Labor groups urge Justice Dept. to ramp up prosecutions of unruly passengers
A coalition of labor unions representing tens of thousands of airline industry workers urged the Justice Department to step up its prosecutions of unruly passengers on Thursday. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, the group asked the department to pursue and prioritize prosecutions of people who assault passenger service agents, many of whom have been attacked at airport gates, ticket and reservation areas and other airport locations during the pandemic. The request comes at a turbulent time for the airline industry, which began to see a spike early last year in violent and disruptive passengers who have refused to follow Covid protocols and attempted to interfere with flight crew. “The department has not meaningfully pursued federal penalties against individuals who assault or interfere with passenger service agents,” the letter said. It was signed by six labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Greg Regan, the president of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, said he was pleased to see the Justice Department take some steps to address the rise in violent incidents aboard planes, but that more work needed to be done in response to assaults against passenger service agents. “When you see this sort of widespread violence and abuse toward transportation professionals, this is where leadership from the federal government is vital,” Regan said. The Justice Department declined to comment on the letter Thursday. The department said in November it would prioritize the prosecution of federal crimes on commercial aircraft, but many airline and airport workers have still been unsatisfied with the federal government’s pace of action. There have been 499 unruly passenger reports since the beginning of the year, but only 80 cases have been referred to the FBI for criminal review as of Feb. 15, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2021, there were 5,981 unruly passenger reports.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-02-18/general/labor-groups-urge-justice-dept-to-ramp-up-prosecutions-of-unruly-passengers
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Labor groups urge Justice Dept. to ramp up prosecutions of unruly passengers
A coalition of labor unions representing tens of thousands of airline industry workers urged the Justice Department to step up its prosecutions of unruly passengers on Thursday. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, the group asked the department to pursue and prioritize prosecutions of people who assault passenger service agents, many of whom have been attacked at airport gates, ticket and reservation areas and other airport locations during the pandemic. The request comes at a turbulent time for the airline industry, which began to see a spike early last year in violent and disruptive passengers who have refused to follow Covid protocols and attempted to interfere with flight crew. “The department has not meaningfully pursued federal penalties against individuals who assault or interfere with passenger service agents,” the letter said. It was signed by six labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Greg Regan, the president of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department, said he was pleased to see the Justice Department take some steps to address the rise in violent incidents aboard planes, but that more work needed to be done in response to assaults against passenger service agents. “When you see this sort of widespread violence and abuse toward transportation professionals, this is where leadership from the federal government is vital,” Regan said. The Justice Department declined to comment on the letter Thursday. The department said in November it would prioritize the prosecution of federal crimes on commercial aircraft, but many airline and airport workers have still been unsatisfied with the federal government’s pace of action. There have been 499 unruly passenger reports since the beginning of the year, but only 80 cases have been referred to the FBI for criminal review as of Feb. 15, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2021, there were 5,981 unruly passenger reports.<br/>
