Committee Approves Bill Pushing FAA Back to Bargaining Table

by Mike Hall, AFL-CIO (reposted)

Sat, Jun 30, 2007 7:58AM

Saturday, June 30, 2007 : It's time for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to get back to the bargaining table and resume contract talks with the nation's air traffic controllers, says the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Yesterday, the committee approved the FAA reauthorization bill that includes a provision to renew bargaining.

Last April, the FAA stopped bargaining and walked out on contract talks with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association ( NATCA ). On Labor Day, the FAA unilaterally imposed new work rules and pay cuts for new hires. (Click here to read how those rules made an already serious staffing and morale crisis in the nation's control towers even worse.)

Along with restarting the talks, the House bill calls for binding arbitration if a contract cannot be reached. Says NATCA President Patrick Forrey:

This bill is an important step toward putting fairness back into the collective bargaining process. Morale has suffered, and the mass exodus has left controllers working for longer periods of time, causing fatigue and loss of focus, which the [National Transportation Safety Board] has said is a major safety concern .

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For more information: http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/06/29/committe...

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