Baldwin, Capito Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Stop Offshoring of Plane Maintenance, Support American Workers
Legislation would ensure foreign aviation maintenance is on par with American safety standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced the bipartisan Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act, legislation that seeks to return aircraft maintenance to the U.S. by removing incentives for airlines to offshore this work. The legislation would ensure that foreign aviation repair stations are subject to the same safety standards as American aviation repair companies, helping bolster passenger safety and level the playing field for U.S. companies.
There are nearly 1,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified maintenance and repair stations operating outside the United States. These stations service American aircraft, but many operate at a far lower safety standard than their American-based counterparts, incentivizing businesses to have this work done in less regulated countries. The Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act would ensure that aircraft maintenance workers around the world are as qualified as their American technicians. Specifically, this legislation requires foreign technicians to undergo background checks and drug and alcohol testing. The bill also mandates that foreign stations be subject to surprise inspections and keep better maintenance records.
“Currently, foreign repair stations are not required to have surprise inspections, and the workers are not required to undergo background checks or drug and alcohol testing. The bipartisan Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act aims to fix this issue by creating a level playing field for safety. This is one of my top priorities as we move through the FAA reauthorization process, and I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this smart, commonsense policy,” Senator Capito said.
“Wisconsin is home to more than a thousand certified aircraft mechanics who follow the rules and keep our aircraft safety maintained,” said Brian Coyne, Vice President of TWU Local 591 and 31-year FAA-certified Aircraft Maintenance Technician. “The FAA holds us accountable and can take away our careers if we send a broken plane into the air. But the FAA does nothing to maintain this same standard at the facilities it certifies outside the U.S. That’s not only wrong, it’s dangerous, and it’s costing Wisconsinites jobs. Senator Baldwin’s bill will ensure that there is one standard for safe maintenance on commercial aircraft and return jobs to the U.S.”
“For 20 years, we’ve called for greater FAA oversight of foreign repair stations where U.S. aircraft undergo maintenance,” said Transportation Trades Department (TTD), AFL-CIO President Greg Regan. “It’s simple: foreign repair stations should be held to the same safety standards as our domestic repair stations. We applaud Senator Baldwin and Senator Capito for introducing this legislation to implement long overdue safety reforms.”
Full text of the legislation is available here.
An online version of this release is available here.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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