Airline workers push for better safety measures when it comes to violent passengers
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- Unionized airline workers are pushing for elected leaders to pass the "Protection from Abusive Passengers Act" with a day of action at Newark Airport on Tuesday.
Airline workers decided it was time to take action after a rise in reports of unruly passengers.
As of August 20th, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received nearly 1,300 of them. The averaged out to more than 5 per day.
The "Protection from Abusive Passengers Act" would prohibit violent passengers from flying and would also permanently ban abusive passengers from TSA PreCheck as well as Customs' Global Entry programs.
In-person action will take place on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to educate other airline workers and passengers on the Transport Workers Union's (TWU) nationwide campaign, "Assault Won't Fly," along with the need to fight the rise in assaults on airline workers.
Attendees can go to Pedestrian Bridge located at Terminal 1, Newark Liberty International Airport (3 Brewster Rd., Newark, NJ).
At the event, TWU members will hand out bag tags with the campaign name, "Assault Won't Fly," as well as post cards with QR codes for the website that provides more campaign information.
The Assault Won't Fly website can also be found here.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
