|
PUSH CONGRESS FOR FAIRNESS IN NEGOTIATIONS
As you know, this is an important year for PASS. At stake is our ability to negotiate collective bargaining agreements and the terms our contracts contain. PASS is working very hard to ensure that we receive a fair deal through a fair process. All PASS members should be aware of the important legislation recently introduced regarding the contract negotiations process between the FAA and its employee unions. The “FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006,” which was introduced in the Senate on January 26 (S. 2201) and the House on February 15 (H.R. 4755), aims to bring balance to contract negotiations.
Right now, PASS members can make the most difference by working to gather as much congressional support as possible for the “FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006.” All PASS members must contact their senators and representative to encourage them to cosponsor this important legislation. If you have not yet contacted your members of Congress, please take a moment to personalize and send the message below to your members of Congress asking them to cosponsor the legislation. Using this new grassroots tool, in just a few minutes, you can fill out a short form asking for your members’ support.
PLEASE NOTE: Only members of the Senate and House who have NOT cosponsored S. 2201 or H.R. 4755 are being targeted in this message. Therefore, messages will only be sent to legislators listed on the target list on the top right-hand side of this page.
[Our grassroots campaign web tool will allow you to send a personalized letter to your senator or representative. Please take the time to personalize your message to your members by including an introductory sentence at the beginning of your message. For example: My name is ________ and I am a (Your Job Title) at (Your Facility) in (Your City and State).]
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Support Fair Contract Negotiations for FAA Employees
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
As your constituent, and as an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and member of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), I am writing to ask you to cosponsor the FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006 (S. 2201 and H.R. 4755).
This important bill seeks to make the FAA rules related to contract negotiation impasses more fair. Under the FAA's current interpretation of existing law, if labor and management are unable to agree on a new contract even after using the services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), the FAA administrator can send the agency's contract offer to Congress for 60 days of review. If Congress does not act on the matter, the FAA can unilaterally implement the FAA's version of the contract and impose working conditions on employees without union input or employee ratification.
The FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act takes this unfair authority away from the FAA by changing the process so that if Congress does not pass a bill within the 60-day limit, both the agency and the union would present their proposals to binding arbitration. I feel it is important to emphasize that the bill maintains a provision that allows Congress to weigh in if it chooses.
These modest changes to the law would require the FAA to negotiate in good faith rather than use Congress to impose one-sided solutions to work-related issues, which would unquestionably lead to increasing problems with employee retention and recruitment. Furthermore, there are many employees at my facility that are either eligible to retire or will be eligible within two years. If the FAA is allowed to force unfair contract terms on these employees, the exodus of skilled employees will no doubt outweigh any recruitment efforts.
The FAA is currently at impasse with four of PASS's five bargaining units and the administrator has threatened to submit these contracts to Congress. Negotiations in PASS's remaining bargaining unit, Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations, are in the beginning stages, but the FAA has already attempted to limit negotiations in order to expedite the process and get the contract to Congress as soon as possible. The motive behind this acceleration should be clear.
The FAA workforce is made up of dedicated and professional federal employees who deserve fair contract negotiations in which both labor and management are equal.
I urge you to cosponsor the FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006.
Sincerely,
|
