LONG BATTLE ON FAA BILL ENDS IN VICTORY AGAINST PRIVATIZATION
11/21/2003
WASHINGTON - The following statement was released this evening by National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr on Senate passage of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill:
"The American flying public can breathe a sigh of relief for now. Congress has declared that selling out air traffic control to the lowest bidder will not be tolerated. From day one this has been about safety and safety has finally won. Now it's up to all of us concerned about the safety of our skies to make sure that the Administration sticks to its promise not to privatize. Actions speak louder than words and rest assured that we will be watching.
"It's been a long, remarkable road since July. We thank the tens of thousands of people who called their members of Congress. As a result of this public outcry, the House took the extraordinary step of recommitting a conference report and the Senate failed to get the votes they needed to move it forward. As a matter of fact, a Republican-controlled Congress told the White House that privatization is unacceptable and something needed to be worked out. Congress knew that the flying public was not going to tolerate privatization."
"We've come a long way since that dark day in July when privatization seemed inevitable. We thank members, particularly Senators Lautenberg and Reid and Representatives Oberstar, Hoyer and DeFazio and the Republican members who stood strong under enormous pressure, and did what was right for the flying public. And for those who opposed efforts to ensure that the world's safest and most efficient air traffic control system is not sold to the lowest bidder, we can only hope that they have now seen that safety should never take a backseat to political ideology.
"A sigh of relief can be heard throughout our nation's skies. Now, we need to work together to make sure that promises made are promises kept. We'll be watching, and, in the words of Governor Schwarzenegger, 'We'll be back.'" ___________________________________________________________
NATCA PRESIDENT JOHN CARR CALLS UPON PRESIDENT BUSH TO PROTECT AIR SAFETY
11/20/2003
WASHINGTON - The following statement was released today by National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr:
"Time is running out for President Bush to demonstrate leadership on the issue of air safety. And time is running out for the American flying public which has overwhelmingly rejected privatizing air traffic control. We hope the Administration is simply not trying to run out the clock on this important issue. We find it particularly curious that FAA Administrator Marion Blakey tells the media again this week that she has no intent to privatize, yet won't even sign a letter requested by Congress stating just that. Clearly, there is a disconnect between the Administrator's words and her actions."
"For most of this year, Congress has tried to do the right thing and block the wholesale privatization of our air traffic control system. Both the House and the Senate passed language that protects every American who travels by air. But those efforts have been consistently thwarted by the FAA administrator who has undermined the will of the Congress and personally held up the FAA reauthorization - jeopardizing tens of thousands of jobs and critical air safety functions."
"Now, a bipartisan group of Senate leaders has pleaded with the FAA Administrator once again to break the logjam and allow them to do their jobs. Ms. Blakey's response...indifference and silence. It's odd that she has taken time out from running the world's largest air traffic control system to write opinion/editorial columns for newspapers from Chicago to Rhode Island, yet she's proven unwilling to even respond in a constructive manner to members of her own party."
"Press reports today reveal that the Administrator is trying to play with dates so she can be free to announce that she will privatize air traffic control next fall. While she may think that we don't understand that a day makes a difference, we do. We understand the legislative process and are disappointed that once again the FAA is trying to play games. The wool can't be pulled over our eyes that easily."
"Mr. President, we call upon you to show leadership on this issue and work with Congress to protect the safety of the flying public. It's time for everyone to stand up for safety...the clock is ticking." ____________________________________________________________ STATEMENT BY NATCA PRESIDENT JOHN CARR ON THE SENATE VOTE TO DEFEAT EFFORTS TO LIMIT DEBATE ON FAA BILL
11/17/2003
WASHINGTON - The following statement was issued this evening by National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr:
"This evening the U.S. Senate abided by the will of the American flying public and refused to succumb to misguided efforts to privatize the safety of our skies. But we all know the Congressional clock is ticking. And while this evening's actions deserve praise, there is still much work to be done to make sure that the safest, most efficient air traffic control system is not sold to the lowest bidder."
"We call upon President Bush to demonstrate leadership on the issue of air safety. For most of this year, Congress has tried to do the right thing and block the piecemeal privatization of our air traffic control system. The House voted to prohibit privatization. The Senate voted to prohibit privatization. But those efforts have been thwarted by the Administration, which has undermined the will of the Congress and held up the FAA Reauthorization bill - jeopardizing tens of thousands of jobs and critical air safety functions."
"The message of tonight's vote is clear: It's time for President Bush to work directly with Congress to really protect safety and not merely pay lip service to the flying public."
