Fight privatization of air traffic control

The U.S. House of Representatives may vote on privatizing air traffic control soon. The proposed legislation, H.R. 2997, known as the 21st Century AIRR Act, would shift responsibility from a government agency to a private, nonprofit corporation run by airlines and other aviation interests. Such a move would likely impact the economic welfare of Lorain County and Northeast Ohio.

The Federal Aviation Administration employs a total of more than 600 people at its Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center in Oberlin. Not only does the city and county depend on revenue from income tax, but many FAA employees also live in neighboring towns and counties, where loss of solid, middle-income jobs will be sorely felt as well.

Our communities are already being hit with financial difficulties; this would exacerbate the problem.

Become more informed about H.R. 2997. Those who oppose the bill argue, in part: Transferring the air traffic control system from a governmental entity to a private monopoly does not ensure that the system will be more efficient or less costly — it will be a less transparent monopoly; and transferring thousands of federal employees to the private sector will be a difficult task that might threaten workers’ pensions and rights.

To criticism that FAA control systems are outdated, employees point out that the FAA is already incrementally modernizing its systems and remind people of its excellent safety record. Privatizing is not the answer.

If you think it is important to keep the FAA under federal control and not be turned over to a board dominated by the airlines and their affiliates, contact your U.S. representative or senator now and ask where they stand on the bill, urging them to vote against it. Linda Slocum Vice President Oberlin City Council