The National Air Traffic Controllers Association has rejected the FAA’s latest settlement offer in an ongoing workforce contract dispute, stating that anything short of restarting the collective bargaining process – stopped in 2006 — is not good enough.
In a letter to acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgell, NATCA president Patrick Forrey said, as he did in January at the time of the agency’s last settlement offer, that the proposal "fails to address all of the issues that were not resolved by the parties when FAA unilaterally declared impasse and withdrew from negotiations on April 5, 2006," characterizing the offer as a "delay tactic."
The FAA, in its "third and final offer," said the union’s last proposal was regressive and too expensive, and it offered "accommodations" including a five percent minimum increase across all pay bands, additional base pay increases for retirement eligible employees, and a more causal dress code.
The union called the proposal worse than the previous one and said it would not agree to withdraw any grievances or unfair labor practice complaints until its members ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.
The union pointed to recent findings by the Transportation Department’s inspector general that were critical of controller staffing and training practices and confirming – in the eyes of the union – that the imposed workforce terms were behind faster than expected retirements and their repercussions as the agency tries to hit aggressive hiring targets.
The union instead proposed to restore the provisions in the last agreed-to contract from 2003, return to the bargaining table and enter binding arbitration in 45 days if no agreement is reached.
