PASS Applauds Final Passage of Five-Year FAA Reauthorization
Today, Mike Perrone, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), the union that represents 11,000 employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), issued the following statement applauding final passage of a long-term FAA reauthorization bill, the first five-year reauthorization since 1982.
“This long-awaited, bipartisan FAA bill is a major victory for PASS-represented employees and the flying public,” said Perrone. “After setting aside risky privatization schemes, Congress was able to craft legislation that includes important worker protections and investments that ensure the United States remains the world’s gold standard in aviation safety.
“We are currently seeing staffing shortages and training deficiencies across the country, but this bill is a step in the right direction to address those shortcomings. A five-year reauthorization provides the FAA with the roadmap to continue implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System, so that we will be able to meet America's aviation needs of today and tomorrow. We thank leaders in both the Senate and House for their continued commitment to getting an FAA reauthorization completed.”
As the legislation makes its way to the president for his signature, PASS applauds the bipartisan efforts on Capitol Hill to provide the FAA with stability through 2023. Specifically, PASS is grateful to the leadership of Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) in the House, and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) in the Senate.