Union Maintains It Had No Say On Staffing Levels

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) told ANN Friday that in response to media activity surrounding the FAA's decision to staff early morning, heavy traffic "pushes" with tired and overworked air traffic controllers, the FAA's public affairs office issued statements to a local television station misrepresenting the truth of those decisions.

NATCA officials state there have been five schedule changes made by FAA managers in the past five months as they scramble to staff an understaffed facility. Currently, the tower is staffed with 33 fully certified controllers. The FAA authorizes the tower to staff 47.

A Kansas City television station reported earlier this week that the FAA's spokesperson, Elizabeth Cory, said that the schedule changes were a result of negotiations with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union that represents the air traffic controllers at the control tower and terminal radar approach control (TRACON) room at Kansas City International Airport.

"Ms. Cory is trying to give the impression that we reached an agreement with the FAA over these schedule changes and that can't be further from the truth," Mr. Howard Blankenship, NATCA's Central Regional Vice President said. "The FAA unilaterally implemented those schedule changes and that is well documented. Furthermore the FAA refused to meet with a federal mediator over this issue."

"The local union representative tried, in vain, to explain the negative impact these schedule changes would have, but the FAA would not listen to him," Blakenship added.

NATCA states not only did local management refuse to come to an agreement on this issue... the FAA on a national level used the necessity to unilaterally change controller work schedules as one of many excuses to impose work rules on air traffic controllers nationwide.

The union adds even though 64 percent of the members in Republican dominated House of Representatives voted against it, over 14,000 dedicated men and women air traffic controllers are now working under a set of draconian rules imposed on them.

"Salaries for new controllers have been slashed by 30 percent, causing many interested and qualified people to just say no to a career in the FAA," Mr. Blankenship said.

A call by NATCA to the FAA's Public Affairs office where Ms. Cory works went unanswered.

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