Says Stipulation For Talks To Resume "Last Hope" For Saving Workforce

The nation's air traffic controller workforce rejoiced at the passage of the House FAA Reauthorization bill, which -- if passed into law -- would provide a glimmer of hope for controllers working under an FAA-imposed contract for over a year.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association tells ANN Thursday's 267-151 vote approves sending NATCA and the FAA back to the negotiating table to finish work on a contract, nearly 18 months after the FAA declared an impasse.

NATCA asserts since the current contract was imposed on September 3, 2006, nearly 800 experienced controllers have retired -- choosing to leave an employer that would never give them a raise again for handling a rising, record number of aircraft, and scores of new hires have quit due to low pay forced upon them that drove many to the brink of financial ruin, including many military controllers who tried but couldn't make it work with a drastic pay cut from their Department of Defense salaries.

According to the latest FAA figures available, there are just 11,467 experienced controllers left in the country, according to NATCA. That's an 11-year low and more than 1,100 fewer than were working on 9/11, despite rising traffic volume that has sped by pre-9/11 levels at many airports and radar facilities... and has left Americans frustrated and angered by a record number of flight delays.

"Today's vote gives us hope that we can get back to the table and work out a voluntary, ratifiable agreement with the FAA and stop the hemorrhaging of our workforce due to what the FAA's imposed work rules have wrought," NATCA President Patrick Forrey said. "A contract is the only way that veteran controllers will stay on the job, keeping the system running while training new hires to replace them. It is the only hope of preventing a further degradation of the margin of safety and all-out gridlock with worsening delays. You must have enough controllers to keep up with rising traffic volume and so far, the FAA is barely keeping up with the rate of attrition."

Forrey praised House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-MN., Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello, D-IL, and Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-OH, for their support of the bill, and the measure to force both parties back to the bargaining table.

FMI: www.natca.org, www.faa.gov