PASS Wins Representation Election; Brings More FAA Employees Under Its Umbrella
PASS is pleased to announce the results of a representation election held at three service centers at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
By an overwhelming majority of 89 percent, employees at the Eastern, Central and Western Service Centers voted for PASS to be their exclusive representative. Roughly 400 employees were eligible to vote. The tally was held at the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) Regional Office in Washington, D.C. on Friday after a one-day delay caused by the snowstorm that shuttered federal offices in the D.C. metro area Wednesday.
“This is a big win for PASS, of course,” said PASS National President Mike Perrone, “but more importantly, it’s a big win for these dedicated federal employees. They will soon be able to enjoy the workplace benefits of a collective bargaining agreement.”
These new members will be added to the Mission Support Services bargaining unit employees who are already represented by PASS. This division of the FAA provides administration of shared strategic, quality assurance, operations, planning, fiscal and administrative program support to air traffic control and ground and airborne infrastructure facilities to support efficiency and effectiveness in the National Airspace System.
Service Center employees provide operations research; industrial safety and occupational health management; environmental protection; management and program analysis; financial administration, technical writing and editing office administration support.
“Under our PASS contract,” continued President Perrone, “These employees will have a structured and stable pay system, access to Alternate Work Schedules and opportunities to telework and 100 other benefits and protections to provide fair and consistent treatment in the workplace.”
The secret ballot election was conducted by the FLRA electronically from February 28 through March 21.
There are lingering legal questions over the eligibility of some employees to be represented by PASS and one particular issue that remains unresolved is defining the scope of the bargaining unit. Unfortunately, this will delay the official election certification for a few weeks. The union will continue the fight to ensure that all employees are legally eligible to have union representation. “This election result is an important step forward and we welcome these employees to PASS,” said President Perrone.