"We thank the members of the Senate, particularly those Republicans who stood strong in saying no to privatization. They are doing the right thing under difficult circumstances and we urge them to continue to fight for the safety of our skies." ____________________________________________________________
HOUSE REPUBLICANS' UNWILLINGNESS TO PUT SAFETY OVER POLITICAL IDEOLOGY APPARENT IN HOUSE PASSAGE OF FAA BILL
10/30/2003
NATCA PRESIDENT SAYS LESSONS OF NASA PUTTING PROFITS OVER SAFETY HAVE BEEN LOST
WASHINGTON - It's been 98 days since a Congressional conference committee began desecrating the legislative process under cloak of darkness by destroying an air traffic control privatization ban unanimously passed by both the House and Senate. Today, House Republicans continued to undermine the will of the public with a vote that leaves the world's safest air traffic control system vulnerable to privatization.
"Many months ago our members of Congress talked with great eloquence about how putting profits before safety nearly ruined our nation's space system," said John Carr, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. "Today, a narrow majority proved that their words weren't quite sincere. Let's hope that Congress ten years from now is not making the same statement regarding air traffic control. Sadly, I fear today's action may put us on that track. House Republicans simply have failed to heed the lessons of mission control when it comes to air traffic control."
"It is a shame that after much arm-twisting, some Republicans reversed their earlier vote to specifically prohibit privatization of our skies," Carr said after the House voted to approve a Federal Aviation Administration funding bill that jeopardizes air safety. "They seemed to forget that the House voted 418-8 to ban privatization and 94-0 in the Senate. Democracy has taken a big hit. What's the point of a checks and balances system of government if the overwhelming will of both houses of Congress can get tossed aside like yesterday's trash?"
NATCA remains steadfastly opposed to the new conference report because not only does it offer the air traffic control system no protection from privatization, it expressly grants that power to the FAA in an obscure section (105) of the bill. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey clearly stated in calls to dozens of reporters on Tuesday that the agency has the power to privatize air traffic control towers today - with or without legislation granting such authority. A privatization ban, therefore, is needed.
"Anyone who still believes Administrator Blakey when she says that the FAA has no plans to privatize has had the wool pulled over their eyes," Carr stated. "This agency is holding up a critical, $60 billion bill to protect their ability to do something they say they don't want to do. It's sheer lunacy."
Carr concluded: "We applaud the bravery of those House Republicans who did stand strong for safety in the face of overwhelming pressure. Now we look to the Senate and ask them to show their courage as well to protect the safety of the skies and continue to oppose this or any bill that does not prohibit the FAA from selling the world's safest and best air traffic control system to the lowest bidder." ___________________________________________________________
STATEMENT FROM NATCA PRESIDENT JOHN CARR ON FIXING THE FAA REAUTHORIZATION CONFERENCE REPORT
10/29/03
"I commend the House of Representative for their bravery in taking the extraordinary move of sending the very badly flawed conference report back to conference. We can only hope that this time the full conference committee will meet and report back a bill that truly upholds the will of Congress and the American people. It would be a slap in the face to the Congressional process and the public if another dirty deal is cut in the dead of night by a handful of members who seem more concerned about political ideology than safety. There should be no more game playing, no more trading towers for votes, no more back room negotiations. The time has come to LISTEN to the will of Congress, our nation's leading consumer groups - Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America and Public Citizen - , the men and women who fly our planes, who service the aircraft, and, yes the flying public, and find a sensible compromise.
"LET ME BE CLEAR, the reported plan to simply strip the privatization of 69 towers language from the bill may seem like an easy fix, but it is NOT. The dirty little secret is that there is language in the bill, section 105, which will specifically allow for the privatization of air traffic control. You probably won't hear about that from the authors of this plan, but members and the public need to know. Don't be fooled by this early Halloween trick. There is no treat for the flying public in this so-called fix.
"Since August, tens of thousands of Americans have called their members asking that air traffic control not be sold to the lowest bidder. The American people are smart. They will understand what happened if a back-room deal is cut that jeopardizes safety and they will hold those members accountable. It's time to stop holding critical airport improvement programs hostage and placing the blame on those who are fighting to maintain safety.
"Safety should not be a Democratic or a Republican issue. Last June, both the House and the Senate overwhelmingly voted to specifically prohibit privatization. The task now is to find a sensible compromise that upholds the will of both the House and the Senate. Let's fix this report and make sure that our nation's skies remain the safest in the world." ___________________________________________________
STATEMENT FROM NATCA PRESIDENT JOHN CARR ON THE FILING OF A NEW FAA REAUTHORIZATION CONFERENCE REPORT
10/29/2003
"At this point, we don't know which the Republican leaders have less regard for - the safety of the flying public or the truth. At a press conference this morning, the leaders and FAA Administrator Blakey said with a straight face that they had stripped from the conference report language pertaining to the privatization of air traffic control. This is dead wrong. We now know that the new conference report actually includes language buried in Section 105 that permits privatization of our nation's skies - in direct contradiction to their public statements.
