Sat, Jan 28, 2006
The Air Transport Association's President and CEO, James May,
has weighed in, aggressively, on Senator Obama's attempt to insert
himself into the current contract negotiations between FAA and
NATCA.
Herewith, his letter to the Senator...
Dear Senator Obama:
I am writing to you to express our vigorous and absolute
opposition to the Federal Aviation Administration Fair Labor
Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006. The current system of
bargaining between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and
its employee groups was designed to provide a balanced and fair
process for all parties, as well as to protect the interests of the
taxpayer. That process should be allowed to proceed without
disruptive new legislation.
In order to provide you
with additional background, I would greatly appreciate the
opportunity to visit with you to discuss the state of the airline
industry, and our thoughts about the future needs of the FAA
generally, and the air traffic control system in particular. This
critical nerve center of the nation's aviation infrastructure has
served us well for many decades, but as the volume of commercial,
private and cargo flights continues to rapidly grow, it is in need
of major changes. In a world of budget deficits where labor costs
already account for over 80 percent of the ATC budget, the single
biggest challenge to securing the new funding for these technology
and system upgrades may be the NATCA contract. Thus, this is more
than a labor negotiation: it is a decision with direct impact on
the future of American aviation.
While clearly these types of negotiations are never easy for
either side, we believe that the parties are addressing the issues
in a forthright manner and that a move to undermine these
negotiations through binding arbitration is unwarranted and
unwise.
Thank you for your consideration of these requests.
Sincerely, James May
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]
Airbus Racer Helicopter Demonstrator First Flight Part of Clean Sky 2 Initiative
See All