote today
on whether to accept the report.
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Veda
Shook, Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) International
President said “The FAA reauthorization should be focused on
addressing the pressing safety issues that will ensure that the
U.S. aviation system remains the safest in the world.
“Instead,
Congress has used this process to gratuitously attack American
workers in order to satisfy corporate executives. This
controversial labor provision is nothing less than an attack by
the 1% against the 99%. We saw it in Wisconsin and Ohio, now we
see it for airline and rail workers who are simply seeking the
benefits of collective bargaining or fighting to hang on to
collective bargaining rights.”
Through a
secret deal, House Republicans and Senate leadership have
proposed drastic changes to the Railway Labor Act (RLA). The
RLA, one of the nation’s first labor laws, was crafted
cooperatively by labor and management and has not been changed
in nearly eight decades without the agreement of both employer
and employee representatives.
By requiring the support of at least 50 percent of an
employee group before a union representation election could
be held, where currently there is no statutory requirement,
Congress is trying to undermine a worker’s choice to have
union representation. This will virtually ensure that
employers will tie up union elections through endless
litigation. Through industry consolidation current contracts
could be jettisoned and union representation canceled.
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