As U.S. Senate Plans Vote this Week, Outcry Over Anti-Worker FAA Bill Grows

WASHINGTON D.C. – As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization legislation moves toward a Senate vote early this week, a rising chorus of voices is making clear their opposition as the horrendous impact on workers becomes clear. Among the problems: the FAA legislation is a “compromise” in name only, would set a dangerous precedent by amending 75 year old labor law, and would inflict significant harm on union organizing efforts.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the damaging FAA Reauthorization bill 248-169 despite strong opposition from Democratic House Members. If the Senate passes the legislation it will move to the President’s desk. Earlier in the year, the White House threatened to veto a bill with union-busting provisions.

As Talking Points Memo framed the stakes of the Senate vote in a new article, “Senate Democrats and organized labor have reached a make or break moment over House-passed legislation that will make it harder for transportation workers to unionize… if the bill passes unchanged, it threatens to widen a rift between labor and incumbent Democrats this election year.”

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and other union and progressive voices are making clear that this current version of the FAA Reauthorization bill is unacceptable. Among the actions and activities expressing opposition:

• 18 international unions, representing over 10 million members, signed a letter calling for passage of a clean FAA Reauthorization bill
• Additional letters sent from the United Steelworkers and National Education Association in opposition. NEA’s letter states, “We strongly urge your opposition to the bill as long as these anti-worker, anti-union provisions remain.”
• The Congressional Progressive Caucus released a statement highlighting the legislation’s potential damage to working families.
• 1,000 CWA members were educated and mobilized on the attack on their rights within the FAA Reauthorization bill at the annual conference by CWA International President Larry Cohen and AFA-CWA International President Veda Shook
• 1,000 CWA members lobbied on Capitol Hill on February 1^st to stop this attack on their rights
• 75,000 CWA action team members are making contact with their members in key states
• 250,000 calls out to the CWA membership to generate calls to the Senate
• 300,000 emails sent to CWA’s online network of members and allies to generate letters
• Online banner ads in Politico and The Hill and constituent-targeted Google search/contextual ads

The proposed FAA bill creates new roadblocks for employees seeking union representation, would take away secret ballot rights, increases the threshold needed to call for a union election, makes collective bargaining more difficult, and limits the safeguards provided by the National Mediation Board (NMB).

CWA and other opponents urge the U.S. Senate to delete the provisions of the proposed compromise legislation that would amend the Railway Labor Act and to instead move a clean version of the FAA legislation forward.

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Contact: Michael Earls, 202-261-2388