Washington, DC — Larry I. Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement on the Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Disclosure Act of 2018:
“For too long, airlines have been allowed to outsource maintenance work to foreign facilities that do not need to meet the same safety, security, and oversight standards as U.S.-based repair stations. Legislation introduced today by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA) and Dan Donovan (R-NY) would ensure passengers know where the planes they fly on are maintained.
“By requiring airlines to publicly disclose to customers their aircraft maintenance practices, the Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Disclosure Act of 2018 will create a level of transparency previously unseen in the aviation industry. This will empower consumers to make smart choices and hold airlines accountable for their maintenance decisions.
“While today’s legislation shines a light on the practice of outsourcing aircraft maintenance work, federal agencies must step up and address this blatant double standard. In 2012, Congress directed the FAA to ensure that foreign repair stations working on U.S. aircraft adhere to drug and alcohol testing rules. The FAA has irresponsibly failed to implement this basic safety requirement. Security standards mandated by Congress have likewise not been implemented and unannounced inspections of foreign stations — a staple of oversight at U.S. stations — do not occur.
“This uneven playing field incentivizes the outsourcing of good-paying American jobs and can no longer be tolerated.”