The union that represents federal aviation employees revealed what positions were among those eliminated under President Donald Trump's plan to reduce the size of the government.
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, the union known as PASS, said 133 probationary employees have recently been terminated.
The jobs eliminated, according to FASS, include:
- Management and program analyst
- Management and program assistant
- Aviation safety assistant
- Legal instruments examiner
- Flight operations program specialist
- Aeronautical information specialist
- Environmental protection specialist
- Maintenance mechanic
- Telecommunications specialist
The cuts come amid increased anxiety for travelers following high-profile plane crashes.
In January, 67 people were killed when a military helicopter collided with an American Eagle passenger jet outside of Washington, D.C. On Monday, a Delta Air Lines plane traveling from Minneapolis flipped over on a runway in Toronto after landing. There have also been recent incidents involving smaller aircraft, including a medical plane that crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven people.
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A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation informed Scripps News that employees who perform critical safety functions were retained, adding that the Federal Aviation Administration continues to hire and onboard air traffic controllers and other safety professionals.
The Trump administration has been targeting probationary employees across numerous federal agencies. The employees are often newly hired individuals or those recently transferred to a new position. Legal experts suggest this group is being targeted as the Trump administration believes it has more legal authority to terminate probationary staff compared to longer-tenured civil servants.
