Saluting Federal Employees: PSRW 2019

Since 1985, Congress has designated the first full week of May as Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) to show appreciation for the men and women who make up the nation’s civil service.

Organized by the Public Employees Roundtable, a coalition of government employee advocacy groups, PSRW is a great opportunity for the country to acknowledge the important work PASS members and all federal employees do every day to keep our nation running. ['I Serve Because...' PASS members tell you why.]

During the historic partial government shutdown, the American public turned out in droves to support the dedicated public servants who were working without pay for 35 days and those who were forced to stay at home while their work piled up. They understood that these were their family, friends and neighbors who were caught up in a political fight not of their making.

PASS celebrates the dedicated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees we represent nationwide and the civilian Department of Defense (DoD) employees we represent at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point: the systems specialist who keeps air traffic control equipment in service, the inspector who makes sure planes and helicopters are safe to fly, the aeronautical information specialists who prepare the maps and charts pilots rely on, the flight inspection and mission support employees who ensure the integrity of procedures, safety support staff who are there every step of the way, and all the professionals represented by PASS who are on the job 24/7. “The employees we represent demonstrate every day that they are dedicated to the FAA’s mission but never more so than during the government shutdown,” said PASS National President Mike Perrone. “They are experienced, highly skilled and committed to the job of keeping our skies safe—they never wavered even when they weren’t being paid.”

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PASS Endorses Bills to Protect FAA During Shutdowns

Not long after the government shutdown ended, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) introduced the Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019 (H.R.1108) that would protect Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs and personnel from future government shutdowns without changing the structure of the agency.

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PASS President Warns That Government Shutdown Gambles With Aviation Safety

For every day the federal government is shut down and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees are impacted, the nation’s aviation system is gambling with aviation safety, Professional Aviation Safety Specialists National President Mike Perrone told Congress today. And while 4,000 aviation safety inspectors were furloughed at the onset of the partial government shutdown, he said, “A critical layer of safety was missing, and this is unacceptable.” (Watch President's Perrone's opening statement.)

Perrone testified in front of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at a hearing entitled “Putting U.S. Aviation Safety at Risk: The Impact of the Shutdown.” The hearing was called to examine how the recent 35-day partial shutdown of the federal government impacted FAA functions and operations, as well as the U.S. aviation industry and workforce.

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PASS Members to Attend State of the Union

The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS) is proud that two of its members have been invited by their congressional representatives to be guests at tonight’s State of the Union address held at the U.S. Capitol. PASS Chapter FL1 President, Douglas Lowe, is the guest of Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and PASS Chapter CA3 member, Joe Rodgers, is the guest of Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.).

Lowe is an airways transportation systems specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who works at Orlando International Airport. Rodgers is an engineering technician with the FAA who works at Ontario [California] International Airport. Both men are military veterans who chose to continue serving their country by joining the FAA.

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One Shutdown Ended, Another Looms Over Federal Employees

As PASS-represented employees went back to work this week at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), joining their colleagues who have been on the job without pay, PASS National President Mike Perrone reminded his members that the three-week continuing resolution signed January 25 was only a short-term respite. In a message yesterday, Perrone commended the workforce on the number of informational pickets held at airports across the country over the last month to highlight the effects of the government shutdown on aviation safety. “Friday’s news was only a temporary reprieve and we could be back on those picket lines in three weeks, so the fight isn’t over,” Perrone said.

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PASS, Federal-Postal Coalition Urge Senate to Reopen Government

On January 23, PASS, along with other members of the Federal-Postal Coalition, sent a letter to the Senate encouraging them to end the shutdown and allow all federal employees to get back to work and be fairly compensated.

“Funding the government is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of Congress and the President,” stated the letter. “A lapse in government funding compromises critical federal services, including our national safety and security. Each day that the shutdown continues, more Americans begin to feel the effects of having a government that is only partially operating."

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