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41-651: The Dale Wright Award for Distinguished, Professional and Exceptional Career Service to NATCA and the National Airspace System is an award presented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) to honor an extraordinary, positive impact made on the organization's ability to call the National Airspace System the world’s safest. It is named after NATCA's former director of safety and technology, Dale Wright. It

82-727: A statement for the record for various subcommittees of the United States Congress. Most GAO studies and reports are initiated by requests from members of Congress, including requests mandated in statute, and so reflect concerns of current political import, for example to study the impact of a government-wide hiring freeze. Many reports are issued periodically and take a long view of U.S. agencies' operations. The GAO also produces annual reports on key issues such as Duplication and Cost savings and High-Risk Update. The GAO prepares some 900 reports annually. The GAO publishes reports and information relating to, inter alia : Each year

123-548: A catastrophic mistake. Both the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the National Transportation Safety Board have released reports signaling to the FAA that there are problems with the low numbers of controllers, scheduling, and controller fatigue, which will affect the overall job performance of the controllers. The U.S. GAO report to congressional headquarters on Aviation and Runway Safety declared that it

164-570: A list that encompasses the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The GAO is headed by the comptroller general of the U.S. , a professional and non-partisan position in the U.S. government. The comptroller general is appointed by the president , by and with the advice and consent of the Senate , for a fifteen-year, non-renewable term. The president selects a nominee from a list of at least three individuals recommended by an eight-member bipartisan, bicameral commission of congressional leaders. During such

205-532: A matter of concern for the NTSB." As it is a safety concern, the NTSB did release a safety recommendation to both the FAA and the NATCA. The issued recommendation analyzed four controller faulted runway "incursions" where, after investigation, the respective air traffic controller showed signs of fatigue. The report said, "Fatigue is known to degrade performance on cognitive tasks involving working memory and vigilance", and that

246-446: A term, the comptroller general has standing to pursue litigation to compel access to federal agency information. The comptroller general may not be removed by the president, but only by Congress through impeachment or joint resolution for specific reasons. Since 1921, there have been only eight comptrollers general, and no formal attempt has ever been made to remove a comptroller general. Labor-management relations became fractious during

287-541: Is Gene Dodaro , who has served in the position since March 13, 2008. The work of the GAO is done at the request of congressional committees or subcommittees or is mandated by public laws or committee reports. It also undertakes research under the authority of the comptroller general. It supports congressional oversight by: As a result of its work, GAO produces: The GAO also produces special publications on specific issues of general interest to many Americans, such as its report on

328-460: Is a very serious safety concern as it keeps facilities understaffed. However, in regards to the FAA's position on the suggested safety issue, Hank Krakowski, then-FAA chief of operations, said "there is nothing that we're seeing at this point in time that gives us any concern." The belief of the FAA is that the staff shortage affects flight delays more than anything else, and even this is not in significant proportions. In order to maintain or increase

369-541: Is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing , evaluative , and investigative services for the United States Congress . It is the supreme audit institution of the federal government of the United States . It identifies its core "mission values" as: accountability, integrity, and reliability. It is also known as the "congressional watchdog". The agency

410-471: Is composed of 15 mission teams that work on reports in a given subject area. Missions teams are headed by a Managing Director which fall under the Senior Executive Service . The current slate of mission teams is: In addition to its mission teams, the GAO also has 16 operations and staff components that support their work and carryout other agency functions, including its bid decisions. The GAO

451-513: Is headed by the Comptroller General of the United States . The comptroller general is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. When a vacancy occurs in the office of the comptroller general, Congress establishes a commission to recommend individuals to the president. The commission consists of the following: The commission must recommend at least three individuals to

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492-557: Is limited to official use in order to protect national security. The variety of their reports' topics range from Federal Budget and Fiscal Issues to Financial Management, Education, Retirement Issues, Defense, Homeland Security, Administration of Justice, Health Care, Information Management and Technology, Natural Resources, Environment, International Affairs, Trade, Financial Markets, Housing, Government Management and Human Capital, and Science and Technology Assessments and Analytics. The GAO often produces highlights of its reports that serve as

533-503: Is not possible to make sufficient headway with the runway safety concerns "until the human factors issues involving fatigue are addressed." The Union believes that the fatigue is the result of the decreased number of air traffic controllers, caused by the FAA's unilaterally enforced policies. They then defer this concern to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), saying, "Air controller fatigue…continues to be

