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NATCA Calls Mead Remarks "Ill-Informed"
Air traffic controllers gathered for their annual legislative conference
on Capitol Hill this week and let members of Congress know that they are not
happy with Department of Transportation Inspector General Kenneth Mead.
Mead, at a Senate hearing about the FAA budget on Feb. 11, noted that the
FAA's operations budget has increased by 65 percent since 1996, and focused
on controller salary hikes and labor agreements as a major cause. National
Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President John Carr's return
volley: "I find it hard to believe that the inspector general is complaining
to Congress about an FAA budget that increased at the same rate as his own."
Calling Mead's remarks "ill-timed and ill-informed," Carr on Monday cited
Office of Management and Budget data that shows the inspector general's
office budget has also increased 65 percent since 1997. Carr was also
sharply critical of Mead's testimony that labor agreements between NATCA and
the FAA were out of control, unaccounted for and responsible for wasteful
spending. "Our agreements benefit the FAA, the system and the flying
public," Carr said.
NOTE: Read the complete text of Inspector General Kenneth Mead's
prepared remarks for the Senate Transportation Committee hearing on FAA
reauthorization. Also, read the complete text of NATCA's press release in
response to those remarks.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Gammon" <jmgammon@sympatico.ca>
To: <AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2003 8:43 AM
Subject: Re: Senators fight privatization of air traffic controllers
> I can speak as a user of NavCanada's services. I've never had a problem.
>
> Last year I had some transponder problems and the controllers were very
helpful. At one point I flew to the edge of the Montreal TCA at a quiet
moment and asked for a trasnponder check, and the controller was most
helpful (my mode C had gone south). Then when we flew the plane to an
avionics shop in Quebec where mode C is compulsory, we phone first and got
permission to enter; and even were given a special VFR clearance into
Quebec due to some lingering fog.
>
> Then on the way out, the controller handling the departure e-mailed me to
tell me the transponder worked fine (a friend of mine had flown the plane to
Quebec for repairs as I was working). How's that for service :-) (of
course the controller in question was the former owner of my plane!)
>
> In general it's hard to find a more professional bunch in this country.
In BOTH official languages.
>
> Mike Gammon
>
> >
> > From: Mark Greenwood <mgreenwood@telus.net>
> > Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 18:53:07 -0800
> > To: AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> > Subject: Re: Senators fight privatization of air traffic controllers
> >
> > Oh Please!
> >
> > Many countries, including Canada, have successfully privatized their air
> > traffic control services. I don't see planes dropping out of the skies.
> > The controllers are going to be the same professionals they are now
> > regardless of who they work for.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: The Airline List [mailto:AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU] On Behalf Of
> > Roger James
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 6:11 PM
> > To: AIRLINE@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> > Subject: Senators fight privatization of air traffic controllers
> >
> >
> > Senators fight privatization of air traffic controllers
> >
> > WASHINGTON (AP) =97 Twenty-six Democratic senators told President
> > Bush=20 Tuesday they will oppose any attempt to transfer responsibility
> > for air=20 traffic control to the private sector. The senators signed a
> > letter to Bush= =20 that calls air traffic control "a quintessentially
> > governmental function."= =20 The administration has not proposed
> > privatizing air controllers, but it has= =20 indicated an interest in
> > the idea. About 100 controllers in town for a=20 meeting of the National
> > Air Traffic Controllers Association joined Sen.=20 Frank Lautenberg,
> > D-N.J., who wrote and circulated the letter. "We're here= =20 to send a
> > message that the safety of our skies should not be put in the=20 hands
> > of the lowest bidder," Lautenberg said. He said the idea of=20
> > privatizing air traffic controllers "is like turning over the Army to=20
> > private hands, and seeing if you can get them to work overtime on the=20
> > weekends." All commercial airports have government controllers,
> > although=20 many small, private airports use private companies to run
> > their air traffic= =20 control towers.
> >
> > Former President Bill Clinton signed an executive order in 2000 calling
> > air= =20 traffic service "an inherently governmental function." Last
> > year, Bush=20 amended that order by deleting those four words.The FAA
> > notified the=20 controllers that their jobs would be reclassified as
> > "commercial."=20 Controllers said the change means the government could
> > hire a private=20 company to take over air traffic control.They continue
> > to press their case= =20 despite assurances from Federal Aviation
> > Administrator Marion Blakey that=20 her agency will not turn their roles
> > over the private sector."These (air=20 traffic control) functions are
> > not subject to competition and will not be=20 contracted out," she wrote
> > in a December letter to controllers.FAA=20 spokesman Greg Martin said
> > the agency reconsidered the proper=20 classification for the controllers
> > under instructions by the White House=20 Office of Management and
> > Budget. Martin added that the air controllers have= =20 been classified
> > as a type of commercial activity "so critical ... that they= =20 are not
> > subject to competition or contracting out."
> >
> > The letter from Lautenberg and 25 of his colleagues acknowledges that
> > the=20 reclassification does not necessarily mean air traffic control
> > will be=20 turned over to private companies. But the senators say the
> > move "sets up a= =20 slippery slope that could eventually lead to
> > privatization." Bush's=20 proposed budget for the current fiscal year
> > called for improving management= =20 and coordination of air traffic
> > services. It said that if those goals were= =20 not realized, the
> > administration would look at "other options, including=20 partial
> > privatization and franchise operation of components of the air=20
> > traffic system." And in November, the White House proposed making it
> > easier= =20 to turn over as many as 850,000 federal jobs to the private
> > sector.
> >
> >
> > ***************************************************
> > The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com
> > Roj (Roger James)
> >
> > escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca
> > Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com
> > Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/
> > Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/
> > Site of the Week: http://www.dbombo.net/muddyangels/
> > TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt
> > *********************************************************
> >
> > ---
> > Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
> > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> > Version: 6.0.449 / Virus Database: 251 - Release Date: 1/27/2003
> >
> >
> > ---
> > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> > Version: 6.0.449 / Virus Database: 251 - Release Date: 1/27/2003
> >
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