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NOWIRJune212017FINAL

A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association

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NATCA NATIONAL OFFICE DEPARTMENTAL WEEK IN REVIEW June 10-16, 2017 NATCA SUPPORTS HOUSE T&I CHAIRMAN BILL SHUSTER'S FAA REAUTHORIZATION BILL – the 21 st Century AIRR ACT The NATCA National Executive Board sent this message to all members on Wednesday, June 21: Today, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R- Pa.-9) introduced an FAA reauthorization bill – the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act (the 21st Century AIRR Act). NATCA worked closely with the Chairman and his staff as they developed the bill. The 21st Century AIRR Act is substantively similar to the AIRR Act of 2016 that our Union supported because it met our Four Core Principles for Reform. NATCA reviewed every word and detail of the 21st Century AIRR Act. After extremely careful review, consideration, and deliberation, we have reached a decision: NATCA supports this bill. Our Union has been focused on providing a stable, predictable funding stream to operate and improve the National Airspace System (NAS). To get NATCA's support, any ATC reform legislation must, at a minimum, meet our Four Core Principles: • Protect the men and women who ensure the safety and efficiency of the NAS in their employment relationship, including their rights and benefits; • Maintain safety and efficiency as the top priorities; • Provide a stable, predictable funding stream that adequately supports air traffic control services, staffing, hiring and training, long-term modernization, preventative maintenance, and ongoing modernization of the physical infrastructure; and • Ensure continued service to all segments of our nation's diverse aviation community. It is essential that any proposed legislation not harm NATCA's members. This bill protects our workforce – including pay, benefits, retirement, and collective bargaining rights. If this bill, as written today, becomes law, employees will be kept whole. We made sure that we clearly understood how this bill would protect the NAS and allow it to continue to grow, as well as how it would protect the men and women who are the backbone of the system. We assure you that we treated this decision with extraordinary care. Like last year's bill, this legislation proposes a federally-chartered, not-for-profit corporation to operate the NAS. We would vigorously oppose a for-profit model, and this would NOT be a for-profit model. While the media and others discussing this issue have characterized this legislation as a "privatization bill," to us, privatization has always been

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