FAA Bill Is Passed by House, But Faces Obstacles in Senate
Asra Q. NomaniStaff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
Updated Sept. 30, 1996 12:01 am ET
WASHINGTON -- The House passed sweeping aviation legislation that would authorize $19 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration over the next two years, but the measure faces obstacles in the Senate because of a provision that helps Federal Express Corp. fight off labor unions.
The bill, a compromise between House and Senate negotiators, cleared the House 218-198. It would give the FAA, an arm of the Transportation Department, broader authority over regulatory issues, personnel and procurement, and would put into practice many of the aviation safety and security recommendations made by a presidential commission led by Vice President Al Gore. The measure also would fund airport improvements and would create a pilot program to privatize five airports.
The legislation faced a flurry of opposition on the House floor Friday as a number of Democratic lawmakers spoke against the late amendment to benefit Federal Express. In the Senate, Democratic opponents including Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Paul Simon of Illinois are using procedural delays to force supporters to abandon the amendment.
The provision would make it clear that Federal Express remains under the Railway Labor Act, which requires workers to unionize nationally, rather than the National Labor Relations Act, which lets workers organize locally; many union leaders consider local organizing efforts far easier than a national campaign. Federal Express's chief freight rival, United Parcel Service of America Inc., is covered by the National Labor Relations Act.
The company's status was blurred by last year's law eliminating the Interstate Commerce Commission, which had regulated the railroad industry; it included language that Federal Express worried would let labor unions argue that the cargo company wasn't covered by the Railway Labor Act. Since then, resolving the issue has been the company's No. 1 legislative priority. Federal Express has made several attempts to attach the provision to other pieces of legislation, but has faced staunch opposition from the AFL-CIO which includes labor unions such as the Teamsters that want to organize Federal Express's truck drivers.
"We're going to do everything we can to block this bill," said Ed Wytkind, executive director of the AFL-CIO's transportation trades department. "It was an 11th-hour grab by Federal Express."
Federal Express spokesman Greg Rossiter said the amendment corrected "a mistake" that could lead to legal fights.
WASHINGTON -- The House passed sweeping aviation legislation that would authorize $19 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration over the next two years, but the measure faces obstacles in the Senate because of a provision that helps Federal Express Corp.