News Release
Release #03.03
January 24, 2003
ALPA Reaction to Rule on Revoking Certificates of ‘Security Threats’
WASHINGTON, D.C.---The following statement was issued by Capt. Duane Woerth,
president of the Air Line Pilots Association, in reaction to a rule
announced today by the FAA that would revoke an airman certificate if an
individual is found by the Transportation Security Administration to be a
“security threat”:
While ALPA has strongly supported most of TSA’s actions to
increase aviation security, this rule clearly crosses the line separating
legitimate security measures from secretive, unaccountable government
conduct.
The rule mandates that the FAA revoke the airman certificate
(applicable to pilots, mechanics, and dispatchers) of any person who is
determined by TSA to be a “security threat”. Such action would effectively
end that worker’s employment in the airline industry.
While the rule spells out in clear detail the process by which the
revocation would occur, there is absolutely no discussion of standards,
procedures, or criteria by which the TSA might make a determination that an
individual is a “security threat”.
Furthermore, while the individual may appeal the initial finding,
there is no provision for the individual to obtain any information as to why
or how the determination was made, which makes the appeal virtually an empty
exercise.
The unanswered questions about how one is determined by TSA to be
a “security threat” should evoke a chill in every American. Pilots and
other workers would be unable to invoke the traditional right to access and
refute the information that is being used against them.
(more)
P.2 – TSA Rule
We also were disappointed with the fact that the rule was
introduced in final form, with no opportunity for meaningful comment, and
indeed, with no notification to the portions of the aviation community that
have an interest in, and have worked actively with TSA on security issues.
Airline pilots, mechanics, and other airline workers already are
required to clear a 10-year criminal background check with fingerprinting.
Conviction for a wide range of crimes, ranging from serious violations to
relatively minor infractions, already will effectively end an airline worker
’s employment in the name of security. This latest rule apparently lowers
the bar to mere suspicions that are not the result of the kind of due
process that most Americans would expect before they are branded as a
security threat.
The government has a legitimate interest in keeping terrorists off
of airplanes, both as passengers and as airline and airport employees; but
this rule is rooted more in “1984” than in Sept. 11, 2001.
ALPA represents 66,000 airline pilots at 42 airlines in the U.S.
and Canada. It’s Web site is http://www.alpa.org .
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