574-506: The Dale Wright Award named after former NATCA Director of Safety & Technology Dale Wright, for Distinguished, Professional and Exceptional Career Service to NATCA and the National Airspace System . On September 3, 2006, the FAA ceased negotiations with NATCA officials and unilaterally imposed terms and conditions of employment on Air Traffic Controllers nationwide. These new terms, which included 30% pay cuts for new controllers and

615-597: The European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA) as an associate member. In 2019, the GAO established a new mission team, the Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team, which has primary responsibility for technology assessments. The GAO has published a TA Design Handbook to help technology assessment teams analyze the impact of technology and make complex issues more easily understood and useful to policymakers. The GAO defines TA as

656-412: The FAA documented about 11,000 air traffic controllers, which is the lowest number since the 1981 PATCO strike. The union's position is that this staff shortage relates directly to the 2006 imposed FAA regulations. There are even low numbers at busy facilities, such as Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Dallas, and Southern California, which generally offer a larger salary for controllers, The Union feels that this

697-549: The FAA to hire more controllers and to accelerate the installation of advanced air traffic control systems. Under the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act (1996), NATCA's ability to bargain collectively with the FAA for wages and personnel matters was codified. Internationally, the NATCA is affiliated with the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA). NATCA

738-568: The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), a political appointee, used her prosecutorial discretion to dismiss all charges filed by NATCA. The United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, affirmed her discretion to dismiss the charges. In 2004, NATCA established the Archie League Medal of Safety Awards, named after Archie William League , the first air traffic controller. in 2012, NATCA established

779-823: The GAO analysts bargaining unit; the local voted to name itself IFPTE Local 1921, in honor of the date of the GAO's establishment. On February 14, 2008, the GAO analysts' union approved its first-ever negotiated pay contract with management; of just over 1,200 votes, 98% were in favor of the contract. The GAO also establishes standards for audits of government organizations, programs, activities, and functions, and of government assistance received by contractors, nonprofit organizations, and other nongovernmental organizations. These standards, often referred to as Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), are to be followed by auditors and audit organizations when required by law, regulation, agreement, contract, or policy. These standards pertain to auditors' professional qualifications,

820-580: The GAO issues an audit report on the financial statements of the United States Government. The 2010 Financial Report of the United States Government was released on December 21, 2010. The accompanying press release states that the GAO 'cannot render an opinion on the 2010 consolidated financial statements of the federal government , because of widespread material internal control weaknesses, significant uncertainties, and other limitations'. As part of its initiative to advocate sustainability ,

861-533: The GAO publishes a Federal Fiscal Outlook Report, as well as data relating to the deficit . The U.S. deficit is presented on a cash rather than accruals basis, although the GAO notes that the accrual deficit "provides more information on the longer-term implications of the government's annual operations". In FY 2010, the US federal government had a net operating cost of $ 2,080 billion, although since this includes accounting provisions (estimates of future liabilities),

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902-652: The GAO's current mission statement, the agency exists to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people. The name was changed in 2004 to the Government Accountability Office by the GAO Human Capital Reform Act to better reflect the mission of

943-651: The IRS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. Unsuccessful bidders for government contracts may submit protests if they have reason to challenge an agency's decision, and the GAO may then release a report on the decision, redacted if necessary. Various GAO decisions have confirmed that: In reviewing protests of an agency’s evaluation, [GAO] does not reevaluate proposals, rather, we review

984-809: The agency in "taking corrective action in the face of a clearly meritorious protest". The GAO confirmed in 2014 that its jurisdiction includes investigation of protests raising allegations of agency violation of the Procurement Integrity Act . After the closing of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) in 1995, Congress directed the GAO to conduct a technology assessment (TA) pilot program. Between 2002 and 2005, three reports were completed–-use of biometrics for border security, cyber security for critical infrastructure protection , and technologies for protecting structures in wildland fires. The GAO reports and technology assessments, which are made available to

1025-428: The cash deficit is $ 1,294 billion. The most recent GAO strategic plan, for 2018–2023, sets out four goals, namely: The Forensic Audits and Investigative Service (FAIS) team provides Congress with high-quality forensic audits and investigations of fraud, waste, and abuse; other special investigations; and security and vulnerability assessments. Its work cuts across a diverse array of government programs administered by

1066-412: The controllers. The originally introduced Reauthorization Bill would have forced the FAA back into negotiations with the NATCA and included a 15-month limit to the bargaining, followed by arbitration if no consensus is reached. The union hopes that these negotiations will help alleviate the staffing insufficiencies, the increasing amount of delays, and help modernize the air traffic control technology. By

