PASS on Reinstatement of Probationary Employees at FAA

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17 Mar

PASS National President David Spero released the following statement regarding the reinstatement of terminated probationary employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA):

"It is welcome news PASS received today that effective this week, the FAA is reinstating the 132 employees we represented who were summarily fired on February 14, 2025, while they were in their probationary period. They will receive back pay from February 15 and should return to duty status on March 20.

"While the agency is complying with a Maryland court ruling handed down last week that said the terminations at various agencies—including the Department of Transportation—were unlawful, this is a win for public safety and for a critical workforce dedicated to the FAA’s mission. Haphazardly eliminating positions and encouraging resignations creates a demoralizing effect on the workforce. The fact that these excellent civil servants, many of whom are veterans and all are members of our communities, can now return to duty and collect a well-deserved paycheck for their professional skills will lift their spirits and those of their colleagues immensely.

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PASS Testifies on Turmoil Directed at Feds & FAA Staffing

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04 Mar

Today, David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), testified in front of Congress to address air traffic control systems maintained by employees PASS represents at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); the lack of adequate staffing among the airway transportation systems specialists workforce and the resources needed to maintain the world’s largest, safest and most complex air traffic control system.

President Spero began his remarks during the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee hearing on America Builds: Air Traffic Control System Infrastructure and Staffing, by addressing the chaos and turmoil aimed at federal employees over the last six weeks. “PASS is concerned by the confusing messages from the administration regarding deferred resignations, terminating probationary employees without cause and the efforts to purge the federal workforce,” he told lawmakers. “Haphazardly eliminating positions and encouraging resignations are having a demoralizing effect on the workforce. They are a distraction for employees performing safety-critical duties,” he continued. “All parts of this aviation ecosystem work together to accomplish a critical goal—the safety of the American flying public.”

Read the full testimony

President Spero then turned to the airway transportation systems specialists workforce represented by PASS. These employees in the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations unit ensure the functionality of communications, computers, navigational aids and power systems vital to safe air travel and the mission of pilots and controllers. “They touch nearly every piece of technology in the air traffic control system,” he said. “We cannot turn on the lights without them.”

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PASS on Firing of Probationary Employees at FAA

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15 Feb

Update: PASS received a list from the FAA on Feb. 18 of the probationary employees it represents who were terminated. The total as of now is 132.

Washington, D.C.—David Spero, National President of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, issued the following statement today on the termination of probationary employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA):

We are troubled and disappointed by the administration’s decision to fire FAA probationary employees PASS represents without cause nor based on performance or conduct. Several hundred employees have been impacted with messages being sent from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address, not an official .gov email address. Messages began arriving after 7 pm ET on February 14 and continued late into the night. It is possible that others will be notified over the weekend or literally barred from entering FAA buildings on Tuesday, February 18.

These are not nameless, faceless bureaucrats. They are our family, friends and neighbors. They contribute to our communities. Many military veterans are among them. It is shameful to toss aside dedicated public servants who have chosen to work on behalf of their fellow Americans.

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PASS Statement on January 29 Crash at DCA

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30 Jan

As are many in the tight-knit aviation community, PASS is shocked and saddened by the collision over National Airport in Washington, DC last night. It appears there were no survivors among the passengers and crew aboard American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.

With heartfelt compassion, we mourn the lives of all the souls who perished last night and send our sympathies to their loved ones.

PASS extends its deepest condolences to our fellow unions—the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and the Air Line Pilots Association—who lost crew members in the crash. PASS represents many Army veterans at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense. They are saddened to see three of their own killed during a training exercise.

Before anyone speculates on the cause of the crash, the union asks that everyone allow first responders to continue their recovery mission and federal investigators to do their critical jobs. PASS stands ready to assist the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board with their probe into the accident and to continue to improve the world’s largest, safest and most complex air traffic control system.

PASS Congratulates New DOT Secretary

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29 Jan

Statement of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS) on the confirmation of Sean Duffy as the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) today. PASS represents 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense employees:

PASS congratulates Mr. Duffy on his overwhelming confirmation as DOT Secretary. We look forward to working with the secretary as the FAA seeks to strengthen its staffing numbers to ensure the safety of the American flying public. The FAA has prioritized hiring technicians and Congress has directed the FAA to hire more aviation safety inspectors, workforces both represented by PASS. The union will continue to advocate that the FAA meet its hiring targets in the name of public safety and hopes the incoming secretary agrees that these committed public servants are critical to the success of the National Airspace System, the largest, safest and most complex air traffic control system in the world.

FAA Not Utilizing Key Resource to Modernize—Its Workforce

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12 Dec

Today, David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), testified in front of Congress to address aging systems maintained by employees PASS represents at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); the lack of adequate staffing among the technician workforce and the fact that the agency is not using a vital resource in service to the world’s largest and most complex air traffic control system—its own employees.

During the Senate Commerce Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation Subcommittee hearing on U.S. Air Traffic Control Systems, Personnel and Safety, President Spero spoke to the results of a survey it conducted after being asked by the General Accounting Office (GAO) earlier this year for information about 135 FAA systems and equipment that are aging. PASS surveyed its members in the FAA Air Traffic Organization’s Technical Operations unit about those 135 systems as front line employees have their hands on that equipment and are most familiar with what is needed to keep them running. GAO Report

“The survey feedback was both expansive and concerning,” said President Spero. The challenges PASS-represented technicians face range from dealing with aging equipment to navigating through cumbersome procedures and limited availability of parts. “The complexity of the systems, compounded by staffing and training inadequacies, further exacerbates the situation,” he continued. He was quick to point out that although there are aging systems still in use, these technicians also work on sophisticated, hi-tech, cloud-based systems as well.

President Spero's testimony

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