Is this Can’tor character unbelievable or what? On the other hand, at least he’s honest in his “My corporate pals and I have got ours, so FU” philosophy.
Meanwhile, as Rep. Gerry Connolly pointed out a couple weeks ago, this shutdown is resulting in the “furlough [of] 4,000 FAA employees, including 975 here in our region.” And, Connolly added, “None of that serves the public, and ironically, we’re going to lose money.”
Yes, WE are going to lose money, and our state and region are going to get hurt, BUT according to Eric Can’tor, it’s just fine if the airlines pocket the $30 million a day that the FAA isn’t able to collect. Apparently, it’s also hunky-dory with Can’tor that thousands of FAA aviation employees — engineers, safety analysts, etc. – have been furloughed; that $2.5 billion in airport construction projects are on hold; and that hundreds of stop-work orders were issued for projects to build and modernize airport control towers.
Oh, and why is the FAA shut down? One of the issues is labor organizing rights. According to MSNBC:
…In February, the Senate passed an FAA extension bill that allowed for airline and railroad workers to unionize more easily. Under that legislation, a union could be set up if a simple majority of voters who were present approved of the union. Under the old rule, employees who didn’t show up to the meeting were counted as “NO” votes on unionizing.
In April, the House passed a FAA extension bill that did away with this union provision. But Senate Democrats have said they won’t pass a FAA extension bill that doesn’t have the union provision.
In other words, the Republican war on working people continues, and has claimed yet another victim.
Second, “House Transportation Chairman Rep. John Mica (R-FL) wrote up another temporary FAA authorization bill that passed the House…[and] included specific language that would strip funding away from some rural airports.”
Third, the Republican-controlled House then skedaddled out of town for a month-long recess, without resolving these issues.
Finally, Eric Can’tor goes on Fox (of course) to claim that it’s just “what business does” when the airlines profit off of the Republican-caused FAA shutdown. All while workers suffer, as a result of Can’tor’s lack of leadership and warped priorities. What else is new?
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