FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2023
Contact: Jonna Huseman, jhuseman@twu.org
Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act Will End the Scourge of Offshoring Aircraft Maintenance, Overhaul and Repair Work
WASHINGTON, DC—John Samuelsen, International President of the Transport Workers Union of America, issues this statement in response to the Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act, introduced today in the Senate:
“For far too long, America’s air carriers have been incentivized by the Federal Aviation Administration to offshore aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul work to foreign facilities that are not required to meet the same safety and security standards as U.S. facilities. This double standard may jeopardize the safety of the flying public and flight crews, since it forces American workers into a lopsided market to compete against cutthroat foreign facilities and their workers who are not required to meet the same standards as a worker in the U.S.
“The TWU has long been the leader in the fight to halt this despicable practice and has successfully negotiated the rollback of outsourcing and offshoring of aircraft maintenance work, returning jobs to U.S. soil. Today we are in full support of Senators Tammy Baldwin and Shelley Moore Capito’s introduction of bipartisan legislation to address key regulatory gaps that have allowed this two-tiered system to thrive. By addressing gaps in drug and alcohol testing, background checks, and qualification standards, we can end this scourge once and for all. We look forward to this bill moving through Congress and becoming law.”
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The TWU represents more than 155,000 workers across the airline, railroad, transit, universities, utilities and service sectors. The TWU is the largest airline workers union in the United States.