PASS Supports Congressional Action to Assist Airline Employees

PASS stands with the aviation industry employees who have been furloughed after lawmakers failed to extend the Payroll Support Program. That provision in the CARES Act kept hundreds of thousands of airline workers employed by preventing the airlines from issuing layoff or furlough notices but it expired at midnight, September 30. Now, tens of thousands of aviation industry workers are facing weeks, if not months, of no pay unless Congress can reach agreement to support the industry.

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PASS Supports House Transportation Committee Bill on FAA Certification

For years, the Profesional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), has called upon the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Congress to reexamine the Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program, as direct FAA involvement in aircraft certification has been significantly reduced and more oversight has been turned over to industry. PASS has asked the FAA to put the brakes on expanding ODA, as called for in the 2018 FAA reauthorization. While the system is not entirely broken, holes have developed that jeopardize aviation safety and the flying public. The bi-partisan Aircraft Certification Reform and Accountability Act, introduced by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on September 28, 2020, takes the much-needed steps to close those holes and ensure that aircraft manufactured in the United States are held to the highest standards. PASS supports this legislation as it Increases the agency’s oversight role and authority in the certification process while empowering FAA employees with the tools, skills and resources to keep pace with new and emerging technology. “The Aviation Safety employees that PASS represents at the FAA are highly skilled and trained professionals,” said PASS National President Mike Perrone. “The union is grateful that committee members on both sides of the aisle aim to provide them with the resources they need to accomplish the mission of the FAA and in doing so, protect the American flying public.”

PASS Joins Call to Congress on Behalf of Transportation Workers

This week, PASS and the other affiliate unions of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD), AFL-CIO, sent a letter to top congressional leaders calling on lawmakers to pass an economic relief package this month to aid essential workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, especially those in the transportation sector. “Transportation workers have been at the center of these efforts, making sure that the goods and people that keep our country healthy get where they need to be. Now these workers, and the broader economy, need your help.”

Earlier this summer, PASS and the aviation unions of TTD urged lawmakers to extend the Payroll Support Program (PSP) for airline employees in the next COVID-19 response legislation. That legislation has stalled. By providing millions of dollars to airlines under the CARES Act, the PSP has kept hundreds of thousands of airlines workers employed by preventing the airlines from any layoffs or furloughs, but it expires in just two weeks.

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Support Aviation Workers; Extend Payroll Support Program

Earlier this week, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), joined 12 other aviation labor unions in asking members of Congress to sign a letter urging extension of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) for airline employees. The bi-partisan letter is asking House and Senate leadership to include the extension in the next COVID-19 response legislation.

By providing millions of dollars to airlines under the CARES Act earlier this year, the PSP has kept hundreds of thousands of airlines workers employed by preventing the airlines from any layoffs or furloughs through September 30.

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PASS, Federal Unions, Call For Protections as Government Seeks to Reopen

Yesterday, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS) joined a coalition of federal employee unions in writing a letter to President Trump asking the administration to “prioritize the safety and security of its workers” as the government looks to call its workforce back to facilities after nearly three months of maximized telework during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We share in your desire to resume the vital work of federal employees as soon as it can be responsibly achieved, and we hope you recognize that it is paramount that workers be protected while performing their duties,” the letter states. 

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Honoring Public Servants

Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW), a yearly celebration to honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county and local government employees, starts Sunday, May 3.

This, however, is a year unlike any other. Since the beginning of March, public service employees nationwide have been on the job under extraordinary circumstances. Bus and subway operators working in confined quarters, risking exposure to COVID-19. Public school teachers engaging students now confined at home through video conferences. State government workers trying to keep up with the crush of unemployment claims. Postal workers providing a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable citizens. Firefighters and first responders always on the frontlines, not knowing what the next 911 call will bring. And employees at public hospitals from coast to coast struggling under the worst of it.

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