FAA BREAKS PROMISE ON PRIVATIZATION OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL JOBS

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Published: July 18, 2013

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PASS Begins Legal Action Against FAA

WASHINGTON, DC - The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS) responded today to the Federal Aviation Administration’s plans to break its word and privatize maintenance of air traffic equipment at Automated Flight Service Stations.

In a recent briefing on the status of the FAA’s A-76 study of Automated Flight Service Stations, PASS learned that the FAA plans to hand over maintenance of the air traffic systems used at Flight Service Stations to the winner of that study. The FAA previously stated that the A-76 study would not impact the employees they represent.

“The FAA is well-known for saying one thing while quietly doing another,” said PASS President Tom Brantley. “The FAA planned all along to privatize maintenance at Flight Service Stations and was not forthcoming about those plans last month when making a promise to the Senate not to contract out jobs.”

Brantley explained that the FAA’s promise to Senators is only good to the end of FY 2004 and the Flight Service Station contract will not be awarded until early 2005. “The FAA should have been up-front about their plans,” he said. “They have definitely violated the spirit of the promise they made to Congress.”

According to the FAA’s briefing, approximately 450 FAA employees across the country could be impacted if maintenance at Flight Service Stations is privatized.

“We filed a national grievance this week and are making plans to fight this ill-advised idea,” Brantley said. “We will not allow the agency to get away with their back-handed scheming without a fight.”

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PASS represents 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.