Aviation News

FAA Contract Negotiations with NATCA Reach Impasse

The union’s pay proposal, while achieving limited cost savings in the first few years, would revert back to guaranteed increases and keeps pay scales close to their current levels for all controllers, essentially deferring expenses, nullifying any initial savings and retaining an excessive pay structure for the long term.

“The union wants us to mortgage the future of the national airspace system,” Blakey said. “Their proposal is a Trojan horse that will spring costs on the taxpayer at a critical juncture when we need to fund a safer, satellite-based system and hire a new generation of controllers and inspectors.”

Although the FAA and the union are at impasse, Blakey praised the professionalism of the controller workforce and assured that during the duration of the impasse the agency and its employees will continue to keep a strict focus on the FAA’s responsibility to operate the nation’s aviation system safely and efficiently.

“Our managers and controllers are dedicated professionals. The public can count on them to carry out their important public safety mission,” Blakey said.

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	Did You Know?
	FAA enforcement actions (certificate action or civil penalty cases) From the short reporting period of 10/1/03- 12/31/03. The FAA reported 82 cases of related certificate action or civil penalty case violations. Ranging fines of $750 to $50,000 on violations during this reporting time. Some fines for activity topics were: Training-Flight Crew, Flight Operations, Quality Control, Drug Testing, & other types of violations.