Republican FAA Shutdown Costs 4,000 Jobs, Threatens 90,000
When Republican House leaders forced a shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week, they not only forced the layoff of 4,000 FAA workers, they also put at risk nearly 90,000 construction jobs at airports around the country.
FAA funding expired after midnight Friday because Republicans blocked temporary funding in an effort to overturn a new rule making union elections among rail and airline workers more democratic.
With a long-term FAA funding bill stalled, Congress could have passed temporary spending authority, as it has 20 times in the past without controversy. But like their tactics on debt ceiling negotiations, Republicans are demanding their way at any cost.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called on Republicans “to stop playing ideological games” and to:
get down to the serious business of creating jobs, instead of laying off FAA aviation experts and tens of thousands of construction workers, who are already experiencing close to 20 percent unemployment rates nationally. Adding insult to injury, just as the government reaches its debt limit, this disruption of the FAA means that aviation taxes—totaling up to $200 million a week—that normally fund our aviation infrastructure may instead end up in the airlines’ pockets.
Republican Attack on Workers’ Rights Puts Aviation Safety at Risk
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UPDATE: Both the House and Senate adjourned this afternoon without taking action on the FAA bill, ensuring a midnight shutdown. Senate Republicans blocked a move for a temporary extension of the agency’s funding.
At midnight tonight, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is slated to run out of money and be forced to suspend vital operations because House Republicans want to deny aviation and rail workers a simple majority vote—the same process that applies to electing lawmakers—on whether to join a union.
Republicans are holding a temporary funding bill hostage because they want to overturn a new rule adopted last year by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that says air and rail elections should be decided by a majority of votes cast. Previously under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which covers rail and airline workers, each worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote.
Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), says:
Republican leaders are doing the bidding of a few airline CEOs who refuse to allow this bill to move forward unless it eviscerates fair union election rules. No wonder the public is growing weary of the majority leaders in the House and their tactics.
Privatization Would Bankrupt Amtrak
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Ever since the Reagan administration, conservative Republicans have been trying to rip apart the nation’s passenger rail system, Amtrak, and sell its assets to Wall Street. The latest effort, led by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), would privatize Amtrak’s most profitable Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C., and sell the rest of the system to the highest bidder.
With Amtrak doing better today than at any time in its history, breaking up the system would bankrupt the railway, cost thousands of jobs and defeat the purpose of a national passenger rail system.
Take action now. Tell your elected representative that the purpose of running a national passenger rail system isn’t to help Wall Street and private investors make money. Tell them that privatizing Amtrak will bankrupt it and destroy thousands of good jobs.
Breaking: House Votes 220-206 to Keep Anti-Union Rail and Air Elections in FAA Bill
In a defeat for working people, the amendment to strip an anti-union measure from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) re-authorization bill failed on a vote of 220–206. The White House had warned that President Obama would veto the FAA bill if House Republicans prevailed and their move to overturn fair and democratic election rules for air and rail workers remains in the final version.
The House Republican version of the bill (H.R. 658) would repeal last year’s new rule by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that says air and rail elections should be decided just like any other election—including congressional elections—by a majority of votes cast. Previously under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which covers rail and airline workers, each worker who did not cast a vote in a representation election was automatically counted as a “No” vote. The Senate version the FAA bill does not roll back the democratic election rule.
AFL-CIO and Chamber Agree on Obama’s Call for Infrastructure Rebuild
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Today, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue issued a rare joint statement supporting “Obama’s call to create jobs and grow the U.S. economy through investment in our nation’s infrastructure.” Trumka and Donohue said:
Whether it is building roads, bridges, high-speed broadband, energy systems and schools, these projects not only create jobs and demand for businesses, they are an investment in building the modern infrastructure our country needs to compete in a global economy.
With the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO standing together to support job creation, we hope that Democrats and Republicans in Congress will also join together to build America’s infrastructure.
