Flight attendant organizations are voicing their frustration as airlines around the world slash capacity and lay off workers amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents American Airlines' more than 26,000 flight attendants, said that it's "highly offended" that the airline is offering pilots financial benefits for two of their three leave options but not the same for flight attendants.
"Our members who have proven their loyalty and professionalism time and again-during this and past crisis events-by sacrificing pay, work rules, pensions, and now their health, keep their airline flying," APFA National President Lori Bassani wrote in a message to members on Wednesday.
"We are highly offended that the company offered the pilot group financial benefits for two of the pilot options and would not consider the same for our group," she added. "This is a slap in the face for our members who are keeping this airline in the air-and it severely underestimates our relevance during this or any crisis."
Bassani said that the group will continue to push American for reduced in-flight services to minimize close interaction with passengers; hazard pay for flight attendants who can't afford take leaves; sufficient precautionary supplies for flight attendants and expanded protection for members who test positive for COVID-19 or are quarantined.
The APFA also said that it will continue to call on the U.S. government to include front line workers in airline bailouts to ensure that the money reaches its members.
"Let's be really clear, there just can't be a bailout. We've done that before, it doesn't work," Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, told Hill.TV. "With those loans come strings attached," she said. "No more stock buybacks, no executive bonuses, no dividends. This is not going to be a bailout for Wall Street, this is going to be a relief package for workers."
Earlier this week, Airlines for America (A4A) President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio reassured that the U.S. airline industry is "doing everything possible to preserve the 750,000 jobs of hard-working men and women who are directly employed by U.S. airlines, including pilots, flight attendants, gate agents and mechanics, as well as the 10 million jobs supported by the industry."
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