House Bill Clarifies FMLA for Flight Attendants

A U.S. House bill supported by AFA-CWA and introduced by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) seeks to clarify the Family and Medical Leave Act to ensure that its benefits are available to flight attendants.

Currently, flight attendants face more hurdles than other workers in order to qualify for FMLA benefits. AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend said that's due to language in the law that has been narrowly interpreted and fails to take into account the unique way the airline industry counts employee hours. Hours worked is one of the standards in the FMLA law for determining who's eligible for benefits.

Speaking at a Thursday news conference with Friend, Bishop said his bill "will clarify the intent of the law in order to provide a fair and well-deserved benefit to the hard-working airline crewmembers."