WASHINGTON, D.C. — AFL-CIO flight attendant unions representing the vast majority of the nation’s flight attendants successfully lobbied Congress to reject a behind the scenes effort by the airline industry to dramatically weaken anti-terrorism training mandated by Congress in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Corporate lobbyists for the nation’s air carriers had recently mounted a stealth campaign on Capitol Hill to sneak a provision into the FY 2003 omnibus appropriations bill to make this training voluntary and thus create a dangerous loophole that the AFL-CIO unions warned would gravely undermine aviation security. The legislation, minus this provision, was approved by the House and Senate late Thursday.
“All other flight attendant training to protect the lives of passengers is mandatory,” said Patricia Friend, a United Airlines flight attendant and International President of the Association of Flight Attendants. “We can’t opt out of learning how to fight in-flight fires, first aid training or evacuation procedures, and it would be wrong to make training that could potentially save thousands of human lives voluntary.”
Flight attendants feared that if such training were downgraded to voluntary, there would have been too much temptation for cost-conscious employers to cut corners on safety and to not actively encourage their employees to receive the training they need. “We can’t allow anyone to put a price tag on safety. There can be no weak link in protecting the flying public and the nation,” said Mollie Reiley, a Northwest Airlines flight attendant and the Trustee for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 2000, representing nearly 12,000 workers.
“We commend Congress for rejecting the airlines’ power grab,” said Carla Winkler, a Continental Airlines flight attendant and International Representative with the International Association of Machinists. “This is a tremendous victory for cabin crew members and homeland security and demonstrates the strength of flight attendants when they speak with one voice.”
“It is outrageous that certain airlines tried, in the darkness of the night, to weaken anti-terrorism training requirements for the women and men on the front lines of making air travel safer,” said Thom McDaniel, president of Transport Workers Union Local 556 representing 7,300 Southwest Airlines flight attendants. “Flight attendants nationwide said no to this power play and Congress stood with the workers, not special interests.”
The unions are organized under the umbrella of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), which earlier this month unveiled a unified agenda that includes strengthening anti-terrorism and other training, passing flight attendant certification legislation, securing OSHA safety and health standards and protections for flight attendants, and improving airline and airport security.