PASS ZJX

Once again, PASS finds itself in a new year with the same contracts that have been in place for years. This is not unchartered territory for us; in fact, it has become the normal state of affairs for PASS and the FAA not to be engaged in contract negotiations. In reality, with the exception of the short-lived "informal" discussions between PASS and the agency late last year that prompted a national grievance from PASS, there have been no contract discussions between PASS and the FAA for at least two years.

So with no movement by the FAA to find some reasonable middle ground, what could there possibly be for a contract update? While we may not be able to point to any concrete actions or discussions to indicate progress, PASS members do have something we have not had for a long time: hope.

The changes in the political climate in Washington, D.C., mean that PASS members can look to the future with cautious optimism for the first time in several years. While it won’t happen overnight, or probably not in the next few months, the change will eventually seep down to a level where FAA officials will be forced to engage in good-faith negotiations with PASS. Okay, "good-faith" may be a stretch, but at least it will be bargaining, which will be an improvement to the high-handed attempts to bully PASS into submission that have been the core of the FAA’s labor-relations strategy for quite some time.

Hope can very well be the difference in our continued success in fighting for the needs of those we represent. When faced with an overwhelming force that is trying to break your spirit for long enough, it is inevitable to begin to lose hope and the optimism and desire necessary to succeed along with it. But it is time now to put away the negative feelings and once again look to the future with cautious optimism. While things won’t change at once, you can be sure that change is coming, and we must be prepared when it does.

When that time of change comes, PASS will eagerly meet with the agency’s negotiators to find that common ground that is the basis for any good agreement. Aside from the basic rules governing working conditions, PASS is eager to engage in talks that will deal with the futures of employees we represent. We may not all agree on what the future holds for the FAA and our nation’s aviation industry, but we can all concur that it will soon look very different than it does today.

While we don’t have a crystal ball to tell us exactly what the future holds, we can still anticipate some of the types of changes that may be coming our way and address our needs in future contract negotiations. Depending on your bargaining unit, the changes will vary in both the type of work you perform and how you do it. Some of us will find ourselves with jobs that are very different than we have today, while others will do the same job but use different technology or methods of accomplishing the work.

Regardless of the changes ahead, PASS will continue to fight for the jobs of the people we represent. When the means of accomplishing our work change, we will fight for proper tools and training. When the nature of the work changes, we will fight to ensure that the people PASS represents have the opportunity to tackle those new jobs. It is PASS’s mission to ensure that the employees we represent will continue to be an integral part of the FAA now and into the future.

There has rarely been a time when the FAA was at such a major crossroads as it is today. Yes, the agency has been under intense fire from Congress and the American public before. But the agency has never been under such severe pressure from all sides—political, public and the aviation

industry. And all of this comes at a time when our country is facing its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

That means the FAA no longer has the luxury of making empty promises, gambling that everyone will lose interest before it is time to produce the guaranteed results. The current administration and Congress have very high expectations for the FAA, and there will be no opportunity for the agency to wiggle free of those expectations.

Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, have both assured PASS that they intend to hold the FAA accountable in not only accomplishing its mission but doing so with the help of its unions and employees. No longer will it be acceptable for the FAA to ignore its unions and put down its employees. The agency is clearly on notice that business as usual must change dramatically.

The Obama administration has also made it clear that its expectations for the FAA to work with its unions are very different than those of the previous administration. They too have assured PASS that the FAA’s previous tactics will not be tolerated and have begun the process of sending that message down through the chain of command so there is no question that a very different type of behavior and union interaction is expected.

The next major step in that process is getting a permanent FAA administrator in place. PASS is hopeful that this will happen soon so that the rebuilding process can begin.

The final part of this PASS Pride is reminding every PASS member of the success that PASS has enjoyed over the last several years despite the overwhelming odds against success. The key is to understand and recognize success when it occurs since it isn’t always obvious. In fact, sometimes you have to know where to look.

For instance, would most people consider the fact that PASS has not had a new contract take effect for almost nine years a victory? Not in the traditional sense, no. But consider for a minute the likelihood that an agreement reached with the FAA over the last six to eight years would contain enough incentives or improvements to make it helpful to the average member. It seems a long-shot at best to think the FAA of the last few years would agree to a contract even marginally beneficial to employees.

And let’s not forget the continued threat of an imposed "contract." Had the FAA chosen to hide behind Congress and impose new work rules on employees represented by PASS, we would be in a very different position than we are today.

Just the fact that PASS has been able to maintain the contracts already in place, however old they might be, is a success that every member should look on with pride. No other FAA union can say they have survived this long without some type of imposed work rules. This is a testament to the determination and solidarity of every PASS member.

Fixing the bargaining process between the FAA and its unions will remain PASS’s number one priority until it is accomplished. Even if we are able to reach new agreements with the FAA before that happens, a permanent change to the process must be made to ensure our future negotiating ability. In the meantime, though, it’s time for a little hope to shine through and light our way to victory.