Against the Wind The History of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association by Paul McElroy

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2 Against the Wind The History of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association by Paul McElroy All rights reserved. Copyright 2002 by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Cover art copyright 2002 by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Aeronautical charts courtesy of the National Aeronautical Charting Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Memorabilia courtesy of Mike Palumbo. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. For information address: National Air Traffic Controllers Association 1325 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, D.C PRINTING HISTORY Hardcover edition / First printing: September 2002 Interior design by Amy McElroy, Japphire Inc. Cover design by Sherry Stinson, The Printed Image Index by Dan Connolly, Word for Word Book Services PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

3 Table of Contents Author s Note 1 Introduction 2 Chapter 1 10 Chapter 2 30 Chapter 3 44 Chapter 4 92 Chapter Chapter Chapter NATCA at a Glance 234 The NATCA Family 236 Glossary 250 Bibliogr aphy 252 Index 253

4 To the men and women of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, whose ceaseless efforts help keep the world s largest, most complex, and safest aviation system aloft.

5 Author s Note During the mid-1980s, a visionary group of air traffic controllers sought to augment their words on the airwaves with a critically needed voice in the workplace. Ignoring personal considerations and threats to their careers, they courageously embarked on a mission that blossomed into the influential and respected labor organization called NATCA. I ve been privileged to discover their spirit and dedication, and glimpse corners of their profession that remain hidden to the world at large. What you hold in your hands represents the story of the first fifteen years of this vibrant union. Over the course of nine months, I digested reams of archives and traveled 50,000 miles to interview some 175 people. Even as NATCA committed generous resources to produce a high-quality work, it entrusted an outside observer to document its history while giving me the freedom to do so with honesty and balance. Necessarily, this book consists of a series of snapshots recording the dreams and deeds of a cast of thousands. I m frustrated by space limitations that prevent me from mentioning the untold activists and their families who selflessly strive to ensure the safety of nearly two million air travelers a day and improve working conditions for some 20,000 federal employees. That I could not recognize them all by name in no way diminishes their contributions, which command my lasting admiration. To the scores who graciously and patiently assisted me throughout this project, I offer my heartfelt appreciation. With apologies for not being able to acknowledge everyone individually, Atlanta Center controller Don Brown and Howie Barte from Providence Tower/TRACON deserve a very special thanks. They had the foresight to conceive of this project two years ago. They also played a key role, along with eight other union members who reviewed the manuscript, in making this book as comprehensive and accurate as possible. NATCA s story is far from over. Each day forms unwritten chapters. May Against the Wind honor those now and in the union s past, and inspire the legions yet to carry on the dream. P.M. / June 2002

6 You can t organize happy people. Axiom among labor organizers NATCA headquarters: In 2000, the union moved into its own seven-story building on the northern edge of downtown Washington, D.C. The national office is known as the Barry Krasner Building in honor of NATCA s second president. / Japphire

7 Introduction Union Rising Sitting amid the darkness of Washington Center in Leesburg, Virginia, an air traffic controller spoke incessantly into the tiny microphone of his headset. His accent revealed the soft twang of the West Virginian hills, but his strong, confident voice cut through the air like the boom of a howitzer. Despite his cocky demeanor, his restless eyes darted repeatedly across the radarscope before him, its round screen lit up like a pinball machine in the dazzling throes of a bonus round. Twenty-two green blips flashed and danced on the glass while two stacks of airplanes pirouetted in unison over Woodstown in southwestern New Jersey and Yardley, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The aerial ballet formed the swirling headwaters of a river that streamed northeast across his scope and through his mind before flowing on to New York s LaGuardia Airport. Jerry Tierney s hands were full on this day in Besides the rush of planes, he was grappling with the aftershocks of a cataclysmic strike that wiped out three-quarters of the air traffic control work force in August Chronic low staffing frequently forced controllers to juggle more than one portion of airspace at a time. Tierney was riding herd over the Woodstown and Dupont sectors. Like many of his brethren, he was also toiling through yet another grueling six-day workweek. Sporting a bushy head of dark brown hair, neatly cropped above the ears, and wearing his usual button-down shirt and slacks, the medium-built Tierney had earned a well-deserved reputation as one of Washington Center s finest controllers. Colleagues respected his honest, sincere attitude and strong work ethic, and they cheered his zero tolerance for nonsensical edicts from management. In his largely unseen world, where professionals balance the science of physics with the art of choreography, a thin line separates chaos from Courtesy of Jerry Tierney Jerry Tierney: Now retired, the West Virginia native began his air traffic control career in 1968 at Washington Center.

8 4 Against the Wind Inside Washington Center: The overnight solitude of this area gives way to frenetic activity after daybreak. The M-1 control room that Jerry Tierney and his colleagues worked in was replaced by this remodeled version during the late 1990s. / Paul Williams control. Good controllers know their limits. They can sense when one more plane will propel them into the abyss and scatter their concentration like a collapsing house of cards. Tierney had been pushing tin for sixteen years and could tell he was nearing the edge of the precipice. There was nowhere else to stack planes in the north while they waited for their turn to land. He called another controller at the center to briefly shut off the relentless streams from Maryland and Virginia in the south. Seated behind him, a supervisor snapped to attention and leaned forward. We ve got to get them in, he said. I m not taking them, Tierney responded, his eyes raking over the scope as he plotted his next several moves. The supervisor s voice grew edgy. You have to accept those aircraft. Under pressure from Congress and the airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration was publicly proclaiming that the air traffic system had fully recovered from the strike. After enduring a period of cutbacks, the airlines published thicker timetables month by month, testing the limits of a largely inexperienced work force only half as big as in This was where the rubber met the runway.

9 Introduction: Union Rising 5 No, Tierney said firmly. I can t. Why not? Because it s not safe. I know how many aircraft I can handle. Preoccupied with the twenty-two targets hopping across his scope, Tierney did not notice the The FAA had a golden opportunity to treat the new group of controllers well and never have to face organization. supervisor slide over to the keyboard at the data position next to him. His superior typed the computer ID codes for two or three more planes from the south and pressed ENTER after each number, transferring responsibility for them to Tierney. One by one, the pilots checked in on his radio frequency. Suddenly realizing what was happening, Tierney exclaimed, Hey, why am I talking to these guys? 1 Fortunately, no near misses occurred. Incidents like this, although more serious than most at the time, typified the tumultuous culture of an air traffic system staggering back to its feet after a reeling blow. The Reagan administration s dismissal of more than 11,000 federal employees who broke the law by walking off the job ranks as one of the most regrettable chapters in aviation history. Careers, families, even a few lives were lost in a complex showdown of egos, greed, and legitimate air safety and workplace issues. For those who stayed on the job and the legions of replacement controllers who joined them, an unfortunate sequel awaited. More than half the world s air traffic flew in the United States, creating an immense challenge for the FAA to restore its decimated work force. Aside from the sheer numbers of people involved, time pressures weighed heavily on the system. New controllers typically spent several months at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, followed by two or more years of on-the-job training before they were considered fully qualified. Even then, the seasoning process had barely begun. But adversity also presented a singular possibility. The FAA had a golden opportunity to treat the new group of controllers well and never have to face organization, says Alexander Doc Cullison, former president of the Alexander Doc Cullison, former president of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, a labor union that has supported air traffic controllers. They had a Alexander Doc Cullison: A marine engineer who became a union representative for MEBA, Cullison helped to organize controllers in / NATCA archives

10 6 Against the Wind Ed Mullin: A longtime tower controller at Dallas Love Field and an early NATCA activist, Mullin faced special challenges in the Southwest, where strong anti-union attitudes are prevalent. / NATCA archives malleable, optimistic work force that they could have done anything in the world with if they had treated them properly. It was not to be. During a brief honeymoon, managers and rank and file worked side by side in a heroic effort to keep the traffic moving. The harmony was short-lived, however, with an agency that could not shake off its past habits. As the turbulence subsided for the transition force, too many autocratic managers reverted to their former roles. Controllers complaints about excessive time on position, inadequate staffing, hasty training, and unreliable equipment were, for the most part, dismissed as whining. Suggestions on operational procedures and new equipment were rarely solicited and usually ignored. Yelling, intimidation, and a fundamental lack of respect became commonplace. Once again, managers relegated the front-line crew to the status of hired hands rather than acknowledging them as partners in providing air safety. By refusing to accept any responsibility for conditions that led to the strike and allowing the same problems to fester, the agency sowed new seeds of discontent that inevitably blossomed into another union. Howie Barte, a founder of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, notes that many people were involved in the grass-roots effort to form the new organization. But, he adds, No one could hold a candle to the best organizer we ever had the FAA. NATCA Takes Flight On the morning of May 6, 1987, a single-engine plane towing a white banner with black lettering droned above the vast Dallas Metroplex. The cryptic inscription on the banner Vote NATCA left many who saw it scratching their heads. But its intended audience understood the message and stood proud. Ballots had just been mailed across the country to more than 12,500 controllers, who would decide whether to officially sanction a labor organization that had been in the making for more than three years. At Love Field in Dallas, the control tower manager expressed astonishment as he peered through binoculars at the streaming pennant. Standing nearby in the cramped glassed-in cab, where water leaked through the ceiling tiles when it rained, controller Ed Mullin could not resist chuckling. As a regional representative for the fledgling group, Mullin had devised the banner ploy to boost voter turnout in the decidedly antiunion state of Texas. If controllers saw their name in lights, so to speak, the recognition might convince them that NATCA had a chance to succeed. A satisfied smile played on Mullin s lips while he watched the plane disappear to the south for a pass over Redbird Airport. The hour-long flight also called for appearances above Addison Airport, Fort Worth Meacham Airport, the perimeter of Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, Fort Worth Center, and the FAA Regional Office

11 Introduction: Union Rising 7 south of DFW. Although weather precluded flying over a few of the destinations, the banner scored a hit with controllers. Five weeks later, their sentiments were quantified when the government tallied ballots from 86 percent of the work force. Seventy percent approved NATCA as their exclusive bargaining agent. The new union, formed while President Reagan still occupied the White House, allowed air traffic controllers to reclaim their voice in the workplace and provided organized labor with a much-needed comeback victory. John Leyden, the long time president of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization who was ousted in a coup before the strike, believes the achievement is a testament to the FAA and labor in general. If you could have a union like the phoenix rebuilt, it was a great sign for the need for unions, he says. A Walk in the Woods Eleven years later, in early July 1998, four people gathered around a table in a Montréal hotel conference room. NATCA President Michael McNally and his predecessor, Barry Krasner, sat on one side. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey and Tony Herman, a high-powered Washington, D.C., attorney, faced If you could have a union like the phoenix rebuilt, it was a great sign for the need for unions. them on the other side. The 20-minute meeting, aimed at closing the deal on the union s third contract with the agency, represented the culmination of a momentous journey. The groundwork for this gathering included eighteen months of bargaining preparations and talks, an exhaustive seven-year project to reclassify all air traffic Former PATCO President John Leyden control facility rankings and their accompanying salary scales, and a concerted legislative effort by the union that enabled NATCA and the FAA to abandon the traditional government compensation schedule and negotiate pay. This crowning achievement would shortly put the federal-sector union and its employer in the ranks of a very select group that included such agencies as the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. At issue this morning was the amount of money the FAA would pay 15,000 controllers under the new facility classification system. McNally and Herman haggled over millions of dollars while Krasner and Garvey observed in silence. Finally, Herman offered $200 million. The two NATCA negotiators briefly consulted before McNally turned to the administrator and said, You ve got a deal, Jane. NATCA s five-year contract with the agency resulted in substantial pay raises for controllers. More

12 8 Against the Wind NATCA archives Signing on the dotted line: NATCA President Michael McNally and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey formally seal the 1998 contract. The agreement marked the first time the union and its employer negotiated wages. * The ranking is from 1999 figures based on information from the AFL-CIO, Almanac of Federal PACs, Federal Election Commission, and union-sponsored Web sites. significantly, it was the first time they were compensated for the complexity of their work not just simple traffic counts while other provisions bound them ever more tightly as partners with the FAA to ensure air safety and boost productivity. We had to change the relationship between management and labor in order to meet the challenges, Garvey says. Acknowledging that some trust issues still need to be resolved in light of the agency s difficult history with its controller work force, she adds, On balance, there are more places where the relationship is more positive than negative. The 1998 contract also represented another highlight in the union s relatively short but noteworthy history. Earlier in the year, the AFL-CIO granted NATCA a direct charter. The powerful labor organization preferred to consolidate its vast array of affiliates and had reserved this honor for a mere handful since NATCA was certified. The union cherished the recognition, vindicating the oncetarnished reputation of controllers in the house of organized labor. Founded on the premise of gaining a voice in the workplace, NATCA has evolved into what controllers like to think of as a white-collar union that shuns strong-arm tactics. Top officers enjoy regular access to the agency s administrator a hard-won victory that finally ensures the union s issues are clearly communicated to the upper echelon. And while equipment and procedures historically have been implemented with little or no controller input, twenty-nine union liaisons and technical representatives now work full time virtually all of them at agency headquarters on about sixty-five projects. NATCA s role extends beyond the aviation community and the nation s borders. Members contribute about $1 million every election cycle to a Political Action Committee fund the second-highest average per member of all union PACs that is passed along to both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill. * One of its former National Executive Board members serves as deputy president of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations, an influential body that deals with the profession s issues on a global level. Two other union members serve on IF- ATCA committees. Taking its charge of organizing the unorganized seriously, NATCA has affiliated nineteen new bargaining units beyond its controller ranks and now represents about 20,000 FAA workers including engineers and architects, computer specialists, inspectors, nurses, staff support personnel, and others as well as some controllers in the Defense Department and at towers run by private companies. Seventy-five percent of represented workers are union members (including 82 percent of FAA controllers), an exceedingly high level in the federal sector. At its core, a thousand or more dedicated

13 Introduction: Union Rising 9 activists serve as facility representatives, on local executive boards, regional and national committees, and in numerous other capacities to guide NATCA on aviation and workplace safety issues, legislative affairs, finance, communications, constitutional matters, and such. It is on their shoulders that we have built our successes, Executive Vice President Ruth Marlin says. NATCA s first national president and executive vice president walked into a largely empty office, hired staff members, bought furnishings and fax machines, and launched the union into flight. As the organization grew, its leadership evolved, too. Each subsequent administration adroitly adapted to the times and carried NATCA forward. In 2000, the union moved into its own sevenfloor headquarters in Washington. The spacious building is a far cry from the cramped quarters it had leased across town at the offices of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association in Working conditions there were so tight that NATCA s director of labor relations conducted business from a converted closet in the president s office. While NATCA rose from the ashes of its predecessor, the new union has charted its own course and achieved unique successes. Even so, both organizations trace their roots to very similar motivations and ideals. 1. Related by Jerry Tierney and Paul Williams during interviews in February 2002 and March 2001, respectively.

