 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| F/A Disaster Relief | ||||
|
||||
| Departments | ||
| Elections | ||
| Resources | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
 |
| AFA-CWA Endorses Ed Markey For Senate | ||
|
Washington, DC, May 20, 2013 – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), the world’s largest Flight Attendant union, today announced endorsement of Congressman Ed Markey for the U.S. Senate, specifically noting his proven record on strengthening aviation security. |
| No Knives, Ever Again Rally | ||
|
Washington, DC May 20. 2013– The Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions, representing 90,000 Flight Attendants including United, American, Southwest and US Airways, are conducting a press conference and rally Monday, May 20, 2013 at Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to continue engaging the traveling public in efforts to keep the aircraft cabin free of knives. According to a recent Washington Post article “now the chatter is that the TSA may decide to put the new rules into effect over the Memorial Day weekend.” The TSA’s delayed policy to allow knives into the passenger cabin has been opposed by Flight Attendants, gate agents, TSA officers, air marshals, law enforcement officers, FBI agents, pilots, passengers, 9/11 families and airlines. Nine organizations representing 400,000 members of these groups filed a legal petition with the TSA in opposition to permitting knives in the cabin, reserving their right to take legal action against implementation. Airlines for America (A4A), representing airlines such as United, US Airways, Delta, Alaska and American, joined the legal petition on May 16, 2013 stating, “… the new policy should be rescinded immediately.” Full Media Release>> Press Conference “No Knives, Ever Again” |
| Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants | ||
|
Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants Rally |
| Flight Attendants "No Knives, Ever Again" Protest at Houston Airport | ||
|
Washington, DC, May 17, 2013 – The Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions and industry stakeholders will hold a press conference Monday, May 20, 2013 at Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to continue engaging the traveling public in efforts to keep the passenger cabin free of knives that have been used as weapons. According to a recent Washington Post article “now the chatter is that the TSA may decide to put the new rules into effect over the Memorial Day weekend.” The TSA’s delayed policy to allow knives into the passenger cabin has been opposed by Flight Attendants, gate agents, TSA officers, air marshals, law enforcement officers, FBI agents, pilots, passengers, 9/11 families and airlines. Nine organizations representing 400,000 members of these groups filed a legal petition with the TSA in opposition to permitting knives in the cabin, reserving their right to take legal action against implementation. Airlines for America (A4A), representing airlines such as United, US Airways, Delta, Alaska and American, joined the legal petition on May 16, 2013 and states “… the new policy should be rescinded immediately.” Full Media Release>> Press Conference “No Knives, Ever Again” |
| Flight Attendants "No Knives, Ever Again" Protest at CLT | ||
|
Reports Indicate TSA to Permit Knives, Slow Security, over Memorial Day Washington, DC, May 15, 2013 – Flight Attendants will hold a press conference Thursday, May 16 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to continue to engage the traveling public in efforts to keep the aircraft cabin free of knives that have been used as weapons. According to a recent Washington Post article “now the chatter is that the TSA may decide to put the new rules into effect over the Memorial Day weekend.” TSA officers have expressed concern not only with the dangers of allowing knives in the security checkpoints and beyond, but also noted that these new procedures would slow security lines. The TSA’s delayed policy to allow knives into the aircraft cabin has been opposed by Flight Attendants, gate agents, TSA officers, air marshals, law enforcement officers, FBI agents, pilots, passengers, 9/11 families and airlines. Last week nine organizations representing 400,000 members of these groups filed a legal petition with the TSA in opposition to permitting knives in the cabin, reserving their right to take legal action against implementation. Flight Attendants, including the 60,000 represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), have opposed the ill-advised plan from the start and remain resolute: No Knives on Planes Ever Again. Full Media Release>> Press Conference “No Knives, Ever Again” |
| Legal Petition Filed With TSA & Homeland Security | ||
|
Washington, D.C., May 6, 2013 – Lawyers for nine organizations representing 400,000 aviation professionals, passengers and law enforcement officers today filed a legal petition with Transportation Security Administrator John Pistole and copied to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano seeking to rescind plans to allow knives in the aircraft cabins for the first time since 9/11. “The Transportation Security Administration and the Homeland Security Department cannot dismiss the grave security concerns of 400,000 people on the front lines of U.S. aviation, including TSA’s own Transportation Security Officers and Air Marshals,” the coalition asserted. The coalition also includes flight attendants, gate agents, pilots, law enforcement and passengers. The petition makes five critical points: – Permitting knives in the cabin is an unnecessary risk to the traveling public and violates the Administrator’s duty—as set out by Congress. A TSA-approved knife could be used to stab or kill a passenger, crew member, federal air marshal, gate agent or TSA Security Officer by a terrorist, mentally ill person or drug or alcohol-impaired passenger. A TSA-approved a knife could be used to hijack a plane. – It would be irresponsible to relax the TSA’s existing policy on knives when virtually every organization representing those directly affected by the change adamantly opposes it on safety and security grounds. – Federal regulations currently ban all weapons on airplanes and in airport secure areas, and a knife is a weapon. – TSA’s argument for the change is false. TSA says the change would bring the US in line with the international standard for knives. There is no international standard for knives: Canada, Israel and Taiwan – to name a few – ban knives on planes. – One of the nation’s foremost experts on knives provides testimony stating that with many folding knives the only way to be certain whether its blade locks is to open the knife. However, TSA has instructed its Officers to screen knives in only a closed position. Consequently, knives that lock will inevitably wind up on airport concourses and aircraft cabins. Should TSA change its directive and allow TSA’s officer to directly examine knives at security checkpoints, the Officers would have to devote substantially more time to screening knives and security lines would slow. Full Media Release>> |
