NYC-WTC_000230740

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

DAILY NEWS, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2001

Workers charg jets still unsafe ' Flight attendants hit security , By MICHAEL 0. AU£N ’ DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Dozens of flight attendants charged yesterday that they remain vulnerable to terrorists because nothing has been done to improve I airport security since the Sept. 11 attacks. ' Greg Davidowitch, the union reprcsen- background of ground personnel that ' tative for United Airlines flight atten- have access to airports and aircraft. And dants at LaGuardia and Kennedy air­ there’s no requirement that they wear ports, said the issue has bogged down in photo identification, for instance. Congress. With cockpit doors fortified against at­ “One of the big shames in this whole tack, flight attendants essentially would thing,” he said, “is that we’re almost six weeks after the fact and the federal gov- be responsible for keeping the aircraft cabin safe but are not being given any de­ fensive capabilities or additional train­ I enunent.still has not addressed the securi­ ty of the nation's sky.” ing, Friend charged. ' Davidowitch spoke after a few dozen lo­ ‘We will not keep quef cal flight attendants met with Patricia The union instructed flight attendants I JFriend, president of the Association of on calling and writing their congression­ ) > Flight Attendants, in midtown. al representatives to lobby for the assis­ Dianne Tamuk of upstate Port Jervis, a tance as well as the security changes. , United Airlines flight attendant out of “We are not going to let people forget Kennedy Airport for 23 years, said the fo- this time,” Friend said. “We will not keep / cus of traveling should shift from passen- quiet. We will not give up until we get the ger comfort to security. kind^of security that we feel is needed.” . ‘‘Last week, a passenger actually com- yhe flight attendants also criticized plained that his cookie was too soft,” Congress for not giving enough assis- Tamuk said. “You're alone. You’re guard- tance to workers displaced in massive ing the cockpit and watching out for layoffs — even though lawmakers provid- strange behavior in the cabin, and now ed a $15 billion bailout of the industry af- you have to deal with a passenger who’s ter last month’s terrorists attacks. not happy with the texture of his cookie?” attendants, believiiig their fate I Friend said a lot of visible cosmetic to be tied to the success of the industiy, I changes have been made, such as station- lobbied for the bailout. ing the National Guard at airport.s and the final hour of debate, any re- V placing more personnel at screening jjgf tfjat was to be provided for workers pokks. was eliminated, with a promise that an- But only 5% of checked baggages are other bill would take care of those prob- screened through X-ray machines. Friend lems. Well, that has not come true,” Davi- said. Nothing has been done to check the dowitch said.

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NYC-WTC_000230740