U.S. Government Faults Regulator on Southwest Airlines

Reuters – Southwest Airlines planes prepare for departure from Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California

Fri Mar 19, 5:11 am ET

(Reuters) – A U.S. government watchdog faulted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for allowing Southwest Airlines Co to fly jets that had not undergone mandatory maintenance work, violating stipulated safety rules, the Wall Street Journal said.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel said on Thursday that the company failed to complete certain required maintenance involving rivets around the window frames of 55 of its Boeing 737 aircraft, the paper said, citing the counsel's documents.

US Airways Pilots Lend Support to British Airways' Cabin Crew on Eve of Planned Strike

Source: US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) On Friday March 19, 2010, 3:58 pm EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), representing the pilots of US Airways, today announced support for British Airways’ cabin crews’ planned three-day strike to commence this weekend. The British Airways crews, represented by Unite, the largest union in Britain, have announced plans to strike after negotiations with British Airways fell apart again last week.

United Airlines Delivers Bags Via FedEx in Limited-time Deal

By Wayne Risher, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Posted March 20, 2010 at 5:32 p.m.

United Airlines whipped up a sizzling deal this week for people who refuse to travel light.

United offered Door to Door Baggage service by FedEx for a ridiculously low $25 a bag one-way for a limited time.

Cargo and airline experts said the special might be aimed at using excess space on FedEx flights to take the load off passenger flights, a loss leader to win business for United, or both.

Remarks by the President to the House Democratic Congress

March 20, 2010 'It is Time to Pass Health Care Reform'

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Everybody, please have a seat.

To Leader Reid, to Steny Hoyer, John Larson, Xavier Becerra, Jim Clyburn, Chris Van Hollen, to an extraordinary leader and extraordinary Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and to all the members here today, thank you very much for having me. (Applause.) Thanks for having me and thanks for your tireless efforts waged on behalf of health insurance reform in this country.

JPMorgan Chase Greed Brings 'Guilty' Verdict

by Mike Hall, Mar 17, 2010

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon was found guilty yesterday of conspiracy to wreck the economy, destroy jobs and the immoral use of taxpayer bank bailout money for millions in Wall Street bonuses.

The courtroom was on a Madison Wis., street in front a JPMorgan Chase bank branch and the jury included dozens of union and community activists. The street theater was part of the AFL-CIO union movement’s two weeks of action across the country to Make Wall Street pay to create jobs and fix they economy they ravaged.

Lincoln Attacks Arkansas Working Families; Families Don't Blanche

by Mike Hall, Mar 17, 2010

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) who this week launched a television ad slamming working families as “outside interests” is continuing her descent into “yet another hypocritical, flip-flopping D.C., politician,” says Arkansas AFL-CIO President Alan Hughes.

Lincoln in recent months has piled up a Senate record opposing working families–including voting to send jobs overseas via bad trade deals, reversing her initial support for the Employee Free Choice Act and opposing health care reform legislation with a public health insurance option. Arkansas unions now have endorsed Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D.) in the upcoming U.S. Senate primary.

Help Stop Child Labor in the Cocoa Fields

by James Parks, Mar 20, 2010

With the Easter holiday approaching, many U.S. children and their parents will celebrate with chocolate bunnies and other chocolate-covered treats. But for children in West Africa, Easter will simply be another desolate day of harvesting cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, under inexcusable conditions.

British Airways Strike Grounds Flights but Passengers Fly

AFP/File – British Airways (BA) cabin crew began a three-day strike over pay and conditions which will ground hundreds

LONDON (AFP) – British Airways (BA) cabin crew on Saturday began a three-day strike over pay and conditions which will ground hundreds of flights, but the airline said many of its passengers were able to fly.

Some 12,000 members of Britain's biggest trade union, Unite, walked out at midnight Friday, hours after face-to-face talks between unions and and BA chief executive Willie Walsh broke down.

More than 1,000 flights are set to be cancelled in the first phase of the action, with a second walkout to follow for four days from March 27, targeted at the busy Easter holiday period.

Machinists Poll Confirms Excise Tax Opposition

Thu. March 18, 2010

IAM members delivered a bipartisan thumping to both political parties as well as the White House in an online survey of workers’ attitudes. But there can be no mistaking their strong opposition to key provisions of health care reform.

On the pending health care legislation, nearly 68 percent of Machinists adamantly opposed the 40 percent excise tax on health care plans. Seventy percent gave a thumbs-down to penalties for those without health care coverage and more than 64.9 percent wanted a public option. President Obama was given only 18.7 percent approval for his efforts to control the cost of health insurance by the 1,262 Machinists completing the survey.

UK Union Announces Strike Dates at British Airways

Thu. March 18, 2010

Flight Attendants in the United Kingdom announced today this week that they would be taking seven days of strike action at the end of the month if their contract dispute is not resolved before then.

The ITF-affiliated Unite union, which represents the British Airways (BA) workers, said that strike action would take place on March 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29 and 30, with additional action possible on April 14.