'No early retirement' | White House looks to clarify position on axing public safety roles, after second US air crash

White House looks to clarify position on axing public safety roles, after second US air crash

In the wake of the Washington and Philadelphia air disasters, the Trump administration has scrambled to confirm that federal employees in public safety roles are not eligible for the newly announced deferred resignation program.

The initiative, offered to two million civilian full-time federal workers, allows participants to remain on the payroll without working until September 30. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) clarified, however, that the offer excludes “positions related to public safety and those in other positions specifically excluded by your employing agency.”

The White House has not specified how many public safety positions are affected as part of a program that also excludes military personnel, US Postal Service workers, and employees in immigration enforcement and national security roles.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, also reiterated that air traffic controllers and inspectors are not subject to a hiring freeze, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) actively hiring to address staffing gaps.

“The critical positions in regard to safety are not offered that early retirement. We’re going to keep all our safety positions in place, no early retirement,” Duffy said.

He noted that it takes years to train new controllers, adding, “Our air traffic controllers - they are stressed out, they are tapped out, they are overworked.”

The FAA has routinely assigned six-day workweeks and reduced air traffic in congested regions like New York to manage the strain.

FAA resignation offer

It appears, however, that just the day before the Washington crash employees at the Federal Aviation Administration were sent an offer to resign with eight months’ pay. The union for air traffic controllers (NATCA) recommended to its members that they not accept the offer, because the FAA had not decided which positions would be included in the resignation plan.

NATCA President Nick Daniels said officials had not explained to the union the details of how its employees would be affected by the retirement program.

“NATCA has not received a briefing on how or whether the deferred resignation program will be implemented in the FAA," Daniels said in a statement provided to the AP Friday.

“It is not yet clear how this program will affect aviation safety workers represented by our Union,” he added. "However, we are concerned about the potential effect to public safety and the efficiency and capacity of the air traffic control system if FAA were to lose experienced aviation safety personnel during a universally recognized air traffic controller staffing shortage.”

The FAA has reported being 3,000 controllers short of its staffing targets, with around 10,800 certified controllers - similar to 2023 levels but down roughly 10% from 2012. Nearly all US control towers are operating below optimal staffing levels.

Workforce equity concerns

Federal HR policies are closely watched for their impact on employee morale, recruitment, and retention. The decision to maintain staffing in public safety roles confirms their importance but raises questions about fairness across different federal sectors.

As the administration seeks to reshape federal departments at the behest of the new Department of Government Efficiency (headed up by Elon Musk), balancing operational needs with equitable treatment of employees should be a key concern. Fears remain, however, that those needs will take a back seat to ideological fervour.

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