Communications workers press Cravaack on FAA bill

Target freshman lawmaker

January 17, 2012 at 11:40PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Cravaack on the picket line in former pilot career
Cravaack on the picket line in former pilot career (AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has started running radio ads in northern Minnesota targeting freshman Republican Chip Cravaack over a GOP provision on union elections in a bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The telecommunications union accuses Cravaack and fellow Wisconsin Republican Sean Duffy of "weighing down this important will with an unrelated controversial provision." The ads follows a direct mail campaign last August over the measure, which the union says would count non-participating voters as "no" votes. Democrats oppose the change, which has contributed to a protracted delay in getting the FAA bill through Congress. Lawmakers now face a Jan. 31 deadline for avoiding the second FAA shutdown in less than a year. The dispute comes to a head as Cravaack, a former airline pilots' union member, has been trying to curry favor with organized labor in Duluth. Cravaack spokesman Michael Bars said the dispute does not have to hold up the FAA bill. "Chip thinks we'll need a compromise," he said. "Workers and families have been without the financial certainty associated with a long-term bill for too long."

about the writer

about the writer

Kevin Diaz

Reporter

Kevin Diaz is politics editor at the Star Tribune.

See More

More from Politics

card image
card image