Government Affairs Committee
Our Voice On Capitol Hill
The Government Affairs Committee brings issues that affect our careers to the attention of our legislators on Capitol Hill as well as to state and local law-makers. The goal of the committee is to legislate as much as possible, taking items off the table so that we won't have to negotiate for them.
News
Delta Breaks Layoff Promise
Letter to Members of Congress
Pat Friend, International President sent a letter to members of Congress on December 10 making them aware of the recent announcements by Delta of capacity cuts and potential adjustments to staffing. In the letter Pat reminds Congress of the promises made during the hearings that there would be no layoffs as a result of the merger.
Read Article Letter *HERE!* Posted by NWA Webmaster on 12/12 at 03:32 PM
AFA-CWA Sets Legislative Agenda for the 111th Congress
The AFA-CWA Legislative/Political Policy Committee met in Washington DC the first week of December with every MEC Government Affairs Chair from all the AFA-CWA represented airlines to discuss our legislative agenda for the 111th Congress. The 111th Congress will be sworn into office on January 6th, 2009 and we are ready to hit the pavement and visit our old friends and make some new ones on Capitol Hill. With a majority in the both chambers and a working families friendly administration we are hopeful that our issues will get through this Congress. With your help we know that we can accomplish what we have not been able to for the past eight years during one of the most labor-unfriendly administrations in history. Our legislative priorities will include:
- Support for the NWA/DL Representational Election
- FMLA
- FAA Reauthorization Bill
- Bankruptcy Reform Bill
- Employee Free Choice Act
- Healthcare Reform
- Employee Non-Discrimination Act
For a complete report please click on the link to the right - Government Affairs Year- end Report 2008
Posted by Gov Affairs on 12/11 at 04:24 PMThe Minnesota House Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee Hearing, November 13, 2008
Speech by members of your Government Affairs Committee - Rene Foss and Camilla Worlkerstorfer
Good day ladies and gentlemen, Representative Debra Hilstrom, members of the Metropolitan Affairs Committee. My name is Rene Foss and with me is Camilla Wolkerstorfer. We are Minnesota residents, Northwest Airlines flight attendants, and proud members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
We welcome the opportunity to speak with you today regarding our thoughts about the Delta Northwest merger. We understand your concerns about the company using the merger as a way to possibly break its contracts with the state of Minnesota because we, too, are concerned that this merger could be used as an opportunity to break our contract, eliminate our union and destroy our collective bargaining rights. Without these protections it is likely management will drive down wages, benefits, work rules and eliminate jobs all together.
Without a union another devastating threat in this merger is the potential outsourcing of our good flight attendant jobs. Such outsourcing of flight attendant jobs on international routes to foreign nationals could resurface and become standard industry practice hurting not only Minnesota flight attendants, but flight attendants throughout the country.
When Northwest first proposed outsourcing of our jobs to foreign nationals during bankruptcy, a bipartisan group of House and Senate members rose up to decry such a move as jeopardizing aviation safety and especially security. With a union fighting to protect flight attendant jobs and support from Congress, Northwest backed away from such a proposal and thousands of Northwest flight attendants jobs were saved. Only if our union retains its bargaining rights following the merger will flight attendants have the legal standing to continue the fight against such outrageous ideas as outsourcing our jobs.
Soon the combined workgroup of Delta and Northwest flight attendants will vote in a representational election to determine whether or not we will have a union. This election must take place without interference, intimidation or underhanded tactics. Delta executives have not been shy about their efforts to prevent employees from forming unions. In fact they have flatly stated to our AFA union leadership that there would not be a seat at the table for flight attendants.
I urge everyone here today to send a strong clear message to the Delta executives that they must not use this merger as a means to destroy collective bargaining rights of the employees. I urge you to monitor Delta management as we move forward on our election to determine our representation status so that they do not again engage in blatant union busting activities such as they did recently when they announced raises for non-union Delta flight attendants but not the Northwest flight attendants . And finally I hope that you will use your influence to persuade Delta management to remain neutral in this election. For if they are successful in keeping the “new Delta” non union we could see this merger as the beginning of the end to good jobs in the airline industry, the state of Minnesota and our country as a whole.
Thank you for holding this hearing and allowing us to express our concerns today.
Posted by Gov Affairs on 11/14 at 05:55 PMA Victory for Working Families - A Historical and Momentous Moment for Our Country!