14 We forget all those who died before us. Former President Barry Krasner Era of automation: Center controllers hunched over flattop radarscopes to monitor aircraft circa Flight information appeared next to each target, thanks to a long-awaited computer modernization under way by the FAA. / NATCA archives

15 Chapter 1 ATC Comes of Age The sun would rise in several more hours over Chicago. Rooftops across the slumbering city belched plumes of smoke into the dark, frigid air. On the Northwest Side, solitary cars occasionally whooshed past the cylindrical glass towers of the Hyatt Regency O Hare, ruffling the pre-dawn stillness. But inside the hotel on this morning of January 8, 1980, a feverish atmosphere rippled through the expansive atrium lobby like waves shimmering off a runway baking in the summer heat. A few hundred controllers key activists of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization anxiously milled about waiting to hear the outcome of a meeting that could radically change the course of their union. In a nearby conference room, PATCO Executive Board members had been wrangling interminably through the night. John F. Leyden, the stocky, Irish-American president of PATCO, debated with longtime Executive Vice President Robert E. Poli, the union s director of operations, and all but one of its seven regional vice presidents. Leyden s tenure stretched back for a decade. Many controllers respected his vision, knowledge, and sophistication. They credited their second president with transforming PATCO from a disjointed organization that was deeply in debt into a powerful, highly visible union. During Leyden s reign, PAT- CO had blazed a trail for the profession. Using slowdowns, sickouts, and hard-nosed bargaining, it won many benefits, some of which NATCA would have to fight to regain after the strike: a negotiated contract; higher pay at certain busy facilities; early re tirement and a second-career training program; cockpit jump seat privileges that enabled controllers John Leyden: The distinguished PATCO president led the union s fight to achieve many gains for controllers. / NATCA archives

16 12 Against the Wind * Early retirement and the second-career training program were embodied in law and remained in force after the strike. However, Congress canceled funding for the secondcareer program and has never restored it. to observe pilot procedures; controller representation in National Transportation Safety Board accident investigations; and creation of a program in which controllers (and pilots) could report errors without penalty to help solve common mistakes. * Other goals, however, had eluded PATCO s grasp: higher pay for all controllers; a shorter workweek; better staffing and equipment. Since 1978, an increasingly vocal chorus of union members led by a cadre of brawny and rebellious activists known as the choirboys had grown weary of the slowdowns and sickouts. Believing that only a strike would lead them to more contract gains, they dismissed Leyden as a dove afraid to take that final step. Poli was seen as the decisive hawk willing to go to the mat against the FAA. Now, during the board meeting at the Hyatt, unhappiness boiled over. Leyden s detractors leveled a litany of accusations at him. He was too conservative. He d lost touch with the membership and seemed aloof. He lived in a Florida condominium bought with union money. He flew around the country in a Gulfstream jet. Leyden bristled over the allegations. The union was like his family, so their barbs stung deeply. The condo and Gulfstream were figments of their imagination, he snapped, his accent betraying a childhood in Queens. Sure, he piloted a twin Beech or King Air to union functions periodically, but the rental planes saved PATCO money. And Poli or other board members always accompanied him on the trips. Leyden gazed at the strapping, bearded Poli Caesar appraising Brutus. A few days earlier, Poli had appeared in Leyden s office at PATCO headquarters to say he intended to run against him for president in the election that spring. Previously, Poli had never expressed interest in higher office, and the two men exchanged harsh words. A shocked Leyden later discovered that Poli had quietly cultivated support from many board members and the choirboys. Why didn t you say anything about this beforehand? Leyden asked now. Citing the alleged transgressions, Poli responded that he could no longer work for Leyden. It was why he wanted to be president. He abruptly announced his resignation and left the room. Later, Poli would tell The New York Times that his dispute with Leyden was a difference in philosophy. I guess I m more a militant than he is. 1 The board members pressed Leyden to explain his differences with Poli. Leyden refused, saying only that they were personal issues beyond the board s purview. However, he acknowledged that he planned to make some personnel changes in the national and regional offices based on a consultant s study conducted at his behest. Finally, he cautioned them that the divisiveness was factionalizing the union. The best thing that can happen is to have Jan In a dramatic coup, the Executive Board of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization ousts union President John Leyden and replaces him with Executive Vice President Robert Poli. Leyden s reign spanned ten years and was founded on a theme of collaboration with the FAA. Poli appealed to more militant union members who had become dissatisfied with Leyden s perceived inability to improve their working conditions.

17 completely new leadership, he said reluctantly. With that, Leyden announced he was stepping down, too, an action he hadn t contemplated before the meeting. Angry, frustrated and hurt, he walked out and rode a glassed-in elevator up to his room. He grabbed his bag and began to pack. Meanwhile, the board voted 6-1 to accept his resignation, closing the curtain on an era and steering PATCO toward labor infamy. Eastern Region Vice President George Kerr stood alone in supporting Leyden. To this day, I still wonder if they really thought about it and understood the implications, Kerr says. We all had our fellow travelers and our loyalists and our politics. Several minutes later, Kerr knocked on the door to Leyden s room. A pained expression was etched on Kerr s face. Poli had returned to the meeting and withdrawn his resignation at the board s urging, he said. Go back and pull yours. Leyden refused. When I say something, that s it. My word is my bond. That was the end of it. My organization was my life. I was a basket case for months afterward. In a few more minutes Leyden heard another knock. PATCO General Counsel William Peer stood in the doorway this time. The resignations had been orchestrated so that Poli could take over, Peer told him. You got sandbagged. Wayne Preston, head of the local at Chicago Center, showed up next and pleaded with Leyden not to walk away. The ousted president struggled over the fate of the union he d devoted much of his adult life to, but he remained steadfast. When I m gone, I m gone, he said. The Executive Board named Poli interim president and the membership elected him to a three-year term in April Poli and the board offered Leyden the salaried position of president emeritus but he declined. Instead, he spent several difficult weeks at PATCO headquarters in Washington, D.C., tying up loose ends. That was the end of it, he says. My organization was my life. I was a basket case for months afterward. 2 Former PATCO President John Leyden Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age Apr. PATCO distributes an educational package to its members that outlines how to establish communication networks and committees on security, welfare, and picketing. Information also includes advice on financial preparations in case of lost wages during a job action, and how union locals can arrange bond and other legal services. Many in the FAA consider this a strike plan.

18 John F. Leyden ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: Pr e v i o u s: ZNY Center Previous PATCO Positions / Achievements National president FAA Employee of the Year 1969 New York Center local president Hir e d 1959 Retired Courtesy of Howie Barte Operating Initials: XL Hom e t o w n : Queens, New York Spouse / Children: Mary / John, Carol Ann Other Trivia: Avid handicapper In t e r e s t s: Golf 2001 Pre s e n t John F. Leyden, a father of organized labor in air traffic control, learned about the profession as an Air Force radio and radar operator in Korea. When he became a civilian controller at New York Center in early 1959, the World War II-vintage radarscopes failed regularly, testing his ability to put the scrambled egg back together again by instantly recalling the positions of all his planes. Leyden s interest in a union stemmed from a desire that would later prove to be all too familiar to NATCA organizers. You were not supposed to have a voice, he says. You were supposed to follow blindly what [management] told you to do. He became president of the New York Center local and was elected president of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization in During his ten-year reign, PATCO achieved many gains in benefits and working conditions for controllers. Progress sometimes came from slowdowns and sickouts that landed Leyden in court, but the law could be kind. To avoid arrest stemming from a job action, he temporarily resided in a Long Island hotel. The ploy failed. Federal marshals burst into his room one evening, surprising several visitors and Leyden, his face lathered with shaving cream. He nervously identified himself using the name of another controller standing nearby. Seemingly satisfied, the marshals left. Two years later, an airline security official at Kennedy Airport approached Leyden, who recognized the former agent. If you thought you fooled me that night when I broke into the room and had the warrant for you, we knew who you were, the man said. But I also knew you had to go to court the next day for the other thing. Leyden nodded gratefully. The other thing was an adoption hearing for one of two children that he and his wife, Mary, raised. They now have three grandchildren. The oldest was born a dwarf. For the past seven years, Leyden has organized a golf tournament for the Little People s Research Fund, raising $750,000, and also serves as chairman of the board for the charity. After his ouster from PATCO in 1980, Leyden worked as director of the Public Employee Department of the AFL-CIO until Before retiring, he spent two years as chairman of the Federal Prevailing Rate Advisory Committee in the Office of Personnel Management, which sets pay scales for blue-collar government workers. Leyden has also stood by NATCA s side throughout its evolution: organizing, lobbying MEBA to underwrite the new union, helping draft its constitution, lending contract guidance, and supporting its successful bid for direct affiliation to the AFL-CIO.

19 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 15 Emerging from the Dark Ages Leyden and Poli held diametrically opposing views on the union s path to success, but they were driven by identical goals. Those same strong sentiments had stirred controllers for decades and created a cohesive sense of purpose that prompted Leyden, Poli, and their colleagues to seek the protection of a union. The motivation was so powerful that it survived PATCO s subsequent dismemberment and fueled a second organizing effort a mere two years later among a predominantly different work force. Leyden had served in the military before entering the private sector, a typical career path for many controllers in his day. After the Federal Aviation Agency hired him in early 1959, he received basic training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and then settled in at New York Center, located in Hangar 11 at Idlewild Airport (now Kennedy). Federal-sector unions did not exist yet. Leyden and his Hangar 11 crew even worked some sectors without the benefit of flattop radarscopes, let alone computerized flight information. Instead, they used small plastic shrimp boats so named because of their resemblance to fishing vessels which contained slips of paper about each flight. Controllers pushed the shrimp boats on the scopes as the targets for their planes inched across the glass. Coordination with approach controllers was handled by telephone. They separated traffic by 1,000 feet vertically and relied on pilot time estimates for arriving at navigational fixes to maintain lateral distances of 10 minutes, an inefficiency that translated into more than ten times the horizontal spacing used today. The reliance on estimates also led to frequent separation errors. National Archives Pushing plastic: Washington Center controllers in 1955 monitored aircraft with surplus radarscopes built for Navy battleships in World War II. They identified each target using a plastic shrimp boat that contained flight information Aug. PATCO controllers stage a one-day slowdown at O Hare International Airport that causes 616 delays of thirty minutes or more and costs the airlines more than $1 million in wasted fuel. The slowdown follows the FAA s refusal to pay O Hare controllers an annual tax-free bonus of $7,500 and upgrade the tower to Level V. All other control towers are classified as Level IV. The agency calls the O Hare demand non-negotiable.

20 16 Against the Wind * Controllers refer to operational errors, which involve loss of required separation between aircraft, as deals. National Archives Big Blue: The prototype of the IBM 9020 computer, which provided real-time flight data information on radarscopes, was installed at Jacksonville Center in You had one or two deals on almost every single watch, Leyden recalls. * For the most part, managers and pilots looked the other way. Shortly before Leyden arrived at the center, BOAC (now British Airways) began flying the de Havilland Comet between London and New York in October Days later, Pan American World Airways inaugurated Boeing 707 service across the Atlantic to Paris. In December, National Airlines started operating the Douglas DC-8 between New York and Miami. The commercial jet age had dawned. Yet Leyden and his brethren dwelled in the Dark Ages of air traffic control. The system was stagnating from two decades of neglect, largely due to inadequate congressional funding and bureaucratic infighting within the Commerce Department, which had governed the former Civil Aeronautics Administration. Many changes loomed, however, spurred in part by two highly publicized midair collisions, over the Grand Canyon in 1956 and New York City in On the heels of the first accident, Democratic Senators Mike Monroney from Oklahoma and Warren Magnuson from Washington spent two years shepherding a bill through Congress to create the Federal Aviation Agency, predecessor to today s FAA. The new organization, run by a Cabinetlevel administrator, opened its doors in late It was charged with taking over development and operation of the air traffic control system from the CAA, regulating aviation safety, and promoting air travel. The New York collision helped to expedite equipment modernization. Shortly after his inauguration in 1961, President Kennedy issued an executive order that led to a task force called Project Beacon. Based on nearly a year of study, the panel echoed controller sentiment for upgrading radar equipment so that all flights nationwide could be monitored continuously from takeoff to landing. At the time, vast chunks of U.S. airspace re Oct. Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan writes to PATCO President Robert Poli, stating that, if elected, he will work to ensure adequate staffing and new equipment for controllers. 23 Oct. PATCO s Executive Board publicly endorses Reagan and charges that President Jimmy Carter is ignoring serious safety problems that are jeopardizing the nation s ATC system.

21 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 17 mained invisible to controllers. Project Beacon also urged development of a computerized system to display aircraft identifications, altitudes, and airspeeds directly on radarscopes eliminating the need for shrimp boats. Another computer system would automatically print out flight strips and continuously distribute information to controllers for better coordination. The task force envisioned one common system. However, en route centers handle high-speed, high-altitude traffic over a broad area while terminal environments deal with a mix of planes converging The back room (above): Sperry Univac Corporation developed a system for TRACONs, similar to computers at centers, that displayed flight information from aircraft transponders on radarscopes. / Japphire The front line (right): Controllers used the system, called ARTS, for more than three decades. A new system known as STARS is replacing ARTS. / National Archives 13 Nov. The Federal Register publishes a 23-page contingency plan drafted by the FAA outlining how it would respond to a potential air traffic controller strike. Among other things, the plan would forbid commercial flights shorter than 500 miles. In August 1981, the agency develops a different plan to deal with the strike.

