Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA’s president, at the podium, addresses the crowd of pilots, flight attendants, other airline industry employees, and members of the labor workforce who gathered in Washington, D.C., to show their solidarity and resolve to #DenyNAI.

As ALPA awaits the final decision from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on whether it will grant Norwegian Air International’s (NAI) foreign air carrier permit to fly to the United States, the call demanding that the White House and the DOT honor their commitments and stand up for American workers continues to amass a groundswell of supporters.

ALPA’s efforts, along with those of its supporters, focus on demonstrating that NAI’s intended business plan runs afoul of the provisions of the U.S.–EU Air Transport Agreement (ATA), rallying support among Members of Congress to enact legislation to prohibit NAI’s flag-of-convenience scheme, and raising the public’s awareness of the threat to U.S. jobs.

With this three-pronged strategic plan in place for the past two years, ALPA is responding to the DOT’s shocking tentative approval of NAI’s application by redoubling its efforts on the union’s legal, legislative, and public relations campaign.

Compliance with the ATA language, specifically Article 17 bis—the labor provision of the trade agreement—is the focus of ALPA’s legal argument. It’s simple: a decision to approve NAI’s application would be in violation of the language of the article that states that opportunities created by the ATA are not intended to “undermine labor standards or the labor-related rights and principles contained in the parties’ respective laws.”

In May, with little advance notice, more than 500 aviation workers from across the country gathered in front of the White House to demonstrate their solidarity in opposition to the DOT’s tentative decision to approve NAI’s petition to fly to the United States. Of that group, more than 300 were ALPA members. Coinciding with the White House demonstration, ALPA launched a social media campaign that reached nearly 500,000 people—sending a clear message that it’s time for the White House and the DOT to honor its commitments and stand up for American workers. This social media campaign garnered the attention and support of U.S. presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The Association also placed ads, co-sponsored with the AFL–CIO and the Association of Flight Attendants–CWA, in prominent Washington, D.C., news outlets.

On the legislative front, ALPA swiftly supported bipartisan legislation (H.R. 5090) introduced by Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.). The bill would direct the DOT to require European airlines to meet the labor standards of the ATA before allowing them to fly to the United States. The legislation has garnered 130 bipartisan cosponsors. This is in addition to the support of more than 200 Members of Congress who have written to the DOT, calling for a rejection of NAI’s business model.

The consensus is clear: NAI’s convoluted business plan threatens the U.S. airline industry and violates the U.S.–EU Air Transport Agreement. As the Association awaits the outcome of the proposed legislation, as well as a final decision by the DOT, please join ALPA in its social media campaign. Tweet @POTUS, @WhiteHouse, and @USDOT: Calling on @WhiteHouse and @USDOT to #DenyNAI. Fair competition and U.S. airline industry jobs are at stake. Let the White House and the DOT know that they must enforce U.S. trade agreements.