PASS Statement on FAA Reform

Details: Published: May 19, 2015

Today, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), the union representing systems specialists, aviation safety inspectors and other aviation professionals at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), submitted a written statement to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on the FAA reauthorization legislation and reform.

“PASS appreciates the opportunity to present our views regarding issues related to reform of the FAA,” said PASS National President Mike Perrone. “We will be discussing our position that a lack of a stable, consistent funding stream is a significant issue currently facing the FAA; the importance of ensuring the FAA remains a cohesive unit of federal employees; and our concerns with privatizing any portion of the air traffic control system that is the world’s standard.”

In the statement, PASS outlined the issues associated with privatizing any portion of the agency, emphasizing the critical need that FAA employees remain federal employees. PASS highlighted recent modernization achievements, the impact of sequestration on FAA operations, and the fact that FAA funding must be the priority. “While PASS recognizes that FAA funding must be addressed and that this may involve some restructuring, we are concerned that any major overhaul of the FAA that privatizes any functions or services either through a for-profit or not-for-profit company has the potential to negatively impact agency operations,” stated Perrone.

Throughout the statement, PASS stressed that the federal workforce at the FAA is the only group capable of performing the intricate work necessary to ensure a safe and efficient National Airspace System. “The United States stands at the forefront of the aviation world. Our country’s air traffic control system is an important and extremely valuable public asset that is critical to our nation’s economy,” said Perrone. “Today’s FAA employees are proud, dedicated and focused on the public good when they perform their jobs. FAA employees, as government employees, answer only to their customers, their only stockholders: the American people.”

PASS’s full statement can be accessed here.

For more information or questions, please contact Jessica Cigich at 202.293.7277 ext. 117.

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For 37 years, PASS has represented more than 11,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense who 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 the aviation systems. For more information, visit the PASS website at www.passnational.org.