We are very pleased that this week, flight attendants, flight crews and their families have come one step closer to finally sharing the rights afforded to most workers by the Family and Medical Leave Act. On Tuesday, the Senate passed S. 1422, the Airline Flight Crew Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by unanimous consent. A similar bill, H.R. 912, was passed earlier this year by the House.

This bill represents workplace fairness to thousands of flight attendants, flight crews and their families because for years they have not been able to qualify for FMLA benefits due to “the unique way in which the airline industry counts its workers’ hours.” The bill clarifies the language of the 1993 FMLA law to ensure that airline workers are no longer excluded from FMLA benefits.

The House and Senate bills that have been passed will now move to conference, where the slight differences between them will be ironed out so that the Airline Flight Crew Family and Medical Leave Act can be signed into law by President Obama.