fireman0174

AMFA Backs FAA as Outsourced Aircraft Repair Shops Try to Evade Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing
Monday February 19, 1:46 pm ET

AURORA, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) filed a friend-of-the-court (amicus curiae) brief supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ruling that employees of outsourced aircraft repair shops must undergo periodic drug and alcohol testing. The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), the lobbyist group representing outsourced repair shops, petitioned the court to overturn the FAA ruling and exempt outsourced facilities from mandated drug and alcohol testing. A hearing on ARSA's petition will be held on March 28, 2007, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

For more than a decade, the FAA testing program has been mandatory for aircraft technicians directly employed by U.S. airlines. The January 2006 FAA ruling clarified the existing rule that each person who performs aircraft maintenance or preventive maintenance, regardless of their employer or location, is subject to mandatory drug and alcohol testing. ARSA's petition admits that they want their members exempted from testing because of its added expense, which makes outsourced repairs less price-competitive with maintenance performed by airline employees.

"By trying to evade FAA-mandated drug and alcohol testing, ARSA is placing the selfish financial interests of its members ahead of the safety and security of the American flying public," said AMFA Assistant National Director Steve MacFarlane. "In the post-9/11 era, this is nothing short of irresponsible behavior."

Outsourcing has grown rapidly and raises serious safety and security concerns. Consumer Reports documented these concerns in its March 2007 investigative article, "An accident waiting to happen? Outsourcing Raises Air-Safety Concerns." The article revealed that "much (outsourced) work is being done by unlicensed mechanics," and "arrests at some (outsourced) repair shops have snared terrorism suspects and undocumented workers (i.e., illegal aliens), who were subsequently deported." Consumer Reports noted that outsourced aircraft repair shops "are less subject to oversight than in-house (the airlines' own) shops, with fewer screening programs and fewer inspections, and that a U.S. Department of Transportation report found that "the FAA never inspected approximately 1,400 noncertificated repair facilities, including 104 foreign facilities."


http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070219/20070219005409.html?.v=1

reddog25

Hmmm maybe we can get ALPA to also work with the FAA to get foreign carrier pilots flying US citizens into the US to take drug tests. Didn't we use to say; 'One level of safety'?

SikPilot

What about the planes that have the heavy maintenance done in places like South America? I'm not too comfortable with that scenario.

Flying Low

While I agree that there might be some good reasons to try and stop outsourcing of American jobs, I've heard a lot of people say that drug abuse is much less common in the countries that produce the drugs than the countries that buy them (i.e. the U.S.).
No statistics to back that up, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true.

FDXLAG

I have done some work at the Warner Robbins depot and some work at Korean Airlines depot. No doubt in my mind who was more likely to be smokin dope in the boys room. Also have no doubt on who was more likely to read the Tech Order. Of course that was a while ago.

Lag