"It is also a total sham when they called this a restoration of the 'status quo.' Both the House and the Senate voted to specifically PROHIBIT privatization after the Bush Administration recklessly declared our nation's air traffic control system "commercial." A bipartisan majority of Congress and the American people have said no to privatization of our skies. It's become clear that the Republican leaders are so driven by the need to win a political victory that they are willing to cast aside the will of their colleagues and the public.
"It's time to stop covering up the truth. What it is being proposed in the new conference report STILL CONTAINS language specifically giving the White House authority to contract out our air traffic control system to the lowest bidder. The game playing has got to end - the safety of our skies is at stake." ____________________________________________________________
NATCA STATEMENT REGARDING REP. MICA'S ANNOUNCED HEARING
10/22/2003
WASHINGTON - It has been reported that Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., will hold a hearing on Nov. 6 entitled, "Should FAA controllers be consolidated with military air traffic control?" National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr today released the following statement regarding the hearing, which again validates the inherently governmental nature of air traffic control:
"We are pleased that Chairman Mica has recognized how important this issue is to aviation safety and we support his premise that air traffic control is an inherently governmental function. You will recall it was the House Aviation Subcommittee, under the leadership of Chairman Mica, that inserted the language prohibiting air traffic control privatization into the FAA reauthorization bill and we again thank the chairman for that work, which the House passed by a vote of 418-8 in June."
"We are looking forward to participating in Chairman Mica's Nov. 6 hearing. We welcome the opportunity to explain why the current air traffic control system is the very best in the world and why language prohibiting air traffic control privatization must be reinstated into the pending FAA reauthorization bill." ____________________________________________________________
CONGRESSMAN WILLIAM CLAY JOINS NATCA PRESIDENT JOHN CARR IN CALLING UPON MISSOURI DELEGATION TO STAND STRONG FOR SAFETY IN THE SKIES
10/22/2003
WASHINGTON -Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., today urged his fellow members of the Missouri congressional delegation to resist White House efforts to privatize air traffic control at 69 towers across the nation, including Spirit of St. Louis Airport.
"We have heard from our constituents, who strongly oppose privatization of the safest, most efficient air traffic control system in the world," said Clay. "I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to heed that call."
On a conference call with reporters, the congressman was joined by John Carr, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, and Winnifred DePalma, a lobbyist for Public Citizen's Congress Watch.
DePalma said the consumer organization is "very concerned about putting our air traffic control system into the hands of private companies. This is simply not good for public safety."
DePalma said opinion surveys show more than 70 percent of the American public opposes privatizing air traffic control. "This is clearly a step backwards," she said. "Public Citizen is urging the entire Missouri delegation, along with the other members of the House and Senate, to stick by their earlier votes to prohibit air traffic control from being privatized.
Clay noted that in June, the entire Missouri congressional delegation was united in supporting language specifically prohibiting the privatization of air traffic control. "Safety should not be a Democratic or Republican issue," he said. "It wasn't last summer, when a majority of Democrats and Republicans in both the Senate and the House voted to protect the safety of our skies. The fact is that the legislation was changed in the dead of night by a minority of Republicans who did not consult their Democratic colleagues, let alone the public."
NATCA President John Carr told reporters he was receiving mixed signals on whether the Missouri delegation was standing firm against privatization. "We know that some members such as Senators Talent and Bond are still on the fence about whether to prohibit privatization of our nation's air traffic control system," Carr said. "We're here today to say that standing strong is in the best interest of the citizens of Missouri and the flying public across the country."
Carr noted that Spirit of St. Louis is the third-busiest airport in Missouri. Its controllers guide 180,000 takeoffs and landings every year. "This is not a sleepy rural airport," he said. "Its pilots and passengers deserve first-class air traffic control.
"The solution is to restore the language to the FAA reauthorization bill that was supported overwhelmingly by the Senate and the House to reject privatization," Carr concluded. ___________________________________________________
NATCA CALLS REP. MICA'S TOWERS-FOR-VOTES TRADE PROPOSAL "A TOTAL OUTRAGE"
10/16/2003
WASHINGTON - National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr today blasted a plan by House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., to trade towers for votes on the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, calling the effort "a total outrage and an affront to the American flying public."
"Chairman Mica wants to cherry-pick our National Airspace System to garner votes," Carr said. "He wants to take federal air traffic control towers off the chopping block for privatization in exchange for votes from those respective Republican members of Congress to pass privatization legislation that an overwhelming majority of his Congressional colleagues and the American public opposes. It's outrageous and it's bad public policy."
