4.07.20 – Call to Action: Senators Cruz and Cornyn “Tell Secretary Mnuchin to Protect Aviation Workers!”

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Call to Action: Senators Cruz and Cornyn,
“Tell Secretary Mnuchin to Protect Aviation Workers!”

The health of American Airlines is vital to both the Texas and U.S. economy. The two U.S. Senators of Texas voted to provide aviation workers with the vital payroll grants that protect our industry and support employees, but they should be speaking up more. We need to hear from them now. Please urge Senator Cornyn and Senator Cruz to tell Secretary Mnuchin to agree to our payroll grants under reasonable terms. Texans, Americans, and all of our families are counting them.

Contact Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)

• Email Senator Cruz
• Call (202) 224-5922

Contact Texas Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)

• Email Senator Cornyn
• Call (202) 224-2934

The CARES Act is a workers-first bill and a bipartisan agreement. Congress intended to save hundreds of thousands of aviation jobs by earmarking billions of dollars now to protect our industry. APFA alongside other unions fought for federal aid that would directly pass through to the frontline aviation workers. We were adamant that any grants be allocated for the sole purpose of protecting Flight Attendants and aviation workers – our wages, our benefits, our jobs.

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) is responsible for inserting language into the bill that threatens our payroll grants. This last-second provision gave Secretary Mnuchin the power to insist on government warrants on the payroll grants. Limited government warrants on loans might make sense, but warrants on grants do not. They are a deal-killer. The payroll grants were designed as an emergency appropriation to immediately save jobs. Without them, thousands of jobs will be lost. Our company applied for this federal relief but unless both parties can agree on the terms, aviation workers will suffer the effects.

Tell Senator Toomey to back off on onerous conditions on grants:

• Email Senator Toomey
• Call (202) 224-4254

In Unity,

Allie Malis
APFA National Government Affairs Representative
[email protected]