IAM, APFA AND TWU DEMAND FAA IMPLEMENT 10 HOUR REST FOR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) today submitted comments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) demanding implementation of the 10 hours rest rule for all Flight Attendants, which has dragged on beyond the congressionally mandated timeline for implementation.

The unions representing more than 50,000 Flight Attendants, the majority of unionized Flight Attendants in the United States, and who have negotiated the best Flight Attendant contracts in both the mainline and regional sectors, pushed back on the FAA's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) as "unnecessary and an attempt to undermine the will of the American people."

"It's well past time for the FAA to stop carrying the airlines' water and get this rule implemented," said IAM General Vice President Sito Pantoja. "The FAA and the carriers should do their jobs and give Flight Attendants the rest that they deserve and the rest that the American people demanded they have. When passengers board aircraft, Flight Attendants do their jobs and ensure the safety and security of the flight. It's time for the FAA and the carriers to do their jobs."

The unions stated, "Congress gave the FAA a clear mandate to enact a new minimum rest standard for flight attendants in the 2018 Reauthorization Act. This rule should be in place already and there is no rational reason for continued delay in implementing it."

Please read the full text of the comments here.