Legislation Includes Several Provisions Fought for by Teamsters

(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters are proud to endorse the bipartisan agreement to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Over the last year and half, Teamsters have been adamant that the FAA Reauthorization Act include key priorities to protect workers and passengers alike.

“The Teamsters Union is pleased that Congress heard our members loud and clear when we said that increasing pilot retirement age and continuing to allow unfettered outsourcing of aircraft maintenance jobs to foreign countries would be unacceptable,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “This bill puts the safety and economic well-being of airline workers first and we encourage Congress to pass it quickly.”

Several Teamsters-endorsed provisions are in the final legislation, including but not limited to:

• Maintaining the mandatory pilot retirement age at 65;
• Combating the outsourcing of aircraft maintenance;
• Protecting airline employees from assault, including both passenger service agents and flight attendants;
• Creating new pathways for veterans to become aircraft technicians; and
• Protecting Teamsters-represented manufacturing jobs from unfair competition by Chinese state owned-enterprises.

“On behalf of tens of thousands of Teamsters airline members, we are proud to support this legislation to reauthorize the FAA,” said Bob Fisher, Interim Director of the Teamsters Airline Division. “This bill prioritizes safety across the aviation system, protects good union jobs, and directly addresses essential priorities for Teamsters airline workers—from pilots to gate agents and every job in between.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

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