Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO

 
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Celebrating Federal Employees

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30 Apr

Since 1985, Congress has designated the first full week of May as Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) to show appreciation for the men and women who make up the nation’s civil service. PSRW has always been an opportunity for the country to acknowledge the important work PASS members and all federal employees do every day to keep our nation running.

To be sure, these are challenging times for the federal workforce yet employees show up every day to work on behalf of their fellow Americans. “Rising to meet a challenge head on is what federal employees do best,” said PASS National President Dave Spero. “The employees we represent at the Federal Aviation Administration deserve to be celebrated for the stellar government service they provide.”

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Jazz Flight AC8646

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24 Mar

PASS sends its condolences to the families and loved ones of the Jazz Aviation pilots killed in the crash at LaGuardia Airport on March 22, 2026. They were represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), one of PASS's union partners in securing safe travel for millions of Americans every day. PASS mourns the loss of these aviation professionals and stands ready to assist in any way needed. However, the union will not comment any further on the tragic accident while investigations are underway.

Arbitrator Sustains PASS Telework Grievance

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19 Feb
 Last year, PASS filed a grievance regarding the across-the-board cancellation of routine telework and remote work arrangements. A hearing was held before an arbitrator on July 9, 2025. After a delay related to the 2025 government shutdown, the arbitrator issued a decision this week in favor of PASS-represented employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
 

The arbitrator determined that the FAA violated the parties’ collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), In large part, the arbitrator merely recognized the careful balance the FAA and PASS struck in developing rules around telework and remote work during contract negotiations from 2022–2024. Rather than guaranteeing specific telework schedules or remote work, the CBAs focus instead on the process to be utilized to determine which schedule can be available to employees. To that end, the arbitrator found that the CBAs call for routine telework requests and remote work arrangements to be determined on a case-by-case basis utilizing the criteria negotiated in good faith by the FAA and PASS.

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The Cost of a Government Shutdown

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05 Jan

When Congress failed to pass appropriations in the fall of 2025, the resulting 43-day government shutdown tested every corner of the aviation system—and placed an extraordinary burden on all PASS-represented employees. While much of the nation focused on delayed flights and service disruptions, the most critical work continued out of public view: PASS members kept radar functioning, navigational aids online, safety systems certified, and training and modernization plans intact—all while working without pay and without knowing when relief would come. Aviation safety inspectors and other employees were furloughed yet subject to intermittent recall with no telling what their schedule would be from week to week, adding to the stress of not getting paid.

With another funding deadline coming on January 30, PASS continues to warn of the dangers of costly shutdowns on the air traffic control system and the dedicated public servants who maintain and regulate it. “We will continue to stress that aviation workers must be insulated from political stalemates and cannot be forced to work unpaid," said National President Dave Spero. “Disagreements in Congress cannot be allowed to impact the safety and efficiency of our country's aviation system." He also emphasized that “It took many hands to ensure that not one delay during the historic 43-day shutdown was attributed to equipment or system failures."

Despite working in challenging circumstances during the historic 2025 shutdown, PASS-represented employees remained focused on keeping the aviation system safe. But PASS members also took time to make sure the public and lawmakers were aware of the impact any lapse of funding would have not only on the air traffic control system but on their personal lives as dedicated federal employees.

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PASS on Bonuses for FAA Employees

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20 Nov

Earlier today, the FAA provided notice to PASS that it intends to award $10,000 bonuses to 423 PASS-represented employees in the FAA’s Technical Operations division, and an unspecified number of employees in Flight Program Operations.

While the union is appreciative that the important work of FAA employees is being recognized, it is important to understand that well over 6,000 PASS-represented employees worked without pay during the shutdown. They maintained all of the equipment and systems needed by air traffic controllers to communicate with pilots to keep the National Airspace System (NAS) operational and the American flying public safe. Other employees performed a wide range of critical services needed to maintain the aviation ecosystem. It took many hands to ensure that not one delay during the historic 43-day shutdown was attributed to equipment or system failures.

The union is reviewing the information that has been provided by the FAA and is evaluating how best to ensure that all employees who worked during the shutdown are recognized.

Government Shutdown Taking a Toll on Employees, ATC Modernization

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21 Oct
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS) continues to warn that the government shutdown could jeopardize the administration’s plans to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system, but expressed concern, too, for the well-being of the employees the union represents. “If the government is not opened as soon as possible, employees will be faced with no pay on October 28,” said National President Dave Spero. “In addition, training has been stopped for these employees who will be critical to the efforts to modernize the National Airspace System.”

PASS represents approximately 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense employees throughout the United States and abroad. These employees install, maintain, support and certify air traffic control and national defense equipment, inspect and oversee the commercial and general aviation industries, develop flight procedures, and perform quality analyses of complex aviation systems used in air traffic control in the United States and overseas. The employees work in the Flight Standards Service and Aircraft Certification in the office of Aviation Safety (AVS), and in Technical Operations, Air Traffic Services, Mission Support Services and Flight Program Operations of the Air Traffic Organization (ATO).

PASS-represented employees in training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City were sent home on October 3, with no funding available to keep them in much-needed classes. “It can take three to five years to fully train a technician,” said President Spero. “Any lapse in training can push the clock back, as it did during the academy’s closure during the pandemic."

The union has expressed to agency leadership that the frontline employees are essential to the efforts to modernize the air traffic control system. The union is positioned to be a valued partner moving forward. “These employees have the knowledge and expertise to upgrade the system and transition to it in a safe and efficient manner,” said President Spero. “Every day, though, we’re taking one step forward but two steps back.”

And now the stress of the government shutdown on these employees is starting to be felt in concrete ways.

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