US: Airlines, unions mount lobby blitz for aid before layoffs
Air carriers and their unions Tuesday ratcheted up pleas for an extended Covid-19 aid package to forestall layoffs, but a sudden Supreme Court vacancy and partisan rancor are dimming the prospects. “At this point, it looks like everything is pretty much frozen,” said former Senator Byron Dorgan, who served on the committee overseeing transportation policy. “It doesn’t look like anything is going to happen.” Weeks of lobbying, trips to the White House by airline executives and the prospects of massive job losses in states where incumbent Republican Senators face tough re-election challenges -- such as at airline hubs in Georgia, Arizona and Colorado -- haven’t resulted in movement. The frustration was evident at a press conference outside the Capitol Tuesday held by a group of airline executives, union leaders and lawmakers from both parties. “I just can’t believe that we may not be able to do the right thing simply because our elected officials can’t come to any sort of compromise agreement,” said Doug Parker, chairman and CEO at American Airlines Group. “We’re better than that.” Without congressional action, tens of thousands of US airline workers will lose their jobs on Oct. 1, just weeks before elections. Pelosi and Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, spoke to airline executives and labor leaders in separate phone calls last Friday. Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, chairman of the the House Democratic Caucus, said Tuesday he does not expect the matter to be addressed in a bill separate from a broader stimulus relief measure. “I know there are discussions taking place at a high level,” Jeffries said. “The Republicans are paying lip-service to the notion that we should step in to the situation but we really haven’t seen any movement in that regard.” The lack of action despite bipartisan letters of support and bill introductions is prompting unusually blunt language from participants seeking help. Story has details.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-09-23/general/us-airlines-unions-mount-lobby-blitz-for-aid-before-layoffs
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/logo.png
US: Airlines, unions mount lobby blitz for aid before layoffs
Air carriers and their unions Tuesday ratcheted up pleas for an extended Covid-19 aid package to forestall layoffs, but a sudden Supreme Court vacancy and partisan rancor are dimming the prospects. “At this point, it looks like everything is pretty much frozen,” said former Senator Byron Dorgan, who served on the committee overseeing transportation policy. “It doesn’t look like anything is going to happen.” Weeks of lobbying, trips to the White House by airline executives and the prospects of massive job losses in states where incumbent Republican Senators face tough re-election challenges -- such as at airline hubs in Georgia, Arizona and Colorado -- haven’t resulted in movement. The frustration was evident at a press conference outside the Capitol Tuesday held by a group of airline executives, union leaders and lawmakers from both parties. “I just can’t believe that we may not be able to do the right thing simply because our elected officials can’t come to any sort of compromise agreement,” said Doug Parker, chairman and CEO at American Airlines Group. “We’re better than that.” Without congressional action, tens of thousands of US airline workers will lose their jobs on Oct. 1, just weeks before elections. Pelosi and Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, spoke to airline executives and labor leaders in separate phone calls last Friday. Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, chairman of the the House Democratic Caucus, said Tuesday he does not expect the matter to be addressed in a bill separate from a broader stimulus relief measure. “I know there are discussions taking place at a high level,” Jeffries said. “The Republicans are paying lip-service to the notion that we should step in to the situation but we really haven’t seen any movement in that regard.” The lack of action despite bipartisan letters of support and bill introductions is prompting unusually blunt language from participants seeking help. Story has details.<br/>
