Bill Amendment Could Help BIA Workers

By: Jackie Farwell

BANGOR - A last-minute amendment to the transportation bill passed on Thursday by the U.S. Senate could prevent hundreds of federal airport employees from losing their jobs - but only two of them are from Bangor.

Co-sponsored by Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, the amendment was prompted by the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to privatize operation of its flight service station network. Aerospace industry giant Lockheed Martin Corp. in October assumed management of the 58 flight service stations as part of its $1.9 billion contract with the FAA.

The amendment adds a provision to the Transportation and Treasury Appropriations bill that would allow flight service station employees who are within two years of retirement to keep their federal jobs and retirement benefits.

The Senate passed the $141 billion spending bill Thursday by a vote of 93-1, but a conference committee now must hammer out the differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill.

If the amendment passes as written, two employees at Bangor International Airport would be spared their jobs and retirement benefits, Dan Holodick, a local facility representative for the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists union, said Friday. In total, 21 employees remain at the facility, he said.

While pleased with the senators' efforts to help the workers, Holodick said many questions remain, such as what rights employees would retain under the plan and whether full retirement benefits would be funded.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that the workers received their last paychecks Friday from the FAA, and pay for their last two days of work for the administration was omitted and union dues were deducted, Holodick said.

"Like we need to be making one more call to payroll," he said.