[Antiracism] [Workers Rights] Defend Collective Bargaining

Tue Sep 18 18:02:22 EDT 2007

-----Original Message-----
From: MarkJazz64 at aol.com [mailto:MarkJazz64 at aol.com] 

This bill will fix a loophole and resolve our contract dispute resolution
issue by giving us binding arbitration with the Federal Services Impasse
Panel (FSIP) if our union is at impasse with the FAA during contract
negotiations.

Thanks for your consideration.

Mark Dunlap
Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS)

HYPERLINK "http://www.passnational.org/" \n 	

FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007: Action Needed 

Dear Mark Dunlap,

 HYPERLINK "http://img.getactivehub.com/alert_images/congress.gif"

This week, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on H.R. 2881,
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007. As you know, this bill contains a
number of provisions important to PASS including: 

*	Providing for a fair collective bargaining process for all FAA
employees, represented by PASS, NATCA and AFSCME 

*	Requiring that foreign repair stations be inspected twice a year by
an FAA inspector 

*	Ensuring that there are an appropriate number of FAA systems
specialists 

We ask you to contact your Representative today with one simple and urgent
message - VOTE YES ON H.R. 2881. 

Please take a moment to personalize and send the message below asking your
Representative to VOTE YES ON H.R. 2881. In just a few minutes, you can fill
out a short form asking for your members’ support. You can also contact your
Representative by calling the House switchboard at 202-225-3121 and they can
connect you to their office.

HYPERLINK
"http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/UrgentActionNeededHR2881/degi7g44e73dtw?
" 

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): 
Your Congressperson 

Below is the sample letter:

Subject: Vote Yes on H.R. 2881

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am writing to ask you to support the men and woman who protect this
country's aviation system by voting in the affirmative for H.R. 2881, the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Act of 2007. 

H.R. 2881 is a pivotal piece of legislation as it includes language that
corrects the unfair collective bargaining process at the FAA. During mark up
of the bill by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Aviation Subcommittee Chair Jerry Costello introduced an amendment aimed at
protecting the rights of FAA employees to a fair collective bargaining
process. The amendment passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. If
enacted, H.R. 2881 would prevent the FAA from unilaterally imposing working
conditions on its employees and encourage fair collective bargaining between
the FAA and its unions.

The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), National Air Traffic
Controllers Association (NATCA) and American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees (AFSCME), who together represent over 30,000 FAA
employees, are in full support of H.R. 2881. The employees represented by
these three groups desire only a fair process for resolving collective
bargaining impasses. H.R. 2881 would allow for this and prevent the
continuation of many of the labor relations problems currently afflicting
the FAA. For instance, consider the following:
- Four out of five PASS negotiations have been at impasse for over three
years. In PASS's technicianal unit, the FAA's proposed agreement was
rejected by 98 percent of the employees, but the agency has refused to
return to the bargaining table.
- The FAA has imposed new work rules on nearly all of NATCA's bargaining
units without the consent of the union or ratification by any of the covered
employees.
- AFSCME and the FAA reached agreement in January 2001 when the chief
negotiators for both parties indicated acceptance by signing off on an
agreement and FAA employees ratified the agreement. However, the FAA has
refused to implement this contract despite the agreement between parties. 

In addition to providing for a fair collective bargaining process, enactment
of H.R. 2881 would benefit aviation safety in several other areas. For
example, H.R. 2881 addresses the very serious issue of FAA oversight of work
performed at foreign repair stations by requiring that these stations be
inspected twice a year by an FAA inspector. Currently, even though the
industry is increasingly outsourcing more work to foreign repair stations in
areas such as China and El Salvador, many of these stations are only visited
once every two years by an FAA inspector.

H.R. 2881 also takes important steps toward ensuring that there are an
appropriate number of FAA systems specialists in place. These individuals
are responsible for maintenance, installation and certification of the air
traffic control system and are fundamental to the future of FAA
modernization. By directing the Comptroller General to conduct a study of
systems specialist training and the National Academy of Sciences to examine
the methods used to determine staffing levels of this workforce, H.R. 2881
seeks to address the issue of low technical staffing and the corresponding
impacts to safe and efficient air travel. Without a doubt, the current state
of the systems specialist workforce must be studied in order to make sure
the FAA is adequately staffed and that the workforce is appropriately
trained.

The employees of the FAA need your support of H.R. 2881 in order to continue
protecting this country's reputation as having the safest aviation system in
the world. 

Sincerely,

HYPERLINK
"http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/UrgentActionNeededHR2881/degi7g44e73dtw?
" 
Take Action!	

Instructions:
HYPERLINK
"http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/UrgentActionNeededHR2881/degi7g44e73dtw?
" \nClick here to take action on this issue or choose the "Reply to Sender"
option on your email program. 

Tell-A-Friend:
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. 
HYPERLINK
"http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/UrgentActionNeededHR2881/forward/degi7g4
4e73dtw?" \n Tell-a-Friend! 

   _____  

If you received this message from a friend, you can HYPERLINK
"http://www.unionvoice.org/passnational/join.html?r=47qQuo61yJLAE"sign up
for Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO. 	

HYPERLINK "http://www.unionvoice.org/" \n 	
 HYPERLINK "http://www.unionvoice.org/nlor/degi7g44e73dtw"

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6:32 PM

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