Davis introduces Fair and Open Skies Act to protect U.S. aviation labor

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation to ensure that authorizations issued by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to foreign air carriers do not undermine America’s labor rights or standards.

“Our country operates one of the safest aviation systems in the world and foreign airlines need to play by the rules or they shouldn’t be permitted to operate within the United States,” said Rep. Davis, ranking member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

The congressman on July 9 introduced the Fair and Open Skies Act, H.R. 3632, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

If enacted, H.R. 3632 would prohibit the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing a foreign air carrier permit for U.S. operations to an airline that exploits a ‘flag of convenience’ to avoid the regulations of its home country, or otherwise undermines labor standards.

A ‘flag of convenience carrier’ means a foreign air carrier that is established in a country other than the home country of its majority owner or owners in order to avoid regulations of the home country, according to the bill’s text.

“Ignoring when they skirt regulations or labor standards in their home country only puts American workers and companies at a disadvantage,” said Rep. Davis during a July 10 press conference on Capitol Hill. “If a foreign air carrier wants to operate within the United States, then they need to play by the same rules we require of our airlines.”

The congressman also said that he feels “very passionately about this issue” and to allow foreign carriers to circumvent aviation and/or labor rules “would be a disaster” for the industry.

H.R. 3632, which has garnered the support of several labor unions, including the AFL-CIO and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.