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STATEMENT OF Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: My name is Walter W. ("Wally") Pike. I am completing my third year as President of the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS). I have worked for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for thirty-two years, and in air traffic control continuously since 1973, with assignments at Fort Worth, Childress, and San Antonio, Texas, and at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. At the same time, I have been a NAATS union official since 1979, serving in various capacities. My testimony will focus on our recommendations for the FAA's FY 2002 budget. I respectfully request that my entire written statement be made part of the record. Before I begin, I want to take the opportunity of congratulating and welcoming the new members of the Subcommittee. We look forward to working with you all to further our mutual goals of making the FAA work more effectively, efficiently and safely. I also would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to the Chairman and members of this Subcommittee for their efforts during last year's appropriations cycle to secure adequate funding for the FAA's Operations budget. The action by the Committee last year was critical in achieving long-term savings for the FAA and American taxpayers. THE FAA'S BUDGET 1. OASIS Whenever the media report an FAA equipment failure or a facility going off-line, it is the men and women working the air traffic control system who keep it operating - and who safeguard the lives of air travelers. While outages at radar facilities and control towers receive most of the publicity, they also occur at Flight Service Stations, inconveniencing the flying public and posing a hazard to safety and efficiency of aviation. We are the ones whose knowledge and experience can override the shortcomings of our equipment. Our biggest equipment concern is with OASIS. As you are aware, the FAA has designated the OASIS system as the replacement for current equipment in AFSS's, and within the last year the agency and NAATS have installed a successful prototype in our Seattle AFSS. OASIS is one of the original three "lead the fleet" examples of the new procurement authority at the FAA, which this panel was instrumental in establishing We believe, however, that the only reason that the FAA is moving as quickly as it is moving on this program is because of the leadership demonstrated by this Committee. The OASIS program has been delayed for years, and would in all likelihood still be languishing, were it not for the specific authorizing of funds for the program mandated by this Committee. But your leadership is still needed on this critical procurement. Mr. Chairman, there are 61 Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSSs) in America. These AFSSs were designed to replace the 318 Flight Service Stations nationwide. Each is now equipped with an antiquated, outdated Model 1 Full Capacity (M1FC) computer system. Each needs to be replaced by an OASIS system. OASIS hardware is based on commercially available, off the shelf technology. A fully developed and tested software package that meets the needs of the flying public and the controllers who use the equipment would enable the contractor to go forward with full deployment of OASIS. Mr. Chairman, we can't wait for OASIS any longer. The current M1FC system is on the verge of data overload today! With the introduction of METAR/TAF (ICAO-standard weather information format), the system has been so overloaded that weather trending data has been reduced from three hours to two hours. This is a threat to the safety of the pilots we brief and to their passengers. When you fly on a general aviation or commuter aircraft, would you feel safer knowing that the FAA's real-time weather data bank has been reduced by one-third? Until OASIS is installed, this will be the case and is a very real threat to aviation safety and efficiency. Further, the hardware of M1FC is no longer manufactured, causing increased risk to the system as irreplaceable parts are lost to failure. As this Committee is aware, the FAA continues to spend millions every year on the Direct User Access Terminal System (DUATS). You should know that these costs will largely disappear when OASIS is installed, because it will incorporate the DUATS function directly into OASIS and Flight Service. This service can be continued for those of our customers who like to supplement their pilot briefings via this system. And in addition to saving millions each year, we will actually be able to provide even better service to our pilot customers, because the OASIS definition calls for an interactive DUATS capability, where a pilot can directly ask a Flight Service Controller specific questions about commonly-displayed data. As you can see the OASIS will replace a fragile decaying system with a modern, dependable one, benefiting both the flying public and the controllers responsible for ensuring their safe and efficient flight. 2. STAFFING Our second major concern for you to consider this year is the fact that the FAA will, once again, not hire enough new Flight Service controllers to replace those who are leaving through attrition. The FAA has consistently changed the number of new hires during the past year and has done very little planning on how to train and deploy any of the personnel. Inattention and inaction have allowed this to reach critical mass. The FAA budget proposal once again does not include any specific provision for new Flight Service controllers. The FAA apparently plans to reduce our numbers through attrition for the foreseeable future. Congress should remind the FAA - and do so forcefully - that the controllers at Flight Service are part of the essential safety net for this nation's aviation industry, and that our numbers must be maintained and strengthened. While I may be considered a senior Controller in the FAA, with over 30 years' experience, within Flight Service I am still a relative newcomer. We