Although there is activity this week on Capitol Hill it mostly surrounds the special session to address the 9-11 commissions’ recommendations.  We don’t believe anything directly affecting us will come out of this (unless they decide that even more federal employees are “security risks if they are represented by a Union … what a crock!)  NATCA has been very active politically as you have probably seen in mailings about the Presidential race, but we are also actively supporting many house and senate races (both Republican and Democrat) and trying to keep the issues of ATC and its support structure, federal employee and Union issues at the forefront.  Most of what we are doing, alas, is not appropriate to publish here because of Hatch Act conflicts and John Tune’s desire that the entire Central Region update be posted within individual facilities.  So I’ll make the offer that if any of you are curious or looking for more details about what we are doing legislatively and politically during this campaign season, please give me a call and I’ll be happy to help fill you in.

Quote: Common sense is the best-distributed commodity in the world, for every man is convinced that he is well supplied with it.

René Descartes

So in lieu of otherwise un-publishable material Ill offer a couple of media articles on congressional activities.  On the first please remember this is still just at the committee level.  On the second, well what can I say, you gotta’ love a great conspiracy!

Have a great week.

Grant Anderson

Pin#50501

ganderson@natca.org

The full House Appropriations Committee included, by a bipartisan vote of 42-16 (25 Democrats and 17 Republicans), a Federal Employee Pay Parity amendment in the Fiscal Year 2005 Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act on July 22.

The amendment was offered by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Hoyer, Reps. Frank Wolf, R-Va., Jim Moran, D-Va., and Tom Davis, R-Va., worked to secure passage of the amendment, which provides for a 3.5 percent pay adjustment for federal civilian employees, including blue collar employees, and gives them pay parity with military employees. "A fair pay adjustment is needed to keep pace with private sector salaries so the federal government can compete for quality employees," said Hoyer. "Pay parity is critical to the retention and recruitment of first-rate federal employees," said Moran. This legislation is supported by the National Treasury Employees Union and the American Federation of Government Employees.

Chicago Tribune: Senator: O'Hare delays are ploy; Crisis created to push expansion, Fitzgerald alleges

U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald alleged Thursday that the Daley administration and United Airlines plotted to create the flight delay crisis at O'Hare International Airport to drum up public support for new runways.

Fitzgerald, an Illinois Republican, also called on the federal government to reinstate stringent controls that rein in takeoffs and landings.

The senator expressed doubt that a flight-reduction meeting set for next week between the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration would produce enough cuts to solve O'Hare's problems.

For the first six months of 2004, 58,600 O'Hare flights were delayed, according to the FAA. Meanwhile, average arrival delays at 35 other major airports increased 12 percent because of O'Hare congestion.

"Both the city and United intentionally wanted to create delays to build their case for new runways at O'Hare," said Fitzgerald, a leading opponent of O'Hare expansion and a supporter of the proposed south suburban airport.

United spokesman Jeff Green said it was "incredibly absurd" for the senator to suggest the airline would purposely create delays.

"It costs United $30 for every one minute of aircraft delay," Green said. "We wouldn't put flights into our schedule if we didn't think we could operate them properly."

Chicago Aviation Commissioner John Roberson said it's unnecessary to manufacture excuses for new runways.

"The airlines, the FAA and the city realize that the long-term solution to delays and congestion is the O'Hare Modernization Program," Roberson said. "If you have to deal with a three-hour delay on the airfield, it's not good ... because you have a lot of angry passengers."

The U.S. Department of Transportation has invited all domestic airlines to the meeting Wednesday at FAA headquarters in Washington D.C. Attendance is voluntary, but all airlines are expected to be there.

Fitzgerald predicted the airlines wouldn't be able to reach agreement and called on Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to restore delay controls at O'Hare that were in place for more than 30 years until they were phased out in 2002.

He accused Mayor Richard Daley and United executives of lobbying Congress to eliminate the hourly limits on O'Hare flights so the result would be intolerable delays, which in turn would help sell the case for O'Hare expansion.

He said United's motivation was to stave off construction of a third regional airport and in the process prevent new low-cost airlines from serving the Chicago market. He said Daley fears a south suburban airport because it would compete for passengers with O'Hare and Midway Airport.