Thank unions for saving airline jobs
Growing up in Houston as the daughter of a railroad worker, I learned early that our city, besides being the “Energy Capital of the World,” was in the transportation business. Houston is a critical gateway for moving people, goods and services along the tracks, across the water, through the air and into space.
Following in my father’s footsteps, I joined Southwest Airlines as a reservations agent in 1989 and got a union card at IAM Local 2198 here in Houston. Eventually, I became the current general secretary-treasurer of the the Machinists Union, the world’s largest airline union and the biggest airline union in Houston. During my journey from entry-level employee to international labor leader, I experienced firsthand how much the airline industry means to Houston’s economy. The Houston Airport System is directly responsible for more than 230,000 jobs and has a local economic impact of more than $27 billion annually.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic devastated the airline industry last year. Global travel hit historic lows. Many Houston-area airline workers such as mechanics, baggage handlers, gate agents, catering workers, flight attendants and pilots received pink slips. In turn, the pandemic caused a downturn that jeopardized the livelihoods of thousands of other Houstonians who feared the loss of their homes and life savings.
But the grit and determination of Houston’s airline workers will put us back in the position of being a global leader. After strong union advocacy, thousands of Houston airline workers are now tearing up their pinks slips. Even more, Houstonians will keep their jobs as the sector roars back to life.
Earlier in the pandemic, our industry was able to survive thanks to the Airline Payroll Support Program, a provision of the CARES Act signed into law in March 2020 and extended late last year. This program provided $25 billion in direct payroll support to the airlines to keep paying their employees through the end of September 2020. The Machinists Union and our allies in labor strongly urged the administration and congressional leadership to include airline payroll in the CARES Act to avoid mass layoffs. As a result of our zealous advocacy, we were able to save thousands of airline jobs at the beginning of the global pandemic.
And the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan will provide an additional $15 billion to extend the Airline Payroll Support Program through Sept. 30, 2021. The Machinists Union’s dedicated legislative team, working on behalf of its members in Houston and across the nation, reached out to President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to highlight the merits of the program and what it would mean to Houston’s working families in the airline industry.
We believe our local air transportation industry will come back even stronger. I know because I have witnessed firsthand after 9/11 how our industry can come back from a tragic event or period. With the future of our industry secured, small businesses in Houston can keep their doors open. In turn, employees across the city will benefit from the recovery of Houston’s airline industry.
The American Rescue Plan and the Airline Payroll Support Program are lifelines for Houston airline workers and our community. Our city has come a long way since Louis Paulhan flew the first airplane in Houston. The continued collaboration of labor, management, the community and our elected officials will restore this crucial local industry to its pre-pandemic strength.