22 18 Against the Wind President Kennedy issued an executive order in 1962 granting federal employees the right to form unions. * TRACON is an acronym for Terminal Radar Approach Control. In these dark, windowless radar rooms, controllers sequence planes for landing before handing them off to airport towers. They also guide planes shortly after takeoff until controllers at en route centers assume responsibility. around airports. To accommodate these diverse needs, the FAA worked with Sperry Univac Corporation to develop the Automated Radar Terminal System ARTS that accepted information from a single radar site for its approach control facilities. The prototype was installed at Atlanta TRACON in * Two years later, the agency implemented a different system at Jacksonville Center in Florida. Run by IBM s 9020 computer, this one was capable of gathering data from multiple radar sites. The software contained more than 475,000 instructions, relatively small by today s standards but larger than any other program of its time. The complexity created a coding nightmare. David Thomas, then-deputy administrator of the FAA, recalled that one frustrated IBM worker complained that all the aircraft flew at different speeds, and if we could only get them to fly at the same velocity the programming difficulties could be overcome. 3 Eventually, the problems were largely solved. All twenty centers across the continental United States and sixty-three TRACONs were using the computerized systems by About the time Project Beacon released its recommendations, Kennedy issued another executive order in January 1962 granting federal employees the right to form unions. His action elated government workers. Their counterparts in the private sector had enjoyed similar rights under the Wagner Act and other national and state labor laws for more than a quarter century. Kennedy s order and a subsequent one signed by President Nixon were codified into law when Congress passed the Civil Service Reform Act of From the beginning, two provisions were key: Federal-sector strikes were illegal and unions could not force individuals to join a concept known as an open shop. Before Kennedy s edict, the sole option for controllers seeking a voice on issues was the Air Traffic Control Association. Formed in 1956, this professional group welcomed members from all segments of the aviation industry. Instructors at the FAA Academy encouraged trainees to join and some even implied that those who didn t risked washing out. But ATCA lacked the legal authority to represent workers. Many controllers also discovered that managers dominated the group s elected offices and delegate ranks at conventions, setting a decidedly anti-union tone. Kennedy s mandate gave the rank and file new choices. Soon afterward, under the auspices of the National Association of Government Employees and the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists, facility-based locals representing about 5,000 control- Jan New York TRACON becomes operational in Westbury, Long Island. The facility replaces the Common IFR Room at Kennedy International Airport. Serving Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports, it is slated to assume operations for several smaller airports.

23 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 19 lers formed in New York, Washington, Minneapolis, at LAX Airport and Los Angeles Center in Palmdale, and elsewhere. A Union is Born The local unions exercised little power, limited by their size, relative isolation, and an agency loath to take them seriously. Controllers continued to eat lunch on position much of the time. If someone needed to visit the restroom and no one was available to step in, another controller worked two positions during the interim. Guaranteed breaks were unheard of. Unless supervisors authorized time off, controllers guided planes continuously throughout the day in white shirts and black ties, dark dress slacks, and leather shoes. Two aspects of the FAA s culture exacerbated discontent over these conditions. At towers, TRACONs and centers, large and small, many managers ruled with a militaristic, command-control style. They largely ignored the partnership role that controllers could play in developing operational procedures, improving equipment, and generally ensuring air safety. We were lectured to rather than consulted with, says Dave Landry, who spent most of his career at a small tower in Lebanon, New Hampshire. The people who made the rules never pushed tin. Overbearing managers sometimes dwelled on seemingly inconsequential issues, such as the dress code, which could lead to regrettable outcomes. An Oakland Center controller reported for work one day in 1968 wearing a pastel yellow shirt. Managers told him to go home, change into a white one, and put on a different pair of leather shoes. These shoes cost more than the suit you re wearing, retorted the controller, who believed his attire was appropriately professional. That s it, the manager shot back. You re fired for insubordination. 4 Without an established grievance procedure, the controller had little recourse and never retrieved his job. It was the reason I got involved, says Domenic Torchia, who went on to serve as a PATCO regional vice president, was fired in the strike, and joined NATCA after the agency rehired him in the late 1990s. A second cultural aspect also affected working conditions. The doors to many facilities revolved every year or two with new managers who were working their way up the hierarchy. Too often, career motivations overshadowed a facility s long-term interests, allowing many problems to fester. Fred Gilbert encountered that philosophy when he started at Chicago Center in There was no interest in what controllers 23 Jan. Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis takes over from Neil E. Goldschmidt, who resigned after eighteen months in office when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president on January 20, Lewis, a business management specialist from Philadelphia, ran unsuccessfully for governor of Pennsylvania in He later became deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee.

24 20 Against the Wind We were lectured to rather than consulted with. The people who made the rules never pushed tin. Lebanon Tower controller Dave Landry needs were. It was all in personal needs as far as careers, he says. The most enjoyable times were when we were without a manager. Fifteen years later, the same issues would motivate Landry, Gilbert, and many others to form NATCA, and offer persuasive arguments for attracting widespread interest in the new union. Back in 1967, frustration finally led to action. O Hare Tower/TRACON controllers were exhausted from working mandatory overtime and angry that premium pay was based on a lower scale, meaning they earned less than normal for the extra hours. After the FAA denied their request for a special raise, the controllers staged a work-to-rule slowdown by strictly adhering to legal separation standards, which they often winked at with management s tacit approval to minimize traffic backups. Chicago s central location and its status as an airline hub caused delays to radiate nationwide. Chastened, the FAA granted the controllers three step-increases on the government s GS General Schedule pay scale, equal to a $1,100 annual raise. To stave off requests at other facilities, the agency maintained that only O Hare merited the extra money because of Chicago s high cost of living, its staff shortage, and difficulty in attracting transfers. Controllers elsewhere objected to the distinction. They argued for a comprehensive policy change that became a battle cry for PATCO and NATCA over the next thirty years. Namely, that compensation should be based on complexity of operations and not merely the number of takeoffs and landings. Atlanta and Chicago controllers jointly crafted a formula to reclassify all facilities and sought signatures from a majority of the work force to pressure the FAA into upgrading salaries across the board a plan they dubbed Operation Snowman. Although the petition drive fizzled, the effort ignited a desire to create a national group to represent controllers interests. In the fall of 1967, two NAGE local presidents Jack Maher at New York Feb The FAA commissions the first Direct Access Radar Channel at Salt Lake Center. Raytheon Company developed DARC as a backup system to be used during failures and scheduled maintenance of the primary radar system.

25 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 21 Center and Mike Rock at LaGuardia Tower formed the Metropolitan Controllers Association, which also included Kennedy and Newark towers. Quickly realizing that NAGE could not provide enough support to help them expand, Maher and Rock looked for a public personality who might champion their cause. They were ecstatic when the flamboyant, well-known attorney F. Lee Bailey, a private pilot, agreed to head their budding group. More than 700 people from twenty-two states attended the first meeting of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization on January 11, Bailey brought the cheering crowd to its feet eleven times by endorsing their concerns and pledging to highlight them before Congress and the news media. Within a month, more than 4,000 controllers joined PATCO, submitting their dues voluntarily since the agency had no provision to collect the money by payroll deduction. Sicking It Out Born at the end of a decade plagued by civil unrest and a divisive war, PATCO s rough and tumble character was shaped by the times as much as its close-knit, fervent membership. Before PATCO was barely two years old, it scraped through another work-to-rule slowdown and two sickouts with mixed results. Following a nationwide slowdown in the summer of 1968, unprecedented talks with the FAA enabled jubilant PATCO members to claim a Triple Crown victory that fall. The FAA upgraded pay scales in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington. Thanks to a law passed by Congress, controllers began earning time-and-a-half at their regular pay grade for overtime. Capitol Hill also appropriated $14 million in new money to permit the FAA to dust off its training facility, which had been closed for seven years, and hire 1,000 controllers over the next few years. Two subsequent job actions, however, showered trouble on the growing union. On June 17, 1969, television host Johnny Carson invited Bailey on his program to talk about air traffic control problems. Confusion plagued an accompanying sickout aimed at pressuring the FAA into further concessions and only 477 controllers took part. 15 Mar. The three-year labor agreement between PATCO and the FAA lapses. All provisions remain in force until a new agreement is negotiated, except immunity under NASA s Aviation Safety Reporting System. This program, which former FAA Administrator Langhorne M. Bond unilaterally canceled for controllers in 1980, enabled them to report mistakes without the risk of penalty in an attempt to solve common problems.

26 22 Against the Wind To PATCO s dismay, the agency disavowed an immunity deal that Bailey brokered with Transportation Secretary John Volpe and suspended the participants. The following spring, the agency issued transfer orders to four controller activists in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. PATCO worried that other involuntary moves would wreck the union and announced its intention to stage another sickout. For the second time, Bailey declined to insist on signatures to document a four-point deal he negotiated with the FAA. Once again, the agency reneged on the gentlemen s agreement. Outraged, nearly 3,300 controllers about one in four called in sick over twenty days starting on March 25, The FAA responded by withholding paychecks and serving subpoenas on all the participants. Although federal courts ordered the controllers back to work under judicial protection, the FAA later suspended many of them and fired 114 that it identified as leaders. Another public-sector job action in March 1970 ended far differently. About 152,000 postal workers I want all those people put back to work. walked out for eight days. The illegal strikers won amnesty, and Congress passed the Postal Reorganization Act, which enabled the new, quasi-governmental U.S. Postal Service to negotiate substantial pay raises with its unions. The disparity left a lasting impression on John Leyden, who was among the ill controllers. Thereafter, he contended, The only illegal strike is the one that s lost. President Nixon From the Doghouse to the White House One month after the sickout, Leyden flew to Las Vegas to attend PATCO s third national convention. He was dissatisfied with F. Lee Bailey s leadership and unhappy about the recent setbacks his union had suffered. Many of the other 200 delegates felt the same way and elected Leyden to succeed Jimmy Hays as their new president. Leyden wasted no time trying to rebuild the organization. He persuaded convention delegates to revise the constitution and transform PATCO from a corporate orientation run by attorneys, which Bailey had established, to a union structure that put power Apr FAA Administrator J. Lynn Helms takes over from Langhorne M. Bond, who resigned after nearly four years in office when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president. Helms served as an instructor and test pilot in the Marines during World War II. He later held top executive positions at Bendix Corporation, the Norden Division of United Aircraft, and Piper Aircraft Corporation. He was General Aviation Man of the Year in 1978.

27 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 23 exclusively in the hands of controllers. At an emotional meeting two months later, the Executive Board agreed with Leyden s recommendation to ask for Bailey s resignation. Finances presented another serious issue, but help was at hand. Various unions had been courting PATCO, including one of the oldest the powerful Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, an AFL-CIO affiliate with 10,000 members that was founded in MEBA offered the controllers money, influential political contacts, and office space around the country. In a vote of the membership, 92 percent approved affiliating with MEBA. PATCO s new relationship soon paid off handsomely. For twenty years, MEBA s longshoremen had refused to handle Russian ships and cargo. President Nixon now sought to change their position so the Soviet Union could receive badly needed U.S. wheat. MEBA President Jesse Calhoon suggested that Leyden use the issue as a bargaining chip to win reinstatement of the 114 controllers dismissed in the 1970 sickout. If they [the FAA] do not come to their senses, I vow to you that the skies will be silent. Leyden brokered the deal in a phone call to the White House. After explaining that the fired controllers were all good people who should get their jobs back, he said, Mr. Calhoon has had discussion with you on an issue of vital importance. The message was clear. During a brief meeting late one evening in the Oval Office, Leyden joined Nixon, top aides H.R. Bob Haldeman PATCO President Robert Poli and John Ehrlichman, a White House counsel, and representatives from the FAA and Transportation Department. I want all those people put back to work, Nixon said simply before leaving the room. The men from the FAA and Transportation Department filed out, too, while Leyden stayed behind. The White House counsel turned to him and advised: Now just remember, John. If you have any problems, if this doesn t work the way we ve agreed here today, you call me and let me know. Leyden thanked him and walked out into the hallway. The voices of the two transportation officials, who were farther ahead, echoed down the corridor. That crazy bastard thinks he s going to get Courtesy of Dave Landry PATCO pin: Choirboys, who led the call for a strike, wore this distinctive trinket. Apr. May 28 PATCO representatives walk out of contract talks with the FAA after thirty-seven bargaining sessions. Union demands for a 32- hour workweek and separate pay scale meet stiff resistance. 23 At its annual convention in New Orleans, PATCO sets June 22 as the deadline for agreeing on a new contract with the FAA.

28 24 Against the Wind 1978 PATCO contract: Ten years later, NATCA would rely on parts of its predecessor s last agreement with the FAA as a foundation for new bargaining talks. them all back to work, one said. If you have a problem with that, let s go back in there now, Leyden shouted. He watched with glee as they scurried away. Although no public announcement was made, all of the fired controllers were gradually reinstated. Decade of Progress By September 1972, PATCO was back on solid footing and had gained official recognition as a trade union representing all controllers not just its members. That same year, PATCO successfully lobbied for congressional passage of its Second-Career Retirement Bill. This landmark law established the precedent that controllers experienced more debilitating stress than other workers. On that basis, Congress stipulated they could retire on half their base salary at age 50 with twenty years of service or at any age with twenty-five years of service. The law also enabled controllers who could no longer work because of physical or psychological reasons to collect full salary and benefits for two years while they received vocational retraining. Leyden considers this one of the crowning achievements of my term in office, despite his disappointment that Congress later canceled funding for the retraining program. The union racked up other gains throughout the decade and signed its second contract with the FAA in One notable provision included an annual overseas familiarization trip (FAM trips enable controllers to observe pilots from the cockpit jump seat). But when the Air Transport Association told Leyden it wouldn t honor the FAM provision, he called for another slowdown. He viewed it as a matter of principle. If they re going to make that clause invalid, then that opens up the whole contract and everything else is subject to review and change. This was my mistake, Leyden acknowledges now. Controllers in New York, Chicago, and elsewhere, who were more interested in financial gains, offered only lukewarm support for two-day slowdowns in May and June. Leyden s second key error stemmed from a proactive move that backfired. Realizing that another job action would have to entail a strike, he reviewed other public walkouts. Borrowing an idea from a teach- June Telephone polling of union halls across the nation conducted in the early hours of the morning indicates that less than 80 percent of PATCO controllers have voted to strike. About 5 a.m. Eastern time, Robert Poli tentatively agrees to the FAA s final contract offer from Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis, despite knowing there is little union support for its provisions.