have asked this Committee to look into this matter in the past, but the FAA has not been forthcoming. Our workforce is rapidly aging; in fact, approximately 80% are eligible to retire today. It is of paramount importance to initiate and maintain an adequate pipeline for controllers in Flight Service. Mr. Chairman, the most recent figures available show that there are 2,200 Flight Service Controllers now, down over 200 from the FAA's own staffing standard. The FAA itself projects continuing attrition of more than 100 per year for the next several years with no discernable plan to address this shortage. Mr. Chairman, staffing levels at many of our facilities are at critical levels. Numbers are so low in some locations that employees cannot take annual leave or necessary breaks from operations because there are simply not enough people available to handle the workload. We strongly urge this Committee to require the FAA to hire, train, and place 200 new Controllers in Flight Service in FY '02, and an additional 100 in each of the three (3) fiscal years thereafter to offset attrition through retirement. By including such a staffing requirement in the FY 2002 legislation, Congress will make sure that an adequately staffed Flight Service is available to provide its critical safety functions to the public. To ensure compliance, Congress must mandate that the FAA maintain its own staffing standard of 2,404 flight service air traffic controllers. This 2,404 number should be the actual aviation public service providers and should be exclusive of staff and support personnel. 3. PERSONNEL REFORM As mandated by the FY 1996 DOT Appropriations bill, we have been hard at work with the FAA trying to establish a framework for a new personnel system. While we have significant concerns about the process and its numerous components, we would like to take this opportunity to again congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, and the Subcommittee as a whole for helping make sure that the vital protections of Chapter 71 of Title 5 of the U.S. Code were restored. As a result, our members can be assured that the changes taking place within the FAA's personnel system will occur with their elected representatives as full partners at the bargaining table. The reinstatement of Chapter 71 has gone a long way to ensure that the transition to the new personnel system is going smoothly and meeting the safety needs of our air traffic control system. The help and consideration of you and your colleagues on the Subcommittee is invaluable to us as we continue to work with the FAA to implement the reform set in motion several years ago. I am pleased to say that, through our liaison program, we are working closely with the FAA and have experienced a positive atmosphere in that regard. Nevertheless, we must note that little has happened in terms of true personnel reform at the work place. While we as an organization have been expending significant resources to support our involvement in the ongoing process of FAA personnel reform, the FAA has delayed the most significant changes, and has been satisfied to tinker around the edges. The agency approached NAATS in 1997 and stated that, because of personnel reform, a new pay system had to be developed. They stated that tower and center controllers were finalizing their new job classification and pay rules and if we were to be included in this new pay system we would have to work with them in reclassification of our jobs also. They wanted workgroup participation in this process and all resources and funding were borne by the FAA for this project. In the summer of 1997 a new classification prototype was completed and agreed to by NAATS and the FAA. In October of 1998 the agency wanted another workgroup, which they agreed to fund, to develop pay rules for the finalization of a comparable pay plan for Flight Service within the Air Traffic Profession. This workgroup was nearing successful completion of its task when surprisingly, without any reason, on May 17, 1999 the FAA terminated the workgroup and rejected its product. We stand ready to use any method or technique which will achieve our goals: increased productivity, greater employee responsibility, a pay system which is fair and appropriately rewarding, and a working environment where safety is the highest priority at all times. We challenge the FAA to be as creative and open to new thinking and new ideas. We also suggest that this Committee watch these developments closely and encourage FAA's representatives to do their "homework" and negotiate fairly when meeting with us at the bargaining table. We have an opportunity to make a unique contribution to the air traffic control system, and we're eager to do just that. We thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the Subcommittee for the opportunity to provide these comments. We look forward to working closely with you and your staff to ensure that the best interests of the flying public are protected. I would be pleased to respond to any questions. Thank you. NAATS The National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS) is a labor union with national exclusive recognition as the bargaining agent for all GS-2152 series Air Traffic Control Specialists employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the Flight Service option. NAATS was certified as the national exclusive bargaining representative in February 1972. The objectives of NAATS are to promote, enhance and improve the dignity and stature of controllers in the Flight Service option; to improve the hours, wages, and working conditions of NAATS members; to foster public sentiment favorable to reforms sponsored by NAATS; to petition Congress and other government agencies for the enactment and enforcement of laws and regulations that protect and enhance the welfare of our members; and to cooperate with all persons interested in the promotion and advancement of aviation safety and services. As we say in our motto, "Aviation Safety Is Our Business."
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