Aren't You Happy You Voted For Baby Bush? (ATC Privatization)

On Wed, 09 Jul 2003 12:26:53 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote in Message-Id:
nk.net:


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .

A 40% decrease in payroll costs is a significant savings.


Sure, but most of the savings does not come from contracting out the tower,
it came from reducing the staffing. If four contract controllers can
adequately staff the tower then four FAA controllers could have done so as
well.



Do you have
any idea what motivates FAA to overstaffed towers?


None.



Are you saying that ATC employees automatically receive a salary
increase as a direct result of being relocated to another facility?


No, they receive a salary increase as a direct result of being relocated to
a higher level facility.


Here's some recent news on the subject:

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/new...s/twr07083.xml
Contract Tower Battle: 71 Airports
By Airports Staff
July 8, 2003


The Contract Tower Association wants FAA to retain the authority to
privatize VFR operations at another 71 airports while protecting the
status of the 218 towers currently privatized, Spencer Dickerson,
executive director of the association, said last month.

Dickerson, who also serves as senior executive vice president of the
American Association of Airport Executives, outlined his concerns
recently at a press luncheon in Washington. His comments come as the
Bush administration threatens to veto the fiscal 2004 FAA
authorization if provisions barring any further ATC privatization are
not removed (Airports, June 24).

Other goals include the appropriation of $82.5 million to fund the
contract tower program next year and another $6.5 million to continue
the cost-sharing program, in which airports that do not fully meet
FAA's cost-benefit formula can make up the difference to trigger
privatization.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association suit against contract
towers is now in its ninth year. NATCA has always been concerned about
privatization expanding further into air traffic control, which is the
underlying issue in the dispute between the Bush administration and
the non-privatization provisions in the Senate FAA reauthorization,
proposed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.). Dickerson, however, said
that CTA's goal is not to gradually "chip away" at government-run air
traffic control. CTA's interest is in preserving that option for the
71 airports, he said, in the event the airports are interested and FAA
deems an application appropriate.

Part of NATCA's argument has been the success of FAA's controllers in
rapidly and safely landing thousands of aircraft after the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11. Dickerson acknowledged that feat but said there
were "hundreds of contract-tower controllers who also guided planes
that day." He added that contract towers handle President Bush's
flights at Waco, Texas, and Vice President Dick Cheney's into Jackson
Hole, Wyo. Dickerson cited reports from the DOT Inspector General's
office endorsing the cost-effectiveness and safety of the program, and
said the numbers show that their safety record is "extremely good."

Dickerson also pointed out that the 17 largest contract towers handle
more traffic than the 15 smallest FAA towers.

NATCA, which opposes any further privatization, criticizes the record
of privatization in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. NATCA
describes those "experiments" with privatization as "at best,
financial messes and, at worst, safety hazards."

Ruth Marlin, NATCA executive vice president, told Airports that "just"
71 airports "is a fairly major invasion" of privatization. Those
airports also consist of what used to be called Level 2 and Level 3
facilities, she said --larger, more complex operations than those that
have already entered the contract tower program.

Marlin said NATCA is not opposed to all contract towers. Of the 218
now privatized, 90 are run under the cost-sharing program, "and
legitimately those towers are airports that otherwise would not have a
tower," she said.

Asked whether NATCA anticipates having to fight the expansion of
privatization every year, Marlin pointed to easy passage of amendments
attached to FAA reauthorizations in the House and Senate backing
NATCA's position on privatization.

"I think once this [FAA] reauthorization passes, it will be clear that
those who are elected to speak for the American people, spoke."