PASS Brothers and Sisters:

We reported to you last week that training for Tech Ops employees was supposed to resume next week, which PASS has expressed serious concerns about. After much pushback while cases of COVID-19 are continuing to spike in many parts of the country, including Oklahoma, the agency has decided to delay training for at least another two weeks. The union’s position is that training should be delayed until all the criteria the FAA is monitoring in its dashboard for the phased reopening of facilities is met. This is also in keeping with Administrator Dickson’s message to employees dated June 26: “Data is guiding us in our Roadmap to Recovery. Our decisions are conditions-based, not time-based and we’re focused on data, not dates.” It is clear that the data about the pandemic does not warrant resuming in-person training.

In 1962, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10988 “Employee-Management Cooperation in the Federal Service” which guaranteed collective bargaining rights to federal employees. Kennedy believed, and 58 years later it is still true, that “participation of employees in the formulation and implementation of personnel policies affecting them contributes to effective conduct of public business…”

Unions in both the federal sector and private sector share a lot in common, although there are differences in the labor laws that govern them. The biggest difference is that there are no strikes or lockouts in the federal government. For that reason, relationships between agencies and unions are, generally speaking, more collaborative than adversarial.

Dear PASS Sisters and Brothers:

On our call today with the FAA, it appears that there are still several areas of concern and confusion surrounding the agency’s approach to a return to normal operations that need clearing up. We are also hearing about inconsistent messaging from you in the field and on other calls with the agency regarding the phased return.

PASS Brothers and Sisters:

Administrator Dickson announced on Monday that the FAA’s National Capital Region will slowly begin the transition to Phase 1 of the agency’s reopening plan on June 22. We have been told, and the administrator reiterated in his video, that the decisions for opening are “conditions-based, not time-based” and that he is “focused on data, not dates.” PASS still has questions about how the phases will be implemented and the criteria guiding each. Along these lines, we have been told that the need for employees to return during Phase 1 will be determined on a case-by-case basis in each facility depending on work requirements and the needs for specific projects or NAS support. The agency stressed that telework will be maximized during Phase 1.

PASS Sisters and Brothers:

I’m sure many of you are concerned about the plans for returning to your work facilities in a more permanent way. As I’ve reported before, neither the DOT nor the FAA have attached dates to any of the procedures being formulated for a phased in return to facilities.