Tell Congress: Fund the FAA Without Holding Workers' Rights Hostage

As a Sept. 16 funding deadline nears, CWA activists are mounting an all-out campaign to prevent anti-union Republicans from forcing another senseless shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Call (888) 516-5820 to tell your member of Congress to fund the FAA without attacking worker rights. The U.S. Capitol operator will connect you to your representative.

For two weeks beginning July 23, House Republicans held funding for the agency hostage to their demand that long-sought democratic election rules for airline and railroad workers be overturned. By refusing to pass a funding reauthorization bill unless the fair election language was removed, Republicans forced the furloughs of 4,000 FAA employees and more than 70,000 airport project construction workers.

The shutdown ended only when members of the U.S. Senate put politics aside and agreed to extend the funding temporarily, ending Sept. 16.

Led by House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, and pushed by anti-union Delta Airlines, Republicans are trying to reverse a National Mediation Board rule change that simply ensures that airline union elections play by the same democratic rules as all other U.S. elections. Previously, airline workers who didn't vote in union representation elections were counted as "no" votes; now only the votes cast are counted.

To educate the public about the risk of another shutdown, AFA-CWA flight attendants are hand-billing passengers at airports across the country. AFA members leafleted at Phoenix International Airport earlier this week and are taking their campaign to Charlotte and Philadelphia today and Portland, Ore., tomorrow.

CWAers near those airports are urged to join the actions or take a moment to call members of Congress and tell them to stop playing politics with the nation's airline safety. Call toll-free, (888) 516-5820, to get the U.S. Capitol switchboard, which can connect you with your U.S. representative. You can also click here to send an email to your House member.

Download a "Countdown to Shutdown" handout explaining the campaign.