Teamsters fight against knives on planes

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey today, with Teamsters and the flight attendants coalition.

Teamsters objected to a new policy allowing small knives on planes at a Capitol Hill news conference today. The Teamsters are part of the Flight Attendants Union Coalition, which is coordinating a nationwide legislative and public campaign to reverse the Transportation Security Administration's decision.

CBS News reported:

A new Transportation Security Administration policy that would allow passengers to bring small knives on board commercial flights "will not fly," Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said today. 

"It is a nonsensical policy, it is a contradictory policy, it is a dangerous policy," Markey said, standing outside of the U.S. Capitol with representatives from flight attendant unions, the Federal Air Marshal Service and other groups opposed to the change. 

"We want the TSA to stand for 'Transportation Security Administration,'" Markey said, "not 'Take Small knives Aboard.'" 

With the policy change slated to kick in next month, Markey has introduced the "No Knives Act" to keep knives off planes.

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa spoke out against the policy, scheduled to take effect on April 25:

Since the horrific 9/11 terror attacks, the ban on dangerous objects in the aircraft cabin has helped make our nation’s airline industry the safest in the world. This ban has been and continues to be an integral part of our nation’s aviation security system, ensuring the safety of both passengers and crew members. We call on the TSA to reverse this decision.

You can sign a petition to keep knives off planes here.

David Bourne, director of the Teamsters Airline Division, said:

We have spent countless hours working with our nation’s leaders, union leaders, industry leaders, and our membership to protect the American traveling public, our members, and those people on the ground. Under the current rules, you are allowed to transport the ‘new’ items but they must be checked items. The current rules should be continued.

The Teamsters Airline Division represents about 80,000 workers in all segments of commercial aviation, including pilots and flight attendants. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters was founded in 1903 and represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.