Continued Carr: "The safety of the aviation system should never have to take a backseat to political gamesmanship. The skin of this onion has finally been peeled back. Now we can all see what Mica's proposal is all about - it's not about the safety of the system, it's not about efficiency and it's not about cost. It's about dirty politics and a dangerous political ideology. What Chairman Mica's proposal says is that our country is okay with a two-class system of safety in the skies. If you are fortunate enough to live in a first class Republican district, you are safe to fly. But if you live in a second class Democratic district, all bets are off."
Mica held a hearing just last month in which he argued that all towers are safe, including those that are privately run in this country. Carr said that theory is now blown apart by Mica's proposal. "Chairman Mica wants to create a two-tiered system of air safety in this country to get votes. Clearly there is concern among his Republican colleagues about the safety of their hometown towers if they are privatized."
"The political game playing which our nation has witnessed on this serious issue of safety has got to stop. Aviation safety is neither a Republican nor Democratic issue and yet the political process has been undermined time and time again. Our Congress should not be forced to compromise on safety. Let's stop the game playing and fix the conference report so the will of the Congress and the public is served." ___________________________________________________________
NATCA PRESIDENT JOHN CARR: FAA BILL NEEDS TO BE FIXED BY RESTORING PRIVATIZATION BAN WHICH WAS PASSED BY FULL HOUSE AND SENATE
10/1/2003
WASHINGTON - The following statement was released today by National Air Traffic Controllers Association John Carr:
"We have reached a critical moment in the debate to ensure the safety of our skies. The House of Representatives is expected to consider shortly a motion to send the Federal Aviation Administration bill back to conference because it includes misguided provisions including a proposal to privatize air traffic control. On behalf of the traveling public, this bill needs to be fixed by restoring language that both the full House and Senate already approved to ensure that air traffic control is not privatized."
"There has been some discussion about stripping out the privatization language from the conference report. Let us be clear: stripping out the language is NOT a solution and does NOT restore the status quo. The dirty little secret in this bill is that in section 105 there is language that changes the legal status quo and gives the FAA new authority for contracting out air traffic control. If the conferees truly want to represent both the overwhelming will of the Senate, the House and the American people, they would avoid the temptation to tinker with language and do the right thing by restoring the anti-privatization language."
"The conferees must also heed yesterday's words of Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid that "a conference report that simply strips privatization language will not pass the Senate." The conferees need to go into their discussions understanding that a bill that does not include language to prohibit privatization is dead on arrival in the Senate. Let's not turn this conference committee into another kangaroo court. There's too much at stake. Congress has a real opportunity to show that our legislative process can work - and that the will of the American people can be heard." ____________________________________________________________
NATCA President Challenges Safety of Privatized Air Traffic Control
9/24/2003
NATCA President John Carr Tells House Subcommittee That Passenger Safety Should Remain Top Concern
WASHINGTON - John Carr, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told a House Subcommittee today that safety will be jeopardized if air traffic control towers are sold off to private contractors and called upon Congress to ask why contract towers are not held to the same safety standards as FAA towers.
Carr told the House Subcommittee on Aviation that "contract towers have no specific safety standards. Members of Congress need to ask why. Why should one tower be held to a different safety standard than another?" Carr went on to state that the Inspector General himself stated in his report that "neither the FAA contract towers nor the FAA-staffed VFR towers have a system for automatically reporting operational errors."
Carr noted that at FAA towers, "the FAA determines how many controllers are required based solely on how many are needed to ensure safety. Staffing numbers are determined for each shift and adjusted to meet fluctuating traffic demands, seasonal changes and other needs. So the real question to ask is how many people are looking out for safety in the contract towers? We cannot get an answer from the contractors on how many people staff each tower, but we do know this, and the Inspector General knows it, as well: There is one staffing standard for contract towers and one for FAA towers. And the standard applied to contract towers is shielded from public view because of the need to protect 'competition sensitive' information. But, I ask this Committee, what could be more sensitive than protecting our safety?"
Carr also addressed the cost issue raised in the Inspector General's report stating that, "It stands to reason that costs are lower if you have fewer people watching the skies. The Inspector General himself put it best in his report when he stated, 'FAA's costs to operate low activity towers by contract are less than the costs incurred when FAA operated the towers. This occurred because contract towers are staffed with fewer controllers.' This is hardly a groundbreaking business plan. This same logic could be applied to your local firehouse, and a reduction in staffing there would scarcely be noticed until the first big fire broke out."
Carr said he had heard from dozens of contract controllers about safety concerns stemming from cost and staffing pressures. "We do not question the quality of those controllers, most of whom are former FAA or military controllers who are capable of doing excellent work," Carr said. "But we do question a system that has deprived them of the support that they need. Little or no training, slashed staff, no drug testing, no quality control - these issues are raised again and again across the country. Our government must ensure that the problems at the current contract towers do not become a national problem by selling out our entire system to private companies."