Tuesday November 4, 2008 we witnessed an historical moment with the election of Barack Obama, the first African American elected President of the United States four decades after the Civil Rights movement. This amazing victory signifies a tremendous move forward for all Americans and especially working families in our country. For the past eight years, America’s working families have been ignored and Washington policies have favored the agenda of corporate America. While the results of this election mark a hopeful day for our country, just because we now have a government that will listen to working families does not mean we can sit back and relax.
Our work begins immediately with the inauguration of our new president and the next session of Congress: we will need to roll up our sleeves and ensure that we garner full support from the new Congress and the new administration on flight attendant issues. If you would like to help us with the exciting challenges ahead, please contact your Local Officers, who will put you in touch with a member of the Government Affairs Committee – and put you to work! In a few days, we will also be listing the final results for all Congressional seats. Thanks to all of you who worked to make this election a success for working families. Thanks to all of you who continue to focus and advocate on behalf of our issues. Thanks to all of you who voted for justice for America’s workers.
Posted by Gov Affairs on 11/05 at 08:22 PMCongress Calls for a Hearing to Discuss the National Mediation Board Conduct
On Wednesday, September 24, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure regarding the conduct of the National Mediation Board (NMB) and its anti-worker policies.
The NMB is the federal agency in charge of enforcing the Railway Labor Act, which protects workers’ rights to organize unions and engage in free and fair collective bargaining in the U.S. transportation industry. The NMB is run by a three-person board who are appointed by the President of the United States. Over the past eight years, the NMB has not only neglected its basic role in protecting workers, but has served corporate interest time and time again.
AFA-CWA International President Patricia Friend and Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen sent a joint letter to Congress demanding a public hearing be held regarding the NMB’s conduct prior to the finalization of the merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
The hearing brought up, among other things the fact that the current chair of the NMB is a former employee and lobbyist for Northwest Airlines at a time when many decisions impacting the merger between her former employer and Delta are being made by the NMB. In the recent election for Delta flight attendant representation, the NMB turned a blind eye to Delta management’s unprecedented anti-union, voter suppression campaign. Additionally, they allowed Delta management to keep a deceased flight attendant on the eligibility list.
For a video of International President Patricia Friend’s testimony please visit http://www.afanet.org
Federal Body Nixes Proposal on Airline Unions
Federal board nixes proposal on unions that opponents called a gift to merging airlines
September 11, 2008: 07:29 PM EST
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - The federal body that oversees airline labor relations is withdrawing a proposal that critics said would have made it harder to keep unions in place when airlines such as Delta and Northwest combine.
In a notice issued Thursday, the National Mediation Board wrote that it had been aiming to clarify existing policy about how union representation is transferred in a merger where one carrier has unions and the other does not.
Pilots are the only large union at Delta Air Lines Inc., while all front-line workers at Northwest Airlines Corp. are unionized. Delta is acquiring Northwest in a stock-swap deal they hope will close around the end of this year.
“Due to the concerns and confusion expressed by the commenting parties, the board has decided that it will not implement the manual revision proposals at the current time,” mediation board General Counsel Mary L. Johnson wrote in the notice.
The three-member board made the proposal on July 15, two weeks after Read Van de Water became chairman. She had been Northwest Airlines’ director of government affairs - its chief lobbyist until 1997.
The lone Democratic appointee on the board, Harry R. Hoglander, had publicly opposed one part of the proposal, writing on Aug. 15 that it had prompted the perception that the National Mediation Board is “biased in favor of carriers in general, and Delta Airlines in particular.”
Hoglander was referring to a provision that the unions said would have made it tougher to continue certification after an airline merger. In cases where a union represents workers at one merger partner but not the other, the NMB proposed to “exercise its discretion and extend the certification only where there is more than a substantial majority, as determined by the board.”
That struck the unions as far too vague, and they wondered why the board was in such a hurry to adopt it.
Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department at the AFL-CIO, said it looked like the board was working in advance of the election to make it harder to keep unions at merged airlines. The board’s three members are appointed by the President, though only two can be from the same party.
“This was clearly a sop to the employer community with the hope they could secure rules” more favorable to employers, he said.
CWA and AFA Leaders Ask for Congressional Hearing on NMB
AFA-CWA President Pat Friend and CWA President Larry Cohen have called for a congressional hearing on the conduct of the National Mediation Board before the merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Airlines is finalized. The NMB oversees organizing and bargaining rights for airline and rail workers.
In a letter to House committee chairs George Miller, Education and Labor, and James Oberstar, Transportation and Infrastructure, Friend and Cohen stressed that recent changes to longstanding policies proposed by the NMB are yet another example of the agency’s outrageous attempts to thwart the ability of workers in the airline industry to organize, and must be investigated.
