Regional Update

August 4, 2005

Two weeks age we exchanged contract proposals with the FAA. It was a bright and shiny morning in Chicago as Joe Miniace, FAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Strategic Labor Management Relations addressed the NATCA and FAA contract teams assembled together for the first time as a prelude to sending them off on their noble endeavor. As Mr. Miniace spoke he extolled the virtues of trust, honor and integrity pointing to the example contained in the Preamble to our existing Collective Bargaining Agreement. It’s too bad his contract team didn’t tell him that the FAA’s contract proposal deletes the Preamble in its totality.

Your Administrator, Marion has also been busy with her version of contract preparations. She has been spending taxpayer’s money on holding press conferences to tell the few who will attend that you are lazy, overpaid, and malicious, but otherwise not too bad for peasant folk. The word on the street is some members of Congress are pushing for an official investigation of the FAA for wasting funds on foolhardy press conferences while at the same time pleading poverty in all other arenas.  

The Fire Fighters threw the BS flag on Marion ’s recent comments in attempting to pit worker against worker by concentrating on the pay disparity between controllers and some other civil servants.  AvWeb reported , “Harold Shaitberger, President of the International Association of Firefighters, said he found the tactic offensive and simplistic. "It's clear to us that her efforts to use rhetoric to divide us are a remedial level union busting tactic," Shaitberger said in a statement. "And all that her comments to the media did was expose her weaknesses in an even basic understanding of public safety protocol." Transportation Workers Union President Michael O'Brien added that the use of "scarce federal resources to carry out an explicit anti-worker campaign, it is an affront to all working Americans and a grave threat to aviation safety."  

Mr. Carr noted, "We're not interested in discussing the specifics of negotiations in the press ... We're engaged in good faith negotiations and we're disappointed the FAA doesn't share that sentiment."

We have spent the last several years tooling up for this round of negotiations. We have a well developed systematic approach to deal with contract negotiations, which will unfold in the proper time and place of our choosing. Negotiations will start up for real next week in DC.

To prove they truly have no sole, the FAA has fired eleven NYC TRACON controllers for failing to check a box on Form 8500-8 (the one you fill out when you get your physical). That’s correct, they are being terminated over the accusation of falsifying government documents by failing to acknowledge their stress treatment (via OWCP) on the form. It is a ridiculous claim, because the FAA already knows whose taken time off for stress or any other reason.

Rick          

2005 Schedule for Fac Rep Course & Local Office Course

Sunday evening September 11 – Friday Noon September 16

Sunday evening October 2 – Friday Noon October 7