Flight Attendant Union Criticizes CDC for Decision "Pushed by Corporate America"

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- A masked flight attendant passes out refreshments on a flight from San Fran, Calif., to Newark, N.J., Oct., 2020.
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Truthout, Dec. 29, 2021. - Ed.

Flight Attendant union president and labor leader Sara Nelson is criticizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for changing its guidance on quarantining for COVID-19 after business leaders asked the agency to cut its recommendations by half, potentially at the cost of public health. Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International, accused the CDC in a statement of making its decision to benefit businesses that may be experiencing staffing issues, rather than stemming the spread of the virus.

“We said we wanted to hear from medical professionals on the best guidance for quarantine, not from corporate America advocating for a shortened period due to staffing shortages,” Nelson said. “The CDC gave a medical explanation about why the agency has decided to reduce the quarantine requirements from 10 to 5 days, but the fact that it aligns with the number of days pushed by corporate America is less than reassuring.” The statement comes after the agency cut its recommendations for quarantining due to COVID from 10 to 5 days even though many people may still be contagious past that period.

The decision was announced shortly after Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sent a letter to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky asking her to reduce the quarantine time for vaccinated people to 5 days. He complained that the longer quarantine period “may significantly impact our workforce and operations.” The CDC has denied that its decision was influenced by corporate giants. But some progressive commentators have also noted that Walensky won’t consider a vaccine mandate for airlines, in line with Bastian’s previous objections to such a requirement. Bastian said earlier this year that vaccine mandates for passengers would cause a “bottleneck” for airlines.

Ironically, though Bastian has framed the easing of pandemic restrictions as helping businesses, allowing continued spread of the virus will only prolong the pandemic, which is still suppressing the economy. The current explosion of cases- with the U.S. breaking its previous record for daily case counts this week- has caused thousands of flight cancellations domestically and internationally during the busiest travel period of the year. It is an issue not only for travellers but also for aviation workers, who are disproportionately affected by COVID waves. Airline employees are forced to contend with rude and abusive customers who refuse to follow masking and other pandemic guidelines while being exposed to the virus at work.

Indeed, airlines have attributed the spread of the Omicron variant to flight cancellations, saying that infections of staff and crew are causing shortages.

Nelson pointed out in her statement that the CDC guidance is a labor issue, and that the health of the workers, and their ability to safely recover and protect their fellow employees from the virus by staying at home, is crucial...

https://truthout.org/articles/flight-attendant-union-criticizes-cdc-for-decision-pushed-by-corporate-america/
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- 'Delta Cuts Paid Sick Leave for Workers With COVID After Lobbying for CDC Change,' Dec. 30, 2021,
https://truthout.org/articles/delta-cuts-paid-sick-leave-for-workers-with-covid-after-lobbying-for-cdc-change/

Just a day after the CDC delivered updated Covid-19 isolation guidelines that the company’s CEO lobbied for, Delta Air Lines moved to take advantage of the new recommendations by slashing paid sick leave for infected workers, prompting immediate backlash from union leaders and public health experts who warned of such an outcome.

Citing internal communications, the New York Times reported late Wednesday that the airline’s new policy “provides 5 days of paid leave for workers who test positive for the coronavirus to isolate” and “encourages, but does not require, a Covid test to go back to work, going a step further than the CDC guidance, which does not include a recommendation for additional testing.” “Delta’s new protocols make no mention of whether returning employees should have improving symptoms, as suggested by the CDC,” the Times added.

Prior to the release of the updated CDC guidance — which cuts the recommended isolation period for those with asymptomatic coronavirus infections to just 5 days — Delta offered 10 days of paid sick leave for workers battling Covid-19. Under current company policy, only fully vaccinated employees are entitled to coronavirus-related paid time off. According to a company memo seen by the Times, “Delta will extend its five days of Covid-specific paid time off… by 2 additional days if an employee tests positive at the end of the initial isolation period.”...