“Specifically, the NMB has failed to even investigate illegal employer misconduct as flight attendants at Delta recently sought to join AFA-CWA. At the same time, the agency is racing to ram through new regulations to make employee representation more difficult,” they wrote.
The current chair of the NMB is a former lobbyist for Northwest Airlines at a time when many decisions that affect the merger between Northwest and Delta Airlines are being made, they pointed out.
This board turned a “blind eye to Delta Airline management’s unprecedented anti-union, voter suppression campaign” during the recent Delta flight attendant representation election, they noted, even allowing Delta to keep the name of a deceased flight attendant on the eligibility list.
“It is time to shine a spotlight on the overwhelmingly anti-worker policies of this NMB and hold members accountable” for their obvious support of the anti-union actions of corporations like Delta, they wrote.
Congress also must examine the onerous election rules that have been implemented by the NMB that require a participation rate of 50 percent plus one of the workforce, rather than a simple majority of votes cast. This standard is out of step with every other democratic election in this country, Friend and Cohen said.
Posted by Gov Affairs on 09/11 at 02:03 PMResolution passed by the Stonewall Democrats
The Stonewall Democrats, the only National Voice of the LGBT Democratic community is a grassroots network connecting LGBT communities across the country advocating for social change. Members represent every age range, geographic area, ethnicity and gender, In 2007 the Stonewall Democrats honored our International President Patricia Friend for her part in advancing the LGBT movement along with other heroes such as Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). This past week the Stonewall Democrats passed the following resolution in support of the Northwest Airlines flight attendants.
WHEREAS Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines have announced a merger, which would produce the nation’s, and potentially the world’s, largest airline and:
WHEREAS currently the flight attendants at Northwest Airlines have over 60 years of collective bargaining and union membership history which has provided the benefits of a union contract that protects their jobs and benefits while Delta flight attendants are not unionized and are subjected to the whims of airline management, and;
WHEREAS when the merger is finalized, the flight attendants at the merged airlines will have an election to determine if they will have a voice on the job, the protections of a contract and union representation, and;
WHEREAS a majority of Delta flight attendants recently signed authorization cards requesting union representation which resulted in a union election amongst the Delta flight attendants, and:
WHEREAS in that election Delta management engaged in an unprecedented intimidation, voter suppression and anti-union campaign the likes of which has never been seen in the airline industry that resulted in not enough flight attendants participating in that election for it to be validated, and;
WHEREAS Delta Airlines management has announced that they will do whatever it takes to remain the world’s largest non-union airline, which includes schemes to outsource flight attendant jobs, and crush any efforts by flight attendants and any other employees to form a union and to gain a voice on the job, and:
WHEREAS everything must be done to protect the long history of collective bargaining rights of the Northwest Airlines flight attendants and to provide for a sound and stable future for the flight attendants of the new merged Delta Airlines,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Stonewall Democrats will stand with Northwest Airlines flight attendants in their fight to preserve their long standing, fundamental and legal rights to collective bargaining and a union contract in the face of an historic anti-union, voter suppression campaign by the Delta Airlines CEO and management and:
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Stonewall Democrats calls upon all elected Democratic officials across this country to stand up and send a clear message to Delta Airlines management that their anti-union behavior will not be tolerated and that airline management must remain neutral in order to let the flight attendants of that airline decide on union representation free from undue interference and intimidation.
Posted by Gov Affairs on 08/25 at 09:50 AMWe Did It! - HR2744 Passes the House
On Tuesday, May 20 the House of Representatives passed the Airline Crew (FMLA) Technical Corrections Act (HR2744). The final count was 402 to 9, an impressive and substantial majority. The successful passage of this bill is due to the grass roots effort by all of us that sent in letters and called our elected officials asking them to support this very important legislation. We would like to especially express our gratitude to Shane Larson, AFA-CWA Director of Government Affairs for his guidance as well as the other Government Affairs activists at our airline and from the other 21 AFA-CWA represented carriers that worked tirelessly to make this happen. A special thank you to Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) one of the original copsonsors of the bill that helped us gain other GOP cosponsors. We now must focus on the companion bill in the Senate (S2059). We currently have 24 cosponsors and would like to continue the bi-partisan trend that we currently enjoy in the Senate bill. The hurdle that we face now is educating the Senate on the uniqueness of our schedules, just like we did in the House. For example, the Bush Administration’s Department of Labor (DOL) does not consider our reserve flight attendants full time employees saying that their on-call periods should not be credited toward the hours needed to qualify for FMLA. Clearly they do not understand - We will make them understand. If you have not already done so please call your Senators and let them know how important this law is to all crewmembers. For a phone script and to find your Senators’ contact information please click on the links to the right of this page. To view a video of opening remarks by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) on the House floor click on the link to the right.