29 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 25 ers strike in St. Louis, he formed a special group of controllers who could be counted on to deliver the vote. These choirboys, chosen by local and regional vice presidents, operated with their own budget administered by Robert Poli, a Cleveland Center controller who d been elected executive vice president in Over time, the choirboys pretty much ran around uncontrolled, recalls George Kerr, the Eastern Region vice president. Leyden agrees that the renegade group led to my downfall. The Skies will be Silent Talk of a strike gathered momentum with the advent of the choirboys. Many were Vietnam veterans. Treated poorly when they came home after the war and fed up with the FAA s militaristic management style, they were spoiling for a fight. It was like the proverbial locomotive on the track, Kerr says. Once you get a head of steam up and you get her pointed in a direction, the object now becomes how do we stop it? Not everyone was onboard the train. A sizable segment of the work force took seriously their signed oath not to strike. Many controllers also thought they were re latively well off. More money and a shorter workweek sounded appealing, but they believed the public wouldn t sympathize with such demands while inflation raged at an average of 14.7 percent throughout However, others in PATCO believed they were invincible. Part of their confidence stemmed from a letter written in October 1980 by presidential candidate Ronald Reagan. Among A politician s promise: While campaigning for president in 1980, Ronald Reagan vowed to support air traffic controllers. 23 June The FAA announces it will proceed with testing and deploying the Traffic Alert/Collision Avoidance System. The basic version of the computerized equipment, installed onboard airplanes, would work in conjunction with the air traffic control radar beacon system to alert pilots to nearby traffic. Advanced versions would tell pilots to climb or descend in a coordinated maneuver to avoid each other in the event of potential collisions.

30 26 Against the Wind other things, Reagan stated, You can rest assured that if I am elected president, I will take whatever steps are necessary to provide our air traffic controllers with the most modern equipment available and to adjust staff levels and workdays so that they are commensurate with achieving a maximum degree of public safety. Armed with this apparent support, Poli and his contract team started negotiations with the FAA in February 1981 demanding three key items (along with ninety-three others): an across-the-board annual raise of $10,000, plus sem iannual cost-of-living raises It was like the proverbial locomotive on the track. Once you get a head of steam up, how do we stop it? 1½ times the rate of inflation; a 32-hour workweek (controllers elsewhere in the world labored 29 to 38 hours a week); and retirement after twenty years at 75 percent of base salary. When contract talks continued with little progress, Poli turned up the heat at PAT- CO s national convention in May by announcing a strike deadline of June 22. If they [the FAA] do not come to their senses, I vow to you that the skies will be silent, he declared to a thunderous standing ovation. 5 Three hours before the threatened walkout, Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis made the FAA s final $40 million offer. It included a $4,000 pay increase (equal to 11.4 percent, although 4.8 percent represented a raise that all federal workers would receive) and overtime when controllers worked more than 36 hours a week. Having just been informed that PATCO s membership strike vote fell short of the required 80 percent, Poli accepted the offer. But after vocal arguing, the union s Executive Board recommended that the membership turn down the proposal. Local presidents asked controllers for their vote in public, an intimidation tactic that helped overcome some reluctance and boosted the rejection rate to 95 percent. When the Reagan administration steadfastly opposed further concessions, Poli declared a second strike George Kerr, former PATCO Eastern Region VP June The FAA commissions the twentieth DARC system at Minneapolis Center. 2 July PATCO s Executive Board unanimously recommends that controllers turn down the FAA s final offer. The board believes the level of militancy will never be higher to achieve its goals.

31 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 27 deadline of August 3, The night before, controllers showed up at union halls across the nation for a head count. Doors were sometimes locked to guard against those whose second thoughts might prompt them to leave, helping to ensure a paper-thin strike authorization of 80.5 percent. Several hours later, at 7 o clock on that fateful Monday morning, nearly 13,000 controllers about 79 percent of the work force honored the picket line. 6 Former MEBA President Doc Cullison believes that PATCO s vocal chest-pounding stage drove the FAA to intensively prepare for the strike. The FAA almost felt challenged. Bring it on, he says. Both of them had loaded pistols and they were ready to go. Agency staff specialists working with airline representatives created a contingency plan called Flow Control 50. Half the peak-hour flights at twenty-two major airports were abolished, alleviating traffic rushes. En route centers increased horizontal spacing between aircraft from the normal 10 miles to as much as 100 miles. Even so, airlines flew about 65 percent of their normal schedules on that first day. While the effect of the walkout was significant, the skies were far from silent as Poli had predicted. Instrument flights were prohibited for smaller private planes. The FAA required other general aviation pilots to reserve flight plans on a first-come, first-served basis until the end of No pilots could enter airspace around major airports, known as Terminal Control Areas, unless they were flying under instrument flight rules. Eighty small control towers were closed and twenty-seven remained shuttered two years later. The agency began contracting with private firms to operate many of them, leading to a longstanding battle with NATCA. Four hours into the walkout, President Reagan appeared in the Rose Garden and ordered the strikers to return to their jobs within two days or face dismissal. Federal judges moved swiftly to impound PATCO s $3.5 million strike fund and impose fines of $100,000 an hour for defying an injunction against job actions, which arose from the 1970 sickout. About 875 controllers whom strikers disdainfully called sprinters reported back to their facilities within Reagan s deadline. The remaining picketers, accounting for three-quarters of the work Gary Eads: PATCO s last president, elected in January 1982, took over a decertified union facing bankruptcy. Six months later, he announced: It is over for PATCO. The union is gone. / NATCA archives 29 July PATCO announces that more than 95 percent of its members rejected the FAA s proposed agreement by a vote of 13,495 to 616. Controllers voted publicly rather than by secret mail-in ballot.

32 28 Against the Wind What s in a Name? Japphire Built on the mudflats of the Potomac River, two miles south of The Mall, Washington National Airport memorialized the nation s first president. In 1998, to the outrage of controllers across the country, Congress passed a law renaming the airport in honor of the president responsible for firing more than 11,000 of their brethren. Speaking against the proposal while lawmakers were considering the action, former NATCA Executive Vice President Randy Schwitz said: To name a major U.S. airport after Reagan would be a slap in the face to today s controllers and the many thousands terminated still on the street waiting to be rehired by the Federal Aviation Administration. I d rather have a hot poker in my eye than have an airport named after him. To this day, many controllers refuse to call DCA by its new name July Robert Poli announces PATCO will go on strike August 3 unless its demands are met. Eleventh-hour talks begin between the union and the FAA.

33 Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age 29 force, were fired. Most appealed their dismissal to the Merit Systems Protection Board, but only 440 were reinstated during the next two-and-a-half years. 7 When the dust finally settled, more than 11,000 workers no longer had a career in air traffic control. The Federal Labor Relations Authority decertified the 13-year-old PATCO on October 17. For the first time, a union representing U.S. government workers had been stripped of its legal standing. On the last day of 1981, Poli resigned, persuaded by other board members that the union could not move forward until he stepped aside. According to PATCO members who kept in touch, Poli later ran several car dealerships along the East Coast. Executive Vice President Robert Meyer also quit. Central Region Vice President Gary Eads and Western Region VP Domenic Torchia were elected president and vice president, respectively. They took over a mortally wounded organization. Stripped of its charter and facing claims of about $40 million, the union filed for bankruptcy on July 2, It is over for PATCO, Eads told reporters. The union is gone Fuerbringer, Jonathan Militant controller chief: Robert Edmond Poli. The New York Times. 4 August, late city final edition. 2. Much of the material about the January 1980 PATCO meeting is based on interviews with John Leyden and George Kerr in September and November 2001, respectively. 3. Garonzik, Joseph Aviation s Indispensable Partner Turns 50. U.S. Department of Transportation. 4. Related by Domenic Torchia during an interview in July Air traffic controllers set a June 22 strike deadline. The New York Times. 24 May. 6. PATCO figures. 7. Transportation Department figures. 8. Shifrin, Carole PATCO goes bankrupt 11 months after strike. The Washington Post. 3 July, final edition. 3 Aug. The walkout starts at 7 a.m. Eastern time. Nearly 13,000 controllers about 79 percent of the work force honor the picket line. President Reagan announces the controllers must return to their jobs within forty-eight hours or they ll be fired. Supervisors, staff specialists, and military controllers step in to help handle traffic. Even so, airlines cancel more than 6,000 flights. A federal court impounds PATCO s $3.5 million strike fund.

34 We did not rebuild the system. We re-staffed it. Anonymous air traffic controller Fallout from the strike: The FAA hired thousands of controllers throughout the 1980s, yet understaffing persistently plagued Washington Center. / NATCA archives

35 Chapter 2 Opportunity Lost As the clock ticked toward seven on the morning of the strike, John Gilbert drove along the two-lane road approaching Albuquerque Center. Across the street, a group of picketers huddled in front of a vast expanse of land dotted with gray sagebrush. They recognized Gilbert s truck a classic, cherry red 1966 Chevy pickup and began waving at him. Gilbert noticed several members of his crew, including the secretary and treasurer of the PATCO local. Friendly shouts drifted through his open driver s side window. You re on the wrong side, they hollered. Come over with us. It s not too late. Gilbert glanced at them and then resolutely turned right to head past a guard shack toward the center s parking lot. Sixteen months earlier, the tall, slender Houston native had left a low-paying job selling telephone gear to join the FAA as a controller. He later discovered the center s switching equipment was so antiquated that it no longer appeared in the catalogs he d used at the phone company. Nevertheless, Gilbert was happy to have a career with potential. He believed the strikers were demanding too much. Still certifying as a journeyman controller, he was too new to fully understand their frustrations. That would come later. Several weeks earlier, his crewmates had asked him whether he planned to join the picket line. Hypothetically, Gilbert asked, say we all walk and the FAA says: Okay, we concede to your demands. You can all go back to work except the trainees. What then? Will you stay out with us? Let me think about it, one of them said. Many journeymen controllers held developmentals at arm s length until they certified Driving on: John Gilbert began working at Albuquerque Center in 1980 and steered clear of the strike. / Courtesy of John Gilbert

36 32 Against the Wind John Gilbert: A colleague awarded the young controller a gold star for working on August 3, Gilbert, who later transferred to Houston, still wears the star on his ID badge. / Courtesy of John Gilbert because the washout rate was so high. As a trainee, Gilbert was not yet part of the inner circle. If you ve got to stop and think about it, that s answer enough for me, Gilbert replied. So much for solidarity. I m not striking with you guys. They threatened to make his life miserable when the walkout ended, but Gilbert shrugged it off. Misery is a two-way street, he retorted. Leaving his car, Gilbert ambled inside the facility under the watchful eyes of his colleagues and friends standing in the New Mexico heat across the street. His supervisor, Chuck Tuberville, one of the few people on his crew to show up, greeted him. Sally Lane, a fellow controller, had just finished the midnight shift. She sauntered up to Gilbert holding a card of gold stars, peeled one off, and stuck it on the ID badge dangling from his neck. This is your gold star, Lane said. It s the only thing you re going to get out of the agency for coming in to work. Gilbert chuckled and gazed around the control room. Only a few sectors were open. Controllers were joined by supervisors and staff specialists, some of whom had untangled head set cords that morning for the first time in several years and looked nervous facing the scopes again. Normally, they d be required to train and re-certify after such a lengthy absence. But today s unique event forced them to jump back in cold. I r o n i c a l l y, Gilbert realized he was better qualified to control airplanes than many others present. He wished he could help, but he wasn t authorized to work without an instructor. Having nothing else to do, he teased Tuberville about handling the traffic. The Honeymoon Nearly 3,400 controllers reported for duty that August 3 rd and in the following days, augmented by roughly 500 military controllers and the 875 FAA workers who returned within Reagan s 48-hour deadline. They encountered similar scenes. Aug About 875 controllers return to work. More than 11,000 lose their jobs. The ranks of journeymen and developmental controllers drop 74 percent. The FAA institutes Flow Control 50, which requires the airlines to cancel about half of their peak-hour flights at twenty-two major airports. In-trail restrictions increase to as much as 100 miles. IFR flights are prohibited for general aviation planes weighing 12,500 pounds or less.

37 Chapter 2: Opportunity Lost 33 Picketers congregated on the driveway of the fire station across the street from Chicago Center in suburban Aurora, Illinois, shouting at co-workers and running out to kick the tires of their cars. At Houston Center, some 140 strikers yelled and waved signs while clustered along the grassy median of busy JFK Boulevard in front of the facility. At Salt Lake Center, managers stood on the roof, peered through binoculars, and wrote down picketers names. The tension outside yielded to different, yet equally charged, emotions inside. Some strikebreakers fretted about dealing with their colleagues when they came back. Others were glad to be rid of them even if only temporarily. The stress during the preceding months, fueled by peer pressure and uncertainty, had swelled like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Yet, the strike resulted in one very pleasant consequence for those on the job. As never before, controllers, managers, staff specialists, and Airways Facilities technicians set aside antagonism, pettiness, and class distinctions. Instead, they banded together with a sorely needed esprit de corps to keep the traffic moving. For the first week, people were just operating on guts, says Howie Barte, a controller at Quonset TRACON, south of Providence, Rhode Island. It was the Alamo and we were loving it. Initially, traffic was relatively light, leading one wag to declare: We re going to have one-state separation between airplanes. To handle the gradual resumption of flights, bosses turned pragmatic and abandoned cumbersome operating procedures. Rather than haranguing controllers about phraseology errors, managers did whatever they could to help, even ordering in food. Indeed, coffee and snacks were verboten in control rooms before the strike. Now they were a necessity. The only breaks the skeletal work force enjoyed were dashes to the restroom. Other rules were relaxed and Japphire Houston Center: Nearly all of the FAA s en route centers were built from the same cookie-cutter blueprint. The agency opted for a different design at its Houston facility, however, due to the influence of Lady Bird Johnson. 4 Sep. The FAA announces it will hire about 1,500 temporary workers, including furloughed airline pilots, to serve as flight data assistants and perform other controller support functions.

38 34 Against the Wind Fred Gilbert: The Chicago Center veteran organized a conference for controllers from all of the FAA s en route centers some eighteen months after the strike. However, agency managers pressured him to cancel the event. / Courtesy of Howie Barte compliments from managers flowed freely. Traffic gradually resumed as summer faded into fall. Meanwhile, the strikers hopes of getting rehired waned and their resentment mounted toward those still wearing headsets. Picketers grew more vocal and telephoned threats to controllers homes. Cars were splattered with paint and tires were slashed. Onetime friends wordlessly walked away when they saw each other at supermarkets and shopping malls, a bitterness that lingered for years. The division of loyalty was huge, recalls Barte, who burned his PATCO membership card in an ashtray in the TRACON a week after the strike. If you were in, you hated PATCO. If you were out, you hated the people who were in. Controllers embraced the challenge of the job itself, however, and relished their honeymoon with management. Joe O Brien, a lanky former Navy controller who started at New York TRACON in February 1982, has fond memories of the period and his decision to enter the profession. It was the best thing I ever did in my life, he says. Energetic and all of 22, O Brien joined about fifty other controllers in a facility built for 200. They had to keep planes separated by the legal minimums, of course, but exercised some latitude in doing so. Gulping coffee and smoking cigarettes, screaming and cursing at each other to coordinate traffic, they somehow got it done. It was like the Wild West, he says. Farther east on Long Island from O Brien, Michael McNally enjoyed the same sense of exhilaration on the scopes at New York Center. I was young. I was cocky. I was on the top of my game, he says. They wanted us to become tin junkies and that s what we became. We kept running, running, running. It would take awhile for O Brien, McNally, and others to recognize the negative long-term effects of their frenetic pace. Much sooner, their post-strike rapport with management would turn sour, like blissful newlyweds lapsing into an abusive marriage. One morning about six months after the walkout, Fred Gilbert strolled into Chicago Center and passed the cafeteria on his way to the control room. Darkness shrouded the food line, as it had since August 3 rd. Diners used to fight for seats; these days, they occupied a mere handful of tables at lunchtime. Gilbert s foot steps echoed along the largely deserted halls. Inside the control room, the formerly vibrant, noisy atmosphere had softened to a hush, much like Sep During the preceding year, the FAA has added two key capabilities to equipment at the nation s twenty-one en route centers: minimum safe altitude warning, already in use at TRACONs; and arrival metering, which provides controllers with computerized advisories to help manage traffic flows into major airports.

