The Role of the National President

The PASS National President is chief executive officer of the union and is responsible for ensuring that the organization runs smoothly in all aspects and for managing the organization’s agenda. This includes government affairs, legal, communications, education and organizing, and day to day work.

To effectively manage the work, the president must also conduct meetings with the agency, Congress, allied stakeholders and the PASS membership. The president is also the chair of executive board meetings and is a de facto member of all PASS committees.

It is not to be taken cavalierly, and I do not!

Delivering

When I ran for PASS National President three years ago, I told you why I was running, and I made my case for your vote. I told you that I believed this was the greatest opportunity we have ever had to put ourselves in a position to be in charge of our own destinies with FAA and as federal employees. I told you that my institutional knowledge of PASS made me the best person to not only transform this organization into the union we wanted to be, but I also believed it was long time that we took our place front and center in the aviation community! I believed that for us as a union, my candidacy was not just the best option, it was crucial, and the only option for success.

I continue to believe that. Under my leadership, with your help, I have delivered on many of the commitments made to you in 2021 and we continue to make progress in creating a great union.

I have elevated our union’s profile and engaged the right people in the right discussions. Politically, we have furthered our influence on Capitol Hill. Many of the legislative initiatives we have pursued have made their way into the law.

Legislative

  • A workforce plan for Technical Operations and a review of the Aviation Safety Inspector work force plan which projects anticipated staffing needs. The DOT IG is directed to focus on whether any safety-related positions have not been reviewed appropriately, assessing staffing levels and workforce staffing gaps.

  • A proper staffing model for Aviation Safety Inspectors at the office level

  • A Technical Operations Equipment Installation pilot program to emphasize the advantages of in-sourcing work to ATSS’s rather than handing everything to contractors.

  • Raising the safety standard for foreign repair stations to meet U.S. standards and meet one level of safety and support for U.S. certified mechanics.

I am a transformational leader. I told you all that I was prepared to change what was necessary and what does not work to make us effective and to make us a well-oiled machine. Some of the changes that we have made under my and Secretary/Treasurer Carlos Aguirre’s leadership:

Communications:

We have changed the manner and the tools through which we interface and speak with the membership. We utilize a professional studio that we created at the PASS National Office to message all employees on labor relations matters through FAA email. The PASS App has been revised and refreshed. It now provides alerts to let members to know when a meeting will be occurring in their area or when an Action Alert requires their attention. The PASS National database is being converted to a more user friendly and data rich application called Unionware, which will allow the rank-and-file member to see the most recent updates to a grievance or allow a union rep to easily see the density of their membership and communicate with them through text messaging or email.

Union Training and Education

We have transformed the training for PASS Representatives to a national program. No longer do we have individual regional training classes that take the time and resources away from RVP’s. The program is wildly successful. Reps are now trained by PASS’s professional staff and learn everything the same way at the same time. It is institutional in nature and will continue in perpetuity. This creates PASS Reps that are more capable and confident to enforce our collective bargaining agreements and answer your questions, and in turn grows the union.

We have also developed Chapter training to provide newly elected chapter officers and committee members with the tools and understanding they need to effectively run a chapter and help you to advocate. Meet and greets in Oklahoma City provide rank and file members with direct access to union leadership to ask questions and be more informed. PASS Membership is at an all-time record and our growth will continue to unprecedented levels.


Political Influence

We have built alliances with professional groups like the Aero Club of Washington DC; General Aviation Manufacturer’s Association (GAMA); American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE); Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), and we have re-energized our participation with the International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations (IFATSEA) and NATCA. Because of this we have been invited to speak at and participate on panels with like-minded organizations and the aviation community in large forums. This provides us with the opportunity to share our vision and our concerns. We have a more engaged membership. The PASS PAC has increased a whopping 50% in the past two years. This creates stronger political influence and more opportunities to engage our membership in the political process of passing positive legislation and appropriations through Congress.

I humbly ask for your vote and the opportunity to continue the transformation that we have started. The journey that makes PASS a great union.