April 28, 2013 is Workers Memorial Day, an international day of mourning to remember those who have suffered and died on the job. It is also the anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which went into effect on April 28, 1971. The AFL-CIO has a website that explains more about this special day and includes links to scheduled events/activities, explanatory materials and other media. This year's theme is "Safe Jobs Save Lives. Make Your Voice Heard" to highlight the need for stronger protections and the right of workers to speak out without fear of retaliation.

The time to submit comments to the FAA and OSHA on the historic FAA proposed policy statement allowing OSHA to regulate the Flight Attendant aircraft cabin workplace  closed as of January 22, 2013. AFA submitted comments in strong support of the new policy. A number of AFA members also submitted very thoughtful comments about their exposure to occupational health and safety hazards in the cabin and the need for long overdue OSHA protections.

On December 7, 2012, the FAA published a new policy proposal in the Federal Register for addressing flight attendant workplace safety, which comes after the AFA aggressively advocated for Flight Attendant safety and health protections to be included in the FAA reauthorization bill signed by President Obama in February 2012. The FAA/OSHA draft policy statement can be viewed here. The FAA is requesting comments on or before January 22, 2013, and the AFA Air Safety, Health and Security Department is planning to submit comments. [NOTE: On December 21, 2012, the FAA announced an extension of the original comment deadline, which was January 7, 2013, at the request of airline associations.] More information and background is on our FAA/OSHA page.

 The Association of Flight Attendants has focused on the issue of Flight Attendant fatigue for more than two decades. We have recapped chronological markers in order to provide historical reference for members, new activists, and representatives. In 2012, the Airline First Responder Workplace Fairness Act(H.R. 3824) was introduced by Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).  Read more on AFA's Government Affairs webpage.