Published 05 Nov, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today my thoughts and prayers and those of the TWU family go out to the family of Transportation Security Administration agent Gerardo Hernandez, who was the first TSA agent to be killed in the line of duty. It happened last Friday at Los Angeles International Airport, and by now you all know the story. A young gunman walked into the airline terminal, firing an assault weapon, and specifically targeting TSA employees. He killed Mr. Hernandez and wounded three more before being subdued by police.
As the shooting started, a wave of notifications to law enforcement, airline personnel, and news agencies began to spread. Airplanes were diverted from LAX and many were grounded on the tarmac. Confused and concerned passengers were stalled in hangars for hours. TWU members were among the many who displayed immense professionalism in helping to maintain calm and protect the lives of passengers during the chaos that rippled through the terminal. After the gunman had been apprehended, flight attendants at Southwest Airlines remained in place with passengers as the emergency response continued, drawing on the immense compassion and regard for customers that is required in this line of work.
Both our Flight Attendants and our ground crews handled the situation with tremendous skill and know-how, reassuring hundreds of shaken customers and keeping the many whose flights were compromised informed and comfortable, to the greatest extent possible.
This was a tragic, disruptive day in the history of the airline industry. Workers in transportation were shot because of where they worked and for no other reason. It is very troubling to see transport workers being targeted for delivering the service they were hired to perform. One thing this tragedy has proved is just how crucial airline industry workers are. Airline employees deserve praise for their expert handling of a dangerous and unexpected situation, even as some among them were the intended victims of a delusional gunman’s wrath.
As government agencies re-evaluate their plans for airport security, our concern has to be with the families of those killed or injured and with our own TWU members.
In Solidarity,
Harry Lombardo
TWU International President