On May 14, the House Education and Labor Committee approved, 43-0, the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act (H.R. 2744).
Sponsored by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY), H.R. 2744 would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act (P.L. 103-3) to make eligible flight attendants and flight crews if they have “been paid for, or ha[ve] worked, 60 percent of the employer’s monthly hour or trip guarantee, or the equivalent annualized over the preceding 12-month period.”
During consideration of the bill, the committee adopted, by voice vote, a substitute amendment by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) that would change the term “employer’s monthly hour or trip guarantee” to “applicable monthly guarantee,” the prevailing term in the industry; clarify that the employee also must have been paid for, or worked, a minimum of 504 hours in the preceding 12-month period; clarify the distinction between full-time workers and “reserve workers,” employees who are on call to fly if a regularly scheduled employee cannot work; require employers to report their “applicable monthly guarantees” to the Department of Labor; and provide the secretary of Labor with an option to create regulations to calculate leave for these employees.