1107-527: The evaluation to determine if it was reasonable, consistent with the solicitation’s evaluation scheme and procurement statutes and regulations, and adequately documented. There is a facility within the Bid Protest Regulations for the GAO to recommend reimbursement of a bidder's protest costs if the procuring agency takes corrective action in response to a protest. The circumstances justifying bid protest cost reimbursement must involve "undue delay" by

1148-556: The findings, conclusions, and recommendations of its reports. Members of Congress also frequently cite the GAO's work in statements to the press, congressional hearings, and floor debates on proposed legislation. In 2007 the Partnership for Public Service ranked the GAO second on its list of the best places to work in the federal government and Washingtonian magazine included the GAO on its 2007 list of great places to work in Washington,

1189-423: The fiscal future of the United States, GAO's role in the federal bid protest process, and critical issues for congressional consideration related to improving the nation's image abroad. The GAO is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and maintains an additional 11 field offices around the country. Each field office contains several mission teams, but not every mission team is represented at each field office. The GAO

1230-432: The freezing of current air traffic controllers’ salaries, as well as a sharp change in the working conditions, had a huge impact on the air traffic controllers. Union officials point to these changes to explain the drastic drop in the numbers of veteran air traffic controllers staying past their eligible retirement age, causing an insufficient staffing issue along with a very bottom-heavy, inexperienced demographic structure of

1271-442: The mistakes made by the controllers in the investigated instances were consistent with signs of fatigue. The board attributed this fact to both the shift-work used at most facilities which often does not allow sufficient rest time between shifts, and to the increase amount of overtime worked due to the decrease in controllers. Government Accountability Office The United States Government Accountability Office ( GAO )

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1312-468: The nine-year tenure of the seventh comptroller general, David M. Walker . On September 19, 2007, GAO analysts voted by a margin of two to one (897–445), in a 75% turnout, to establish the first union in the GAO's 86-year history. The analysts voted to affiliate with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), a member union of the AFL–CIO . There are more than 1,800 analysts in

1353-423: The number of air traffic controllers, the FAA is hiring hundreds of trainees and offering cash bonuses to veteran controllers to entice them to stay beyond their retirement date, but numbers remain low. The Union believes that the decreasing proportion of veteran controllers to new controllers will result in the overworking of veteran leaders, incomplete training of many new controllers, and the increased likelihood of

1394-423: The office. The GAO's auditors conduct not only financial audits, but also engage in a wide assortment of performance audits. Over the years, the GAO has been referred to as "The Congressional Watchdog" and "The Taxpayers' Best Friend" for its frequent audits and investigative reports that have uncovered waste and inefficiency in government. News media often draw attention to the GAO's work by publishing stories on

1435-403: The president, and the president may request that the commission recommend additional individuals. The president then selects an individual from those recommended to nominate as the new comptroller general. The president's nomination must be confirmed by the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs before being voted on by the full Senate. The current comptroller general

1476-401: The public, have become essential vehicles for understanding science and technology (S&T) implications of policies considered by the Congress. Since 2008, Congress has established a permanent TA function within the GAO. This new operational role augments GAO's performance audits related to S&T issues, including effectiveness and efficiency of U.S. federal programs. In 2010, the GAO joined

1517-544: The quality of audit effort, and the characteristics of professional and meaningful audit reports. In 1992, the GAO hosted the XIV INCOSAI , the fourteenth triennial convention of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). The GAO is a United States government electronic data provider, as all of its reports are available on its website, except for certain reports whose distribution

1558-469: The time Reauthorization passed, after 23 short-term extensions, the Parties were already two years into a new three-year contract negotiated in 2009. The new law provides for mediation and binding interest arbitration in the event the parties do not reach agreement in future contract negotiations, ensuring that there are never unilaterally imposed terms and conditions of employment ever again. As of January 2008,

1599-609: Was established as the General Accounting Office by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921. The act required the head of the GAO to: investigate, at the seat of government or elsewhere, all matters relating to the receipt, disbursement, and application of public funds, and shall make to the President ... and to Congress ... reports [and] recommendations looking to greater economy or efficiency in public expenditures. According to

1640-582: Was first awarded to Dale Wright in 2012. This award -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . National Air Traffic Controllers Association NATCA was certified on June 19, 1987 and formed to replace the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO), which had been decertified following the well known 1981 air-traffic controllers' strike . NATCA promised to never condone an illegal strike but does actively pressure Congress and

1681-446: Was involved in contentious negotiations with the FAA in 2005–06 under the Bush administration. When the parties could not reach an agreement on a new contract, the FAA chose to follow the process enacted by Congress and unilaterally implemented new terms and conditions of employment. NATCA filed Unfair Labor Practice charges asserting that the FAA negotiated in bad faith. The General Counsel of

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