CWA Applauds Passage of Passenger Service Agent Assault Language in FAA Reauthorization Bill

CWA applauds the inclusion of crucial passenger service agent assault language in the House passage of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 this morning, and is now urging the Senate to do the same. For years, CWA members have been fighting to get legislation passed on strengthening protections for airline passenger service agents from passenger assaults.

“With the high tensions that are increasingly common with air travel, passenger service agents face numerous challenges at work, including dangerous situations like verbal and physical assault from passengers,” said Richard Honeycutt, Vice President of CWA District 3 and Chair of CWA's Passenger Service Airline Council. “Now that the House has taken action to protect passenger service agents from passenger assaults, it’s time for the U.S. Senate to do the same.”

CWA members organized several successful lobby days in Washington, DC and in district offices to share personal examples of assaults from passenger service agents with Members of Congress; produced a comprehensive CWA protocol that addressed what needs to be done to protect passenger service agents including education for agents, police/airport security, and airline carriers and provided the final protocol to key Hill offices and U.S. Departments and Agencies; worked closely with the Transportation Safety Administration to improve airport communication and messaging, resulting in the TSA in February posting new travel advisories in airports across the country clarifying that all officers and individuals who carry out security functions should not be threatened or abused; and much more.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents 700,000 working men and women in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, public service and manufacturing.