By Ivan Pereira
At a news conference Sunday, the senator revealed that the agency is considering scaling down its New York office, located at 1 Aviation Plaza near JFK, and transferring about 100 engineers and other personnel to the Atlanta office within the next couple of months. Schumer said the possible move comes at an inopportune time as the FAA is trying to improve efficiency at the JFK.”The FAA continues to back-peddle on their commitment to implementing operational improvements, forging ahead with plans that will have no effect on crippling delays that threaten New York's pre-eminence as a global destination,” he said in a statement.A spokesman for the FAA said the senator's announcement is premature as there are no immediate plans to consolidate the New York office and move its workers which include engineers, office workers and other personnel.”No decision has been made at this time,” FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.Schumer's announcement came after the agency announced last month that it would reduce flight delays at JFK by capping the number of flights it handled. He said the move is not only limited to the New York office with workers from the FAA's bureaus in Anchorage, Chicago and Los Angelus also under consideration for staff relocations and office consolidations.Schumer said he wrote a letter to acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell to reconsider any plan he has to reorganize the agency's offices. He stressed that as the government tests and implements new technology, it will need experienced engineers at the site to provide adequate operations. “Safe and efficient air travel requires engineering and support services that are accessible and convenient for the airports and air travelers that rely on them,” he said.The senator said the FAA has consolidated the Queens office in the past. Before the first major consolidation two years ago, the office had 520 workers, while today it has 385, according to Schumer's office. He also emphasized that the possible relocation of workers would hurt New York's economy, particularly the southeast Queens neighborhoods where some of the employees live. Although those workers will still have their same jobs, the senator believes many would not make the move to Atlanta and would leave the agency altogether.City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) agreed and said the potential loss of workers would hamper the economy of southeast Queens, which has already taken hits due to the ongoing foreclosure crisis.”Anytime you have a facility in your community there is a multiplier effect,” he said. “If they wanted a hamburger, they buy it from our businesses. If they wanted to bring something home from here like a gift, they get it from our businesses.”Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
