Fly Us Safe Campaign
What Others Are Saying
Members of the media, the public, Labor Unions, and others have come out against the agency's conduct during contract negotiations. Read below what they have to say:
Transportation Workers Union of America Statement - July 27
"The men and women of the Transport Workers Union of America stand fully behind the members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
"Our entire nation owes a large debt of gratitude to our air traffic controllers. Their ability to safely and efficiently choreograph the simultaneous movement of thousands of planes in the sky is simply breathtaking. This demanding work exacts a steep physical and emotional toll.
"That is why TWU cannot remain silent when such heroic men and women are maligned by their own government. When Federal Aviation Administration leader Marion Blakey attacks their dedication, blames unions for all the agency's failures, and uses scarce federal resources to carry out an explicit anti-worker campaign, it is an affront to all working Americans and a grave threat to aviation safety.
"The TWU calls upon the FAA to immediately change its reckless course and show greater concern and respect for both its hard-working employees and the traveling public."
International Association of Firefighters Statement - July 25
"Federal Aviation Administration leader Marion Blakey's attempt to pit one group of public safety workers against the other by comparing the salaries of air traffic controllers to the nation's fire fighters and police officers is offensive.
"It shows that Ms. Blakey has no understanding of the most fundamental and critical pieces of public safety - that all agencies and jurisdictions must work and stand together in protecting our citizens.
"It's clear to us that her efforts to use rhetoric to divide us are a remedial level union busting tactic. And all that her comments to the media did was expose her weaknesses in an even basic understanding of public safety protocol.
"Those comments raise the question of whether she is fit for a position as a senior government official whose charge is to be our nation's chief aviation safety official responsible for safeguarding the flying public -- a position that requires a high degree of coordination and cooperation of safety agencies, especially during these dangerous times.
"Let me be clear -- the members of the IAFF stand fully with our nation's air traffic controllers. We, like all Americans, are greatly appreciative of their role in safely guiding nearly 90,000 planes each day.
"The FAA Administrator should show more respect to the workers who do the frontline work in protecting Americans both in our skies and in our communities. I call on the FAA Administrator to halt this divisive and counterproductive propaganda campaign."
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
"Transportation labor will stand in full force behind FAA employees in stopping the agency's leadership from crating an environment of hostility and distrust with its own employees and jeopardizing the safety and efficiency of the air traffic control system in the process. The FAA must commit to serious collective bargaining, acting fairly and in good faith. It must refrain from unilaterally imposing a contract on its employees, and it must end the strong-arm tactics that are making a mockery out of the bargaining process. We call on the FAA to advance modernization, address the severe and well documented staffing shortage honor its collective bargaining obligations, and stop demonizing its employees at a time when so much is at stake in managing the expansion of our aviation system."
Read the full statement.
- Get more information about the Fly Us Safe campaign
- Call 1-877-FLY US SAFE today. Ask your representative to tell the FAA not to compromise on air safety.
- Let NATCA know what you think of the issues