Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:

My name is Walter W. ("Wally") Pike. I am completing my fourth year as President of the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS). I have worked for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for thirty-three 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.

NAATS is the exclusive representative of the more than 2,300 controllers and automation specialists who work at the Flight Service Stations throughout the United States, and I am here today to give you their views. I want to note that these dedicated men and women continued to work during the 1981 strike providing vital safety functions to the flying public.

My testimony will focus on our recommendations for the FAA's FY 2003 budget. I respectfully request that my entire written statement be made part of the record.


THE FAA'S BUDGET



1. STAFFING

Our first 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. Over the past three years the FAA has allowed Flight Service controller staffing to fall two hundred eleven (211) positions short of their own staffing standard. This has seriously affected the station controllers� ability to provide the quality services desired by both the aviation public and flight service controllers. If left uncorrected, this staffing shortage will seriously compromise aviation safety possibly resulting in tragic consequences.

The FAA has consistently ignored the fact that approximately 80% of Flight Service controllers are eligible to retire today. At some point and time these controllers will tire of working shorthanded and under appreciated and will retire. Mr. Chairman, this is not a matter of �if� but rather one of �when�. Unless the FAA plans ahead and hires for this certainty then there simply won�t be enough controllers to provide essential services to the aviation public.

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. In the weeks following 9/11, our traffic increased 3-5 fold, and we once again demonstrated the vital part we play in maintaining the safety of our nation�s skies. 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.

It is of paramount importance to initiate and maintain an adequate pipeline for controllers in Flight Service. 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 '03, 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 2003 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.

2. AIR TRAFFIC ORGANIZATION

By most accounts, including a House panel report last summer, FAA Personnel Reform is a failure. Now with the new Air Traffic Organization (ATO) imminent the FAA has another chance. Our concern is that they will again miss this opportunity.

For example, we began negotiations on a new labor agreement with the FAA in August of 1997. We initiated pay negotiations with the FAA in January of 2000. We are hopeful of resolution soon with Flight Service controllers taking their rightful place along side the other FAA air traffic controllers. In the past, the FAA has stubbornly refused to negotiate with NAATS in good faith.

As you know, Mr. Chairman, our issue is a simple one of comparability with our air traffic controller counterparts in the FAA. 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 ask that this Committee watch these developments closely and encourage FAA's representatives to treat Flight Service controllers fairly.

In his testimony before this subcommittee, DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead recommended consolidating automated flight service stations as a cost savings. While we respect Mr. Mead, we question his conclusion. The FAA has already responded negatively to this suggestion by stating that Flight Service controllers are essential to the operation of the National Airspace System (NAS). The Director of Air Traffic Services has stated that all of the FAA�s air traffic controllers are interconnected and interdependent.

Mr. Chairman, Flight Service controllers stood tall during and after the tragic events of September 11. This is nothing new; Flight Service controllers have a history of responding to national emergencies. As I noted earlier, in 1981 with the other FAA controller workforce severely reduced, Flight Service controllers ensured the viability of the National Airspace System (NAS). We ask that you ensure a proper seat at the ATO table for Flight Service air traffic controllers through adequate equipment, staffing and compensation.

3. OASIS

The current primary computer system used in Flight Service is the Model One Full Capacity (M1FC), an interim system that somehow is still in use after more than ten years. The companion Interim Weather Graphics Display System (IGWDS) is a stand alone system that delivers graphical weather data to Flight Service Controllers. As the name suggests, the IGWDS is an interim system that has also been in use for more than ten years. The Operational And Supportability Implementation System (OASIS) is designed to integrate the capabilities of these two systems into one modern, flexible system that meets the current and future needs of Flight Service controllers for the next ten years.

Since NAATS was asked to participate in the OASIS program we have seen OASIS change from a system on the brink of failure to a system on a well-charted path to successful deployment. An operational prototype of OASIS has been in use at Seattle AFSS for 17 months now, providing excellent input to the ongoing system development effort. Barring unforeseen difficulties we expect a successful In Service Decision for the first production system will occur at Anderson, SC AFSS in June of this year. A large part of the success of this program can be attributed to the efforts of the NAATS members who are involved in the OASIS program through the OASIS Human Factors Team and other areas of representation to the program.

Mr. Chairman, based on the OIG report recommending Flight Service consolidation, the OMB passback budget cut the OASIS program funding by 5 million dollars in FY2003. The reasoning for this is flawed as it necessitates not just a delay in OASIS deployment, but also a cut in budget available to continue the software development effort toward completion. This result is actually counter to the reasoning used by OMB to justify the cut. Neither the FAA nor NAATS concurs with the conclusions of the OIG report. The FAA has sent a non-concur response to the OIG.

As you know, a part of the development of OASIS is to integrate the Direct User Access Terminal System (DUATS) into OASIS. NAATS continues to support this as it can lead to better communications between controller and pilot through the ability to develop an interactive pilot weather briefing. An interactive briefing capability will allow pilots to better understand the potential hazards affecting his proposed flight, which will lead to safer skies.

I strongly urge you to replace the 5 million dollars funding cut by OMB, and to also consider additional funding beyond that to enable the quickest, most efficient continued development and deployment of OASIS.

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."