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Flight attendants union calls on Congress to prevent more aviation job cuts

2020-09-06 | 🔗
Insight from Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Over to you Jedediah Jedediah, thanks will Americans are getting out of town for Labor Day, but many are opting to hit the road rather than take to the skies. It is estimated only six million people plan to fly over the holiday weekend. How does Covid era travel compare to years past in the airline industry we have the association of Flight attendants president. We appreciate your voice here today, a lot of people, even though the numbers are declining when it comes to covid. A lot of people are still hesitant to get on airplanes. Is there anything that the airline industry can do to make people feel more comfortable to book those flights? Airline industry is still right in the middle of this crisis. What the industry has done is put in place required. Mask policies changed their cleaning procedures talked about the air filtration safer than in an office building. They have done a lot of things to try to convince people, but it is just not mapping. People are choosing to drive
rather than fly. If you look at this weekend were half the numbers a year ago on travel, but revenue is down. Seventy five percent and thats, really where we are where were expected to be actually through the end of the year. That is why were asking for continued relief from Congress to keep us in our jobs, so we can lift off once again, so the virus is under control and it is safe to fly Jedediah. You mentioned relief from Congress. Unfortunately, reality were seeing more and more airlines announcing layoffs. We have a full screen we can put up while were talking, but what do you hope to actually get for Congress from this? United american Delta? Are all four lowing a lot of employees? That is scary reality. If you work in the airline industry, what do you hope Congress can do were here at Labor Day were supposed to be celebrating the american worker? Instead, airline
workers are facing mass furloughs. That doesnt tell you the whole story that doesnt include people opting to keep health insurance theyre not counted in the numbers, but dont necessarily have work were asking Congress to continue the package put place in March to get money directly to workers on the front lines. That is it? What money to the airlines went to keep us to our jobs, ready connected to health care and lift our industry again, there is incredible bipartisan support. We have eighty senators who support for for this huge majority in the House and White House signaled house, the issue. The White House cannot step in to include the job requirements that are included in the package that Congress can enact. So Congress has to have a relief package in place to have a legislative vehicle to put this in place before it is too late. These jobs, seven hundred and fifty thousand jobs in the airline industry support eleven million jobs in the economy.
We spend back into the economy, so it is so important to support these jobs. Keep the industry intact, keep the service to all of our communities during the pandemic, because that is the other requirement in place for the airlines. If this package is in place and then be able to lift the economy again, if you have credentialed employees furloughed now it will be a much more sluggish return for the entire economy. Jedediah SARA thanks for being here. My heart breaks for the people losing their jobs in this industry. Im remaining optimistic. It will pick up. Everyone loves the travel industry. All of you serve such an important role, lifting our spirits. I hope good NEWS is to come. Thank you so much Jed. Thank you. So much.
Transcript generated on 2020-09-08.