(A labor perspective on the airline safety crisis. SR)
United States: Profits trump safety at major airlines By Malik Miah/Green Left/April 9, 2024 Since the year started, United Airlines (UA), Alaska and Southwest airlines have all had major safety incidents in the United States. One of the most widely reported was on January 5, when a panel on a two-month-old Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet blew off midair, 4900 metres above Oregon. So far, the incidents and near catastrophes have involved Boeing aircraft assembled in unionised factories in Washington State (the 757 Max) and non-union facilities in South Carolina (the 787 Dreamliner). Subcontractors also make many of the parts for these aircraft. Overall, unions represent only 35% of the industry’s 163,000 employees. Workers in the so-called “right to work” states of the South earn much less for the same work. Anti-union laws have undermined 100% unionisation at organised factories and many workers falsely accept company arguments they are better off without a union. Boeing workers — union and nonunion — understand that the safety problem is about management and quality control as executives rush to build aircraft to increase profits. Federal government agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), have let the airlines off the hook since Boeing began building its new 737 Max aircraft in 2015. The FAA looks out for the industry, not the safety of workers and the public. The NTSB — which leads investigations into incidents —is better, but has no enforcement powers. Full at: https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/united-states-profits-trump-safety-major-airlines -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#29881): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/29881 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/105493841/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
