Payroll Support Program (PSP) Extended in Emergency Pandemic Relief Legislation Secures Aviation Job

[Omaha Steve]

(Euless, TX) - Late this evening, Congress passed an emergency relief package that will return the jobs of tens of thousands of furloughed aviation workers and provide much-needed relief to Americans across the country.

The bill includes $15B for the Payroll Support Program (PSP), which:

recalls and restores seniority of 7,985 American Airlines Flight Attendants 
guarantees wages & benefits for aviation workers between December 1st - March 31st
extends the restriction on executive compensation and the ban on stock buybacks
restores air service to communities and supports distribution of the vaccine

This was a Union-led effort. Together, Labor Unions (APFA, AFA-CWA, TWU, APA, ALPA, CAPA, IAM, IBT, SWAPA) ensured that Congress did not hand over a blank check that lacked worker protections. Instead, the government support will directly preserve our jobs and our healthcare through March 31st, 2021. These worker protections would not have been possible without the strong advocacy of Unions and our entire industry’s coordination. We also send our thanks to Doug Parker and the American Airlines Government Affairs Team for their dedication to extending the PSP.

Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) members alone sent more than 60,000 emails and made thousands of more calls to Congress. We showed up for #ReliefNow events across the country, sent letters, and stormed social media. We worked hard to make this happen.

APFA is grateful for our strong advocates in Washington. At the top of the list are House T&I Chairman Peter DeFazio (OR-4) and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen (WA-2), who never wavered in their support for aviation workers. Thank you to Senate Commerce Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) for ensuring this bill contained the PSP extension. We also appreciate our hometown representatives who spoke up for us, including Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32), and Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-9). We acknowledge the House and Senate leaders who finally attained a compromise to ensure this legislation passed.

“We are thrilled that Congress has reached an agreement on a relief package for all Americans, including $15 billion for an extension of the successful aviation Payroll Support Program. This bill ensures that nearly 8,000 American Airlines Flight Attendants will have the opportunity to return to work, retroactive to December 1st, allowing them to reconnect with their pay and healthcare. As with the previous Payroll Support Program, this program protects our members from layoffs through March of 2021 and extends the cap on executive compensation and the ban on stock buybacks,” said Julie Hedrick, National President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, representing 27,000 American Airlines Flight Attendants.

“The PSP is truly a ‘workers first’ plan, and we would not be here today were it not for the action of Union employees mobilizing and demanding relief from their elected representatives. I am incredibly proud of their work and the work of our Government Affairs Department, and the partnerships forged with fellow airline Unions to get this done. This Payroll Support Program extension is a result of thousands of workers standing together in Unity across the airline industry.”

About APFA:
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) represents the 27,000+ Flight Attendants of American Airlines, an airline that consists of aviation professionals with a diverse history brought together from multiple airlines. From APFA’s inception in 1977, the Union has fiercely advocated for the Flight Attendant profession. Our Union has been at the forefront of the fight for workplace equality, legislative affairs, and worker’s rights.