On February 9, the House passed, by voice vote, H.R. 912, the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act. The House approved similar legislation during the 110th Congress on May 20 (see The Source, 5/23/08).
Sponsored by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY), H.R. 912 would clarify the Family and Medical Leave Act’s (FMLA) (P.L. 103-3) eligibility requirements with respect to flight crews. Specifically, the legislation would make flight attendants and crews eligible for FMLA benefits if they “ha[ve] worked or been paid for 60 percent of the applicable monthly guarantee, or the equivalent annualized over the preceding 12-month period; and the employee has worked or been paid for a minimum of 504 hours during the preceding 12-month period.”
Current law covers employees who have worked for their employer for 12 months and have 1,250 hours of service during the previous year, a requirement that is difficult for flight crews and attendants to fulfill given the method in which they are scheduled for duty.
