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Union President
Tells Congress "No More, 'It's My Way Or The Runway" By Eddy Metcalf |
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September 9, 2011 - The Association of Professional
Flight Attendants (APFA) has joined the Association of
Flight Attendants (AFA), the Allied Pilots Association
(APA) and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), in
calling for a quick resolution to the FAA
reauthorization battle going on in Congress.
The current extension will expire on September 16th and
without some agreement between the two chambers of
Congress the agency charged with maintaining the
country's aviation infrastructure will go into a partial
shutdown for the second time in as many months. "The Flight Attendants of American Airlines call on those lawmakers that are playing politics at the expense of our industry to pass a clean bill that guarantees a commitment to the nation's aviation system," said Laura Glading, APFA President. |
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"At the
very least, we demand a clean, long-term extension to the
current authorization so that the FAA can get back to work
without the Sword of Damocles hanging over the agency. What we
will no longer tolerate is obstructionist politicians saying,
'It's my way or the runway."
A new FAA
reauthorization bill is ideal because it will provide for
improvements to the nation's airports, grow the American
economy, and deliver thousands of new jobs. "It's ironic that
Republicans are railing against so-called 'job-killing rules and
regulations' yet they are happy to put thousands of existing
jobs and thousands more potential jobs at risk in favor of petty
politics," concluded Glading.
"Congress
could jeopardize the safety of the U.S. air transportation
system and will risk thousands of airline employees' jobs by
failing to pass a long-term FAA reauthorization bill that
focuses on the FAA's core mission of providing the safest, most
efficient aviation system in the world. We cannot allow
political brinkmanship to again trump the safety of the flying
public or the jobs of hard-working Americans," said Veda Shook,
AFA International President. "The FAA reauthorization is essential to allowing our aviation system to grow safely and potentially add thousands of new jobs while securing the tens of thousands of current jobs in the airline sector. Congress must do what is right for U.S. passengers, right for the U.S. economy, and right for hard-working Americans. Congress must pass an FAA reauthorization bill now," added Shook. |