A bill to provide for the rehiring of certain former air traffic controllers.
Key claim: The House-passed bill would require the FAA to hire at least 500 former air traffic controllers in each of 1988 and 1989 and would bar treating their role in the 1981 strike as a reason to reject them for FAA or Defense Department jobs.
Abstract
(HR3396 · 100th Congress) Provides that former air traffic controllers shall not, as a class, be considered unsuitable or ineligible for: (1) positions as air traffic controllers in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the Department of Defense; or (2) positions in the FAA other than air traffic controller positions. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to take action to ensure that in each of FY 1988 and 1989, at least 500 former controllers are appointed to permanent, full-time positions as air traffic controllers in the FAA. Provides for a waiver of the maximum-age limitation applicable to such appointments. Prescribes procedural guidelines for competitive and non-competitive appointments of such controllers. Precludes an applicant’s role in the 1981 strike from being considered when making a determination of suitability for an air traffic controller position. Requires the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations under which the appointment of a former controller to an air traffic controller position within their respective departments shall not become final unless a probationary period has been successfully completed. Sets forth guidelines for the computation of creditability of service for retirement purposes. Expresses the sense of the Congress that such reinstatements should not: (1) cause the separation or reduction in grade of any other air traffic controller; or (2) interfere with training opportunities which would otherwise be afforded to air traffic controllers seeking to become fully qualified. Latest action (1988-03-31): Received in the Senate and read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce.
Why this matters
The 1981 PATCO strike and subsequent mass firing shaped FAA controller staffing for years, and legislative attempts to reopen federal aviation employment to fired strikers directly affect the size and experience of the controller workforce. Tracking this House-passed measure documents an early effort to reverse the hiring ban, even though it did not become law in the form described.