Carr reminded the Committee that it was only a few weeks ago that the country received a wake-up call from the Columbia Accident Investigative Report. He asked the Committee to "please heed the lessons of Mission Control when it comes to determining the future of air traffic ontrol." ____________________________________________________________
STATEMENT FROM NATCA PRESIDENT JOHN CARR REGARDING TODAY'S FAA REAUTHORIZATION SENATE PRESS CONFERENCE
9/16/2003
WASHINGTON - National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr:
"The American traveling public deserves a strong Federal Aviation Administration bill that protects their safety and improves air travel. We must not allow the Bush Administration to blackmail the Senate and House with airport shutdowns and furloughs only to pursue a political ideology."
"Today's message is clear: Our Congress is willing to stand up for safety and protect vital airport projects. We look forward to continuing to work with all members to ensure that the FAA bill is the best it can be, which means preventing the world's safest and most efficient air traffic control system from being contracted out to the lowest bidder." ____________________________________________________________
NATCA URGES FAA TO STOP ISSUING FURLOUGH THREATS AND PLAYING POLITICAL GAMES WITH CRITICAL PROGRAMS
9/9/2003
WASHINGTON - National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr released the following statement today on the Federal Aviation Administration's threat to start furloughing employees if the FAA Reauthorization Bill is not passed by Sept. 30:
"The Administration now has to deal with the political mess it created by defying the expressed will of both the House and the Senate and secretly inserting privatization language into a conference report. They now have to admit that they put many positive aspects of this legislation at risk. The threats coming from the Administration are in response to an overwhelming public outcry that safety be put before political ideology."
"It is time for the Administration to stop putting this important bill at risk by insisting on including a privatization provision that has no public support. The public has rejected the notion of putting air traffic control up for sale to the lowest bidder. The Administration needs to stop holding critical airport improvement programs hostage and drop its misguided threat to veto this bill over privatization." ___________________________________________________________
LEADING CONSUMER GROUPS JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST PRIVATIZATION OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
9/3/2003
WASHINGTON -- Citing concerns about the safety of the traveling public, the nation's leading consumer groups - Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America and Public Citizen's Congress Watch - have joined the fight against efforts to privatize the nation's air traffic control system.
In a letter to Congress, the consumer groups said, "Safety must remain the FAA's number one priority. We can make certain of this by ensuring that our air traffic control system remains a Federal responsibility, with employees entirely accountable to the public and not a company's bottom line."
Noting the failure of private baggage screeners to protect the flying public, as well as the failure of air traffic control privatization schemes around the world, the groups urged Congress to reject the language in the pending Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill that would allow privatization of FAA towers currently staffed by federal employees.
"Ensuring the safety of the flying public is our number one priority," said National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr. "The leading consumer groups recognize this and are rightfully concerned that putting our air traffic control system in the hands of private companies is simply not good for public safety."
Although both the U.S. Senate and House gave the bipartisan support earlier this summer to protect the safety of the air traffic control system - the world's safest, largest and most efficient - language was inserted in the FAA Reauthorization bill conference report allowing privatization of air traffic control. The conference report is expected to be considered shortly.
The letter from the consumer groups also reflects overwhelming public opinion against privatizing air traffic control. More than 70 percent of the public favors keeping the system the way it is. A signed copy of the letter is attached, and is also printed below in text format.
###
August 28, 2003
Dear Senator:
We are writing to express our opposition to provisions in the recently filed conference report to H.R. 2115, Vision 100 - Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, which would authorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin to privatize the country's air traffic control (ATC) system. The nation's air transportation must be, above all else, safe. This legislation takes a step backwards from this important standard by threatening the effectiveness of key components to the FAA workforce. With the entire aviation industry struggling through perhaps the most difficult financial period in its history, it is no time to experiment with our ATC workforce, which is so vital to safe air travel.
In particular, we are distressed by the inclusion of language in the conference report that allows for the contracting-out of air traffic control employees at locations across the country. When the House and Senate considered this legislation independently, both bodies passed provisions that more adequately provided protections for ATC job functions - air traffic controllers, system specialists and flight service station technicians. Given the enormous security failures that resulted from the outsourcing of security screening services at airports, it is not surprising that there is broad support in Congress for including measures that would ensure a public workforce and a safer aviation system. We are very disappointed that the Conference Committee capitulated to the demands of some in the Administration and inserted language into the bill that would directly authorize ATC privatization.
Other countries have tried to privatize their ATC systems in recent years, and have encountered significant problems, with increases in near-misses or actual airplane crashes, greater delays, and higher costs and fees on passengers. In Canada, where ATC privatization was established in 1998, the nation's Transportation Safety Board found understaffing at some towers has been a persistent problem and may have contributed to near mid-air collisions in their air space. Canada's ATC authorities concede they have been operating with a major revenue shortfall and plan to proceed with a service charge increase effective August 1, 2003, which will be passed on to consumers.
