Lrjtcaptain
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2002
- Posts
- 927
Okay, this has been on here before but its cruch time with the FAA/NATCA contract. The FAA walked out of contract negotiations last week and sent what they wanted up to congress. They had no intention of an agreement with us because they second they walked out they already had a few hundred page presentation pretty colors and all for congress hoping for an impass.
Now I'm sure alot of you know that the problems at hand are all based on pay. Most of the other stuff got resolved. Here is where it becomes a problem. There are thousands of controllers eligible to retire today but they haven't yet. If we get shafted on this contract they will all probably throw in the towel and retire tommorrow. What does this mean to the user I.E. the flying public? Less certified controllers on the scopes and in the tower is a major problem as we need every certified controller we can right now. The air traffic controllers nation wide are too far understaffed. Oakland center for instance has about 300 controllers working there. 100 of which aren't certified, they are still in training and that facility is so understaffed that they are working 6 days straight as they don't have the proper numbers to staff that facitlity. Im just using them as an example.
A strike will never happen however we need to hold on to as many people as possible right now. We have thousands of people in the hiring process right now but who is going to train them? I knew the FAA was going to have a problem when I was getting certified because my manager sent me out to take the ATC instructor course before I was even certified. Once I got certified I was training someone within 3 months.
Here is what you all need to do, its easy, painless and will help us out alot.
visit http://www.fairfaa.com and follow the links to email or call your congressman or women. They have generic letters already written, you just fill in your email address but the more people we get behind us the more pressure we have on capital hill for congress to tell Blakey and the rest of them to go back to the negotiation table.
Keep the wings as level as possible and be nice to your controllers, we are all a bit nervous as to the outcome of this but we wont let that get in the way of what we have to do, and that is keep you all apart.
MK
STS ATCT NATCA FAC Rep
Now I'm sure alot of you know that the problems at hand are all based on pay. Most of the other stuff got resolved. Here is where it becomes a problem. There are thousands of controllers eligible to retire today but they haven't yet. If we get shafted on this contract they will all probably throw in the towel and retire tommorrow. What does this mean to the user I.E. the flying public? Less certified controllers on the scopes and in the tower is a major problem as we need every certified controller we can right now. The air traffic controllers nation wide are too far understaffed. Oakland center for instance has about 300 controllers working there. 100 of which aren't certified, they are still in training and that facility is so understaffed that they are working 6 days straight as they don't have the proper numbers to staff that facitlity. Im just using them as an example.
A strike will never happen however we need to hold on to as many people as possible right now. We have thousands of people in the hiring process right now but who is going to train them? I knew the FAA was going to have a problem when I was getting certified because my manager sent me out to take the ATC instructor course before I was even certified. Once I got certified I was training someone within 3 months.
Here is what you all need to do, its easy, painless and will help us out alot.
visit http://www.fairfaa.com and follow the links to email or call your congressman or women. They have generic letters already written, you just fill in your email address but the more people we get behind us the more pressure we have on capital hill for congress to tell Blakey and the rest of them to go back to the negotiation table.
Keep the wings as level as possible and be nice to your controllers, we are all a bit nervous as to the outcome of this but we wont let that get in the way of what we have to do, and that is keep you all apart.
MK
STS ATCT NATCA FAC Rep
