Yesterday's tale of a U.S. Airways jet that was successfully ditched in the Hudson river after losing both its engines is one of those rare moments of national joy, an unalloyed good story. The veteran pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, successfully performed the difficult maneuver of landing the plane safely on a body of water. The cabin crew led the passengers out onto the wings as Sullenberger personally checked the plane twice. He was the last person out before it sunk. Ferries and emergency services responded quickly -- some NYPD officers apparently commandeered a nearby boat to go to the rescue -- and all 155 passengers were saved. It's a beautiful thing.
But it's not the kind of beautiful thing we normally write about here at TAPPED, at least until a labor source sent along a link to this blog post:
Sullenberger is a former national committee member and the former safety chairman for the Airline Pilots Association and now represented by US Airline Pilots Association. He -- and his union -- have fought to ensure pilots get the kind of safety training to pull off what he did yesterday.
Then there are the flight attendants:
One passenger, Elizabeth McHugh, 64, of Charlotte, seated on the aisle near the rear, said flight attendants shouted more instructions: feet flat on the floor, heads down, cover your heads.
They are members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. Yesterday's accident should remind all of us that flight attendants are first and foremost safety professionals--they should not be treated like cocktail waitresses.
There are the air traffic controllers ... They're represented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Someday, they'll rename National Airport for the work these men and women do to keep us safe in the air.
There are the ferry crews:
As the first ferry nudged up alongside, witnesses said, some passengers were able to leap onto the decks. Others were helped aboard by ferry crews.
They're represented by the Seafarers International Union. They provide safety training to their members so they're prepared for events like yesterday's accident.
There are the cops and firemen:
Helicopters brought wet-suited police divers, who dropped into the water to help with the rescues.
They're represented by the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association and Uniformed Fire Officers Association.They're the men and women who performed so heroically on 9/11--and they've been fighting to make sure first responders get the equipment to do this kind of thing.
For those who are skeptical about organized labor, it's worth remembering that unions strive for workplace safety and emergency preparedness, with clear repercussions for consumer safety. The individuals who performed heroically yesterday, as well as the passengers, who apparently remained calm and helped women and children off the plane, deserve all the credit for what the tabloids are calling "The Miracle on the Hudson," but we shouldn't forget the structural factors that contributed to the success of yesterday's rescue.
-- Tim Fernholz
