Assault Protections Are Now Law

By Chris Kress, Dallas-Ft Worth, TX
American Airlines agent

On October 3, 2018, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill that included critical protections from assault for passenger service agents. The bill also included a long-needed increase in the minimum rest period for flight attendants.

As CWA passenger service agents, we've fought together for more than a decade to strengthen protections against passenger assaults. We told our personal stories to members of Congress and officials at the Department of Transportation, FAA, and Transportation Security Administration, and those stories helped to define the provisions included in the final legislation.

"CWA's passenger service agents shared their personal stories of assaults by passengers and how this impacted their safety and that of their colleagues," said Richard Honeycutt, Vice President of CWA District 3 and Chair of CWA's Passenger Service Airline Council. "Members of Congress took to heart their experience and recommendations as they shaped the final language in the bill. Addressing this issue in the FAA Reauthorization bill was long overdue."

The airlines had 90 days to submit protocols to the FAA, which lay out their plans to implement the new rules. Our union will continue to monitor the situation closely to be sure that our airlines are following the rules and protecting agents from assault on the job.