39 Chapter 2: Opportunity Lost 35 a midnight shift. Less than half the normal complement of controllers sat along the four rows of radarscopes. So few workers remained that several coffee funds had dwindled into one. The solitary pot was located in an outer office of the administrative wing on the second floor. Though not a coffee drinker, Gilbert listened in disbelief as an astonished colleague told him about a sign that had appeared overnight next to the pot. From now on, the coffee was for managers only. The honeymoon was over. Power Plays From Anchorage to Miami, controllers faced the same rude awakening during the next few years. Many supervisors, who wielded little real authority yet were pressured from above to restore the system to normal, flexed their muscles where they could. Unilaterally, they adjusted work schedules and granted or denied leave on the basis of personal relationships. Operating procedures and work rules were changed by fiat, often with little apparent planning and virtually no controller input. At Denver Center, four areas were being expanded into five. One key change occurred overnight. Mike Fellows arrived for work the next day and saw a line drawn with a grease pencil across his scope that split one sector into two. We weren t briefed on the frequency, what the procedures were, nothing, Fellows says. They just said, plug in. Such incidents fueled worries about safety. Some managers solicited comment and then ignored it. The facility chief at Quonset TRACON posted a notice about a proposal to revert to unwieldy operating procedures put in place years earlier. The announcement included yes and no columns. No checkmarks appeared in the yes column, yet the plan was implemented anyway. It was like somebody flipped a switch, Atlanta Center controller Don Brown remembers. The attitude became: Okay, we don t need you anymore. We won. And they went back to managing. In the absence of a union contract, the FAA published a 30-page Handbook for Air Traffic Employees in Centers and Towers. Commonly referred to as the Green Book, the manual spelled out scheduling and disciplinary proce- The Green Book: FAA managers and controllers created this 30-page guide, which was used in the absence of a collective bargaining agreement after the strike. 1 Oct. FAA operations are reduced from eleven regions to nine. Western and Pacific-Asia regions consolidate into a new Western-Pacific Region, with headquarters in Los Angeles. Rocky Mountain and Northwest regions consolidate into the Northwest Mountain Region, with headquarters in Renton, Washington. The states of North and South Dakota are reassigned from Rocky Mountain to Great Lakes Region.

40 36 Against the Wind dures and the like. Although four controllers were involved in creating the guide, some disparagingly referred to it as management s rights and controllers responsibilities. Once again, the dress code became a bone of contention. The Green Book left the policy up to the discretion of facility managers, many of whom held firm to the agency s traditional IBMstyle uniform. In Monroe, Louisiana, a graduate fresh from the FAA Academy named Phil Barbarello showed up for his first day of work without a belt. He was sent home to find one. Three Atlanta Center controllers arrived at the facility one hot July day wearing officially sanctioned sandals but no socks, which were required. They, too, were ordered home on administrative leave (which is not deducted from an employee s allotment of annual leave). Instead of working, says Lee Riley, I was at home sitting in the sun on the porch getting paid by Instead of working, I was at home sitting in the sun on the porch getting paid by the federal government because some idiot is worried about whether I have socks on. the federal government because some idiot is worried about whether I have socks on in a place where the public doesn t even show up. Inevitably, hostilities resurfaced. Yelling at controllers and trainees became part of the culture. The contentious environment affected the ability of some developmentals to learn critical job skills. Craig Guensch arrived at Minneapolis Tower six months after the strike, and survived as the only one of his group of five from the academy to certify as a journeyman. Each month, four or five more graduates arrived and usually just one checked out. Guensch credits his success to an understanding supervisor named Nick Conom, who led by example rather than shouting. When Guensch transferred to Miami Tower three years later, he walked into an even more rancorous atmosphere. I saw a supervisor take a strip holder and throw it across the tower off the window because Atlanta Center controller Lee Riley Oct. The FAA awards a $10 million contract to the University of Oklahoma to provide certified instructors to the FAA Academy to help the agency train new controllers.

41 Chapter 2: Opportunity Lost 37 somebody taxied an airplane down the wrong taxiway, says Guensch, who is now the NATCA local vice president at the FAA Command Center in Herndon, Virginia. I ve seen them throw chairs across the room and push controllers across the room in their chairs because they were in the way. While filling out the sign-off log, Miami controllers would mutter with relief, I made it through another one with my ticket intact. Two weeks after the strike, Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis appointed an independent task force to study labor-management relations in the FAA. President Lawrence M. Jones of The Coleman Company, a manufacturer of camping and outdoor recreation products, headed the three-member panel. In March 1982, the Jones Committee released a detailed report documenting what controllers already knew. Despite the massive upheaval of the walkout, little had changed. Morale of most employees at all levels in the FAA is poor, the report stated. The committee attributed this to incompetent and poorly trained managers. Noting that autocratic supervisors made controllers believe the agency did not care about them, the 145-page report warned of recurring problems with employee relations. Lewis conceded the situation had been deteriorating for years, but told reporters he saw no immediate solution. However, he vowed to begin as soon as possible the job of improving the working environment. 1 Controllers summarized the issue more succinctly with a frequent refrain: They fired the wrong half of the work force. Boot Camp Craig Guensch was part of the new breed, one of thousands of controllers hired to rebuild the system. The FAA allowed a lucky few with military experience and the right entrance exam scores to report directly to a tower, radar room, or center. But the vast majority of new-hires formed their first impression of the agency during several months of intensive, boot camp-like training at the revitalized FAA Academy, which is part of the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. Among those in the first class, which began one week after the strike, was a friendly, soft-spoken man named John Tune. Growing up on a farm in southern Missouri, two miles from his grandparents, Tune was drawn by the open horizon and developed an interest in aviation. After high school, he enlisted in the Air Force for six years with the understanding that he could become an air traffic controller. I didn t entirely know what an air traffic controller was back then. I d just heard descriptions from other people, Tune says, echoing a lack of knowledge In March 1982, the Jones Committee released a detailed report documenting continued laborrelations problems within the FAA. The report cited incompetent and poorly trained managers. 17 Oct. AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland tells Robert Poli and John Leyden that the Reagan administration will allow striking controllers to return to work if PATCO calls off the walkout and its leadership acknowledges responsibility. Some PATCO members dispute the deal s authenticity. Five days later, PATCO s Executive Board votes 7-2 to reject the terms, insisting any agreement should also include the resignation of FAA chief J. Lynn Helms.

42 38 Against the Wind John Tune: After working as as a controller in the Air Force, the Missouri native underwent FAA training in the first class at the academy after the strike. / NATCA archives common to newcomers in the profession. Tune was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar equipment and terminology when he first walked into the control tower at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. Fortunately, he was paired with a patient supervisor, six months from retirement. If you want to be a controller and have questions, I ll be happy to answer them, the supervisor said. But I m not going to motivate you to do the job. That s something you have to do yourself. Tune took the advice to heart, hit the books, and peppered his supervisor with queries. He became adept at working T-37s, T-38s, and numerous B-52 training missions before moving on to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Meanwhile, he applied to the FAA to get a head start on joining the agency when he went back to civilian life since it often took months or even years before job openings occurred. The FAA wasn t hiring when Tune left the service in September 1980, so he returned to southern Missouri and busied himself driving forklifts at a lumber mill, working on the mill equipment, and fixing semi-trailer trucks while he waited for the call. He could barely contain his excitement when the phone rang late in the afternoon of August 5 th, Reagan s deadline. It was a goal, Tune says, and I d worked for peanuts long enough. But the strike concerned him. Although Tune didn t know much about unions, he understood that crossing a picket line could be dangerous. He called his former supervisor in the Air Force, who was now working for the FAA, and several other buddies in the agency. Don t worry about it, they told him. They won t fire us all. Go ahead and take the job. Tune and his wife, Faye, drove to the FAA Regional Office in Kansas City for an orientation session on Friday. Then they returned home to pick up their 2½-year-old son and some belongings before heading west to Oklahoma City. Armed with a list of apartments that the Regional Office had supplied, they quickly found a place to live. On Tuesday, August 11, Tune arrived at the academy feeling apprehensive. He didn t know what to expect as he walked past numerous television news cameras and into a large auditorium filled with about sixty people. Among them was Tom Rucker, whom Tune now describes as probably the best controller I ve ever known. During opening remarks, the man at the podium asked everyone in the audience with Oct The FLRA decertifies PATCO, and the union files suit to appeal the action. On December 3, Anthony Skip Skirlick from Los Angeles Center testifies before the U.S. Court of Appeals. He agrees the government has a legal right to fire the strikers, but argues that it serves no purpose to disband a union still numbering several thousand members who are active controllers. However, the court rules in favor of the FLRA in June 1982.

43 Chapter 2: Opportunity Lost 39 military training to raise their hand. You ll probably make it, he announced somberly. The rest of you, good luck. You might be able to get recycled. Subsequent classes heard a variation on the theme. Turn to your left. Turn to your right, they were told. By the time we re done, one of you won t be here. Typically, students watched at least half of their colleagues wash out. While some trainees viewed the academy s curriculum as unrealistic, the need for rigorous standards was understandable. As former academy Deputy Superintendent Doug Murphy once explained: A controller has to make thousands of life-anddeath decisions. The only thing we require is that he make the right decision every time. 2 The strike added a less obvious hurdle for the new-hires. After dividing into several classes, they faced instructors who were strong strike supporters. Many trainers were PATCO members who had A controller has to make thousands of life-and-death decisions. The only thing we require is that he make the right decision every time. taken temporary leave from the boards to work at the academy. Looking askance at the new breed, several intimated that the training would be very difficult. In one class, nine of the ten students failed to graduate. There was little time to worry about it. During their first week, Rucker and other students destined for en route centers immersed themselves in the formidable task of studying a map called Aero Center, which they would be required to draw from memory. Depicting a fictitious center, the map included twenty-one named intersections, sixteen airways, and more than 300 radio frequencies, altitudes, compass bearings, and mileages. Copies of the map were plastered across the walls of apartments, on bedroom ceilings, doors, refrigerators, even in the laundry room of one complex. Those who survived the map challenge sweated through several more weeks of classroom instruction. Every night except Saturday, they studied together at someone s apartment. After a pass/fail Former FAA Academy Deputy Superintendent Doug Murphy 9 Dec. President Reagan rescinds an order banning fired controllers from seeking federal work for three years. However, they are still barred from returning to the FAA. Many controllers who subsequently apply for jobs in other government agencies and at overseas air traffic control facilities claim they have been blacklisted because it s nearly impossible to get hired.

44 40 Against the Wind exam, the lucky survivors moved on to simulated non-radar problems. In an unadorned lab, lined with masonry walls and checkered green linoleum, they were tested on their ability to think in three dimensions. The room also contained several chalkboards and two rows of beige consoles. Each console included a microphone, several intercom switches, and a rack for flight strips. Students sitting along one row practiced being controllers while the other row acted as pilots, following a detailed script to simulate various flights. Some trainees were so intimidated that they simply quit. Looming at the end of the grueling course was a two-hour, 100-question exam. Only those who scored at least seventy out of a possible 100 for all of their work in the program would graduate. You d dream about airplanes and crossing restrictions all night long, recalls Don Brown, who entered the academy in November His half-apack-a-day smoking habit billowed to three packs by graduation. Ironically, he encountered problems You d dream about airplanes and crossing restrictions all night long. even with a background in aviation. Brown knew airplanes like the back of his hand, having been a ramp rat since age 16 at the airport in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Yet he failed the aircraft identification test because the agency mislabeled the planes. When the trainees weren t studying, they blew off steam at parties in each other s apartments and at local hangouts. A favorite was Chi Chi s, which served gargantuan margaritas in fish bowls and sold three drinks for the price of one during happy hour. Waiters at Molly Murphy s dressed in odd clothes, purposely acted rude, and lay across the table while taking customers orders. Salad bar patrons stepped up to a low-slung Jaguar XKE with holes cut into the hood to accommodate bowls of lettuce and garnishes. Many students also frequented the Red Dog Saloon, renowned for the best indoor motorcycle parking in the state. Customers were warned that anyone without a firearm would be issued one at the door. It was a life of excess, says one trainee. The pressure cooker atmosphere also encouraged a cul- Atlanta Center controller Don Brown Dec Robert Poli reluctantly resigns as president of PATCO after a late-evening conference call among PATCO leaders. They maintain that the administration will not alter its stance toward the union until its leadership changes. Vice President Robert Meyer steps down, as well. In a close election the next day, Central Region Vice President Gary Eads succeeds Poli and Western Region VP Domenic Torchia is elected executive vice president.

