National President for the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), Dave Spero, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the operations and work completed by his organization. Spero also discussed the Federal Aviation Agency’s issues with funding and staffing and their efforts to improve their workforce through an internship program.
PASS has been in operation since 1977 and represents around 11,000 employees in the FAA. The work done by PASS covers air traffic control to national defense plans. They develop safety and procedural operations in the industry and certify the safety of fleets.
The FAA’s funding stream is broken right now, Spero said. Not only is PASS struggling with staffing, but also with proper tooling for the tasks on the job. The Operational Control Center works as the FAA’s version of a 911 call center, and they dispatch PASS workers to operate on airplanes and service the tools needed for the industry. Unfortunately, the Center currently doesn’t have enough workers to properly staff the center, and many calls are being delayed longer than acceptable. Spero said.
PASS is working with the FAA as part of the Gateway to Internship program. The agency and PASS have been working on the program for about a year and a half. The plan is to hire almost 200 workers from the program in the coming years. Spero shared more details about the training and goals of the program.
To hear more about the work done by PASS, please play the episode above.
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