October 25, 2017  |   

Last week, more than 200 American Airlines mechanics demonstrated in Times Square along with Transport Workers Union members against the farming out of their jobs.

Flight Risk! Several thousand jet mechanics from American Airlines rallied in NYC last week, in hopes that President Trump will swoop in and prevent their jobs from flying away.

Besides the loss of US jobs, the larger concern is the danger to public safety or national security that arises from the offshoring maintenance work on commercial aircraft fleets.
Most passengers don’t know that all US airlines have at least some of their commercial planes serviced overseas, far from the oversight of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Presently, major airline maintenance work is outsourced to El Salvador, Mexico, and China, where few mechanics are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and inspections have imperceptible authority.

American Airlines was the lone commercial airline holdout that didn’t outsource, but even that has changed recently.

The US government acknowledges “critical exceptions” that effectively create two sets of rules on plane maintenance.
When U.S. airline fleets are serviced outside the country, those exceptions can include:
  • No security background checks on mechanics
  • No alcohol and drug screening of mechanics
  • No duty-time limitations for the workers
  • No unannounced FAA inspections
As we know, US airlines are in a cost-cutting race to the bottom – not only with tight seats and ‘gotcha’ fees – but also with safety and security.

PAPERS PLEASE

Officially losing the right to travel within your country
 
As of last Friday, more than two-dozen states and U.S. territories were not yet deemed in full compliance of the Real ID Act.
IMPORTANT – Americans with driver’s licenses from the below states will be outlawed from traveling in January 2018:
  • Washington
  • Oregon
  • California
  • Alaska
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • Minnesota
  • Oklahoma
  • Kentucky
  • Virginia
  • South Carolina
  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Maine
But the federal government is still reviewing extension requests for six additional states and five U.S. territories:
  • Michigan
  • Illinois
  • Missouri
  • Louisiana
  • New York
  • Rhode Island
  • Puerto Rico
  • Guam
  • The U.S. Virgin Islands
  • American Samoa
  • The Northern Mariana Islands

NOTE: South Carolina believes they will get an extension.

This is a consequence of the REAL ID act which seeks to enforce a National ID on US citizens by forcing states to pay more for IDs with some advanced security features.
But, since TSA is already physically searching travelers, then why is this important?
 
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