Air traffic controllers go on offensive against FAA
Air traffic controllers upped the ante Thursday in an ongoing contract dispute with the Federal Aviation Administration, accusing the government of callous disregard for safety.
Overwork and fatigue has caused a staffing emergency at O'Hare International Airport as well as airports in New York City, Los Angeles and Atlanta, union leaders contend.
"I don't feel comfortable flying in many airports," National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Patrick Forrey said.
FAA officials denied passengers are at risk.
"They are trying to scare the public and force the FAA to re-open labor negotiations on a contract that is already 1½ years old," FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said.
Controllers and the FAA failed to reach a contract settlement in 2006. Employees now are working under the terms set by the FAA.
Inadequate wages and excessive overtime are causing veteran controllers to retire in droves, leaving rookies to fill the void and driving up errors, Forrey said, adding Chicago-area controller errors increased from 2006 to 2007.
Nationally, since October, there have 357 retirements, mainly due to job dissatisfaction, while 2,200 controllers will be eligible to leave by year's end, union officials said.
"I believe conditions now with staff shortages and less veteran controllers -- it's unsafe at these airports," Forrey said.
The FAA disputed those statistics, saying errors were decreasing. For example, in fiscal year 2005-06, errors came to 76 at an air traffic control facility in Aurora. In 2006-07, the total was 64, officials noted.
Retirement numbers used by the union also are exaggerated, the FAA stated. At the O'Hare control tower, for example, six controllers are projected to leave in 2008 and 20 will be hired, Molinaro said.
"We will continue to aim at placing the right number of controllers in our facilities in order to use taxpayer money at an efficient level," he said.
Meanwhile, concerns about airplanes getting too close for comfort in Chicago has led the U.S. Department of Transportation to initiate an audit by its inspector general.