We Did It Again: PSP Extended!

We did it again! Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, extending our Payroll Support Program for Flight Attendants and all aviation workers through September 30, 2021. President Biden will sign the bill into law this week. The American Rescue Plan makes clear that workers are not going to pay for this crisis. Read more about provisions in the bill that will benefit Flight Attendants and our families >

This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible solidarity of Flight Attendants, our entire union, and industry over the last year. AFA Flight Attendants made tens of thousands of calls, sent over 100,000 letters, and held #ReliefNow events in 24 cities. It is our incredible solidarity through the last year that made this PSP extension possible again.

Our PSP was overwhelmingly bipartisan, but it would not have been possible from the start without the relentless efforts of Chairman Peter DeFazio, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, and of course now with the leadership of President Joe Biden.

PSP is for everyone in our airline industry—every worker at every airline. It was designed to ensure this crisis—the biggest our industry has faced in all of its 100 years even if you combine all other crises together—doesn’t fall on the backs of workers. PSP is important to stop furloughs now, but there are protections for all aviation workers: no cuts to hourly pay, continued service to all communities, caps executive compensation for two years after relief and bans stock buybacks and dividends for one year after the relief period ends.

With vaccinations increasing by the day, recovery is in sight. We will still need our solidarity to ensure that all of us reach recovery and management doesn't turn around to put the crisis on our backs. In March 2020, we built the Payroll Support Program as an immediate relief and protection for us as workers. But we also had an eye to our future. PSP ensures workers and airlines can get through this pandemic without threat of bankruptcy or years of cost cutting rather than revenue generation and growth that is the basis for us to maintain and improve our careers.

PSP provides the financial support to help us fight the virus. The pandemic is the problem and our safety is the priority. Stabilizing people and our airlines financially also allows us to focus on our safety and good public health plans. Our top priority is access to the vaccines for Flight Attendants and all aviation workers. We’ve seen movement over the last month as vaccine clinics have started at HNL, DEN, and ORD. We will continue to push local, state, and federal governments to expand airport clinics across the country. Get more info on the COVID vaccine >

Solidarity forever. We are stronger together and better together.

In Solidarity,

Sara Nelson, AFA International President
Deb Sutor, AFA International Vice President
Kevin Creighan, AFA International Secretary-Treasurer