Air traffic controllers and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have reached a tentative contract agreement aimed at ending years of acrimonious relations.
Members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have 45 days to ratify the three-year labor pact, which includes greater work schedule flexibility, child-care support and a new grievance review process. At the same time, it affords the FAA the flexibility to more effectively redeploy labor to congested airports using controller incentive pay.
The agreement also includes “a more equitable pay standard” to benefit new hires and veterans nearing retirement, the FAA said in a statement. “The associated costs will be phased in over the three years of the contract, which helps ensure that FAA will not have to tap into its budget for critical capital investments in order to handle increased personnel costs,” the aviation agency added.
Former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey was brought in to oversee negotiations that were going nowhere. “The Obama administration recognized that not having a mutually agreed upon contract for the air traffic controllers had created an untenable situation and that ensuring the safety and efficiency of the nation’s aviation system made fair resolution a must,” the FAA stated.
“This marks a new day between the FAA and the air traffic controllers as we move forward with a spirit of cooperation,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. “We are hopeful that once the review and ratification are complete, we can accelerate our efforts to adopt NextGen, the next generation air transportation system.”
“This tentative agreement marks a turning point in the relationship between the FAA and its air traffic controller and traffic management employees,” said Patrick Forrey, president of NATCA.
Forrey said the tentative labor pact “addresses the tumultuous labor relations issues at the FAA, establishing a fair process that has allowed the parties to negotiate and arrive at a collective bargaining agreement that NATCA members now have an opportunity to ratify.
“We look forward to working with the FAA and the aviation industry and community in a collaborative process to develop and implement the much-needed next generation aviation system,” the union boss added.
The FAA said “both sides are confident that this mediated solution will prove to be the basis for a solid foundation that enables everyone to put aside past differences and move forward to rebuild trust between the FAA and its employees.”
The nation’s 15,000 air traffic controllers have been working without a contract since 2005. The last contract expired in 2003, but was extended for two years by former FAA Administrator Marion Blakey. Negotiations were at an impasse and the FAA imposed new work rules on controllers that froze salaries and cut pay for new hires. Acrimony spread as controllers retired in droves. And NATCA said understaffing and a disproportionate number of trainees and other less experienced controllers jeopardized air safety.
President Ronald Reagan fired 11,500 controllers in 1981 for refusing to end a strike and return to work.