The FAA looks out for their employees too!
The Top Headlines From AVweb's Expanded, Illustrated News Coverage At AVweb's NewsWire.
FSS CONTRACT: THE (LEGAL) BATTLE BEGINS…
They've tried just about everything else and now the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS) is taking a new tack to try and prevent the contracting out of flight service stations. NAATS claims the process constitutes age discrimination and filed suit today. The union is seeking a preliminary injunction to halt the contracting process (the winning bidder, Lockheed Martin, is already well into its pre-transition program) followed by a permanent injunction. NAATS director Mike Sheldon said the process could potentially leave almost 1,000 displaced workers without pensions, even though they are close to retirement age. "They will be without an annuity. They will be left with virtually nothing," he said. More...
...SAVINGS EFFICIENCY AND LOST PENSIONS...
Sheldon said that if the contract proceeds on schedule, the FAA will save tens of millions of dollars by avoiding paying pensions to the displaced workers. He said that of 963 workers who will be left without a pension, roughly two-thirds are within five years of qualifying. According to the press release, the NAATS suit alleges the contracting process "is timed to deny substantial federal retirement benefits" to FSS workers who are more than 40 years old. Sheldon said the timing of the contract with the major retirement bubble of FSS workers only a few years away "is quite a coincidence." More...
...AS LOCKHEED'S FSS TRANSITION CONTINUES
Meanwhile, the effort from within the FAA to derail the Lockheed bid remains in the hands of the FAA's Office of Dispute Resolution for Acquisition (ODRA). The FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO), which now runs the FSS system, submitted a bid in conjunction with Harris Corp. In what may be an unprecedented move, the ATO filed a protest over the award of the contract to Lockheed Martin, citing irregularities and incomplete work in the assessment process. The ATO's attorney, Cyrus Phillips, told AVweb he expected a decision on the challenge before now and he's unsure when it will be issued. In the meantime, Lockheed continues to carry out its transition program and Phillips is concerned staffing problems are on the horizon. More...