California flight attendants are up in arms over a new Federal Aviation Administration plan that could strip them of state-mandated meal breaks, with unions criticizing the move as “clearly illegal.” The FAA wants to exempt pilots and flight attendants from state meal break laws, arguing that federal airline rules override local requirements, InsideFlyer reported. This could end an important protection for California-based crews, who are generally entitled to a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break when working more than five hours. Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter The biggest news, opinions and culture shaping California right now. Thanks for signing up! California flight attendants are up in arms over a new FAA plan that could strip them of state-mandated meal breaks. Getty Images But three of the country’s largest flight attendant unions are fighting back, warning that the FAA does not have the authority to simply declare those protections invalid. California-based crews are generally entitled to a 30-minute uninterrupted break when working more than five hours. Getty Images “As for the FAA’s attempt to preempt an entire category of state laws by simply declaring them so, such action is clearly illegal,” the unions charged in an open letter. “Courts, not agencies, determine when federal preemption applies.” The Association of Flight Attendants (CWA), the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represent the crews of major airlines, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines. The fight over meal breaks in California has already led airlines to years of costly court battles. Alaska Airlines previously lost several cases over whether its California-based crews were entitled to breaks and even attempted to take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear its appeal, according to Paddle Your Own Kanoo. The FAA maintains that the patchwork of state requirements can significantly affect airline prices, routes and services. Getty Images The FAA maintains that the patchwork of state requirements can significantly affect airline prices, routes and services, putting the laws at odds with the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Its proposed rule would effectively block state meal break requirements for air crews, but would not replace them with a federal requirement that guarantees flight attendants time to eat during long shifts. Instead, the agency maintains that its existing fatigue management rules are sufficient. The unions don’t believe it. “By sowing a false sense of certainty that the courts will not respect, the FAA will unleash chaos and uncertainty,” they warned. They also rejected the idea that allowing flight attendants to take scheduled breaks could endanger passengers during an emergency. The unions accused the agency of failing to adequately consult flight attendants about the conditions they face on the job. Getty Images “The suggestion that a flight attendant would not respond to an unruly or violent passenger or a fire on board due to a scheduled break is not supported at all by facts in the regulatory record,” the unions said. They noted that the FAA had not identified any cases in which a state-mandated break caused a crew member to mishandle an emergency. The unions also accused the agency of failing to adequately consult flight attendants about the conditions they face on the job before removing state protections. “Their focus appears to be more focused on holding airlines harmless than on working with stakeholders on the very real issue of flight attendant working conditions and how those conditions may impact the safety of the flying public,” they wrote. California’s rules have already proven powerful enough to force changes at the negotiating table. The Association of Flight Attendants previously leveraged state law to ensure protections during meal breaks in its collective bargaining agreement before supporting an exclusion from California requirements for aircrews. Download the California Post app, follow us on social media, and subscribe to our newsletters California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube,
