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BIA Flight Service Staff No Longer in Federal Jobs

Posted on: Tuesday, 4 October 2005, 15:00 CDT

By JACKIE FARWELL; OF THE NEWS STAFF

BANGOR - More than 20 employees at Bangor International Airport lost their federal jobs at midnight Monday as part of the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to privatize operation of its flight service stations, despite an appeal from 15 senators to delay the handover.

The workers now are employed by aerospace industry giant Lockheed Martin Corp., which assumed management today of the nation's flight service station network after announcing in February its $1.9 billion contract with the FAA.

Lockheed plans to consolidate the stations, which provide support services such as weather updates, route planning and air space information, from the existing 58 down to 20. By installing new automated technology and upgrading facilities, Lockheed expects to increase the network's efficiency.

Bangor's station is slated to close next year, though U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are fighting to delay the nationwide changeover.

Along with 13 other senators, Snowe and Collins signed a letter last week to FAA Administrator Marion Blakey requesting that the plan be postponed until Congress completes the 2006 appropriations process.

Snowe, a Republican, sits on the Senate Commerce Committee and its aviation subcommittee.

The FAA requested $150 million to implement the plan, but the House in June rejected the proposal by approving an amendment to the transportation appropriations bill that would prohibit the FAA from spending funds on the plan. The Senate has yet to consider the bill, the letter points out.

The flight service station employees' personal knowledge of regional weather patterns and topography is crucial to safe air travel, the letter states.

"Their work has kept general aviation running smoothly and has literally saved lives," it states. "The Federal Aviation Administration's proposal to privatize Flight Service Stations could lead to decreased safety for pilots of small planes because they will no longer be talking to personnel familiar with regional weather and topography."

The consolidation calls for the creation of three planned flight services hubs in Leesburg, Va.; Fort Worth, Texas; and Prescott, Ariz.

The Bangor station serves primarily general aviation, military and corporate pilots, though it also provides backup to the major airlines when their in-house systems are down.

In addition to opposition from Congress, the FAA also faces a pending age discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of the flight service station employees. The lawsuit, which lists 15 of Bangor's employees as plaintiffs, alleges that the network was singled out for privatization because 92 percent of its work force is over 40 and nearing retirement eligibility.

Both the FAA and Lockheed are moving ahead, however, with the transition plan, according to both organizations.

"It is scheduled to take effect," FAA spokeswoman Arlene Murray said Monday.

Pilots can expect to receive a more integrated level of service as a result of the changeover, which is expected to save $2.2 billion over the next 10 years, according to Lockheed spokesman Joe Wagovich.

"We'll have greater coordination across the country, beginning immediately, of all the sites," he said Monday.

The remaining Bangor flight service station workers will handle regular traffic from Maine and New Hampshire, but also anticipate the addition of traffic from eastern Massachusetts as a result of the transition, Dan Holodick, a local facility representative for the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists union, said Monday.

"It's a little bit more of a workload with about 30 percent less people," he said.

Of the station's former 29 employees, eight have found other jobs, primarily with the FAA out of state, he said. The remaining 21 include 17 air traffic controllers, two supervisors, one administrative assistant and one facility manager, Holodick said.

Holodick said he expected the station to shut down completely by April, though Lockheed spokesman Wagovich said the closure is not scheduled to take place until later next year.

Until then, the Bangor employees are on standby, working as at- will employees who can quit or be fired at any time, Holodick said. For now, they'll continue doing the jobs they are trained to do, the union representative said.

"That may change at a moment's notice," he said.

Source: Bangor Daily News

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