FederalDaily - August 21, 2007

NTEU Applauds FDA Rejection of Lab-Closing Plan

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) welcomed an announcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the agency would abandon its plan to close about one-half of the agency’s 13 Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) labs and trim staff. Margaret Glavin, FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, said on Aug. 17 that the agency was walking away from plan, which would have cut approximately 37 percent of ORA laboratory analysts. “I hope the FDA will use the lessons learned in this episode to consider its field structure in the context of how best to serve the public interest,” said NTEU President Colleen Kelley, whose union had been a leader in the fight against the lab closings. “It is imperative that the agency now invest resources in all its laboratories to make them as efficient and effective as possible.” FDA had been pressing the plan amid growing opposition. The House had inserted language into the FY 2008 FDA appropriations bill (H.R. 3161) barring use of funds for ORA lab closures. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org/fdalabs.

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Army Family/Recreation Programs Improve Soldier Readiness

Soldiers who use the Army’s recreation and family programs are more inclined to remain in the service and are better prepared for deployment, said a new Army study released Aug. 16. The study, funded by the Army Family and Morale, Welfare & Recreation Command, found a significant positive link between active-duty soldiers’ use of recreation and family programs and their desire to stay in the Army, their career intentions and their general satisfaction with Army life. Notably, soldiers whose spouses used the family programs also reported a general approval with the Army. The study also noted that readiness and retention increased as program use increased, but that the programs were used less frequently by junior officers and enlisted soldiers and their spouses. “We can strengthen the readiness of the Army by doing two things,” said Gen. Belinda Pinckney—the Army must “ensure that recreation and family programs meet the needs of soldiers and their families and increase their awareness of these programs.” To see more, go to: www.army.mil/-news/2007/08/16/4418-army-study-confirms-recreation-family-programs-linked-to-readiness-retention

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Controllers Union Seeks Retraction of FAA Safety Statement

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) on Aug. 16 called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to retract or correct a published statement attributed to an agency official that seemed to belittle a controller’s role in air safety. According to NATCA, FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor—in speaking about staffing levels at the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility in Miramar, Calif.—had said: “Realistically, there is no such thing as a dangerous staffing level.” According to NATCA, Gregor said that if staffing levels fell, the facility would reduce service and keep aircraft farther apart. NATCA President Patrick Forrey called on FAA to reject the comment and recognize that controller staffing levels are “first and foremost” a safety issue. “The FAA should never put itself in a position to ‘reduce services’ and negatively impact the flying public because it failed to staff the system appropriately,” Forrey said. To see more, go to: www.natca.org/mediacenter/press-release-detail.aspx?id=447

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