Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO

 

PASS Mourns the Loss of Founding President Howard Johannssen

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24 Oct

Johannssen

Howard Johannssen, founding president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, passed away at his home in Maryland on October 22, 2022, the union announced today. He was 79.

“Howard was what we all aspire to be. PASS is what we are because of his sacrifices and principles,” said National President Dave Spero.

The seed for PASS was planted in the 1970s after an incident at JFK International Airport involving Johannssen and an air traffic controller when a fire broke out. Johannssen, an airways facilities technician with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), saw the smoke coming from under a doorway but the technicians weren’t trusted to have keys. He grabbed a fire extinguisher to knock the door down and an air traffic controller, who also smelled the smoke, came out and helped. “We put that fire out,” said Johannssen. “The next day, I find that I’m going to get a suspension for destroying government property. And the controller who helped me got a reward!” This was just one of many incidents of disparate treatment between the workforces that resulted in the birth of PASS.

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Foreign Repair Station Bill Passes

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03 Oct
Last week, the House passed H.R. 7321, the Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act on a bipartisan 374 – 52 vote. The legislation removes incentives for airlines to offshore maintenance jobs by closing safety loopholes that allow U.S.-aircraft to be repaired on lower safety standards at FAA-certified facilities abroad. PASS has long been an advocate for tightening the safety inequities at foreign repair stations. “This legislation is an important step in the right direction,” said National President Dave Spero. “We will work with members of Congress to ensure its passage.” The FAA no longer has international field offices overseas and any inspections of foreign facilities require advanced notice and State Department approval, as noted by PASS at a June 2019 outsourcing summit. "They know we are coming," said then PASS President Mike Perrone. Over the years, the FAA has allowed regulatory gaps to occur in five areas, defining different standards for maintenance performed abroad versus maintenance performed in the United States.

Unlike domestic facilities, FAA-certified repair facilities abroad are NOT required to:

  • Conduct drug and alcohol testing on safety-sensitive personnel;
  • Perform background checks on workers;
  • Assess security threats for facilities;
  • Allow unannounced FAA inspections of maintenance operations; and
  • Meet minimum qualifications for aircraft mechanics.

H.R. 7321 would establish one uniform level of safety for aircraft repair, maintenance and overhaul regardless of where the service is performed. The bill next goes to the Senate for consideration.

Remembering 9/11

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09 Sep

On a sunlit Tuesday morning 21 years ago, the men and women of PASS were on the job as usual, working for the American public. What transpired that day changed our nation and the aviation industry forever. In the days, weeks and months following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DoD) employees represented by PASS went above and beyond their usual selfless dedication to their work.

PASS National President Dave Spero was at work in Oklahoma on 9/11. “I witnessed the remarkable professionalism of my co-workers and air traffic controllers to secure facilities and bring aircraft in safely,” he said.

Over 4,000 planes were grounded and those in the air directed to the closest airport. PASS members and bargaining unit employees staffed phones to address pilot, mechanic and public concerns and monitored airports and facilities 24 hours a day, coordinating mandates from the White House, Department of Transportation and the FAA. At the request of DoD, these dedicated public servants staffed long-range radars throughout the country and worked with the Air Force to provide additional radar surveillance, data and voice communication capability to the military.

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PASS VP Appointed to Federal Safety Council

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30 Aug

PASS is pleased to announce that Region III Vice President Ray Baggett has been selected to serve on the reestablished Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (FACOSH). The council advises the Secretary of Labor on all matters relating to the occupational safety and health of federal employees. FACOSH was disbanded in 2018 but in September 2021, President Biden issued an executive order reinstating FACOSH as well as other advisory committees.

“Congratulations to Brother Ray on this impressive appointment,” said National President Dave Spero. “This is an incredible opportunity for the voice of PASS to be at the forefront of workplace safety. Ray’s extensive history with occupational safety and health will no doubt be essential to the work done by this council. He is a strong advocate for PASS and all federal workers.”

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PASS Supports Push to Block Schedule F

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09 Aug

Last Tuesday, legislation was introduced to block an effort to reinstitute a plan that would strip federal employees of their civil service protections. It would stop any administration from firing career employees to install political appointees. This legislation mirrors that passed in the House last month as part of the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Senators are seeking to block a push to reinstitute Schedule F. Schedule F was included in an order introduced by the former president toward the end of his term aimed at creating a new class of federal employees. Essentially, Schedule F would remove career federal workers in certain jobs from the General Schedule into a new classification where all their civil service protections would be removed, essentially making them at-will employees.

“The federal workforce, including PASS members, is critical to our country’s success and strength,” said PASS National President Dave Spero. “Allowing politics to interfere with the work of career federal employees is a misguided step. PASS supports this legislation and will work to ensure the continued protection of all federal employees.”

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PASS, Coalition Urge Senators to Oppose Increase in Pilot Retirement Age

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20 Jul

This week PASS joined a coalition of aviation industry unions to call on the Senate to reject any legislation that would increase the retirement age for pilots. The current mandatory retirement age for pilots is 65 and is aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),

Noting the continuing stress on air travel this summer, the unions state that “changing the retirement age for pilots in the United States will not increase the supply of pilots but instead have many unintended consequences for passengers and junior pilots.” Such a change would require retraining, increased costs for airline as well as the pilots.

“The discussions related to increasing the pilot retirement age are intended to be a quick fix to the false narrative of inadequate pilot supply and another excuse for some airlines to water down pilot training requirements and flight experience time. However, the real problem is airline management’s poor planning for a pandemic recovery,” the coalition wrote.

“Our unions represent employees in a wide variety of aviation-related professions,” said PASS National President Dave Spero. “But central to all of their work is the safety of the National Airspace System and ultimately, the American flying public. PASS is proud to lend its support to this important issue.”

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