IAM Addresses Flight Attendant Safety Concerns at House Aviation Hearing – International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr.  testified last week before the Aviation Sub-Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the subject of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operational and safety programs.  Roach specifically urged the Committee to address Flight Attendant fatigue and self-defense training issues and correct the lack of Flight Attendant workplace health and safety regulations.  “A major safety issue for flight attendants is fatigue. Currently, the FAA mandates flight attendants receive only 9 hours rest on layovers, or as little as 8 hours if there are irregular operations. Although well intentioned, this regulation does little to ensure public safety because the rest period includes time when flight attendants are required to perform other job-related duties,” Roach explained.  “To prevent flight attendant fatigue, the mandatory rest period should be changed to require a period of rest EXCLUSIVE of any other job responsibilities or hotel transfer time.  Flight attendants cannot ensure the safety of their passengers if they are fatigued.  Rest means rest – period.  While most Americans strive for an 8-hour work day and 16 hours free from work, flight attendants work 16-hour days with only 8 hours off,” he added.  Roach also called for improved oversight of overseas aircraft repair stations and urged lawmakers to reject proposals to allow increased foreign ownership and control of U.S. airlines.  The IAM is the largest airline union in North America, representing more than 100,000 airline employees in almost every classification, including Flight Attendant, Mechanic & Related, Fleet Service, Customer Service and Reservation Agents.

ExpressJet has announced that it will open two new crew domiciles in Los Angeles, California (LAX) and San Antonio, Texas (SAT).  The LAX base will open in June with approximately 50 vacancies and the SAT base will open in May with approximately 80 vacancies.  The deadline for submitting a transfer request for the SAT base is Monday, April 2^nd, at 10:00 am local time.  The deadline for submitting a transfer request for the LAX base is Tuesday, May 1^st, at 10:00 am local time.  Additional information regarding transfers to these new domiciles can be found in CIL # 07-14.

Local Lodge 2339N has been granted permission to change their April business meeting date to April 3^rd, from April 10^th, due to a scheduling conflict with the Flight Attendant Conference being held April 10^th through 13^th, 2007.  The business meeting information has been up-dated at the end of this message to reflect the change.

Local Lodge 2339C has been granted permission to change their April business meeting date to April 19^th, from April 12^th, due to a scheduling conflict with the Flight Attendant Conference being held April 10^th through 13^th, 2007.  The business meeting information has been up-dated at the end of this message to reflect the change.

Get Ready for the Day of Action – The IAM Transportation Department is preparing for a major March and Rally on May 17, 2007, in Washington, DC. Thousands of working men and women from every state of the Union will join us on that day to say “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!”  For more information, visit 17may07.org

Domestic, International Airfares Climb In 2006, Study Says – Travelers paid an average of 7.2% more for domestic airline tickets in 2006 than they did in 2005.  The cost of international flights rose an average of 5.8%, according to an American Express Business Travel study.

Open Skies Agreement Spurs New Service – International flying may increase at San Francisco International Airport now that Europe has approved a new open-skies agreement.  The new agreement also spurred Continental Airlines to apply to fly between Houston and London's Heathrow airport.

Southwest Will Continue Denver Expansion – Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly says the airline may add more nonstop destinations from Denver this year.  "We've got a few things up our sleeve coming up that we haven't yet announced this year," Kelly says.  Southwest launched service from Denver in 2006.  Kelly also says the airline may start charging for extra services and that the carrier's operating costs have climbed 25% in the past five years.

Guam:          Wednesday, April 18^th, 4:00 p.m. at the Airport Conference Room.