Take Action: Save Airline Jobs by Telling Your Senators to Extend Critical Aviation Payroll Support Program

Aug 4, 2020 | iMail

Your help is needed now to tell your U.S. Senators that hundreds of thousands airline workers and the entire U.S. economy are counting on them to continue a critical jobs program.

The U.S. Senate is planning to go on recess this Friday, August 7. We need IAM members and all airline workers to help us secure a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program (PSP), which will expire on October 1, 2020.

TAKE ACTION: Tell your U.S. Senators to support a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program

“This critical program has been a success and we must extend it. The Payroll Support Program has kept our members and hundreds of thousands of airline workers and their families off of unemployment rolls and on payrolls,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “These are dollars well spent that we need now to save the airline industry for its workers and passengers today and for generations to come. Every U.S. Senator, as well as the White House, needs to know how much is at stake.”

With the pandemic and the downturn of the airline industry continuing, airline workers are facing by far the worst crisis in the industry’s history. There is a possibility that thousands of workers could be furloughed on or after October 1, losing their employment and healthcare in the midst of a pandemic.

The airline Payroll Support Program, passed in the CARES Act, has saved nearly 1 million jobs already, but an extension of the program through March 31, 2021 is imperative to keep the industry afloat.

“The continuation of this program is vital to protecting the livelihoods of thousands of Machinists come October 1,” said IAM Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “The IAM will continue to lead the fight on Capitol Hill to ensure our members’ futures.” 

Thanks to your advocacy and the support of the IAM and a coalition of airline union, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House has already pledged support for a clean extension of the Payroll Support Program.

Now we need your help in the U.S. Senate.

Please, ask your U.S. Senators to support a clean extension of the airline Payroll Support Program.

The post Take Action: Save Airline Jobs by Telling Your Senators to Extend Critical Aviation Payroll Support Program appeared first on IAMAW.

Tell Your Senators the HEALS Act Hurts Working Families

Aug 4, 2020 | iMail

The GOP has released the details of their latest COVID-19 relief legislation named the “HEALS Act.” The proposed legislation not only cuts unemployment benefits to the 20 to 30 million Americans who are currently out of work, but falls short in just about every area of concern for working families.

CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW 866-829-3298

“This legislation is a slap in the face to working people in this country,” said International President Robert Martinez Jr. “They have no problem handing out a trillion dollars in tax cuts to corporations, but want to nickel and dime unemployed Americans at a time when they need it the most. It appears the Senate may go on summer recess a week from now without bringing a bill to a vote, leaving millions of Americans to fend for themselves when additional pandemic economic compensation ends this Friday. They need to pass a relief package that benefits the people they are supposed to be representing.”

Contact your Senators now and tell them to pass a relief package that helps working people.

In addition to gutting pandemic unemployment compensation by $1600 a month, the HEALS Act shortcomings include:

• No airline or railroad relief
• Immunity for companies that endanger their employees and the public
• No OSHA standard protecting employees
• NO pension relief, no COBRA subsidy, no eviction moratorium extension
• Fast track to cut Social Security and Medicare (TRUST ACT)
• No relief money for state and local governments
• No money for USPS
• Inadequate funding for schools

Legislators are running out of time, as many of the provisions in the last COVID-19 relief package are about to expire, some as soon as the end of this week.

“Disaster is on America’s doorstep,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). “Republicans need to get serious immediately, and work with Democrats to save lives and livelihoods during this devastating time.”

“One of the few things that’s kept our economy from deteriorating further is that these unemployment benefits have boosted consumer spending,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “That’s why economists say the Republican proposal would cost us over a million jobs this year, and 3.4 million jobs next year.”

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