FederalDaily.com > Injured Vet Wins Re-employment & Back Pay

FederalDaily - October 23, 2006

Injured Vet Wins Re-employment & Back Pay

An Army reservist, severely injured in the Iraq war, won re-employment with the Post Office and back pay following a negotiated settlement with the U.S. Postal Service—which initially refused to rehire him. Reservist James Harris sustained significant injuries to his neck and back while performing military service in Iraq, said the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on Oct. 19. When honorably discharged, the injuries prevented Harris from returning to the job he held for 10 years as a postal carrier in Mobile, Ala. Rather than looking for an alternate position for him, the postmaster sent Harris a letter saying that there was no work available for him, OSC said. Harris filed a claim under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which protects the employment and re-employment rights of servicemembers who are absent from their civilian jobs due to military service. OSC, under a special Labor Department demonstration project, negotiated a settlement which has Harris back working at a job in the Post Office with the USPS’ promise to find other work for him if the current position doesn’t work out, OSC said. To see more, go to: www.osc.gov

NATCA Urges FAA to Keep Weather Service Units

An air traffic controllers union asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reverse a decision to eliminate 21 onsite meteorologist positions—called center weather service units (CWSU)—at air route traffic control centers across the United States. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said on Oct. 19 that the loss of the CWSUs would leave them without the ability to obtain and quickly relay vital weather information to aircraft experiencing difficulties. Although FAA plans to contract with commercial weather companies for meteorological data, this move will degrade the margin of safety, NATCA said. And it would conflict with a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) “Safety Alert” to pilots about the need to actively maintain awareness of severe weather along their route of flight, NATCA said. CWSUs were established by FAA in 1978 after NTSB determined a 1977 Georgia crash was caused, in part, by FAA’s inability to disseminate hazardous weather information to flight crews in real time. NATCA said they fear eliminating the weather units will prevent controllers from relating real-time metrological data. To see more, go to: www.natca.org/mediacenter/press-release-detail.aspx?id=399

CBP Launches Third Northern Border Air Branch

As part of a broader strategy to tighten security along the U.S.-Canada border, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched the Great Falls Air Branch at Great Falls, Mont., International Airport. This is the third of five planned facilities to augment CBP’s northern border security capabilities, CBP said on Oct. 16. At full capacity, the Great Falls Air Branch will consist of 52 federal law enforcement officers, pilots, aircrew and mission support personnel from the CBP Office of Air and Marine. Branch assets will include two apprehension aircraft (UH-60 Blackhawk), two interdiction aircraft (Cessna 550, Citation II), and one surveillance support aircraft (Pilatus PC-12). The Great Falls Air Branch will conduct regular patrols along the northern border and is equipped for rapid incident response, CBP said. “The Great Falls Air Branch will provide an important means of patrolling and providing surveillance and intelligence on remote crossing points,” said Michael Kostelnik, CBP assistant commissioner. To see more, go to: www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/10162006.xml