H.R. 4788 Places Limits On Airline Alliances

The Allied Pilots Association (APA) said Wednesday it strongly supports H.R.4788, the “Aviation Jobs Outsourcing Prevention Act.” The bill, which was introduced earlier this month by U.S. Rep. Timothy Bishop (D-NY), would place limits on alliances between two or more airlines, or between a domestic carrier and a foreign carrier, which APA says would establish job protections for American workers.

"We have repeatedly expressed our concerns about cross-border joint business agreements between airlines and the outsourcing threat they pose to yet more middle-class workers,” said APA President Captain Lloyd Hill. “These arrangements likewise pose a threat to the ongoing economic recovery and even to our national security.”

Along with its concerns about competitiveness and job security, APA has also been emphasizing the importance of ensuring that U.S. carriers can be deployed on short notice for Civil Reserve Air Fleet duty. That readiness could be compromised by cross-border airline alliances or a relaxation of foreign ownership restrictions.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that airline managements have any intention of ceasing their efforts to form such arrangements anytime soon,” Hill said. “It is therefore imperative that lawmakers intervene by providing our industry’s workers with appropriate job protections, as Rep. Bishop has done with this bill.

“Far too many hard-working men and women in a variety of our country’s industries have already lost their livelihoods when their jobs were outsourced overseas. This legislation represents an opportunity to help stem that outsourcing tide,” he said. “And let’s be clear—our nation’s workers aren’t the only ones who have paid a heavy price when their jobs were outsourced. To sustain the ongoing economic recovery, we must preserve the jobs we now have, in addition to creating new ones.”

The bill’s language stipulates that the U.S. Department of Transportation could “end approval of any agreement, request or modification that provides for or permits the sharing or pooling of revenue or profits between participating carriers.”

Hill noted that these limitations are designed to preserve jobs for U.S. workers while also permitting carriers to maintain existing code-share agreements. Co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Michaud (D-ME) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), the legislation is now before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“We thank Reps. Bishop, Michaud and McCotter for being sensitive to our nation’s overall best interests and urge Congress to promptly adopt H.R.4788,” Hill said.

APA represents the 11,500 pilots of American Airlines.

FMI: www.allienpilots.org