## u.s. Departmentof Transportation Office ofthe Secretary of Transportation

Mr. Larry Sibley 4806 North Foxglove Drive, N.W. Gig Harbor, WA 98332 Dear Mr. Sibley: Assistant Secretary


### MAY 2·8 

### 2010 S 1 0-1 00114-034**'-·....,~-}T.:Tlt-.·~** ! Ii, \;t'..

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, 200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

The White House has forwarded your letter addressed to President Obarna, which raised a number ofimportant aviation issues, to the U. S. Department ofTransportation for response. Among other points, you question the strategy ofthe larger airlines outsourcing domestic operations to smaller airlines, which in your opinion is harmful to traveler safety and results in lower employee wages. You suggest amending the Railway Labor Act to give single-carrier status to all subcontractors doing business under a particular franchise, and/or creating a modem-day equivalent ofa Civil Aeronautics Board to more comprehensively regulate airlines on economic matters. As you can appreciate, President Obarna and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have received many thoughtful comments and suggestions on dealing with key issues in contemporary aviation, including a number that raised points similar to yours. In November 2009, Secretary LaHood held a forum to specifically discuss the future ofthe U.S. aviation industry. He listened to the comments and opinions ofthe participants, who represented various airline management, airports, labor unions, manufacturers, and consumer groups. Based on the discussion during that forum, the Secretary concluded that there were many issues and questions that needed to be addressed more comprehensively than what could be accomplished in one day. Accordingly, the Secretary has decided to create a "Future ofAviation Advisory Committee," which would be comprised ofrepresentatives from many sectors ofthe aviation community. The Advisory Committee will provide information, advice and recommendations to the Secretary on ensuring the competitiveness ofthe U.S. aviation industry and its capability to address evolving transportation needs, challenges, and opportunities. We expect that in doing so the Committee will address the kinds ofissues you raised in your letter. The first meeting ofthe Advisory Committee was held on May 25, and at least four future meetings are scheduled. Its recommendations are being requested by the end of the year. We will take the liberty ofadding your letter to the docket we have established (DOT-OST-2010-0074), and you are welcome to forward any additional views to the Committee via email at (FAAC@D0T.GOV).I appreciate your interest in these important matters. Sincerely yours,

-Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs 

### S 10-100 114-034EXECUI1VE OFFICE OF 

### 1HE PRESIDENT Office ofPresidential Correspondence

To: U.S. Department ofTransportation Carol Darr, Director, Executive Secretariat 1200 NewJerseyAve, SE Room W93·403 Washington, DC 20590 (202) 366-4277 Mail Analysis

Date Sent: 

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Number of letters enclosed: 

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The enclosed correspondence appears to fall under the jurisdiction ofyour office. It is requested that you reply on behalf of President Barack Obama according to the rules and regulations ofyouroffice. • Please acknowledge receipt ofthis packet. • Please respond to the constituent within 60 da}S. • Please provide acopy ofthe response to the White House. You may contact Jeff Stephens at the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence, Mail Anal}Sis by email at po!icyresponse@who.eop.gov, fax at 202·456-9050 or phone at 202·456-7878.



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# LD-VYt1 Si b**l~**08 November 2009 President Barack H. Obama

..- . The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW**Washingto~** DC 20500 Dear 

### Mr. President: 

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I am writing to ask you to use your influence to put a stop to a practice that has subjected the traveling public to an unacceptable level ofrisk, caused the death ofmany innocent people, and has cost tens ofthousands ofmiddle-classjobs: Outsourcing in the airline industry. For the last ten years or more, 

### thanks to the laissez-faire economic policies ofyour Republican predecessors, the major airlines have been outsourcing much oftheir domestic flying to smaller subcontractors that are either non-union or have very weak unions. Operating as "code-share" airlines, with the same or very similar paint schemes, these regional subcontractors pay their employees a fraction ofthe wages ofthe major airlines, and their work rules, training, and standard operating procedures are vastly inferior to those oftheir major airline franchisers. In most cases the traveling public has no idea that the flight they are on is not actually being operated by the airline from which they purchased their tickets. The February, 2009 crash ofa Continental Connection Bombardier Q400 while on approach to Buffalo, New York was a text-book example ofan entirely unnecessary crash caused by outsourcing. The EWR-BUF route on which the aircraft was flying had originally been a Continental Airlines route, but had 

### been subcontracted to Colgan

. Airlines. The copilot, who was suffering from a cold, had spent the previous night commuting from her home in Seattle, where she lived with her parents and worked parttime in a coffee shop because her Colgan Airlines pay was less than $20,000 per year. The captain had failed numerous check rides. The aircraft was not equipped with the autothrottle option that would have prevented the loss ofairspeed and the resulting stall and crash (all modem airliners operated by the major airlines have autothrottles). Colgan

.airlines did not have Standard Operating Procedures (such as those ofUnited Airlines) that call for 

### the non-flying pilot to be monitoring the airspeed and directing a missed approach ifan excessive discrepancy occurs. Because ofinadequate training, pay, qualifications, and working conditions, the Colgan Airlines pilots flew.a perfectly good aircraft into the ground, killing 50 people. The airline industry employs hundreds ofthousands ofpeople in the United States; prior to the passage ofthe Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, airline employees were solidly members ofthe middle class, but that's no longer the case. The pressures from eitherSlO-lOOl14-034

actual outsourcing or evenjustthe threat ofoutsourcing have taken away the bargaining power ofairline unions. Average airline pilot salaries, for example, have declined 42% in the last

## thirtY years. Ten years ago, United Airlines, one ofthe worst outsourcing offenders, employed more than 100,000 people. Now it employs less than halfthat nwnber, because more than halfofits domestic flying has been outsourced to seven regional subcontractors, all ofwhich have to compete with each other for the right to fly under the United franchise for the lowest cost. Mr. President, in your speech to the**AFL~CIO** convention on September 15,2009, you spoke ofbuilding a new foundation for lasting prosperity by laying down rules to protect consumers from abuse, and by building a strong labor movement with goodjobs that pay well and cannot be outsourced. 

### Here as an opportunity to dojust that, by outlawing the practice of**"cod~sharing"** that permits airlines to outsource so much oftheir flying, and by amending the Railway Labor Act to give single--carrier status to all subcontractors doing business under a particular franchise. You might even consider establishing a modern-day equivalent ofFranklin Delano Roosevelt's Civil Aeronautics Board to provide economic regulation ofthe airline industry. Mr. President, airline employees are some ofyour strongest supporters. Many ofus worked very hardto ensure your election in 2008. We did so because we believe that you are our best hope to put a stop to the anti-middle class policies ofthe previous

. Administration, and, in your own words, "

...make possible the dreams ofmiddle class

families and make real the promise ofthe United States ofAmerica" Please don't let us down. Sincerely,

# ~~ Boeing 767 First Officer United AirlinesMr. Larry !<obert**~Ibley** 4806 N Foxglove Dr NW Gig Harbor. WA 98332-8106**~l" ~,**  " -l-ACOr-.\A 

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