This week, against the wishes of Congress and 151,000 TWU members, the Department of Transportation (DOT) published an Advanced Notice Proposed of Rule Making (ANPRM) to change the mandatory rest for flight attendants to 10 hours between shifts. This is a major delay for an action that was supposed to be completed 10 months ago. The TWU is committed to moving this important safety change as quickly as possible.
The DOT was obligated in last year’s FAA Reauthorization bill to change the duty period limitations for flight attendants no later than December 31, 2018. The typical rulemaking process takes 3-7 years. It is clear that the DOT has decided to slow this process down, taking the side of airline management over working families.
The TWU will be filing comments in response to this ANPRM and we will push the DOT take whatever actions are necessary to implement the 10-hour rest rule as soon as possible.