Lobbying effort

As previously posted, on Tuesday several members along with representatives from the International and our lobbyists the Albertiens' lobbied on behalf of passage of the FAA reauthorization bill. We met with both Democrats and Republicans. There are several items of importance in passing a bill but it looks like congress will pass the 22nd continuing resolution for short term funding if Senator Coburn allows it to come to a vote. Otherwise we will see another partial shutdown of the FAA on Friday. Here is the article describing the current blockage to short term funding.

Why is it important for us that this bill passes? For us there are two key provisions, one that we need, and one that we oppose in the bill. A change in NMB voting procedures was instituted by the agency last year which Delta, JetBlue and the ATA oppose. As a favor to these entities Congressman Mica attached a rider to the House version of the bill which would force the NMB to use the old voting rules. If congress had to run under these conditions there would be few in elected office right now. This rider has no place in a funding bill for the FAA. If the Congressman would like to amend the Railway Labor Act then perhaps that's the direction he should go. If that law is opened I could think of several elements that should be changed. Of course this has nothing to do with actual governing and is only an attack on organized labor.

The piece of this bill that we need adopted is the single standard of maintenance which is found in the Senate version of the bill. To provide a worldwide standard for training, background checks, drug testing, and oversight would help the nation as well as our profession. If overseas facilities were subject to the same level of training and scrutiny it would be difficult for those MRO's to provide such cut rate maintenance plans. Once passed this standard would provide equal footing for us to compete. So this single standard of maintenance would provide much needed jobs at a time when we have 3300 people on the recall list, piece of mind that the work is being done correctly, and dramatically reduce the threat of some nefarious device being planted by a terrorist while an aircraft is wide open in overhaul. That seems like a pretty common sense idea. Even Republicans agree this would be good for the country. So why don't we have a bill? See the above paragraph. The fact that politicians are willing to put at risk the lives of their constituents and the American people, as well as returning good paying jobs to America, over partisan politics is DISGUSTING! Please take the time today to ask your Congressmen and Senators to pass the Senate version of the reauthorization bill.

EDIT: President Obama signed the extension today. Here is the article.