{"id":874,"date":"2025-03-04T21:20:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T21:20:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/?p=874"},"modified":"2025-03-04T21:20:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T21:20:55","slug":"pass-on-turmoil-directed-at-feds-faa-staffing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/?p=874","title":{"rendered":"PASS Testifies on Turmoil Directed at Feds & FAA Staffing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), testified in front of Congress to address air traffic control systems maintained by employees PASS represents at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); the lack of adequate staffing among the airway transportation systems specialists workforce and the resources needed to maintain the world\u2019s largest, safest and most complex air traffic control system.<\/p>\n

President Spero began his remarks during the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee hearing on America Builds: Air Traffic Control System Infrastructure and Staffing, <\/em>by addressing the chaos and turmoil aimed at federal employees over the last six weeks. \u201cPASS is concerned by the confusing messages from the administration regarding deferred resignations, terminating probationary employees without cause and the efforts to purge the federal workforce,\u201d he told lawmakers. \u201cHaphazardly eliminating positions and encouraging resignations are having a demoralizing effect on the workforce. They are a distraction for employees performing safety-critical duties,\u201d he continued. \u201cAll parts of this aviation ecosystem work together to accomplish a critical goal\u2014the safety of the American flying public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full testimony<\/a><\/p>\n

President Spero then turned to the airway transportation systems specialists workforce represented by PASS. These employees in the FAA\u2019s Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations unit ensure the functionality of communications, computers, navigational aids and power systems vital to safe air travel and the mission of pilots and controllers. \u201cThey touch nearly every piece of technology in the air traffic control system,\u201d he said. \u201cWe cannot turn on the lights without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The PASS leader addressed current staffing shortages at the agency and the failure of the FAA to develop and implement a systems specialist workforce plan in collaboration with the union. The agency has been working on a staffing model for at least a decade and is well aware it is 800 employees short within the system specialists ranks. \u201cFurthermore, these employees are confronted with the daunting task of managing aging systems that form the backbone of the NAS,\u201d President Spero told the committee. PASS conducted a survey among its members in 2024 that underscored key concerns shared by employees nationwide. These concerns include the challenges posed by obsolete equipment, cumbersome procedures, unreliable parts, system complexity, and again, inadequacies in staffing and training. \u201cOne major hurdle faced by systems specialists is the lack of a clear vision within the FAA regarding the modernization of air traffic control systems,\u201d President Spero told lawmakers. \u201cWe strongly believe this workforce has the expertise and capability to assist. They are committed to the mission and able to accomplish the work if given the proper resources and staffing. And if they are not distracted by rhetoric and unnecessary tasks foisted upon them by the administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll parts of this aviation ecosystem work together to accomplish a critical goal\u2014the safety of the American flying public,\u201d he said. PASS and the employees it represents stand ready to assist lawmakers and the FAA in its safety driven mission.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, David Spero, national president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), testified in front of Congress to address air traffic control systems maintained by employees PASS represents at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); the lack of adequate staffing among the airway transportation systems specialists workforce and the resources needed to maintain the world\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mainsite.maxesio.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}