October 2003 - International Brotherhood of Teamsters

help in securing government funding for security and
other related costs that they had to back off support of
legislation that would take away our collective bargaining
rights. We also attacked the issue on a political
front—boycotting political fundraising events sponsored
by lobbyists, and in some cases, former members
of Congress who had received labor support in
the past. It’s my understanding that the entire CESTA
campaign has been taken down.
Q. Is this something that workers in the
airline industry should stop worrying
about
A. No. We have to be vigilant. There are powerful members
of Congress who are not airline worker friendly.
Given the chance, they will revive this issue when they
think the time is right.
Q. What part did the Teamsters play in
thwarting this attempt to rob airline
workers of their rights
A. We were in the thick of the fight. General President
Hoffa made several Capitol Hill visits to members of
Congress. We cranked up our field operation and got
Teamster members to call, write, visit and e-mail their
Representatives and Senators.
Q. What are the other big issues the
Teamsters are tackling for airline
workers on the legislative front
A. Security training for flight attendants; closing the gaps
in security for cargo airlines and pilots; assuring that
airline workers get the due process, privacy and confidentiality
protections they deserve when they undergo
criminal background checks; flight attendant certification;
preventing cabotage (point-to-point delivery in the
U.S.) for air cargo; requiring foreign repair stations to
meet the same safety requirements (including drug and
alcohol testing) that U.S. stations do.
Teamster Tells Congress:
“Arm Cargo Pilots”
Local 1224 Secretary-Treasurer
Testified Before Aviation
Subcommittee
A dangerous loophole was left in
legislation arming airline pilots
that left thousands of planes vulnerable
to terrorism. As a result,
the Teamsters have been lobbying
Congress to arm cargo pilots.
Last year, Congress voted in
favor of allowing passenger and
cargo pilots to voluntarily be
armed to defend the cockpit. But
in conference at the 11th hour,
cargo pilots were left out of the legislation, leaving a
gaping hole in a layer of national security.
Dan Graves, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 1224 in
Wilmington, Ohio, testified on May 8, 2003 before
the House Aviation Subcommittee in favor of arming
the cargo pilots.
“This is not a labor issue or a company policy
issue; this is an issue of national security,” Graves
said. “And you, as members of Congress, are compelled
to protect the American people on the ground,
not just the passenger customers, from these airplanes.”
As a result of his testimony and further lobbying,
the legislation, part of the FAA Reauthorization Bill,
has passed the Senate and House of Representatives,
as well as a conference committee. The House and
Senate will deliver a final vote after the August
recess.
“Unlike passenger aircraft, cargo aircraft do not
have Federal Air Marshals, trained cabin crew, or
determined passengers to run interference should an
attack occur. Cargo planes also do not have reinforced
cockpit doors or screens to monitor what’s
happening in the back of the aircraft,” Graves said.
He testified that cargo pilots are “inherently more vulnerable
to hijacking, so it is imperative that we be
armed to defend not just ourselves but American citizens
on the ground.”
With new warnings of hijackings, Congress
should pay special attention to the legislation at
hand.
November 2003 Teamsters Airline Journal 7