45 Chapter 2: Opportunity Lost 41 ture of easy morals. No one was married there, not even married couples, says another. The trainees felt a close-knit camaraderie that spilled over into John Tune s family life. When Halloween rolled around, he and his wife felt uncomfortable dressing up their young son as a trick-or-treater and taking him to strangers houses. Not wanting the tot to miss one of the little pleasures of childhood, several trainees stopped by the Tune apartment wearing masks and bearing bags of candy. Their home overflowed again on Thanksgiving, when fellow students watched football, drank beer, and enjoyed a holiday feast that Faye Tune prepared. After taking the final exam in early December 1981, hopeful trainees spent an anxious night awaiting their scores, which were posted on a board the next day. Tom Rucker was the only one of his class of ten to graduate. For many who survived the boot camp, their joy was often cut short when the realities of the job sank in after arriving at their assigned facility. Tune received a cordial reception at Wichita Tower, but Rucker confronted his biggest test yet. The day he reported to Kansas City Center, he learned the facility hadn t checked out a trainee in six years and was told they didn t plan to start with him. Rucker viewed the odds as a challenge. He certified eighteen months later. Graduates watched many of their academy brethren wash out for no apparent reason other than personality conflicts with journeymen controllers and FAA managers. Some endured what amounted to an initiation rite. I ll let you make coffee for a week and then we ll see if you can put a headset on straight, John Carr s trainer told him at Kansas City Tower/ TRACON. If coffee is part of the job, you can just wash my ass out right now, Carr responded with his usual forthrightness. The peeved instructor replied, I m not going to tell the supervisor, but I ll make you a project that I can wash out myself. Carr, who d spent two years as a Navy controller in Corpus Christi, Texas, and another two on the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier, checked out with relative ease. Lack of staffing sometimes resulted in hasty training, particularly at control towers and TRA- CONs. Controllers who certified on a position many referred to this as a pencil whipping immediately began training others. Some struggled as traffic volumes continued to mount. In a follow-up report issued by the Jones Committee in November 1984, one controller noted: We re moving them up too fast. Usually, a check ride is taken in average traffic. That s what they re qualified for average traffic. Although the FAA publicly maintained that Lack of staffing sometimes resulted in hasty training. Controllers who certified on a position immediately began training others. 31 Dec. The FLRA certifies the Professional Airways Systems Specialists to represent the FAA s electronics technicians.

46 42 Against the Wind Sign of the times: This warning is posted at all FAA centers, towers, and TRA- CONs. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the agency has been improving security at its facilities. / Japphire the skies had never been safer, the agency reported 589 near midair collisions during 1984, a 64 percent increase over While rookies poured out of the academy s doors and spent several years earning their stripes, near misses climbed another 80 percent to a peak of 1,058 in 1987 before declining steadily thereafter. Despite the soaring number of close calls, however, no major accidents occurred that involved controller error. Seeds of Discontent In an effort to improve its relations with employees, the FAA formed groups of managers and controllers in early 1982 to address local issues. With the right people, these Facility Advisory Boards and Human Relations Councils known as FABs and HRCs could give controllers a voice and effect real change. Too often, however, they focused on inconsequential concerns and management ignored the committee s recommendations. As a result, the initiative proved largely futile and piled on another frustration for controllers. A supervisor named Freddie Fisher ran the FAB in Lincoln, Nebraska. Controllers would submit suggestions for consideration, yet he d typically hand them right back, asserting they wouldn t go anyplace. Dan Brandt, a husky Midwesterner who spent 8½ years in the Air Force before joining the FAA after the strike, objected one day. Wait a minute, he said. Isn t this a group decision? I m chairman of the board, Fisher replied crisply. If I say it doesn t go, it doesn t go. Controller Fred Gilbert served as the FAB chairman at Chicago Center. We took the order at face value, he says, and became proactive on airspace, personnel, and other issues. During monthly telephone conferences among all four centers in the Great Lakes Region, Gilbert and his colleagues realized they faced the same problems. They quickly realized that a meeting of all center FABs made sense. Gilbert crafted a questionnaire to query controllers about work issues and whether a national meeting should be held. The FABs from all twenty-four centers and center-approach controls CERAPs from Guam to Puerto Rico responded with a Jan The FAA announces the National Airspace System Plan, which outlines a twenty-year blueprint. Key elements include: Replacing the aging and unreliable IBM 9020 mainframe computers and developing sector suites at the agency s en route centers; consolidating facilities; implementing Mode S transponders, which ultimately will enable communications between controllers and pilots; and installing Doppler weather radar.

47 Chapter 2: Opportunity Lost 43 resounding yes, although two indicated they could not afford the trip. Knowing that it could take several years for the FAA to fund such a gathering, Gilbert planned an affair for the spring of 1983 that would be economical enough for controllers to pay their own way. Then he approached management to ask for their input. The facility chief, acting on orders from the Regional Office, summoned Gilbert soon after and told him to kill the meeting. Other managers also browbeat Gilbert and intimidated members of the Chicago Center FAB. Gilbert finally capitulated and canceled the event. Later that summer, Gilbert was asked to testify at a congressional hearing on controller stress. The FAA s notoriety extended beyond the Jones Committee report, and Capitol Hill continued to monitor the industry. Gilbert appeared with half a dozen other controllers and managers. Obviously prepped in advance, committee members asked him a series of pointed questions about the canceled FAB conference. One congressman wanted to know whether management s intimidation had been stressful. For the rest of my life, this will define what stress is, Gilbert replied. The agency gradually phased out FABs by NATCA and the FAA had signed their first contract by this time, and the committees were in violation of Articles 7 and 48, which concerned negotiations over changes in the workplace. The opportunity was here to improve the situation tremendously and the opportunity was lost, says Jack Crouse, a Washington Center controller who chose not to strike and later helped lead the effort to form a new union at the facility. The FAA did not take advantage of it. Instead, the agency turned a deaf ear to complaints from its work force and a blind eye to the Jones Committee reports and General Accounting Office studies that documented the FAA s abysmal employee-management relations. Staggering under the weight of so many autocratic managers, the agency found itself incapable of significant change. Just as the PATCO strike had evolved into a fait accompli, so, too, did these new seeds of discontent inevitably blossom into the desire for regaining union representation Incompetent management found to be a factor in low morale among controllers. Daily Labor Reporter. 17 March (No. 52). 2. Chiles, Jim The rigors of air traffic control school. Smithsonian Magazine. January. 2 July PATCO files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. President Gary Eads says the union has $5 million in assets but owes $40 million, including $33.4 million to airlines for violating a 1970 injunction against striking.

48 We wanted a greater voice because we knew what happened when we didn t have one. President John Carr Day of reckoning: NATCA provisional regional reps and others listen to national organizer John Thornton, right, on June 11, 1987, when the FLRA tallied votes that resulted in union certification. / NATCA archives

49 Chapter 3 A Long and Winding Road The day shift had ended at Washington Center, a squat, oblong building clad in red brick and white corrugated metal siding on the outskirts of Leesburg, Virginia. Many of the controllers trudging across the parking lot were exhausted. Washington Center handles traffic over eight states, including the congested New York-D.C. corridor. Since 1981, the number of flights had increased 20 percent to an average of 6,000 a day, yet the ranks of radar controllers had rebounded to only about half their pre-strike levels. On this afternoon in the fall of 1983, twelve to fifteen controllers chose not to go directly home. Alerted by word of mouth to a special meeting, they gathered around a large conference table in a training room on the second floor of the facility. Many of them, including a well-liked man named Rick Jones, were veterans who had stayed on the job in Jones stood up and began talking about a new program the FAA planned to implement at all of its centers called Structured Staffing. The agency intended to limit the number of full-performance level radar controllers. New-hires could not move up until there was a vacancy. It appeared no relief was in sight for FPLs weary of six-day weeks that resulted from short staffing. My head, my stomach, my whole body is spinning around, one controller said at the time. I can t keep up with the workload. You either need more people to do the work or you need less work it s a simple equation. 1 Another aspect of Structured Staffing, which the FAA put into effect soon after the Washington Center meeting, gave priority for on-the-job training to developmentals with college credits, regardless of previous air traffic control Paul Williams Birthplace: Frustrated by short-staffing, air traffic controllers at Washington Center formed a facility-based organization called NATCA during the fall of 1983.

50 46 Against the Wind experience. On the surface, the policy appeared to be profiling. It favored new-hires with more education, a group that might be less likely to harbor pro-union sentiments. But, rather than quell another uprising, the agency sparked a fire. Angry trainees with more seniority watched helplessly as they were passed over. Ex-military controllers in the FAA were particularly incensed. Despite their years at military air bases or onboard aircraft carriers, they were relegated to passing out flight strips and assisting radar controllers. Meanwhile, less experienced colleagues, many of whom had no aviation background, advanced in the training program and enjoyed accompanying pay raises. The academy was tough enough, says Atlanta Center controller Don Brown, whose class in Oklahoma City lost 65 percent. Once we got back, we had to do just about as much work all over again before My head, my stomach, my whole body is spinning around. I can t keep up with the workload. You either need more people to do the work or you need less work it s a simple equation. we got on the floor. And then we got on the floor and that was tough. But we survived this process where you had to be superhuman to do it because the vast majority of us didn t make it and what was our reward? They held us up six months. The issue involved more than money. For academy graduates who d been told they could check out at their en route center in two years and two days an impractical goal for such a complex job, they realized later this constituted the first big lie from their employer. The FAA also proposed a variation of Structured Staffing for towers and TRACONs, but never implemented it. For the Washington Center controllers who had gathered after work, the mere prospect of Structured Staffing was the last straw. Most of them had been fully trained long ago. But the center dearly needed more radar controllers so they could cut back on their overtime hours. Nor did the old guard like how the program would delay Washington Center controller July A Pan American World Airways 727 departing from New Orleans International Airport encounters wind shear and crashes, killing all 145 aboard and eight on the ground. A subsequent study recommends wider use of Low-Level Wind Shear Alert Systems at airports, and in October 1983 the FAA orders fifty-one more systems. By October 1991, LLWAS units are installed at 110 airports across the country.

51 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 47 timely advancement of new-hires. Rick Jones and others in the room agreed that the only way they could try to change the new policy, along with other issues, was through a labor union. Philosophical deliberation quickly turned tactical: Who could lead their embryonic group? For president, Jones suggested Jack Crouse, an Air Force veteran who had worked at Rochester Tower and Baltimore Approach before transferring to the center about six weeks before the strike. Easygoing and articulate, Crouse seemed like a good choice and the controllers appointed him without bothering to vote. They also agreed on Charlie Bolling for vice president and a tall, heavyset controller named Mike Scott, who d previously worked at Chicago Center, for treasurer. For secretary, they prevailed on John Bentley, a Washington Center mainstay since 1970 who was perfectly suited for the position. He owned a key tool of the trade a RadioShack TRS-80 computer. With that settled, a new question arose: What should they call themselves? Someone suggested PATCA, replacing Organization with Association. Crouse shook his head. Too close to PATCO, he said. Someone else proposed NATCO, and the wheels began turning. The Air Traffic Control Association still existed, so ATCA was ruled out. But what if they added the word National in front of it? The group made no decision that day, but they soon adopted the name National Air Traffic Controllers Association, despite their intention to form a single-facility union. The organizers created simple membership cards and those who joined contributed whatever they could afford each month. NATCA s founders wanted to get back with the AFL-CIO, as their predecessor union had been. But they learned the vast labor organization was not accepting unions directly. Instead, NAT- CA would need to join through an AFL-CIO affiliate. Undeterred, NATCA contacted the American Federation of Government Employees, which represented about 750,000 workers employed by sixtyseven agencies and the District of Columbia. The controllers issues were all too familiar to organizer John Thornton, whom AFGE had hired a year earlier. New union: Within six months of its founding, two-thirds of Washington Center controllers had signed a petition supporting the proposed labor organization. 5 Nov. The FAA announces it will consider specially qualified air traffic controller applicants who are 31 to 35 years old, waiving the previous age limit of 31. The change applies to the November 8-30 application period and any other application periods through 1984.

52 48 Against the Wind Jan. A fired striker, Thornton had been out of work until early He and his family survived on his wife s nursing salary until he picked up a job selling insurance, although he continued to lobby Capitol Hill to get the strikers rehired. Several months later, John Leyden told Thornton about the job at AFGE and he soon found himself working happily for the largest federal employee union in the country. But when his boss approached him about organizing the Washington Center controllers he was the only PATCO member on staff Thornton resisted. I didn t want to do it, he says. These were people who had replaced me. I had a lot of baggage to get over. Wrestling with his emotions, Thornton finally recognized the wisdom of helping after Leyden said to him, There s no way the government will allow fired controllers to be rehired unless they re unionized. One evening in December 1983, as Thornton headed toward the door at AFGE headquarters on his way to meet some of the Leesburg organizers, union President Ken Blaylock caught his eye and stopped him. Now, John, when you get there, you tell those people that AFGE was the only union to support PATCO. Make sure they know that, Blaylock said. Thornton nodded politely. He knew the NAT- CA contingent would never respond to that type of message and suddenly realized how little the clerical The FAA increases requirements for on-the-job instructors. They must be certified on the position they are training, worked it for at least 30 solo hours, and been certified as an instructor. A Face from the Past After serving as a controller in the Air Force for eight years including a year at Phan Rang Air Base in Vietnam John Thornton joined the FAA in 1973 at Washington National Tower/TRACON. He ran for president of the PATCO local three years later while still a trainee. His brother-in-law, Victor Padgett, an FPL at the facility, tossed his name in the ring, too, telling Thornton, I didn t think anyone should run unopposed. But Padgett cast his ballot for Thornton, who won by a single vote. Tall, soft-spoken, and professional, Thornton distinguished himself as a union leader at the facility and as a voting representative at several PATCO conventions, speaking for towers and TRACONs from Pittsburgh south to Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia. With a young daughter at home, the 36-year-old father worried about the health consequences of his job. He couldn t bear to endure the same fate as a friend a few years older who d suffered a heart attack and was no longer able to pick up his children. Thornton joined the chorus for a strike in hopes of gaining a better retirement and shorter workweek. Like other notables in PATCO, his activism attracted unwanted attention. He

53 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 49 Courtesy of Howie Barte John Thornton: The former PATCO controller found himself organizing a largely new work force two years after the strike. was singled out with five other controllers in Washington, D.C., and Virginia and arrested on felony charges of striking against the government. Kenneth Conklin, the attorney who represented Thornton and two other defendants, negotiated a settlement with the Justice Department in which they would plead no contest to misdemeanor contempt charges and pay a small fine. But two weeks before Christmas in 1981, the final court hearing took an unexpected turn. The government has made its point, but the court s point is a little different: the integrity of its orders, District Judge Albert Bryan Jr. told Conklin and his clients. 2 They made one mistake, Conklin argued in their defense. They didn t go back to work. 3 Unmoved, the judge ignored the plea bargain agreement and sentenced the defendants to ten days in the Fairfax County Jail. Thornton, Tom Galloway, who had been the PATCO president at Washington Center, and another center controller named Bill Lombardi Jr. glanced at each other in shock. When the hearing concluded, federal marshals handcuffed the three nervous men, secured their legs with shackles, and shuffled them out the back door of the courthouse to an official car. In a conciliatory gesture, another judge reduced the $5,000 fines levied against Thornton and Galloway to $1,000 each later that day. * To their relief, the three controllers were locked up together in the same cellblock with older, non-violent inmates. For ten sobering days, they slept fitfully on mattresses on the floor and listened as guards regularly broke up fights among younger convicts across the hall. The worst moment for Thornton came that first night when he faced his wife and daughter through the thick glass separating him from the visitors room. Ginny had been present at all previous hearings, but on Thornton s advice she skipped the final court appearance on the assumption that it would be routine. Alerted by his attorney, she quickly called relatives before they watched the evening news. Eleven-year-old Michelle handled it well, too, though Thornton still worried that the experience would frighten her. When the trio was released, 200 controllers and their families massed outside the jailhouse to greet them in a touching show of support. * Fines were also reduced for the PATCO presidents from Dulles Tower/TRACON and Newport News, Virginia. Stephen Wallaert of Norfolk Tower/TRACON was not fined, but spent a week in jail in August 1981.

