PASS

What PASS does

PASS (Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO) is a labor union founded in 1977 that holds exclusive collective bargaining representation rights for approximately 11,000 aviation safety professionals employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). Its represented workforce includes FAA Technical Operations specialists who install, maintain, and certify air traffic control and national defense equipment; FAA aviation safety inspectors who oversee commercial and general aviation; and DoD civilian aviation employees at locations such as Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Approximately 60% of members are military veterans who transitioned to federal civilian service.

The union operates from its headquarters at 1200 G Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC, under the AFL-CIO federation. Its product surface consists of union membership with collective bargaining, a secure member portal, Union Plus member benefits, and @passmember.net email services. PASS does not operate proprietary technology and does not produce software, hardware, or data products. Its core activities are collective bargaining, grievance and arbitration representation, legislative advocacy, and member communications delivered through social media, email, the website, and worksite visits.

PASS funds operations entirely through recurring membership dues and generates no other commercial revenue. Its go-to-market is community-led organizing of FAA and DoD employees, augmented by event-driven advocacy such as congressional visits, #RedForFeds rallies, and Public Service Recognition Week. Major customers in the representation sense are FAA Technical Operations and the broader FAA/DoD workforce, while politically the union engages Congress and federal agencies as counterparty stakeholders on issues including FAA reauthorization, ATC privatization, government shutdowns, and BNATCS airspace modernization.

Name

PASS

Legal name

Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO

Website

https://passnational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PASS (Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO) is a labor union founded in 1977 that exclusively represents approximately 11,000 FAA and Department of Defense aviation safety professionals, providing collective bargaining, advocacy, and member benefits under AFL-CIO affiliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: PASS generates revenue through union membership dues collected from its 11,000 represented employees at the FAA and Department of Defense. The union offers various membership categories including regular membership, associate membership, and retired membership.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PASS is a labor union that provides collective bargaining representation, workplace advocacy, grievance and arbitration services, and legislative advocacy on behalf of approximately 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DoD) aviation safety professionals, including Technical Operations specialists, aviation safety inspectors, flight standards inspectors, and DoD civilian aviation employees. Members also receive access to a members-only portal, @passmember.net email accounts, and Union Plus benefits such as discounts, insurance, and financial services.

Product overview

PASS (Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO) is a labor union representing approximately 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense employees. The organization provides union membership with collective bargaining representation, member benefits through the Union Plus program, a secure members-only portal for accessing exclusive resources and communications, and @passmember.net email services. These offerings work together to support aviation safety professionals in their workplace advocacy and union activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PASS Union Membership
• Member Benefits Program (Union Plus)

Quantifiable outcome

• Sustained 43-day 2025 government shutdown with no equipment or system failures attributed to PASS-represented employee performance

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASS works with ALPA as union partners in securing safe travel for Americans. ALPA represents Jazz Aviation pilots involved in the March 2026 crash at LaGuardia Airport, demonstrating the collaborative relationship between aviation labor unions in safety advocacy.
• American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFGE and PASS are sister AFL-CIO unions that have collaborated on multiple campaigns including opposing ATC privatization (AIRR Act), #RedForFeds rallies, and joint advocacy for federal employee rights.
• Federal Workers AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASS is a member of the Federal Workers Alliance, a coalition of unions representing federal employees. The alliance coordinates on issues affecting federal workers including government shutdowns, pay freezes, and workforce policies.
• Federal-Postal CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASS participates in the Federal-Postal Coalition, an alliance of unions representing federal and postal employees advocating for proper funding, pay equity, and protection of employee rights.
• Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASS joined TWU and other aviation unions at an Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Summit to address concerns about foreign repair stations working on U.S. aircraft.
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace WorkersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPASS joined a coalition with IAM and TWU in calling on Secretary Chao to address foreign repair station safety oversight.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Association of Government Employees (NAGE): NAGE represents state and federal government employees across multiple agencies. It is a peer federal-sector union with similar collective bargaining structures, though with a broader, less aviation-focused scope than PASS.

Direct peers

• Transport Workers Union of America (TWU): TWU represents airline mechanics, ground service, and transit workers and has co-hosted the Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Summit with PASS. It is a peer aviation labor union with shared interest in aircraft maintenance standards and workforce safety.
• Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA): ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and a self-identified PASS 'union partner' on aviation safety advocacy, providing a comparable aviation-focused union peer with similar collective bargaining and safety-oversight framing.
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM): IAM represents aerospace manufacturing, airline mechanic, and related aviation workers. PASS has co-led coalitions with IAM on foreign repair station oversight, making it a peer aviation labor union with overlapping safety and regulatory concerns.
• National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA): NATCA is the exclusive bargaining representative for FAA air traffic controllers and is the closest functional peer to PASS: both are FAA-specific federal labor unions representing distinct but adjacent segments of the same National Airspace System workforce.
• International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE): IFPTE represents engineers, scientists, and technical professionals across federal agencies, including some FAA and DoD technical workforces, making it a direct peer in representing highly technical federal employees.

Broad incumbents

• American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE): AFGE is a much larger AFL-CIO federal employee union that has co-led campaigns with PASS on shutdowns, pay, and ATC privatization. It is a sister federation partner and the dominant general-purpose federal labor counterpart.
• National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU): NTEU represents IRS and other federal employees, making it a peer federal-sector labor union with similar collective bargaining, legislative, and shutdown-protection advocacy dynamics as PASS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/passnational
• Facebookfacebook.com/PASSNational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/professional-aviation-safety-specialists-pass
• Instagraminstagram.com/passnational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PASS