The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also been affected by these changes as termination of employment for dozens of probationary workers began earlier this month.
Several reports now say that some of the employees who were asked to leave were part of a team that handled crucial maps for the country’s air traffic control.
New reports on FAA layoffs
Earlier this month, dozens of probationary FAA employees were handed pink slips as part of the present administration’s attempt to trim down the federal workforce. According to the latest figures, 132 FAA employees were asked to leave.
Even within the FAA, these workers were part of various teams, and according to some reports, some of the employees who were fired worked for the department that handles critical maps for the country’s air traffic control.
An employee who worked for that team described to WTOP News the kind of work done by the department that produces and updates digital and paper maps and charts, saying,
“Say, you have to remove an airport that’s no longer in operation. You might have to add airways to a busy airport that has their summer rush coming up. These are crucial and critical to what the air traffic controllers do for their routes and without maps, they could not operate.”
My has contacted the FAA for comments.
Union reacts
The National President of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), a union representing more than 11,000 employees of the FAA and Department of Defense (DoD) is not happy with the recent layoffs at the FAA.
Last week, it issued a statement saying that it was troubled and disappointed by the administration’s decision to fire FAA probationary employees PASS represents without cause nor based on performance or conduct.
Employees were caught off guard as these terminations were sudden and without much warning. One of the fired employees told ABC News that he was first locked out of his work program and computer systems and then later received an email about the layoff. He said,
“My immediate thought was that I had been hacked … It was nowhere on my radar that I was at risk of being fired.”
Shakeup in the federal workforce
The changes being made in the federal workforce are unlike anything anyone has seen. Many are surprised at how quickly some of these decisions have been made, and several reports now say that some of these decisions are also being reversed.
Many workers are also reportedly bracing for a second wave of mass layoffs. According to a report by Reuters, the Office of Personnel Management, which is responsible for handling the information of millions of past and present government workers, has removed a procurement team of 40 people.
Many career civil servants are facing an uncertain future, according to Reuters, which cites an anonymous source saying that the firing at the Office of Personnel Management could likely serve as a model to use for new and more sweeping layoffs.
Elon Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency, and last week, it was reported that his SpaceX team was set to visit the FAA Air Traffic Control Command Center as part of the larger strategy to reform the system.
Musk’s handling of DOGE has also divided people’s opinions. Many view DOGE’s actions as rightful attempts to curb wasteful spending, but many are not in favor of Musk being given so much power to make such decisions.
