14 Teamsters from the Airline Division descended on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, September 13 for a final push to ensure that a single standard of safety and the new, fair voting rules for RLA elections stay in the FAA Re-authorization bill.
Eleven Mechanics from seven local unions, Cedric Washington XJT Local 19, Vincent Graziano, Steve Olsen CAL, Tom Reid and Jay Korney UAL Local 210, Mitch Hunt UAL Local 455, Geoffrey Maloney ASA Local 528, Gary Kagel CAL Local 769, Joe Foley UAL Local 781, Dave Saucedo and Fred Wood UAL Local 986 along with TAMC Chairman, Chris Moore and Airline Division Representatives Bob Fisher and Paul Alves attended the meetings. The group met with following Senate and House offices. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Sen. Robert Mendez (D-NJ), Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Michael Bennett(D-CO), Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), Sen. Mike Kirk (R-IL), Sen. Richard Durbin(D-IL), Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart(R-FL), who took time away from a house vote to meet with the group personally.
“All of the meetings were successful as Democrats and Republicans alike agree with the position on both the single standard for Aircraft Maintenance Safety and keeping the new NMB voting rules; which only consider votes cast in a union election,” said Chris Moore of the TAMC.
“With the 22nd extension of FAA funding now in place and signed by President Obama, we still face a Republican Congress that has an anti-labor agenda,” said Bob Fisher, IBT International Representative. “We will continue to fight to make sure that our language stays in the bill when it is finally passed.”
