6.25.20 – APFA Urges Congress to Extend the Payroll Support Program

Thursday, June 25, 2020

APFA Urges Congress to Extend the Payroll Support Program

Since April, Congressional support has been essential to keeping aviation workers employed. Through the Payroll Support Program in the CARES Act, thousands of essential aviation employees maintained their pay and health benefits. Absent the payroll grants, we know that our workgroup would be considerably smaller than today.

What differentiated the CARES Act grants from an airline bailout were the strings attached, which ensured that the money flowed directly to the front-line workers. The grants were exclusively designated to fund employee paychecks, while restrictions were placed on executive compensation and stock buybacks.

Most importantly, any airline that accepted CARES Act grants were barred from implementing involuntary furloughs through September 30th.

As September 30th approaches, Congress must plan for what comes next. Flight Attendants have put themselves in harm’s way to maintain essential air service through the darkest days of the pandemic. Given the enormous sacrifices and risks involved, Flight Attendants should not be subject to involuntary unemployment on October 1st.

APFA, in collaboration with other labor Unions, is aggressively pursuing additional support from Congress. The Payroll Support Program (PSP) within the CARES Act has successfully stabilized aviation workers and their families and prevented further strains from increasing unemployment on our economy. The clearest way to ensure this continuity is to renew the existing program in its current form and extend our job security into 2021. APFA is urging all members of Congress to support an extension of the CARES Act grants. Please keep an eye out – we will be calling on APFA members to act soon.

Click Here to read APFA National President Julie Hedrick’s letter to Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader McCarthy, and Leader Schumer.

In Solidarity,

Allie Malis
APFA Government Affairs Representative

Lori Glattly
APFA Government Affairs Representative

[email protected]