4000 workers and construction projects getting the shaft because of Tea Party attacks on the FAA

We posted a piece last week that alerted everybody what the televangelists and GOP were doing to our aviation safety and jobs because they want to ultimately go union-busting against the workers. Tea Party Crazy Dominated GOP Threaten Aviation Safety While Engaging In Union Busting

Now that their plan is taking effect, we're already seeing the odious results of the endeavor.

Daily Kos:

As anticipated, the Federal Aviation Administration's operating authority expired at midnight Friday and the agency partially shut down. While air traffic controllers are still on the job and air travel continues more or less normally, nearly 4,000 other FAA employees are currently furloughed without pay. Additionally, nearly 87,000 construction jobs are affected as FAA-funded airport construction projects are forced to shut down. This includes projects from $10,000 to tens of millions of dollars, scattered across the country.

All of which is probably fine with House Republicans, since the whole purpose of this exercise was to make things more difficult for workers, anyway. By trying to make union representation elections operate by undemocratic rules, they put people out of work instead—maybe that's a job well done in their eyes.


http://videocafe.update.crooksandliars.com/taxonomy/term/5368

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1588600





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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rep-john-mica-calls-tsa-...

Rep. John Mica Calls TSA His 'Little Bastard Child'

March 30, 2011

Rep. John Mica, the Florida Republican who helped set up the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) after 9/11 but has made no secret of his hatred for it, today called the agency "the little bastard child I created."

He said the agency is out of control, has far too many screeners and highly paid bureaucrats. Mica said, "The bad news is I created them after 9/11, the good news is I am now chairman and I will get them." Mica said, as he has before, that he would like to turn over screening to private companies under TSA supervision.



http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/400669/larry-hanna...

Rep. John Mica: No end in sight for FAA reauthorization bill

On Monday U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., said he had no idea when a FAA reauthorization bill would pass. Mica, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is locked in a feud with Senate Democrats over a provision that would make it easier for airport workers to unionize.

Mica has said he won't allow a that provision to pass, while Senate Democrats are refusing to allow anything to pass without that provision.

The FAA shut down non-essential operations Friday because no reauthorization bill was approved. Flights have not been affected, but construction at a airports has stopped.

Airlines have not had to collect FAA mandated taxes on airfares since Friday, but the airlines raised their rates that day, so consumers have not seen a decrease in airfare.



http://atwonline.com/international-aviation-regulation/...

FAA partial shutdown continues; lawmakers refuse to budge

Around 4,000 FAA employees have been furloughed. ($200 million per week in taxes are being lost without savings to consumers.)

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equals lots of people impacted or noticing.

I hope there are a few teabaggers in that total. Maybe they'll see the light.

they were furloughed.