LETTERS – Underpaid Air-Traffic Controllers Need Help

How would you react if your boss said, “You can still work, but I’m cutting your salary by 30 percent and freezing your future pay”? This is what the Federal Aviation Administration has said to thousands of air-traffic controllers.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA have been in contract negotiations since last July, but it’s now clear that the FAA wants to force a contract on us, ignoring fairness and good-faith bargaining.

Under current law, in the event of a breakdown in negotiations, the FAA can send the contract to Congress. If Congress doesn’t take action, the FAA can force the contract.

Fortunately, bipartisan lawmakers have introduced legislation in Congress, entitled the FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006, creating three steps to fairly and equitably resolve any contract disputes: first, mediation; then, on to Congress, where they would have to act on it for the contract to pass; and lastly, if all else fails, the contract goes into binding arbitration.

It’s only a small change in the law, but it would ensure fairness and an active oversight role in this process for Congress.

Despite the record level of travelers, 7,000 air-traffic controllers will be eligible to retire within nine years. If a contract is imposed, recruitment of excellent replacements will stall.

I love my job and I am proud to have worked for the safest aviation system in the world for 24 years — all of them here in Rhode Island.

We need you to join us in standing up for fairness and safety in the skies by contacting Sen. Lincoln Chafee to ask him to support this legislation.

JAKE CROWLEY

Warwick

The writer is the legislative representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association at T.F. Green Airport.