Air traffic controllers at Reagan National and a dozen other airports across the country are taking their heated labor dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration straight to passengers.
As the June 5 deadline looms for the implementation of a new cost-cutting contract that the National Air Traffic Controllers Association calls “unfair” and says could force a mass exodus of experienced workers, controllers have begun handing out leaflets asking passengers to convince Congress to intervene. The union says retirements could lead to massive delays across the nation.
FAA spokesman Jeff Basye calls the leaflets “propaganda” meant to further delay negotiations.
The two parties had been in labor negotiations since October before an impasse was declared last month. If Congress takes no action by June 5, the FAA can begin enforcing the proposed contract.
“We want travelers to know that we are a dedicated, highly skilled group of professionals that always puts their safety first,” NATCA President John Carr said in a statement. “The public has the ability now to protect the future levels of safety and efficiency of the systemby supporting us and conveying that support to their representatives in Congress.”
The union contends that the contract contains salary cuts that could cause almost 25 percent of the 20,000 controllers nationally to retire. The FAA says the contract “grandfathers” the pay scales of current controllers while saving more than $1.9 billion over the next five years to pay for technology upgrades.
“The union wants us to mortgage the future of the national airspace system,” FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said in a statement. “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.”
Despite the impasse, Blakey said the nation’s aviation system will continue to operate safely and efficiently.
