[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             LEGISLATION TO AID DISPLACED AVIATION WORKERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2003

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, today, I have joined with Congressmen 
English, Ney, Hoyer, Dunn, Lipinski, Hart, Menendez, DeFazio and Weiner 
to introduce H.R. 1553, the Air Transportation Employees Assistance 
Act. I strongly support this legislation to ensure that workers in the 
aviation industry are not asked to bear a disproportionate share of the 
costs of fighting terrorism and the war with Iraq. These are national 
responsibilities and should be borne by the entire nation. We have 
already recognized this principle and granted financial relief to 
airline companies and their stockholders. Now we should grant some 
relief to the workers of these companies who have lost their jobs as a 
consequence of terrorism and war.
  The airlines were the weapons used by the terrorists of 9/11, and, as 
a consequence, the airlines have suffered serious financial damages--
from the groundings after 9/11, from the lost traffic which has never 
returned to pre 9/11 levels, from increased insurance costs, and from 
the loss of substantial revenues because of security limitations on the 
carriage of freight and mail.
  The war with Iraq is also having a significant impact on the 
airlines, producing increased fuel costs, loss of revenue from the 
reluctance of passengers to fly, and from the need of our military to 
use the airlines' aircraft to carry troops and equipment to the war 
zone.
  Shortly after September 11, Congress responded to the aviation 
industry's financial problems caused by terrorism, by passing a $15 
billion package of direct assistance and loans. Now proposals are going 
forward to furnish $3.0 billion more to help the airlines meet the 
costs of a war with Iraq.
  While I have supported these efforts to aid the industry for the 
problems created by terrorism and war, I, and many of my colleagues, 
are deeply disappointed that there has not been the same fair treatment 
of aviation industry employees who have also suffered from terrorism 
and war.
  Even prior to the war with Iraq, the financial state of the airlines 
and the fate of their employees was deteriorating daily, as more than 
150,000 industry employees were laid-off or furloughed. The situation 
has reached a crisis point and Congressional action is desperately 
needed to avert a total collapse of several air carriers and the 
elimination of thousands of jobs. The air carriers are now bleeding 
millions more each day as bookings plummet in the wake of the war. The 
airline industry predicts another 70,000 layoffs due to a severe drop 
in business resulting from the war. Moreover, Boeing, which already cut 
30,000 workers due to aircraft order cancellations and deferrals 
following 9/11, says it will lay off nearly 1,000 more workers.
  The issue of aiding aviation employees is not new. When we passed the 
$15 billion assistance bill soon after September 11, many of my 
colleagues and I insisted that if the airline companies were to be 
afforded relief, so should employees who had lost their jobs. The 
Republican Leadership told us that there was no time to develop a 
consensus proposal on employee relief, but on the House Floor, Speaker 
Hastert promised prompt consideration of employee relief, including 
financial assistance, ability to retain health insurance, and training 
for new careers. Regrettably, the Leadership has not followed through, 
and the House has never considered assistance for displaced airline 
employees.
  Mr. Speaker, if the airline industry is entitled to special relief 
because it has suffered disproportionately from terrorism and war, its 
displaced workers are equally deserving of relief. Our bill will 
redress the imbalance, and help the industry's employees cope with 
difficulties arising from events outside their control. Our bill 
provides industry employees 26 additional weeks of unemployment 
benefits. Aviation industry employees were the first to be laid off 
after 9/11, and they were among the first to exhaust their state and 
federal jobless benefits. The current federal extension of those 
benefits as enacted earlier this year will soon expire, and it did not 
give any help to thousands of workers who had exhausted all their 
benefits. Aviation workers need and deserve our assistance as the war 
on terrorism causes a further contraction of the industry.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Air Transportation Employees 
Assistance Act. We hope that it can be included in the Supplemental 
Appropriations Act which will soon be considered by the House.

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