54 50 Against the Wind union understood his former profession. The key, he believed, was to focus on controller issues. Outlining the process of forming a union, he explained to the group that they had to collect signatures calling for an election from at least 30 percent of the work force. The petition would then be filed with the Federal Labor Relations Authority. Then, once an election was scheduled, a majority would have to vote in favor of the union. The next month, President Reagan recited the oath of office for his second term. At AFGE, Thornton s phone began ringing with calls from controllers in New York, Atlanta, several cities in Florida, and elsewhere. The Pressure Cooker Brian Fallon Expanding interest: The strike wiped out much of the work force at New York TRACON. Heavy traffic, understaffing, and a difficult certification process for trainees prompted controllers to discuss organizing a new union in early Situated along bustling Stewart Avenue in the Long Island suburb of Westbury is New York TRA- CON. The boxy white building contains a cavernous dark room with radarscopes lining all four walls and rows of lockers that stand upright like sentries behind the scopes. In the center of the room are more scopes, plus desks for supervisors and other personnel. From here, controllers juggle thousands of arrivals and departures every day from seventeen airport towers crowded into some of the most congested airspace in the world. Aside from the big three Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Teterboro in New Jersey ranks as one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country. Controllers also coordinate en route traffic crossing over the metropolitan area with Boston, New York, and Washington centers. Formerly known as the Common IFR Room, the facility earned a notorious reputation in the wake of the strike for its heavy traffic and harsh manage Feb. Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis leaves office after serving since January 23, Feb. Elizabeth Dole takes over from Lewis. Dole, most recently assistant to President Reagan for public liaison, had served in government posts as far back as the Johnson administration.

55 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 51 ment, which increasingly leaned on the decimated work force to move more metal. The pressure cooker atmosphere was often brutal for trainees, half of whom washed out. Walking on eggshells trying to please their instructors, they frequented the local T.G.I. Friday s and other watering holes, hoping to pass muster with the FPLs in an initiation rite to certification. The atmosphere also helped spawn close friendships and a hotbed of unionism that brought together such activists as Phil Barbarello, Steve Bell, Joe Fruscella, Steve Kelley, and Joe O Brien, all of whom worked in the Newark sector, and Barry Krasner over in the LaGuardia area. * George Kerr was now on the boards at the TRA- CON, too, working in the Islip sector. After losing his re-election bid as the Eastern Region vice president for PATCO, he left office a month before the strike. Kerr suffered from hepatitis A, a condition that prevented him from passing the FAA s medical exam, his ticket back to the boards. Consequently, he watched sadly from home as thousands of fellow union members forfeited their careers. By the time he recuperated, PATCO had been decertified. With the help of the FAA Eastern Region director and the agency s head of labor relations, who respected Kerr s honesty and even-handedness, he was rehired in September Kerr immediately saw that little had changed within the FAA. He also felt a certain debt over getting his job back. I m a trade unionist and I do believe in this thing called the brotherhood, he says. When new controllers sought his advice on workplace issues, he offered it freely. Krasner, O Brien, and others had learned about NATCA at Washington Center. Frustrated by the ineffectiveness of the TRACON s Human Relations Council, they heeded Kerr s whispered suggestions about organizing and held a meeting for controllers in early 1984 at the Westbury Holiday Inn. Only a handful of people showed up, but the group was determined to move forward. They appointed O Brien and Krasner as president and vice president, respectively, of an organization with no formal name. Krasner, who grew up in Flushing, New York, had quit high school five months before graduation (he later earned his GED) and served as a surveillance radar controller on a guided missile frigate in the Atlantic. After his discharge from the Navy, he attended electronics school and opened a shop with a friend. But the business relationship soured and he drifted along selling electronics parts. By the time of Joe O Brien: The former Navy controller was 22 when he started at New York TRACON in February Two years later, he was appointed the facility s first local president. / Courtesy of Howie Barte * In spring 2002, New York TRACON boasted 100 percent membership in NATCA. With 250 controllers and fourteen traffic management specialists, it was the largest such local in the country. Chicago Center ranked as the local with the most members 400. Fall The FAA institutes Structured Staffing at its centers. The program limits the number of radar controllers, which delays training for new-hires and increases overtime for journeymen. Structured Staffing also gives priority for on-the-job training to controllers with college credits regardless of previous ATC experience. The FAA dissolves Structured Staffing in June 1984, but it leads some frustrated controllers to thoughts of a union.

56 52 Against the Wind the strike, Krasner was on the brink of turning 29, and realized he and his wife needed more financial security. Air traffic control seemed like a good bet. He took the FAA s entrance exam and the agency soon called to offer him a job. Despite his experience in the Navy, Krasner didn t know much about air traffic control, least of all the distinction between centers and TRACONs. When the FAA asked him where he wanted to work, he inquired, What s the highest-paying place closest to my house? New York TRACON, the agency said. Krasner promptly told them the TRACON was his choice. At the academy, though, he began to question his decision. Instructors who heard where he was headed after graduation would often ask, Who did you piss off? Krasner s interest in the union was an anomaly for his family, which only knew about organized labor from word of mouth. When he called home to announce his intentions and seek advice, the response reflected that culture. Don t do it. Just walk away, said his father, a chiropractor. You re going to be fired just like the rest of them. Krasner shrugged off his concerns. He and the other activists met with John Thornton and went about the process of gathering signatures for an election petition. To fund their venture, they instituted voluntary dues of $5 a pay period. More than half of the controllers supported the effort, coughing up money to crew reps who came around to collect. A Daunting Task Japphire Atlanta Center: Organizing began here in spring 1984 after controllers heard about efforts in Washington and New York. Despite fear of management reprisals, 30 percent of the center s controllers signed a petition within one week. Atlanta Center lies tucked away off Highway 19/41, across the road from the Atlanta Motor Speedway in rural Hampton, Georgia, a half-hour s drive south of the city. During a midnight shift, controller Lee Riley leaned back in his chair, propped both feet up on the console, and chatted on the phone with a colleague in Leesburg. Riley, who had all of two years of experience in the FAA, was commiserating about a software program installed recently at the centers. Traditionally, 1983 Fall Controllers at Washington Center talk about creating an independent union at their facility. Veterans Jack Crouse, Charlie Bolling, John Bentley, and Mike Scott lead the effort, which they call the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Other facilities also launch organizing efforts soon after, including New York Center and TRACON, and control towers in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Bradley, Connecticut.

57 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 53 center controllers visually estimated the horizontal separation minimum of five miles between planes. The new program called the Operational Error Detection Patch automatically documented instances when Riley and his colleagues underestimated five miles by as little as 528 feet. Controllers were suffering deals left and right while they grew used to the software, which they scornfully referred to as the Snitch and Squeal-a- Deal. Riley s ears perked up when he heard about the formation of NATCA in Leesburg. He passed the word on to several Atlanta Center controllers, including his brother, Bill, who owned a trucking business with Lee on the side and had been hired immediately after the strike. Galvanized by the activity at Washington Center, the group held a meeting in April 1984 at a nearby Holiday Inn to gauge union interest at their facility. They kept the gathering secret from management in hopes of attracting a larger turnout, but only a dozen or so controllers attended. Among them was a crew member from Bill Riley s area named Randy Carter. Hard working and low-key, Carter represented the antithesis of unionism, and to Riley his presence spoke volumes about frustration among the rank and file. Despite the fear of retaliation from management, the controllers formed a research committee. Tom Allen, Al Damalas, and Bob Hoffman were appointed to check out their options. Damalas called his old friend, John Leyden, who put the Atlanta group in touch with George Kerr and NATCA. Kerr told Damalas about the AFGEsponsored petition drive at New York TRACON, as well as another one at New York Center. In late spring, the Atlanta Center contingent decided to align itself with AFGE, too, and started to gather signatures. Riley and company faced a daunting task in the South. Widespread textile mill strikes earlier in the century as many as 400,000 walked out in 1934 had cultivated a deep-rooted aversion to labor unions. Wounds were still fresh for those who endured the upheaval in And many new-hires turned a cold shoulder to anything resembling a PATCO II organization. Controllers who stood still long enough to listen to the pitch about signing a petition fretted over the vast wasteland of trainee washouts, management clampdowns on phraseology mistakes, and a general fear of the unknown. More than a few who signed Lee Riley: Along with his brother, Bill, he was an early advocate for a new controllers union. Riley later became Southern regional representative. / NATCA archives 23 Dec. A Korean Air Lines cargo DC-10 attempting to take off in fog from Anchorage International Airport collides on the runway with a Piper Navajo. The accident injures three people and destroys both planes. Subsequently, ground radar known as Airport Surface Detection Equipment undergoing testing at the FAA Technical Center is transferred to Anchorage. On October 10, 1985, the agency orders thirteen more ASDE-3 units.

58 54 Against the Wind sheepishly approached organizers later and asked them to scratch their name off the list. I never saw any management retribution, Bill Riley says. But the fear was there. Nevertheless, 30 percent of Atlanta Center controllers signed within the first week of their drive. The numbers were mounting elsewhere, too. In late May 1984, AFGE filed a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority for an independent, facility-only union at Washington Center. NATCA s petition included signatures from twothirds of the 320 controllers in Leesburg. In June, AFGE filed petitions from New York Center and TRACON and Atlanta Center, the first salvos in a nationwide drive. Although the eventual union would be relatively small, organizing presented a monumental challenge. The FAA s 12,000 controllers staffed about Controllers must be recognized by their employers as the professional group that they are, and must be provided with the work rules needed to exercise their judgments free of fatigue and overburdened working conditions. 450 facilities scattered across all fifty states and several U.S. territories. Hoping to obtain faster results, AFGE planned to separately organize each of the agency s nine regions before combining them into a national unit. The union would be designated a council of AFGE rather than a full affiliate. As such, it was called the American Air Traffic Controllers Council or AATCC. Meanwhile, another government union known as the National Federation of Federal Employees submitted petitions from control towers in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Bradley- Windsor Locks in Connecticut. Whether the combined activity influenced the FAA is unclear, but the agency suspended its Structured Staffing program that same month. The controllers efforts also attracted outside attention and gained significant credibility when the influ- ALPA President Henry A. Duffy 1983/84 31 Dec. The FAA cancels its General Aviation Reservation system, which had been in effect for private pilots wishing to fly IFR since the PATCO strike 2½ years earlier. 31 Jan. FAA Administrator J. Lynn Helms leaves office after serving since April 22, 1981.

59 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 55 ential Air Line Pilots Association endorsed their cause. We don t wish to see a return to old attitudes, ALPA President Henry A. Duffy said. To prevent that, the controllers must be recognized by their employers as the professional group that they are, and must be provided with the work rules needed to exercise their judgments free of fatigue and overburdened working conditions. 4 Like sparks from a prairie fire, pockets of interest ignited rapidly. Drives sponsored by AFGE spread south into West Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida, where former PATCO controller Art Joseph at Miami Center was collecting signatures. They took flight in the Midwest under Fred Gilbert s stewardship at Chicago Center and at Indianapolis Center, where Mike Ford one of the strikers who d successfully appealed his firing formed a loose-knit group with some colleagues called the Professional Controllers Alliance. Out West, veterans Phil Greer at Oakland Center and Anthony Skip Skirlick at Los Angeles Center sounded the call. In New England, Howie Barte, who d refused to strike in Rhode Island, heard about the Washington Center effort earlier in the spring. Barte, with warm green eyes punctuated by dark eyebrows and a face framed in a Dutch boy haircut, was no stranger to union activism. A former pilot for three air taxi outfits in Puerto Rico, he joined the FAA during a hiring binge in 1970 and later served for eighteen months as the local PATCO president at the tower in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Barte transferred to Quonset TRA- CON in After barely finishing classroom training, he demonstrated his characteristic feistiness by successfully challenging management s decision to reschedule developmentals who were supposed to work on Labor Day, robbing them of holiday pay. He later became editor of the Quonset TRACON Tabloid, a PATCO newsletter. Now, however, Barte was reluctant to jump into the fray again. I really didn t want to have anything to do with unions because of the fear and anguish that PATCO put me through, he says. But the FAA made me realize how shortsighted that was. He, too, phoned Kerr and subsequently received a call from John Thornton. At a meeting in May, Thornton met Barte, Donna Gropper, who was a controller at Providence Tower, and eight or so others from Quonset, Providence, New Bedford, and Groton, Connecticut. Once again, Thornton mapped out the road to a union. After returning to Washington, Thornton called Barte to ask if he d serve as the New England organizing representative. With 8- and 11-year-old daugh- Dynamic duo: Controllers Donna Gropper and Howie Barte led the drive to organize facilities throughout New England during the summer of / NATCA archives Apr. Retired Navy Vice Adm. Donald D. Engen takes over as FAA administrator from J. Lynn Helms, who resigned two months earlier. Engen received twenty-nine decorations for flying in World War II. He also flew combat missions in the Korean War. After retiring from the Navy in 1978, he worked for Piper Aircraft Corporation and the consulting firm Kentron before becoming a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.