Once the Senate bill passes, both bills will be combined and sent to the President for his signature. This new law will not only benefit AFA-CWA flight attendants, but all flight attendants and pilots in the U.S. Crewmembers will finally be able to meet the defined minimum number of hours for FMLA coverage, (60 percent of a full-time schedule) based on their airline’s monthly flying requirements. No longer will crewmembers need to negotiate for fair FMLA benefits. We are very proud of this fact once again proving that your Union can be effective in taking issues off the negotiations table through successful legislation.
Albert and Diana
Posted by Gov Affairs on 05/21 at 02:58 PM
First Hurdle for FMLA - HR2744
The following is a message from AFA-CWA Government Affairs Director, Shane Larson.
Great news! Yesterday, the House Education and Labor Committee met to consider HR 2744, our FMLA for flight attendants legislation. There was a short discussion of the bill where a number of Representatives expressed their strong support for the bill. When the bill finally came up for a vote, it was approved on a unanimous bipartisan vote of 43-0!!
This is great news as not one Representative voted against the legislation. The bill will no go to the House floor where it will be put on the “suspension calendar”. This is a special legislative process where non-controversial bills are brought up for a final vote with no debate, no roll call vote and no opposition. It is quickly brought up for a voice vote and it passes before you can even blink. We are not sure, but believe that this will happen next week, or the first week in June when Congress returns from their week long Memorial Day recess. I will let everyone know. Once this happens, we are finally half way there.
Once the House completes work, our attention will be on getting this through the United States Senate. We remain hopeful that we can get it done on the Senate side as easily as we have on the House side so far. However, the Bush Department of Labor is trying to stir up opposition to the bill on the fact that it would cover 100% of all flight attendants on reserve status. They have stated repeatedly that reserves are not actually working, so their on call time should not count towards FMLA qualification. No matter how many times we explain the unique circumstances of reserves, the Bush Department of Labor continues to refer to reserves as “those part time flight attendants.”
We will need to rally to get this through the Senate, so stay tuned for a call of action in June.
But for now, let’s savor this amazing victory of having a unanimous vote for our issue in the Education and Labor Committee. Job well done everyone!!
We would like to add a special thanks to all the Northwest Flight Attendants that made calls and sent in letters to their legislators. This success is proof that a grass roots effort with a focused message works! We would especially like to recognize the MSP Local95 Government Affairs committee for calling hundreds of MSP flight attendants asking them to call their legislators and securing the support of Rep. John Kline (R-MN), an important member if this committee who’s support we needed for passage. - Albert and Diana
Government Affairs Goes to Washington
Representatives from your local Government Affairs committees and your MEC Government Affairs Committee will be in Washington DC attending the annual CWA Legislative Conference from Sunday, April 6 to Wednesday, April 9. They will join other activists from the AFA-CWA as well as hundreds of CWA activists to ensure that or union voices are heard by our elected officials. This year as in past years your committee activists will focus on flight attendant issues. Our focus this year is on The Airline Crew Member FMLA Technical Corrections Act, (HR2744 in the House and S2059 in the Senate). Appointments have been made both with House Representatives as well as Senate offices to discuss this legislation in hopes of gaining support. At present we have 200 co-sponsors on the House bill and 9 co-sponsors on the Senate bill. Much of the support we have garnered has been in reponse to the many letters and phone calls thet you have made advocating for these bills and we thank you. But, our work has just begun. We need at least 219 co-sponsors in the House to get a majority and send the legislation to the House floor for a vote and we have just barely begun on the Senate side. This week is our opportunity to put a face to all of those letters and phone calls that you have made to Congress. We will be reporting on our progress as soon as we return form Washington DC.
Posted by Gov Affairs on 04/05 at 09:27 AMMN Central Labor Council 7MAR08
“It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.”
- President Harry S. Truman
“...since the year 2000, the average family has lost $1,000 in income after you adjust for inflation. We’ve seen increasing productivity, flat wages, and skyrocketing profits. Which means that the owners of big business have taken that productivity gain unto themselves. I believe that more than ever, we need a high-wage strategy in American society...that make the average working American the VIP of the American economy...”
- Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Minnesota Monitor interview, March 4, 2008
On March 7, 2008 MEC President Kevin Griffin, Vice President/Government Affairs Chair Albert Garcia, Secretary-Treasurer Mark Gehrt, MSP Council 95 Government Affairs Chair Camilla Wolkerstorfer, NYC Council 91Government Affairs Chair Rene Foss, and committee members Lori Gandrud, Julienne Wyckoff, and Angie Wood attended a breakfast at the Minnesota Central Labor Council in Minneapolis. Other attendees included pilots from Champion Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines and IAM members and leaders along with representatives from other Minnesota labor unions (postal workers, nurses, and CWA members).
The speaker was Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN). The topic of discussion was the Northwest Airlines/Delta Air Lines potential merger.
The issue of a potential merger between Northwest and Delta is important on many levels. First, as flight attendants, we are greatly concerned that we could ultimately lose our union representation and our collective bargaining rights in the event Delta Air Lines flight attendants choose to remain non-union. Losing our union could be devastating to our group as a whole and to us as individuals because without union representation there would be no contract, meaning no legally binding agreement regarding our pay, benefits, work rules and job protection.
Second, the outcome of this possible merger will establish a precedent for future mergers not only in the airline industry but in other industries as well. If corporate America is successful in breaking the unity of workers, then the pay and benefits we have fought to obtain over many years could disappear completely.
On a larger scale, many American workers are being affected by an administration that favors big business and often overlooks the “little guy”, while in fact it’s usually the “little guy’s” labor that bears fruit for big business. Together workers must speak out against this injustice and communicate our dissatisfaction to the elected leaders of this country.
Congressmen Ellison asked for input on the specifics of how the merger might impact flight attendants. The issue of outsourcing was raised because without our union and contract, specifically Section I (Recognition, Scope and Job Security), we could very well see many jobs outsourced to foreign nationals.
This is not only true in the airline industry, but other industries as well. Most people at the table felt it is time for labor to stand up and reclaim its position and flex its muscle by sending this message to Capitol Hill: American workers demand to be recognized. The other Labor groups at the meeting expressed solidarity with and support for the Northwest flight attendants. They offered to assist on our behalf through their own unions by demanding congressional hearings on the potential merger, not only on Capitol Hill, but also on a state level in Minnesota.
Most of the people at the meeting were Minnesota residents and they expressed great concern about the obligations Northwest Airlines has to the state. The taxpayers have financed many of Northwest’s endeavors, and in return expect Northwest to fulfill its promises of maintaining a hub in Minneapolis and retaining a certain amount of jobs in the state. In the last year alone, the state of Minnesota lost nearly 23,000 jobs. In addition, Minnesota residents often depend on Northwest for transportation within a five state region that is only served by Northwest.
If Northwest should back out on any or all of its obligations to the state of Minnesota, many individuals and local businesses would be adversely affected. This is most likely true in other hubs cities like Detroit and Memphis. Congressmen Ellison strongly emphasized the importance of reaching out and connecting with other workers and residents in these states. We must join together and send a unified message to congress that we will not be ignored as citizens and workers. Our future success depends on recognizing that we are all connected and working for the greater good of all American workers.
Congressmen Ellison assured us he would take the following steps on our behalf:
- He will continue his dialogue with Northwest CEO Doug Steenland and continue to express the viewpoints of his constituents regarding merger concerns.
- He will write a letter to Richard Anderson asking him to allow the flight attendants’ representation election process to proceed at Delta without any outside interference from management.
- He will begin to research amendments to the Railway Labor Act in hopes of changing or eliminating archaic rules that are holding back our collective bargaining.
- He will look into the possibility of calling for congressional hearings which could require Northwest and/or Delta to appear before a committee and answer questions on the merger.
Congressmen Ellison’s next Labor breakfast will take place in 4 to 6 weeks. We will keep you informed on the above topics and pass on more information as it becomes available.
by Rene Foss, Council 91 (NYC) Government Affairs Chair
Posted by Communications on 03/14 at 08:40 AMLooking For People With Passion!
If you are interested in government. If you have a passion for the direction our country is taking. If you want to help make a difference in how labor issues are considered in Congress. If you care about the future of our careers, you may be the person we are looking for. We need to establish Government Affairs Committees Chairs, Vice Chairs and volunteers at every base. These committees will work closely with the MEC Government Affairs committee as well as the AFA-CWA International Government Affairs staff to get our message to Capital Hill. Contact your Local Executive Council and let them know you are interested in Government Affairs.
Posted by NWA Webmaster on 02/15 at 06:45 PM