More recent privatization initiatives in Great Britain have not fared any better, with flight delays caused by ATC increasing 20 percent since the system was out-sourced, according to reports in The London Daily Telegraph. Of greater concern, there were more than 220 "near misses" of airplanes over Britain during 2002, according to the UK Airprox Board, which assesses such incidents. The Board found that these incidents had risen to their highest levels in a decade, while the volume of traffic has been lower than normal.
Our ATC network is far more complex than any other in the world, with more than nine million flights and nearly 700 million passengers moved through the system annually. It handles this workload while playing a vital role in defense of our homeland by coordinating the national air space for both our military and civilian aircraft. The importance of this national security function was highlighted in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, when our ATC system grounded over 5,000 planes in under five hours and supplied direction for military aircraft in defense of our country.
While processing a massive volume of traffic and assisting in national defense, the ATC workforce also has established and maintained one of the safest systems in the world. The National Transportation Safety Board recently reported that 2002 was the safest year ever in U.S. aviation history. EUROCONTROL, the organization responsible for the safety of air traffic in Europe, released a report in May 2003 that held up our system as a model of efficiency, with more cost-effective facilities and a more productive workforce.
As a nation, we should be clear about the importance that we place on aviation safety and having the best air traffic control system in the world. Safety must remain the FAA's number one priority. We can make certain of this by ensuring that our ATC system remains a Federal responsibility, with employees entirely accountable to the public and not a company's bottom line.
We urge you to push for reconsideration of the ATC privatization language in the current conference report for FAA Reauthorization, and support a bipartisan compromise that will ensure a safer air transportation system for the American people.
Sincerely,
Adam J. Goldberg Policy Analyst Consumers Union
Travis Plunkett Legislative Director Consumer Federation Of America
Frank Clemente Director Public Citizen's Congress Watch ____________________________________________________________
MIAMI CONTROLLERS ASK FAA ADMINISTRATOR BLAKEY: WHY SHOULD IT ONLY BE SAFE TO FLY IN ALASKA?
8/26/2003
MIAMI - Lori Rebhan, president of the local chapter of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association at Miami International Airport, reacting to this morning's visit by Federal Aviation Administrator Marion Blakey in a ceremony for the airports new runway, issued the following statement denouncing Bush Administration-inserted language in federal legislation privatizing air traffic control at 69 towers including two in South Florida:
"Before the administrator wraps up her visit to South Florida, we invite her to visit with FAA controllers at nearby Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and Kendall-Tamiami Airport to see first-hand the need to keep these facilities in the hands of federal controllers and not sell the tower out to the lowest bidder. These two airports and the other 67 on the White House chopping block are too important to the level of safety assured by federal control of the air traffic system."
"We also want to know from the Administrator why two Alaska towers that were originally on the list were exempted. Madame Administrator, how can you defend a system that has one standard for Alaska and another for the other 49 states? If privatization does not pose a threat to safety and efficiency, as you claim, why would the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee exempt his own airport in Alaska?"
"Air traffic controllers at Fort Lauderdale Executive and Tamiami work 414,000 takeoffs and landings each year. Alaska's two towers on the list, Juneau and Merrill Field, control 305,000 takeoffs and landings yearly. It does not seem that the decision to exempt the Alaska towers from privatization and not the South Florida towers was not based on any kind of sound air traffic control reasoning."
"In September, Congress has a chance to listen to the majority of its constituents and end efforts to privatize air traffic control and jeopardize the safety of the best air traffic control system in the world. We urge all members of Congress to stop privatization and stand up for the safety of the flying public." ___________________________________________________________
CRUEL IRONY: PRESIDENT TO LAND AT SEATTLE'S BOEING FIELD, ONE OF 69 AIRPORTS ON WHITE HOUSE CHOPPING BLOCK FOR PRIVATIZATION
8/22/2003
WASHINGTON - Air Force One will be cleared to land at Seattle's Boeing Field later today by experienced, highly-skilled federal air traffic controllers. But if President Bush has his way in Congress next month, Boeing Field will be contracted out to the lowest bidder, jeopardizing safety and costing taxpayers more.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr issued the following statement in advance of the President's visit to the Great Northwest:
"Our controllers take great pride and responsibility in directing Air Force One to a safe landing. But it's important for the President to realize that if his administration has its way, the next time he lands at Boeing Field, the Federal Aviation Administration controllers who will ensure his safe landing today - and 200,000 other takeoffs and landings this year - will be replaced by controllers hired by private companies whose bottom line is profit, not safety."
