Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) applauds the New Jersey Delegation, particularly Representative Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), for their leadership in opposing the Federal Aviation Administration plan to reorganize the William J. Hughes Technical Center. NFFE and IAM together represent more than a thousand of the 5,000 workers at the WJHTC, a world-renown aviation facility in southern New Jersey that is responsible for maintaining and modernizing the U.S. air transportation system.
Andrea Parker, President of NFFE Local 1340, whose members work at the WJHTC, said, “The Union is proud to have worked with Congressman Van Drew and his dedicated staff to prevent a reorganization that would have been detrimental to the independent mission of the Technical Center and the South Jersey community.”
The proposed plan would have broken up the facility’s current research, development, testing, and evaluation operations, thereby decentralizing the center, threatening the effectiveness and autonomy of the facility. Such a move would have better positioned those federal assets and authorities for privatization, which then would provide the airline and aerospace industries with a disproportionate influence over the inherently governmental functions of ensuring safety and continued U.S. domination in aviation systems.
“In December of last year, NFFE had a productive meeting with FAA Administrator Stephen and Representative Van Drew, expressing our opposition to breaking up the tech center,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “Apparently, that message was heard loud and clear, as the reorganization plan was left out of recent omnibus legislation. We are pleased that the WJHTC will maintain its independence as the world’s leading aviation facility, and we will always fight to ensure its autonomy.”