Members representing the TAMC were on the Hill this past week. On February 11th, TAMC Chairman Chris Moore and Bob Fisher had meetings with Matthew McCarthy, Legislative Assistant for Transportation for Senator Maria Cantwell, (D-WA) and Chris Brown, Staff Director of the House Subcommittee on Aviation.
The meetings were to continue discussions on moving the TAMC agenda on Drug Testing at Foreign Repair Stations and the Moratorium on Certification of any new Repair Stations going forward. The TAMC started the conversation on these issues in 2014 and will continue to work to have them addressed during FAA Reauthorization which is set to expire in September of 2015.
Driving the TAMC position on Drug Testing at Foreign Repair Stations is the disparity between how Drug and Alcohol testing for Safety Sensitive positions are treated differently in other countries than in the US. In the US, “No Notice” DOT testing is conducted as a deterrent to substance abuse but in many countries testing is only conducted for cause. The TAMC understands that the US cannot dictate which laws or civil liberties are in place in countries where US aircraft are maintained, but the FAA can require that US Registered Air Carriers only use vendors that conform to the same standards for testing as those within our borders.
The TAMC demand for a moratorium on New Repair Station Certifications stems from three Inspector General Reports over a ten year period criticizing the FAA for lack of oversight of Repair Stations. The TAMC first brought this to the attention of Administrator Huerta in January of 2014 and has had continuing correspondence with Associate Administrator Gilligan throughout the Spring of 2014. The FAA maintains that the problems can be addressed through additional training for the A.S.I.s (Aviation Safety Inspectors) and the introduction of a new Safety Assurance System. While the TAMC applauds the FAA’s efforts to ensure more effective oversight, over the last decade to provide better oversight, history has proven the efforts ineffective.
Therefore in the interest of Aviation Safety, the TAMC will continue to pressure the FAA to impose a moratorium on certification of any new Repair Stations until there is proof of better oversight.
Additional information may be found at www.teamsterair.org under the TAMC tab or athttps://www.oig.dot.gov