"Of the 69 air traffic control towers on the White House chopping block, 11 rank among the 50 busiest airports in the country, according to FAA statistics. Boeing Tower is the 42nd busiest in the country. For those in the administration that claim the 69 towers in question are rural, low-activity, visual flight rules facilities, let me inform the President that he will be getting a wonderful view of the very urban area around Seattle today on his approach to Boeing Field."
"We also would like to express to the administration our grave concern that the FAA is trading privatization immunity for votes in advance of next month's Congressional action on the FAA Reauthorization conference report. We can have an open and honest debate about privatization. But backroom political deals for certain states that leave others vulnerable should not be tolerated. Why should you only have safe skies if your member of Congress is a committee chairman?"
"Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, exempted his own two towers from the FAA bill's privatization language. The Oklahoma Congressional delegation says it has received assurances from the FAA that their tower at Riverside Airport in Tulsa will not be privatized. Furthermore, reports indicate that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has said that the five towers from Arizona on the White House list will now not be privatized."
"Large majorities in both houses of Congress had previously voted against any effort to privatize air traffic control. Why the White House undermined Congressional will and the will of the American public remains a mystery."
"We are proud to take care of your safety today and every day you step into Air Force One. Let's guarantee safety to every passenger every day and maintain our current air traffic control system which is the safest, most efficient in the world." ___________________________________________________________
Lautenberg, Oberstar write Mineta to protest FAA trading state exemptions on privatization for votes
8/20/2003
August 20, 2003
The Honorable Norman Mineta Transportation Secretary U.S. Department of Transportation 400 7th Street, S.W Washington, DC 20590
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We write to express our grave concern about the recent conduct of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in lobbying Congress for the authority to privatize America's air traffic control (ATC) system.
Although the FAA has said that it had no intention of privatizing ATC functions, it worked behind closed doors to gain authority to replace federal controllers at 69 airport towers with contract employees of private companies. Then, in an apparent private deal with the Alaska delegation, the FAA agreed to be prohibited from privatizing Alaska airports. How, Mr. Secretary, can you defend a system that has one standard for Alaska, and another for the other 49 states? If privatization did not pose a threat to safety and efficiency, why would the experienced legislators of the Alaska delegation bother to exempt their own airports?
And now, in an effort to win Congressional approval of the conference report on Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act ("Conference Report"), the FAA appears ready to use a similar scheme to exempt towers in other states. It seems the Administration has different standards for air traffic control towers depending on the votes the Administration needs to pass the Conference Report. It has recently come to light in a report in the Tulsa World that the FAA has promised Senator Nickles that the Riverside Airport control tower in his home state of Oklahoma will not be privatized. It is not surprising that Oklahomans are concerned about privatization, and that concern was reflected in the support the Lautenberg amendment received from Senator Inhofe. The Administration will need Senator Inhofe, and others of the 11 Republicans who supported the Lautenberg amendment, to have a change of heart in order to pass its plan to privatize air traffic services. Once again we ask, if privatization poses no threats to safety and efficiency, why are members of Congress demanding they be exempted from the program?
This is not the first instance of improper behavior on behalf of the Administration on this issue. Shortly before Senate consideration of the Lautenberg amendment in June, Administration officials sent a factually incorrect e-mail to many Senate offices (except that of Senator Lautenberg) in a failed attempt to lobby against the Lautenberg amendment. The e-mail claimed the scope of the proposed Lautenberg provision was much broader than it actually was. This instance was chronicled in a hearing by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, on July 8.
Safe and efficient air travel for all Americans is a non-partisan commitment from both the House and the Senate. The FAA is charged with protecting the safety of air travel, not cutting political deals-especially when those deals appear to be based on no sound safety or economic policy, but rather political calculations. To that point, we are asking you to instruct the FAA Administrator to report to Congress on any and all arrangements to exempt FAA-run control towers from being contracted out. We assure you that failure to report fully and promptly on this matter will lead to a loss in confidence among ourselves and our colleagues in the Congress in the leadership of the FAA.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
_____________________ ____________________
Frank R. Lautenberg U.S. Senator
James L. Oberstar Ranking Democratic Member U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________
STATEMENT FROM JOHN CARR, NATCA PRESIDENT IN RESPONSE TO REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP COMMENTS ON PRIVATIZATION
8/14/2003
STATEMENT FROM JOHN CARR, NATCA PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON - The following is a statement from National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr in response to comments this week from Republican leadership on Capitol Hill regarding privatization of air traffic control:
"For months the Administration and the Republican leadership have insisted that they have no intention of privatizing America's air traffic control system. They have dismissed criticism of privatization as "making a mountain out of a molehill" and belittled dedicated FAA employees concerns as air traffic controllers being "greedy."
"But all rhetoric and talking points aside, the Administration is moving aggressively to privatize the air traffic control system, a move that will both jeopardize safety in our skies and stick the taxpayer with a bigger bill.
