National Labor Management Forum Update
Thursday, May 19, 2011

The next meeting of the FAA’s National Labor Management Forum will take place June 7-8 at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. The forum met in February and April to continue discussions about next steps while building consensus about issues the group should work through.

In February, the group discussed focusing on compensation, the table of penalties and the development of tools, and a framework for collaboration. At the April meeting, forum members decided that more work and data needed to be collected in order to have a robust discussion on the table of penalties and compensation.

The issue at the April meeting that generated the most interesting discussion was collaboration. The group spent time discussing what collaboration is and whether the forum could and should establish a collaborative structure for the FAA. Would one structure work for everyone, or does it make more sense for management and labor principals who have common interests to develop their own way of engaging?

The group examined what are commonly thought to be keys to sustaining collaboration: committed leadership; skills training; clear, measurable outcomes; evolving labor relationships; and structures. 

Through discussion, it was evident that significant progress has been made in building collaborative relationships with various levels in the FAA. The forum members committed to provide the leadership and effort to further develop the dialogue and relationships necessary to expand and sustain collaboration. That discussion will continue in Oklahoma City next month.

Please check out the National Labor Management Forum Web site on MyFAA.gov for the latest information and notes from the meetings.