| Compass Airlines Flight Attendants | ||
|
|
| Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants | ||
|
Washington, DC, May 1, 2013 – Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), today filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB). Today is the one-year anniversary of the contract’s amendable date. “For the last three contracts, Flight Attendants responded to management’s plea to keep costs low while the airline created a winning strategy,” said Jeffrey Peterson, AFA president at Alaska Airlines. “We partnered with them in good faith. As a result, we have fallen far behind our airline peers in compensation in most pay steps and pay rules.” Full Media Release>> |
| Piedmont Airlines Flight Attendants | ||
|
No Flight Attendant Agreement Reached After Recent Negotiations Washington, DC, April 30, 2013– The reality of a strike at US Airways Express carrier Piedmont Airlines appears to be drawing closer after continued stonewalling by management throughout contract negotiations. Piedmont Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), has been working to reach an agreement that is beneficial to crewmembers and to the airline. Meanwhile, management has presented unreasonable proposals and has frequently made regressive proposals in bargaining. “Piedmont Flight Attendants are standing up for our share in the success of our airline. Our professional contributions have been instrumental for Piedmont and US Airways and we fully expect that those efforts be recognized,” said Anita Jwanouskos, AFA Piedmont President. Full Media Release>> |
| Reducing Flight Delays Act Goes To President | ||
|
April 26, 2013- Mark Udall welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote today to send his bipartisan deal to end long lines and delays at the nation’s airports to the president’s desk. The Udall-led deal, which unanimously passed the U.S. Senate earlier this week, gives the U.S. Secretary of Transportation the flexibility to avoid further furloughs of essential employees at the Federal Aviation Administration. The deal, which leaders in the airline and travel industries have said will get our airlines back on schedule and bolster passenger safety, now heads to the White House to be signed into law. “Colorado’s airports are some of the most important economic drivers in our communities. The indiscriminate, automatic budget cuts of sequestration not only threatened the convenience of the traveling public, but also created an unacceptable and avoidable drag on our resurgent economy," Udall said. “Washington-style brinksmanship threatened to cripple travel, tourism, business and commerce. That’s why I was proud to rally a bipartisan coalition in the Senate to unchain our airports and restore common sense to the FAA. I am proud the U.S. House of Representatives has joined me in supporting middle-class families and our nation’s businesses by sending this important bipartisan solution to the president’s desk.” Full Article>> |
| Breaking News | ||
|
April 25, 2013, 9:00pm EDT - The Senate passed a bill on Thursday evening to end air traffic controller furloughs caused by the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester that have been blamed for mounting flight delays across the country. |
| TSA Postpones Knives On Planes Decision | ||
|
|
| Flight Attendant Union Coalition To Napolitano - No Knives On Planes | ||
|
Flight Attendants Express Grave Concern Over Allowing Knives on Planes Washington, DC, April 19, 2013 - As terrorist activity puts the country on high alert, the Coalition of Flight Attendant Unions, representing 90,000 U.S. flight attendants nationwide, today called on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to immediately cancel a new policy that would allow airline passengers to bring knives aboard airline flights starting next Thursday, April 25. The Coalition is appealing to Napolitano with the following statement: “Given this week's deadly terrorist attacks in Boston, this is not the time to be relaxing homeland security rules that protect the lives of the public, airline passengers and airline crews. It would be irresponsible to go forward next week with these ill-conceived changes in rules that were put in place after the 9/11 terrorist attacks for good reason. Full Media Release>> |
| 9/11 Family Member Urges TSA - No Knives On Planes | ||
|
Rebecca Marchand Meets with Lawmakers Following Boston Tragedy Washington, DC, April 16, 2013 – The Flight Attendants’ Union Coalition, representing 90,000 Flight Attendants at carriers across the country, released an open letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole from Rebecca Marchand, widow of Flight Attendant Alfred Marchand who was murdered by men with small knives on 9/11, United flight 175. She is also a mother of a current Flight Attendant. “The attacks in Boston prove once again that we can’t be selective in our vigilance. We must guard against all threats, big and small,” Marchand writes. “As the wife of a Flight Attendant killed on 9/11, and the mother of a Flight Attendant who flies today, I have earned the right to say this: Knives have NO place on an airplane." Rebecca Marchand is calling on Congress to make sure the dangerous policy change to allow knives will not be allowed to take effect. She and her Flight Attendant son are visiting with lawmakers this week to build support for bipartisan legislation that will keep knives off the plane. The No Knives Act of 2013, H.R. 1093 was introduced by Congressmen Ed Markey (D-MA) and Michael Grimm (R-NY) last month. Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have called for a reversal of the policy and last month filed a budget amendment resolution aimed at keeping the ban on knives in the aircraft cabin. Full Media Release>> |
| Boston Marathon Tragedy | ||
|
Boston Tragedy: Confirming Wellness of All AFA Members It is reported this afternoon that at least two large explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon have caused the death of two and several other injuries. It is not yet clear the extent of this incident, nor the actions behind it. We encourage all members to be vigilant across the nation. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA EAP (AFA Employee Assistance Program) Department has activated their response effort to support any potential AFA members affected by the tragedy near the finish line of the Boston Marathon today. AFA EAP Representatives and local leadership at each airline are in the process of confirming wellness of all crews laying over in Boston. In addition, we are working to confirm the wellness of all Flight Attendants based in Boston or living in the Boston area. Full Article>> |
| Crew Member Self-Defense Training | ||
| The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in partnership with American Association of Community colleges (AACC) is conducting trainings. For dates, locations and Points of Contacts (POCs) for 2009, for the "Crew Member Self-Defense Training (CMSDT)" Program, click here» | ||
 |
 |