US: Airlines, unions running out of time to get more federal aid
A couple hundred flight attendants and pilots rallied this week on Capitol Hill and tweeted at lawmakers, asking them for $25b in additional federal funds to prevent airline furloughs next month. More than half of Congress is on record as supporting the request by airlines and their unions, and President Donald Trump says he wants to help an industry that has been devastated by the pandemic. Any chance that Washington will give airlines more money soon hinges on Congress and the White House approving a comprehensive coronavirus-relief package — there won't be a plan that only helps airlines. But the prospects for a big deal suffered a blow Thursday, when Senate Democrats blocked a scaled-back Republican plan. While the GOP bill had no money for transportation, its failure could make major coronavirus relief before the November election less likely. A sharp drop in travel has left the airlines with tens of thousands more employees than they need to operate the vastly reduced number of flights. This spring, the airlines began receiving $25b in federal grants and loans to keep workers on their payrolls for six months. With that money ending Sept. 30, the three biggest US carriers are expected to furlough or lay off about 40,000 workers starting Oct. 1. Flight attendants, mechanics, baggage handlers and other airline labor groups have not been able to copy the pilots' success at negotiating no-furlough bargains. Pilots have more leverage because their training and certification requirements make it harder and slower for airlines to recall pilots when travel recovers. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said United plans to cut 60% of flight attendants through furloughs or voluntary departures. She said that will dismantle a key work group and "is putting the airline in jeopardy of being able to ramp back up when that demand returns" once the virus is contained. Furloughs require airlines to give laid-off union workers first preference to return to work once the industry is able to rehire. But Nelson said it's cheaper for taxpayers to help keep airline workers on the payroll, with health insurance, than to provide them with unemployment benefits and health care. "This is a proven jobs program," she said. "It kept people (in jobs) so they were spending back into the economy and they were also paying taxes." "When the two parties want a deal," Nelson said, "it can come together in an hour."<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-09-11/general/us-airlines-unions-running-out-of-time-to-get-more-federal-aid
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US: Airlines, unions running out of time to get more federal aid
A couple hundred flight attendants and pilots rallied this week on Capitol Hill and tweeted at lawmakers, asking them for $25b in additional federal funds to prevent airline furloughs next month. More than half of Congress is on record as supporting the request by airlines and their unions, and President Donald Trump says he wants to help an industry that has been devastated by the pandemic. Any chance that Washington will give airlines more money soon hinges on Congress and the White House approving a comprehensive coronavirus-relief package — there won't be a plan that only helps airlines. But the prospects for a big deal suffered a blow Thursday, when Senate Democrats blocked a scaled-back Republican plan. While the GOP bill had no money for transportation, its failure could make major coronavirus relief before the November election less likely. A sharp drop in travel has left the airlines with tens of thousands more employees than they need to operate the vastly reduced number of flights. This spring, the airlines began receiving $25b in federal grants and loans to keep workers on their payrolls for six months. With that money ending Sept. 30, the three biggest US carriers are expected to furlough or lay off about 40,000 workers starting Oct. 1. Flight attendants, mechanics, baggage handlers and other airline labor groups have not been able to copy the pilots' success at negotiating no-furlough bargains. Pilots have more leverage because their training and certification requirements make it harder and slower for airlines to recall pilots when travel recovers. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said United plans to cut 60% of flight attendants through furloughs or voluntary departures. She said that will dismantle a key work group and "is putting the airline in jeopardy of being able to ramp back up when that demand returns" once the virus is contained. Furloughs require airlines to give laid-off union workers first preference to return to work once the industry is able to rehire. But Nelson said it's cheaper for taxpayers to help keep airline workers on the payroll, with health insurance, than to provide them with unemployment benefits and health care. "This is a proven jobs program," she said. "It kept people (in jobs) so they were spending back into the economy and they were also paying taxes." "When the two parties want a deal," Nelson said, "it can come together in an hour."<br/>
