Bill returning FAA to bargaining table faces veto threat

[The Straight Story]

Bill returning FAA to bargaining table faces veto threat

By Daniel Pulliam
[e-mail]

The White House issued a formal veto threat Tuesday against legislation that would require the Federal Aviation Administration to reconvene labor negotiations with the union representing its air traffic controllers.

The House is expected to vote on the bill (H.R. 5449) Wednesday. It would require FAA to reopen negotiations with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association two days after the agency started implementing its final proposal, which includes $1.9 billion in wage and benefits savings.

Debate on the measure, sponsored by Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio, was scheduled to begin Tuesday night. The bill will be taken up under a suspension of the House rules, which requires passage by two-thirds of members, or 290 votes in its favor.

On Monday, FAA announced it would begin implementing its final contract proposal as the clock had run out on a legally mandated 60-day waiting period after the agency ended formal negotiations by declaring an impasse.

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