Last night, Trumka said that many of the economic plans President Obama outlined in his State of the Union message showed he “was heading in the right direction” to restoring the health of the economy and the middle class.
Here are some other reactions. Click here to read Trumka’s full statement.
Obama’s call to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure—which Obama described as at the core of “winning the future”—upped the ante in the debate about investing in the nation’s crumbling transportation system and infrastructure, says AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) President Edward C. Wytkind.
President Obama is in complete agreement with transportation labor in saying that America can no longer afford to fall behind China—with its “faster trains and newer airports”—and the rest of the world in investing in the movement of people, goods and information. He said our infrastructure used to be the best—”but our lead has slipped.” And he talked about the need to “redouble” our efforts to use strategically significant investments to create good jobs. Needless to say, we agree.
Obama: Infrastructure a Top Priority
This is a cross-post from Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department.
At the President’s Columbus Day meeting, I was proud to be at a White House that wants to transform the way we think about and invest in transportation. President Obama is thinking big, and his commitment to expanding and rebuilding America’s transportation network is going to be the key to getting it done.
I’ve long said that if we’re ever going to meet the needs of our decaying transportation system and infrastructure, we need to wring the partisan politics from the debate. Transportation bills have historically enjoyed bipartisan support. Decades of history are filled with examples of Republicans and Democrats coming together around big, often transformative transportation investments.
Rebuilding the Infrastructure Is a ‘No-Brainer’
When President Obama announced his plan to rebuild our nation’s transportation infrastructure, he was affirming what the AFL-CIO and the union movement have been saying for years: Our crumbling infrastructure needs rebuilding and doing so would put thousands of people back to work.
Today, the Council of Economic Advisers and the Treasury Department released a report spelling out the benefits of investing in our infrastructure, saying “well designed infrastructure investments have long term economic benefits” and “the middle class will benefit disproportionately from this investment.” The report also points out that a huge majority of Americans support infrastructure investment.
Senate Confirms Former ALPA President Woerth
The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) today praised the Senate’s confirmation yesterday of former Air Line Pilots (ALPA) President Duane Woerth as U.S. ambassador of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The ICAO is an United Nations agency that fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
In a statement, TTD President Edward Wytkind said:
For decades Woerth has demonstrated his deep understanding of the complex issues that stem from the globalization of air transportation. Having a skilled and forceful ambassador during ICAO deliberations will serve the Obama administration well and will ensure that U.S. aviation concerns, including those of aviation labor, are brought before this important U.N. global aviation policy forum.
Time to Clear Aviation Bill for Take Off
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Congress returns to work this week and one of its top priorities, say the nation’s aviation unions, is to break the gridlock that has held the vital aviation safety and investment bill hostage.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization is now on its 15th temporary extension since 2007 and that expires Sept. 30. Both the U.S. Senate and House have passed versions of the aviation bill. But with so little time until Congress adjourns for the fall elections, it’s time to tell your lawmakers, “Pass the FAA Bill Now!”
The bill funds air traffic control modernization, airport expansion and makes air travel safer for the flying public and for workers. The legislation would create an estimated 300,000 jobs because of the investments in air traffic control modernization and airport improvements. It also addresses important labor-management and workers’ rights issues.
Emergency Transit Funding Protects Riders and Workers
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Unless the U.S. Senate passes emergency funding introduced in legislation (S. 3412) this week, working families who count on public transportation systems in communities across the country will face even more severe fare increases and service cuts and transit workers are looking at further layoffs.
State and local governments have been hit hard by the downturn in the economy and public transportation systems nationwide are experiencing major budget cuts as a result. Amalgamated Transit Union President (ATU) Warren George says that since January 2009, six out of 10 transit systems have cut services, raised fares, or both.
Thousands of transit workers have been laid off and millions of commuters have less access to public transportation. Without emergency action, the problems will only get worse—seven out of 10 transit systems are facing deficits in the coming year.