"After months of denying their intentions to privatize the entire air traffic system, now Republican leaders are openly saying they may privatize the entire system. We welcome this refreshing candor and look forward to a vigorous debate when Congress returns from the Labor Day recess.
"This is a critical issue to the millions of Americans who fly every day. To date, the proponents of privatization have been unwilling to be candid about how they want to change the system. That's why they have relied on backroom political deals to fulfill their agenda, rather than honest and open public debate.
"Our hope is that this debate can proceed now in an open and candid way. We will continue to vigorously oppose contracting out air traffic control to the lowest bidder and any attempt to jeopardize the safest air traffic control system in the world. We assume proponents of privatization will also make their case just as vigorously. The public deserves this debate." ___________________________________________________________
CONTRACT TOWER COSTS OUT OF CONTROL; NATCA ASKS DOT INSPECTOR GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE
7/30/2003
WASHINGTON - Funding for the Federal Contract Tower Program has increased by more than 49 percent over the last three years, dramatically outpacing the rate of growth of the Federal Aviation Administration's operations budget. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has asked Department of Transportation Inspector General Kenneth Mead to investigate this and other examples of uncontrolled costs and unfulfilled contractual obligations.
According to Mead's own past findings of the Contract Tower Program, towers were not staffed in accordance with contractual staffing agreements, payment for services which were not delivered, contractors were overpaid and the overall performance plan was inadequate.
"The inspector general is fond of noting the growth in the FAA operations budget, which is 18 percent over the past three years. We think we have found one of the main causes," NATCA President John Carr said. "The growth in the cost of contract towers cannot be sustained and we urge Mr. Mead in the strongest possible terms to investigate the financial morass known as the Federal Contract Tower Program."
Carr noted the urgency for an investigation, in light of a Congressional conference committee report on the FAA Reauthorization bill. If passed by the U.S. House and Senate, this bill would allow for the removal of FAA controllers from 69 air traffic control towers and replace them with contracted employees. Eleven of these towers rank among the 50 busiest in the country, according to the FAA administrators’ latest figures.
While the contract tower program's funding level has increased 49.71 percent since 2000, the number of contract towers has increased by only five percent during the same time period. Additionally, the Contract Tower Association has stated that the annual cost for a contract tower is $271,000. However, data taken by NATCA from the CTA's own information shows the actual average cost is more than $413,917 - nearly twice what the contractor previously represented.
"The need for the facts on this matter is urgent, given the fact that the FAA reauthorization bill pending before Congress proposes to expand the Federal Contract Tower Program significantly," Carr said. "The record of the Contract Tower Program to date suggests that an expansion will be a boon for the contractors, but a disaster for taxpayers." ____________________________________________________________
WHITE HOUSE PUTS AVIATION SAFETY UP FOR SALE TO THE LOWEST BIDDER
7/29/2003
WASHINGTON - Placing politics over aviation safety, the White House has destroyed the bipartisan-supported measures passed by both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate that would have prohibited the privatization of air traffic control services to the lowest bidder.
After both the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly in June to protect the safety of the air traffic control system - the world's safest, largest and most efficient - the White House waged an all-out lobbying campaign to reverse the actions taken by Congress and undermine the will of the American people.
The result was a back-room deal waged by the leaders of the Congressional conference committee reconciling the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill - without debate or on-the-record accountability - that would allow the removal of FAA controllers from 69 air traffic control towers and replace them with part-time contract employees. While there is an effort to assuage the concerns of the American people by referring to the targeted towers as "rural airports," they include towers like Van Nuys, Calif., the eighth-busiest airport in the country.
"Despite repeated denials that the administration wants to privatize air traffic control, the conference committee report does exactly that," National Air Traffic Controllers Association President John Carr said. "In the wee hours of the night last week, the conference committee leadership bowed to the pressure of the White House. It’s time for all members of Congress to stand behind their votes and uphold the safety of our skies."
Amazingly, not even the chairman of the conference committee, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, favors privatization. He exempted the air traffic control towers in his own state from privatization. "Should it only be safe to fly in Alaska?" Carr asked.
Air traffic control privatization defies both public opinion and the abysmally poor example set by other countries' privatized air traffic control systems. Surveys show that more than 70 percent of the American public wants to keep the system in the hands of the federal government. Privatization has failed miserably in other countries. Skyrocketing costs abound, while users are paying more, the private systems are less efficient and understaffing has led to near accidents in the sky. Additionally, the U.S. air traffic control system is 74 percent more efficient and 79 percent more productive than the European system, according to a recent study by Eurocontrol, the air traffic control organization for the European Union.
"Safety is NATCA's No. 1 priority and we will use all of our resources over the next six weeks and mobilize all of those who share our commitment to protect the safety of the flying public," Carr said.
