PASS Supports the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO

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09 Jan

In 2009, the AFL-CIO passed a resolution at its convention to form the Union Veterans Council (UVC) and the organization continues to thrive today, focused on its mission of bringing a voice to working-class veterans and their families. PASS is a proud affiliate of the Veterans Council and has supported the UVC since its inception.

The goal of the Council is to bring “working-class veterans together to speak out on the issues that impact us most, especially the need for good jobs and a strong, fully funded and staffed VA.” It also holds elected officials accountable for their words and actions, ensuring that those who claim to be ‘pro-veteran’ truly honor that title.

According to the Office of Personnel Management, one in four federal workers are military veterans and that figure is even higher for the employees PASS represents at the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense. The union is proud to have these dedicated public servants among its members and will continue to make every effort to recruit veterans into the workforce and secure their rights.

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PASS Participates in Mental Health & Aviation Summit

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12 Dec

Last week, PASS National President David Spero participated in a summit held by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) entitled “Navigating Mental Health in Aviation.” The summit, hosted by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, featured two panels in the morning: one on first person accounts of navigating the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s approach to mental health; the second featured FAA officials and mental health care providers. President Spero was part of the afternoon roundtable with other aviation labor leaders on “The Future of Mental Health: Where Do We Go From Here?”

He noted that the FAA recently established the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee (ARC)” and in advocating for PASS participation on that committee, President Spero said, “We represent aviation safety inspectors who create policy on these issues, they investigate accidents and incidents, and they educate the public.” Their expertise and experience will prove valuable to the ARC. But, Spero continued, “there’s got to be some things that happen now to get through the bureaucracy that we’re dealing with at the FAA.”

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Government Shutdown Will Introduce Risk into the National Airspace System

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29 Sep

David Spero, National President of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, released the following statement regarding the government shutdown’s impact on aviation safety:

“Once again Congress is missing funding deadlines for the federal government and as of midnight, September 30, the 11,000 employees we represent at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will either be furloughed or working without pay. Reductions in staffing, training, modernization and oversight from these dedicated public servants will introduce risk into the National Airspace System (NAS). In addition, Congress has failed to act on FAA Reauthorization, which also expires tomorrow night.

“Roughly 2,200 aviation safety inspectors will be off the job. These PASS-represented employees in the FAA’s Office of Aviation Safety are responsible for the oversight, certification and surveillance of the entire American aviation system, including all general aviation and commercial aircraft, pilots and flight instructors, and repair stations both in this country and abroad. Furloughing the majority of this critical workforce just as the aviation industry has rebounded from the pandemic is neither in the best interest of the nation’s economy nor the oversight of the U.S. aviation system.

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Tell Congress to Avoid a Government Shutdown

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19 Sep

Nomination of Mike Whitaker as FAA Administrator

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07 Sep

PASS welcomes the news that the Biden Administration has put forth a nominee, Mike Whitaker, to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the next administrator. It is long past due that the FAA have a permanent leader, especially as Congress has taken up legislation to re-authorize the agency for another five years. In addition, PASS is currently in negotiations for two collective bargaining agreements with the FAA and hopes for a swift confirmation process.

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PASS Concludes Successful Convention

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25 Aug

This week, PASS held its constitutional convention in Steel Town, aka Pittsburgh, PA! As a nod to the union steelworkers who built the city’s economy, the convention theme was “Forging our Future.”

“We are here to build PASS into a Great Union and Forge our Future,” said National President Dave Spero in his opening remarks. “We are here because we care,” he continued. “Not only for our union, but for the working families we represent daily. We care about assuring that good federal jobs are available for the next generation.”

National Secretary-Treasurer Carlos Aguirre reflected on his own union background and his parents, who came to the U.S. from Ecuador in the 1950s. They both joined unions. “To them, being part of a union meant having a good paying job, one that paid decent wages in order to raise a family,” Aguirre said. “It meant saving for a nice vacation every once in a while. It meant being able to save for a down payment to buy a house and having a pension to carry you in retirement.”

The union also paid tribute to its founding president, Howard Johannssen, who passed away in October 2022.

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