HR 3095 Protects Safety of Workers and Passengers Alike

(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters are applauding the U.S. House of Representatives’ inclusion of HR 3095, the Fair and Open Skies Act, as an amendment to the House Appropriations Bill.

“The Teamsters and our allies on Capitol Hill have been working extremely hard to ensure that ‘flag of convenience’ schemes don’t undermine commercial aviation in the United States,” said Capt. David Bourne, Teamsters Airline Divisiobn Director. “By including HR 3095 in the appropriations bill, the U.S. House of Representatives is stopping the exploitation of a regulatory loophole that threatens the livelihood of workers and safety of passengers throughout the airline industry. We commend the House for taking such action. Now it’s time for the Senate to retain this language in its own appropriations bill and pass it expeditiously.”

If enacted into law, HR 3095 will prevent the Dept. of Transportation from issuing a permit to a foreign airline if it conflicts with the labor standards outlined in the U.S.-EU-Iceland-Norway open skies agreement. This will prevent new foreign airlines from exploiting “flags of convenience,” a practice whereby an airline bases its operation in a country with weak labor standards and lax safety regulations rather than its country of origin in order gain an unfair competitive advantage in the market.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

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