Pilots, Flying Public Send More Than A Quarter-Million Messages to Congress to Prevent Furloughs

For millions of Americans, the devastating public health economic impacts of COVID-19 continue to take their toll. But for workers in the aviation industry, things are about to get much worse – unless Congress and the White House act. As our industry tries to navigate through the most difficult period in aviation history, airline executives have already acknowledged that mass layoffs are inevitable. To date, more than 11,000 ALPA pilots have received notices of potential furlough. Without an extension to the CARES Act Payroll Support Program, which expires on September 30, these pilots could lose their jobs and health care benefits and the ripple effect across the entire economy could threaten the jobs of hundreds of thousands of other aviation workers.

 

For the past several weeks, ALPA pilots, their friends and families, and the flying public have reached out to all U.S. lawmakers from both parties, urging them to come together and reach an agreement to provide continued economic relief for aviation-sector employees. Through ALPA’s Call to Action, more than a quarter-million letters and emails have been sent to Congress advocating for a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program. This massive grassroots effort has reached every member of the Senate and House of Representatives, and nearly 100,000 tweets have reiterated the importance of this continued support for frontline aviation workers and an industry that is a major driver of the American economy.

And for the more than 5,000 ALPA Canada pilots, ALPA is reminding the Canadian government that airline pilots have been instrumental in fighting the pandemic and that we are essential to driving the national and global economic recovery that we know will come. ALPA Canada’s newest Call to Action urges the prime minister and his government to support the aviation sector and its employees and makes clear that the Canadian aviation industry needs help now. In total, our members in Canada have sent more than 1,000 tweets to the prime minister and more than 1,200 to Members of Parliament.

While the fight is far from over, ALPA pilots have demonstrated their commitment and dedication to bolstering our industry, saving aviation jobs, and supporting our nation’s economic recovery. And we appreciate the support we’ve received from the flying public. ALPA will continue to pursue every avenue to forestall furloughs and restart our industry, and stands ready to support pilots and their families during these difficult times.

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