#ExtendPSP Signed into Law


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#ExtendPSP Signed into Law

December 27, 2020

The emergency #ReliefNow and government funding bill has been signed into law, including a four month extension of our Payroll Support Program. This emergency relief is just the start. It includes direct payments with checks and UI, continued moratorium on evictions, help with the essentials of life such as nutrition and rental assistance, small business help, support for essential workers with PPE, vaccines, and mass transportation, the resources needed for testing and wide vaccine distribution so we can end this pandemic. And of course, it includes recall of everyone who has been involuntarily furloughed and forced into a no pay status. This means over one hundred thousand airline workers recover a paycheck and stay connected to healthcare. And this is just emergency relief, so we have the ability to fight for a full #WorkersFirst recovery in the New Year. 

You never gave up, and you kept the pressure on in recent days to get this bipartisan bill signed. We brought lawmakers together by demanding action. Well done, AFA members. Let’s continue to fight forward by having each others’ backs.

“Never forget what we have been through together,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson. “Let it fuel us to fight to truly help us recover – a collective New Year resolution with significant #WorkersFirst relief.” 

Reminder: The full bill includes $15 Billion for our Payroll Support Program (PSP), along with other provisions for Flight Attendants and our families:

  • Recalls everyone with no interruption to seniority – all rights and protections from Oct 1 as if never furloughed.
  • Ensures pay and benefits December 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021 with no furloughs, no reduction to hourly rates.
  • Restores service to communities and supports vaccine distribution.
  • Extends the cap on executive compensation and ban on stock buybacks.
  • $600 direct payment to Americans who earned up to $75,000 in 2019 ($1,200 for couples making up to $150,000 in 2019). $600 per child with no cap on # of children/dependents.
    • The size of the benefit would be reduced for those earning more than $75,000, or $150,000 per married couple. The amount will decrease by $5 for every $100 of income above those thresholds, phasing out entirely at $87,000 for individuals and $174,000 for couples.
  • Unemployment Insurance is $300 a week on top of state UI levels.
    • 11 weeks of UI extended for the long-term unemployed
  • There is much more in the full bill including banning evictions, aid for our schools and public services and support for mass transit. Much more will be needed for a full recovery in the New Year.

Here’s a brief Q&A to answer some initial questions about what this means for Flight Attendants.

As AFA leaders at each airline – Master Executive Councils (MECs) – work with our airlines to get Flight Attendants back on the line, recognize that this process is unprecedented and we will need to work through logistics and issues together. Most contracts do not and could not have contemplated this scenario, which is why we told Congress this should have been done in August. Stay closely tuned to union communications specifically from your MECs and locals, and make sure your contact information is up to date with AFA and your airline.