Coalition Reiterates Concerns About Proposal to Restructure the Air Traffic Control (ATC) System |
Friday, August 05 2016 |
The Center for Individual Freedom ("CFIF") today led a coalition of national free-market organizations and public policy experts on a letter expressing concerns with certain proposals to restructure the air traffic control (ATC) system as part of a long-term Congressional reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Specifically, the coalition emphasizes how current proposals do not constitute genuine privatization, but rather create a federally chartered non-profit corporation that repeats the mistakes of previous public/private entities such as Amtrak and the U.S. Postal Service. Read the letter below or download it here (PDF). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 5, 2016 The Honorable Bill Shuster The Honorable Peter DeFazio The Honorable Rick Larsen The Honorable Frank LoBiondo Dear Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member DeFazio, Representative Larsen, and Representative LoBiondo: As Congress continues to consider a long term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the undersigned wish to reiterate our concerns with proposals to restructure the air traffic control (ATC) system. While proponents of the restructuring trumpet the virtues of privatization, we feel it is important to point out that the current proposal is not a real privatization, but a federally chartered non-profit corporation that repeats the mistakes of previous public-private entities such as Amtrak and the U.S. Postal Service. The primary benefit of privatization is that it eliminates the inefficiencies of a government bureaucracy in favor of the competition and choice of the free market. Unfortunately, the ATC proposal fails this test by creating an entity that retains a monopoly over air traffic control while continuing or expanding benefits for the current union for federal air traffic controllers. As stated in our previous letter, we are concerned that the new entity would have the power to levy new taxes and user fees with no oversight by Congress. Without oversight by elected officials in Congress or the competition that comes with true privatization, this could result in skyrocketing travel costs for consumers. With regard to organized labor, the proposed ATC entity not only fails to bring about advantages over the unionized federal work force, but may actually loosen restrictions on unionized ATC workers, such as prohibitions on strikes and caps on salaries. Small wonder that the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) strongly supports the proposal. NATCA opposes even raising the mandatory retirement age of fifty-six for air traffic controllers, even though airline pilots are not required to retire until sixty-five. With these concerns in mind, we urge you to support a clean reauthorization of the FAA, which will benefit travelers and taxpayers. Sincerely, Jeffrey Mazzella George Landrith Andrew Langer Seton Motley Jim Martin Diana Furchtgott-Roth |
Related Articles : |