FAA REAUTHORIZATION

• January 26, 2012
  
  

  House Set to Weigh Bill To Secure FAA Funding

   By ANDY PASZTOR and SUSAN CAREY

   The Wall Street Journal

   1/24/2012

  The House plans to consider a short-term funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday that lawmakers, airline-industry officials and labor leaders expect could quickly pave the way to multiyear funding for the agency.

  The decision to take up the issue Tuesday reflects a bipartisan agreement reached last week over controversial labor provisions that have blocked passage of a full-blown FAA bill for years. Once endorsed by the House and Senate, the agreement is expected to result in more-stable FAA budgets and stronger policy direction for the agency.

  In particular, it’s likely to provide momentum for upgrading the nation’s air-traffic control system, according to industry and union officials.

  The lack of clear-cut marching orders or long-term budget guidelines from Congress has been among the reasons the FAA has had difficulty persuading U.S. airlines to invest heavily in equipment necessary to make the shift from aging ground-based, traffic-control systems to satellite-based networks that would save fuel and allow pilots greater flexibility in choosing routes.

  A long-term funding plan also is expected to allow the FAA to address safety issues that have been in limbo for some time, including whether to mandate tighter federal controls on cargo airlines carrying lithium batteries.

  The current short-term FAA funding extension runs out Jan. 31, and it is expected that one more interim extension will be approved. But by mid-February, lawmakers, congressional staffers, industry officials and labor leaders all expect approval of a full-blown reauthorization of the FAA, perhaps for as long as four years.

  Republican Rep. John Mica of Florida, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, on Monday said lawmakers were poised to “complete work on a few remaining issues” before final passage. Those range from the level of government subsidies for carriers serving rural airports to how many new slots—takeoff and landing assignments—airlines can get at Washington’s Reagan National Airport for flights longer than 1,250 miles.

  Last week’s agreement over union-organizing rules ends a lengthy stalemate over FAA funding that has frustrated both airlines and their unions, and even raised the threat of a White House veto. The deal over union-organizing rules represents a rare legislative compromise between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, and Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the Republican House Speaker.

  Hammered out late last week, the deal follows more than four years of partisan battles and nearly two dozen short-term FAA funding extensions, which temporarily shut down some agency offices last year and clouded the future of important aviation programs.

  The compromise leaves in place a change in the way the National Mediation Board counts votes for unionization in the airline and rail industries. The 2010 shift allows a majority of those casting ballots to approve a union. By contrast, the old rule required a majority of all eligible workers to back the union, with those who failed to cast ballots counted as “no votes.” This made it harder for unions to gain a foothold in some airlines. House Republicans pushed for the new rule to be rolled back, while Senate Democrats wanted the rule to stand.

  The agreement does require 50% of the employees to sign cards before a union election is scheduled, up from 35% today; it also calls for the NMB to hold runoff elections under certain circumstances, which could make it more difficult for unions to be certified. And under the compromise, the Comptroller General will regularly audit and provide independent review of unionization votes.

  The main airline trade group and industry unions back the compromise.

  The Transport Workers Union, which represents diverse airline employees including ground workers at AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and flight attendants at Southwest Airlines Co., supported the deal on Monday. “We can live within those rules,” said James Little, the union’s president.

  The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents pilots at multiple U.S. carriers, applauded the House and Senate leadership on the breakthrough, as did the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents air-traffic controllers.

  Airlines for America, the main airline industry trade group, said the compromise “underscores the importance of this industry” and likewise urged Congress to “quickly resolve the remaining differences and pass a long-term bill.”