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Return to Article: Bill returning FAA to bargaining table faces veto threat

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  Several GOP senators including Arlen Specter have written Blakey letters encouraging her to go back to the table. They know what she's doing is unfair, but yet they set back and do nothing. It is time for a change in Washington D.C. Labor (public and private) in this country has really gotten a raw deal under the current GOP leadership.

  If you want to read a good press release on the state of the FAA go to Senator Patty Murray's web site (http://murray.senate.gov) read the release dated Thursday, May 4, 2006.

  Make no mistake the labor in the FAA is under attack. There's currently 2,000 Core Comp employees that have filed an age discrimination lawsuit, all the union contracts are either at impasse or will be. The current PASS contract proposal doesn't even include OSI bonuses for capped out people. There is a shortage of Technical Operations Personnel, Controllers, and Flight inspectors. The non controller pay bands have only seen a 2.1 percent increase since 2002, while the GS pay charts have risen 10 percent over the same period. The FAA has used a market based survey for the pay bands since 1998, in 2001 the pay bands rose 3.6 percent, in 2002 the pay bands rose 3.9 percent, but in 2003 using the same survey Blakey froze the pay bands, even though the Federal Wage Board surveys has federal employees still making 14 percent to 19 percent less than the private sector. What use to be a GS-12 in the FAA is now an H level and a capped H makes $1,765 less than a GS-12 step 10. The gap gets bigger from one locality to the next. When you get into management a GS-15 step 10 makes $118,957 and the FAA L band tops out at $149,300. The FAA claims that controllers are the highest paid government employees, but if you look at the pay scales FAA management is the highest paid management in the government especially when you get to the AT operations. They top out at the maximum allowed by law at $165,200 and that doesn't include benefits or like Blakey likes to say, compensation package.

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 8, 2006 5:08 AM
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  Reminds me of the bad ole Reagan days. If people want to be paid for what they do, cut their pay.

  Pay worthless supervisors more than they are worth but never the people who do the work.

  rds Posted June 7, 2006 11:30 AM
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  I'm laughing so hard it hurts.

  The president has not vetoed a single piece of legislation since coming into office in January 2001. The very first veto will be a piece of legislation supporting a union's right to negotiate a vital issue with its agency. This is actually very much in line with his very first executive order ending mandatory partnership with unions.

  So much time spent attacking unions instead of working with employee representatives for the good of the civil service. I guess these unions got in the way of the administration's overall grand plan to kill the beast.

  HR Specialist

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 7, 2006 8:59 AM
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  $1.9 billion in wage and benefit savings? Should that not read - $1.9 billion in wage and benefit cuts???? If the FAA and the administration are so sure they are legal and in the right, why are they so frightened of the idea of wage disputes being sent to binding arbitration with the Federal Service Impasses Panel???

  Larry R. Doane Posted June 7, 2006 8:13 AM
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  Let's face the facts here. This is the administration's veiled attempt at instituting union busting Wal-Mart style. The GOP controlled Congress can allow for continued corruption and provide tax cuts for the top 1 percent of Americans, but does not want to pay what I believe is a well deserved compensation package. Ask yourself this question, how many lives are at risk when Congress is in session? Now ask yourself this question, how many live are at risk when air traffic controllers are on the job? The House leader wants to make the statement that controllers make more than congressional members. Well how many controllers are millionaires? How many controllers have medical/dental benefits for life? For once I wish that this GOP controlled Congress would tell the truth or is that to much to ask? I am not saying that the Democrats are perfect, but I have never seen a Congress so distant from working class people.

  Kevin D. McGee Posted June 6, 2006 7:24 PM