In 'Breathtaking Hypocrisy,' Mica Boasts About FAA Grant for His District

Senate Vote Keeps FAA Open For Now; Fight Continues for Long-Term Funds

Fighting for good jobs and workers' rights, CWA members from Sacramento to Florida (below) are pressuring Republicans in Congress to stop playing politics with FAA funding.

After forcing a costly, job-killing FAA shutdown in July over his anti-union demands, Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) is now bragging about a fat FAA grant that will improve an airport in his congressional district.

"Projects like this are essential to spur economic development in our local community," Mica said of the $6.2 million awarded to upgrade runways and taxiways at St. Augustine's airport. "Transportation improvements, like this project, will create jobs and will provide improved access to and from Northeast Florida."

Mica's blatant hypocrisy is outrageous, say CWA and AFA-CWA members who have leafleted, lobbied and protested exhaustively over the past two months for a clean, long-term FAA funding bill.

"Representative Mica willingly shuts down the FAA and halts projects just like these across the country due to his extreme ideology and now he's acknowledging how important these projects are for his local community and its economic development? That's quite a breathtaking mix of hypocrisy and selective sharing of information," CWA said in a statement.

The FAA was headed for a second shutdown this month until the Senate late Friday approved funds to keep the agency open through January. Between now and then, CWA will continue to push lawmakers to approve permanent funding instead of another stopgap measure.

The 4 ½ month extension — the 22nd temporary funding bill for the agency since 2007 — was possible only after public pressure forced Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to back off his threat to block FAA and federal highway funds.

In July, House Republicans held FAA funds hostage to their demand that the National Mediation Board overturn a new rule ensuring fair union representation elections for airline workers. Previously, workers who didn't vote were counted as "no" votes. Now, only votes cast are counted, as in any other U.S. election.

For two weeks, until temporary funding was approved without the GOP's strings attached, 4,000 FAA employees and more than 70,000 airport construction workers were furloughed, safety and construction projects were halted and more than $400 million in airline taxes went uncollected.

In the latest skirmish, the House passed temporary funds with a week to spare — a victory for CWA, AFA-CWA and allies who brought enormous public pressure to bear on Mica and other House Republicans.

"The House passage of a four-month, clean extension for funding the FAA is a step in the right direction," AFA-CWA said in a statement, but stressed, that the union "remains resolute in our advocacy for long-term funding of the FAA."

"Flight attendants across the country have been on the forefront of this important issue for weeks and those efforts helped push back the tide of union busting provisions that had no place in this bill," AFA-CWA said. "The FAA must be allowed to continue its mission of providing the safest, most efficient aviation system in the world."