A few bits of John McCain information.

JOHN McCAIN THREATENS OUR JOBS, RIGHTS AND SAFETY

Wants to Privatize Essential Aviation Safety Jobs. McCain voted to privatize the air traffic control system and to allow the government to transfer these functions to private companies, putting jobs and safety at risk. (H.R. 2115, Vote 453, 11/17/03; S. 824, Vote 222, 6/12/03)

Mistakenly Believes That Contract Towers Are as Safe as FAA Towers. McCain has said that “contract towers are just as safe—or in some cases safer—as FAA staffed towers.” He supports privatizing air traffic control jobs and says they aren’t “inherently government workers.” (Aviation Week, 9/8/03, 12/15/03)

Opposes Collective Bargaining Rights for Aviation Workers. McCain repeatedly has tried to undermine aviation workers’ collective bargaining rights by supporting unfair baseball-style arbitration that takes away our right to strike and vote on a final contract. (S. 1327, 8/2/01)

Will Turn Over Our Jobs to Foreign Airlines. McCain pushed to allow foreign control of U.S. airlines and to allow foreign airlines to operate on American air routes, threatening aviation jobs. This would create a race to the bottom for wages, resulting in the outsourcing of flight attendant jobs to the lowest foreign bidder. (S.Amdt. 3619 to H.R. 4939, 4/26/06; ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00)

Helped Outsource Aviation Manufacturing Jobs. McCain voted to send defense technology and aviation manufacturing jobs to Japan, without guaranteeing that American companies would share in the work. (S.Amdt. 101 to S.J.Res. 113, Vote 67, 5/16/89; S.Amdt. 102, Vote 66, 5/16/89; S.J.Res. 113, Vote 175, 9/14/89)

Supports Permanently Replacing Striking Workers. McCain voted twice for a bill that allows companies to fire or replace lawfully striking workers. (ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00; S. 55, Vote 121, 6/16/92; S. 55, Vote 189, 7/13/94)

Voted Against Rehiring Air Traffic Control Strikers. McCain voted in 1986 against rehiring 1,000 PATCO workers who were fired after going on strike in 1981. The measure was intended to stem the air traffic controller deficit and enhance air travel safety. (H.R. 5205, Vote 267, 7/30/86)

Blocked FedEx Workers from Forming a Union. McCain voted to block FedEx workers from forming a union so that they could bargain for better wages, health care and a voice on the job. (H.R. 3539, Vote 304, 10/3/96)

Opposes Protections for Overseas Flight Crews. McCain said he opposes labor protections for airline flight crews working overseas. (ALPA Presidential Survey, Air Line Pilot, 2/00)

Opposed Union Rights for Airport Screeners. McCain supported Bush’s declaration that union rights for airport screeners are a terrorism risk and voted against giving them collective bargaining rights. (S.Amdt. to S. 4, Vote 64, 3/7/07; American Prospect, “Screening on the Cheap,” 3/1/03)

Put Our Lives at Risk While Flying. McCain opposed meaningful aviation security measures. He voted to gut flight attendant anti-terrorism training requirements; fought funding for air marshals, TSA security and explosion-detection systems; and supported $725 million in cuts to aviation security programs. (H.R. 2115, Vote 453, 11/17/03; McCain press release on S. 2537, 9/15/04; S.Con.Res. 83, Vote 59, 3/16/06)

Helped Send Union Aviation Manufacturing Jobs to France. McCain strongly influenced the U.S. Air Force to award Airbus, rather than Boeing, a $35 billion contract to build Air Force refueling tankers. This deal would destroy 44,000 union jobs. (Lobbyist Disclosure Database, accessed 3/11/08; Associated Press, 3/11/08; Time.com, 3/11/08; Mobile Register, 1/16/07; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3/7/08; Washington Post, 6/20/08; GAO press release, 6/18/08)

Called Efforts to Address Flight Attendant Fatigue ‘Ridiculous.’ McCain called research studying the effects of flight attendant fatigue “ridiculous” and listed it with research on blackbirds and blueberries as government waste. As rest periods are reduced, chronic fatigue is a growing problem, jeopardizing our ability to perform safety duties. (McCain Statement on Lobbying and Ethics Reform Bill, 1/4/07)

Opposed Strict Oversight of Foreign Repair Stations. McCain opposed routine FAA safety inspections of foreign repair stations that perform maintenance on American commercial aircraft. These safeguards would ensure aircraft safety, improve aviation security and protect American jobs. (S.Amdt. 914 to S. 824, Vote 224, 6/12/03)

Left Aviation Workers Behind After 9/11. McCain voted against unemployment, job-training and health benefits for thousands of laid-off aviation workers after Sept. 11, 2001. (S.Amt. 1855 to S. 1447, Vote 293, 10/11/01)

Destroys Collective Bargaining Through Bankruptcy. McCain backed Eastern Airlines’ bankruptcy plan, which destroyed 43,000 jobs. He supported letting airlines use bankruptcy to destroy collective bargaining agreements and refused to support corporate bankruptcy law reform to better protect our contracts and right to strike. (H.R. 1231, Vote 276, 10/26/89; H.R. 1231, Vote 273, 10/26/89; H.R. 1231, Vote 222, 10/3/89; S. 2092, 2007)

Opposes Buy American Provisions That Protect Our Jobs. McCain voted to waive Buy American laws for defense systems and to exempt six European countries from Buy American requirements, placing our jobs in jeopardy. He has said he “firmly objects” to these job-protecting provisions and has even called them “ludicrous.” (S. 2400, Vote 135, 6/22/04; S. 1050, Vote 191, 5/21/03; Congressional Record, 7/14/05, 10/7/05)

Says Pilots Are Greedy. McCain spoke out against pilots, claiming that the reason they go on strike is to “satisfy their personal greed.” (Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Hearing on Air Traffic Control, 9/14/00)

Believes Pilots Are Careless. McCain accused airline pilots striking for better wages and benefits of being thoughtless. McCain said, “A large number of these pilots are former military men and women whose code is supposed to be duty, honor and country. Now they take actions without a thought for the Americans that rely upon them.” (Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Hearing on Air Traffic Control, 9/14/00)

http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain_aviation.cfm