Yes, Safety Comes First … But With Whom?

My modest tribute to the captain of US Airways flight 1549, which appeared here last Friday, triggered a comment with a different and interesting perspective that’s very much worth sharing. I have taken the liberty of re-posting it below.

What the mainstream media are not reporting is that virtually everyone involved in the rescue is a union member. And that they used the safety training that unions have been fighting for and management has been fighting against.

The pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, is a former national committee member and the former safety chairman for the Airline Pilots Association.

The flight attendants, members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

The air traffic controllers, members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

The ferry crews, members of the Seafarers International Union.

The fire and police workers – unionized.

The one thing that all these unions have in common is that they have been fighting for safety training that management has been trying to cut back. If management had its way, this safety training would not have taken place and these passengers would probably all be dead.

The passengers owe their lives to trade unions. And that is a politically incorrect fact that the corporate-owned mainstream media is ignoring.

-Kevin Love

It’s my personal view that the vast majority of men and women in the news media make a serious effort to get it right. That said, there are times when they, collectively, are so focused on the hard news that deeper, significant and more provocative aspects of a story often do not see the light of day. Whatever the reason, that is a pity.