60 56 Against the Wind Donna Gropper: Since the FAA hired her in 1975, Gropper has worked in numerous union and management positions. She is now air traffic manager at Orlando Tower/ TRACON. Workers and management laud her collaborative philosophy. / Japphire * PATCO s bargaining unit included automation specialists, who maintain the software programs that run radarscopes and other equipment at FAA facilities. They logically became involved in efforts for a new union. ters who kept him on the go and a half-built addition in the back of his home waiting to be finished, Barte declined. All I wanted was a contract, he says. I didn t want to be a leader. I didn t have time to get involved. Thornton then asked Gropper, who agreed. Like Barte, she had been involved in PATCO as the secretary and vice president of the union local at Mac Arthur TRACAB (a combined tower and TRACON) on Long Island. However, Barte, a passionate, driven individual who could not stand idly on the sidelines, called Thornton back. We ll give you two for the price of one, he said. We ll be co-reps. Throughout the summer, the two arduously mounted their drive for signatures, quickly turning petitions over to AFGE from the four facilities that attended the May meeting as well as others in New England. During all of their spare time, Barte burned up the phone lines making contacts while Gropper tapped a staccato beat on their Royal typewriter crafting a monthly newsletter to spread the gospel. On October 22, 1984, AFGE filed a petition on behalf of all facilities in New England, making it the first region to seek an election for a union. The bargaining unit would represent about 665 controllers, automation specialists, and air traffic assistants. * It really took fire in the Northeast, recalls Gropper, who later moved into several management positions along the Eastern Seaboard before assuming her current job as air traffic manager at Orlando Tower/TRACON. But I was amazed by how the rest of the country came through pretty quickly, too. It was a grass-roots effort. By this time, AFGE had filed petitions from twenty-eight facilities and organizing had branched out into Kansas, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and as far away as Alaska. A Damaging Rift Even as the controllers celebrated reaching a major milestone in New England, several brewing problems threatened their momentum. In Atlanta, the Riley brothers disliked AFGE s policy of making their proposed union a council rather than a separate affiliate. We have different 1984 May AFGE files a petition with the FLRA to form NATCA at Washington Center. The petition is signed by 214 controllers, about two-thirds of those working in Leesburg, Virginia. In June, AFGE also files petitions for Atlanta Center, and New York Center and TRACON for a union called the American Air Traffic Controllers Council (AATCC). NFFE files for unions at control towers in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Bradley, Connecticut.

61 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 57 needs. We wanted to be our own game, Lee Riley says. How could the controllers expect AFGE to negotiate on their behalf for a straight 20-year retirement, extra sick leave, and a major pay raise when its legions of office workers could not justify the same consideration because of the less stressful nature of their jobs? Other controllers agreed up to a point. Yes, their profession faced unique issues that were foreign to AFGE s membership. But they did not believe the union s policy on councils was a showstopper. If AFGE failed to serve them adequately, the controllers could affiliate with another union after they were certified as a bargaining unit. The Rileys disagreed, however, and withdrew their support for AATCC. * The brothers did not speak officially for the Southern Region, but their actions affected the organizing. Only 24 percent of the region s 2,700 controllers had signed AATCC petitions by December In a yearend status report, AFGE organizing director David Kushner noted that the rift hurt us quite badly and spilled over to Southwest, Central, and Western-Pacific regions. At a just-concluded meeting in Chicago, he wrote, several AATCC regional representatives talked about the difficulty in attracting younger controllers. The new-hires echoed the Rileys contention that a union of clerical workers didn t understand their profession well enough to help them effectively. Even in the Eastern Region, anchored by the labor stronghold of New York, Kushner warned that support for AFGE was waning. Predictably, AATCC also faced resistance from its employer, which did not welcome the prospect of another union regardless of its affiliation. Retired Navy Adm. Donald Engen, who had taken over as FAA administrator from J. Lynn Helms in April 1984, publicly acknowledged that the agency never really resolved its labor problems. But he said he preferred to work with controllers individually. 5 That July, the FAA moved to derail the organizers. In a motion filed with the FLRA, the agency sought to consolidate all the facility petitions into a single national bargaining unit. The employees covered by the petitions do not have a community of interest separate and distinct from controllers elsewhere, the FAA argued. The FLRA scheduled hearings in November to consider the issue. Ironically, the FAA had taken the opposite stance in 1970 when it demanded that PATCO form single-facility unions. As a result of the agency s current tactic, controllers would have to invest significantly more time and money to collect signatures from 30 percent of the entire work force before an election could be held. The outlook was even gloomier at Washington Center, where the agency s action appeared to doom the independent NATCA. In September, Jack Crouse and company decided to merge their effort with The darkest cloud overshadowing the organizing effort was money. AFGE had serious financial difficulties. * In March 1985, Lee Riley and Anthony Skip Skirlick formed an organization called the United Air Traffic Controllers Lobby in hopes of affiliating directly with ALPA. However, the group never got off the ground. 22 Oct. AFGE files a petition for AATCC New England. More than 40 percent of controllers have signed petition cards. The FLRA holds hearings on AATCC s petition November The FAA challenges the proposed union on the grounds that it is regional rather than national and includes data systems specialists (they were included in PATCO s bargaining unit). A regional FLRA director rules in AATCC s favor, but the FAA appeals.

62 58 Against the Wind AATCC and the NATCA name was dropped. The darkest cloud overshadowing the effort was money. AFGE membership had plummeted during the early 1980s, creating serious financial difficulties. In his report, Kushner proposed a conservative budget of $675,000 to continue organizing the controllers in He conceded it would take another twelve to fifteen months before AFGE could expect enough money in dues from AATCC to cover its costs. Kushner also worried about the shallow support for the effort among AFGE s national vice presidents, given its financial constraints and the challenges of organizing a different Japphire 800 Independence Avenue: In its appeal against petitions for regional unions, the FAA argued that it ran the air traffic control system from headquarters in Washington and, therefore, the new bargaining unit should be nationwide. type of work force. The movement at Washington Center, which began a mere two years after the strike, had sparked regional activity and coalesced into a promising takeoff. But as AATCC ended 1984 on a tenuous note, the flight toward a national union was in danger of stalling. Controllers Win a Round A badly needed victory lifted spirits on February 28, 1985, when the FLRA approved the New England petition. The ruling followed three days of hearings the previous November, when the FAA reiterated its objection to the proposed single-facility unions in Atlantic City and Bradley-Windsor Locks as well as the regional unit in New England. The agency argued that it directed air traffic operations and employee relations from its headquarters at 800 Independence Avenue in Washington not from its nine regional offices. Therefore, any union should be national in scope. The FAA also maintained that automation specialists were part of management and should not be included in any bargaining unit. FLRA Regional Director S. Jesse Reuben partially agreed and dismissed petitions for the singlefacility unions. But he allowed the New England unit by noting that FAA regional directors have broad au- Nov At an AATCC New England meeting, controllers elect Howie Barte from Quonset TRACON in Rhode Island as their regional representative. Several other regions also have reps by this time: Eastern, Joe D Alessio, later replaced by Joe O Brien, both from New York TRACON; Great Lakes, Fred Gilbert from Chicago Center; Northwest Mountain, Gary Molen from Salt Lake Center.

63 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 59 thority concerning day-to-day conditions of employment. Reuben also agreed with AATCC s inclusion of automation specialists and air traffic assistants in the union since employees in both jobs worked closely with controllers. Traffic assistants even reported to the same supervisors and personnel office. The FAA had sixty days to appeal, until which time the election for a union in New England remained on hold. Nevertheless, the ruling thrilled AATCC s organizers. They were also encouraged that the FLRA s regional director understood the FAA s inconsistent management policies. All controllers knew that the FAA was not the cohesive, nationwide entity it purported to be. Substantial differences in work rules, terminology, and even some operating procedures existed among the regions, giving rise to the term the Nine Kingdoms. Shortly after the ruling, Eastern Region gathered enough signatures to petition the FLRA for a second regional unit. By the spring of 1985, AATCC had submitted sixty-four petitions more than double the number from the previous October from facilities in twenty states and Puerto Rico, thanks to dogged efforts by Thornton, two organizers he d hired, and numerous controllers. Discontent was so pervasive at the San Juan CERAP that Barte and Gropper signed up most of the controllers during a three-day trip to Puerto Rico. AFGE s Eastern states organizer was Beth Thomas. A former operating room nurse turned controller, Thomas had firsthand experience with the issues and was steeped in union culture. She had grown up in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where her grandfather sloshed through knee-deep, icy water in the state s coal mines. His descriptions of the hazardous working conditions miners carried a canary with them through the dark, dank tunnels to warn of toxic gases left a lasting impression about the important protections that unions can provide. Thomas s mother worked for the city and belonged to a union, as did several uncles who held railroad jobs. Her husband, Chuck, was a fired controller in Tampa. Beth Thomas had applied to the agency in the 1970s and was waiting to be hired when the strike hit. The FAA offered her a job soon after, but she declined. However, she accepted a second offer in December 1981 and was assigned to small control towers in Hagerstown, Maryland, and Binghamton, New York. Unable to transfer back to Tampa, where Beth Thomas: The controller turned labor organizer understood the pressures of her former profession. Even so, Thomas fought an uphill battle persuading controllers to support a new union. / NATCA archives 30 Nov. The United States Air Traffic Control Organization disbands due to a lack of money. USATCO was created in April 1982 and included about 800 members at its peak in Existing without a contract or an employer, USATCO focused on reinstating the fired controllers. Membership continually dwindled, however, in the face of a May 1984 federal court ruling against reinstatement and President Reagan s re-election in the fall.

64 Beth Thomas Traffic Management Specialist 2001 Pre s e n t Operating Initials: ET NATCA archives Hom e t o w n : Altoona, Pennsylvania Other Trivia: Completed the Boston Marathon in 3 hours, 15 minutes In t e r e s t s: Running ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: Pr e v i o u s: ATCSCC HGR, BGM TMB, FLL, AAT-120 Command Ctr. Towers Evaluations Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements 1988 contract team; national chairwoman for Employee Assistance Program and Critical Incident Stress Mgmt. Team; Southern Region QTP coord. Hir e d Dec In the chess game of life, Beth Thomas has landed on many squares across the board: operating room nurse, air traffic controller, labor organizer, manager. While she usually plays on the side of rank-and-file workers, her eclectic background drives the benevolent Thomas to seek strategies where everyone wins. Her union orientation was grounded in the hills of Pennsylvania, where family members mined coal and kept the railroads running. Her management philosophy was influenced by Maslow s theory of satisfying the hierarchy of human needs. Those views have been honed by professional experience. A better retirement plan prompted her to leave nursing and join the FAA. She also realized it would be easier to help her former husband, Chuck, and his colleagues, who were all fired PATCO strikers, from within the agency. Despite four years in the Air Force, the FAA s autocratic rule still turned her off. There are better ways of doing business that involve common, decent courtesy, she says. Thomas quit 3½ years later after tiring of the commute between upstate New York and her home in Tampa, Florida. Yet her desire to improve workers rights still burned bright. As an organizer for AFGE and MEBA, she traveled almost constantly from the summer of 1985 until NATCA was certified in July Facing antagonism, apprehension and apathy, the diminutive Thomas stood firm and won over many skeptical controllers. You have to have a union, she has always maintained. There isn t another avenue, as one person, to have your voice heard and be recognized. After certification, she organized nurses at four hospitals in South Florida before the FAA rehired her at Tamiami Tower. When Quality Through Partnership came into vogue, Thomas went back on the road again as the Southern Region coordinator and discovered that collaboration sessions could be testier than organizing meetings. People don t want to give up their territory, she says. Encouraged by QTP s potential, Thomas became air traffic manager at Tamiami for two years, an experience that reminded her people not programs cultivate successful relationships. She moved on to Air Traffic Evaluations and transferred again to the FAA Command Center in December Through it all, Thomas has steadfastly maintained her relationship with NATCA, either as a full member or an associate. Her long-distance run with the union reflects another passion. She has competed four times in the Boston Marathon, as well as others. But Thomas frequently slows down long enough to savor life, spending free time with her non-natca family: a mother, sisters, nieces and nephews, and their children.

65 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 61 her husband was still living, Thomas quit the agency in May But she wanted to remain active in the movement. A month later, she began working out of her home for AFGE and Thornton, whom she knew casually from PATCO days. Chuck Thomas was a handy carpenter and crafted an office for his wife in a spare bedroom. She quickly plastered the walls with organizational charts, contact names at facilities, travel plans, and signature tallies, which grew slowly with the fragmented organizing effort. As an outsider, one of her biggest challenges was spreading the word to the rank and file on the inside. Not too many people were willing to go out on a limb and post stuff on the bulletin board, Thomas recalls. It wasn t readily accepted in a lot of places. I give a lot of credit to the people who were actively campaigning. Even her affable personality couldn t break through the ice at first in the labor-wary South. During a swing through Florida with Bill Riley, the two camped out for a day in the back of a franchise steakhouse, yet spoke to a mere ten controllers from nearby Jacksonville Center. Only two showed up to hear their pitch in Orlando. I had a lot of tough meetings, Thomas says. A lot of people hung up on me. More organizing activity occurred west of the Mississippi River. Gary Molen, a plain-spoken veteran at Salt Lake Center, was one of many who picked up the torch. His penchant for boots and wide belt buckles, reminiscent of his Montana upbringing, earned him a reputation as a cowboy with a headset. After joining the FAA in 1968, Molen suffered through a year of humidity and crowds in Houston while working at the center before eagerly transferring to a small en route center back in his hometown of Great Falls. The center handled traffic all across Montana east to Fargo, North Dakota, and south to Sheridan, Wyoming. When it closed in 1976 and operations were transferred to Minneapolis and Salt Lake centers, Molen moved to Utah. Growing up with a father who worked as a union switchman and brakeman for the Great Northern Railway, Molen understood the value of labor organizations. He joined PATCO while still training in Great Falls, but had to leave the bargaining unit once he became a classroom instructor. When the strike hit, Molen wrestled over his own good fortune and Gary Molen: During the 1970s, he worked at an en route center in his hometown of Great Falls, Montana. Molen was NATCA s Northwest Mountain regional rep from 1985 to / Courtesy of Howie Barte Mar Howie Barte presents a graphic containing a control tower and radar sweep bearing the letters AATCC as the proposed logo for the group at an organizing meeting in Boston. AATCC declines to adopt the logo, which Barte and controller Kim Kochis collaborated on, due to concerns that it favors terminal controllers. However, Barte uses it for organizing efforts in New England.

66 62 Against the Wind Kelly Candaele: The organizer for AFGE (and later MEBA) covered the West, where laid-back attitudes and a rightto-work culture challenged his ability to inspire interest in a labor union. / Japphire the pain of watching friends lose their jobs. Returning to the scopes was an eye-opener. Everybody was pulling together. Many, many people commented that this was the way it was supposed to be, he says. Then the honeymoon between controllers and management ended. It reverted back to the same old crap. Very little changed from the time of the strike until we formed a new union. One night Molen listened to a colleague talking on the phone with Skip Skirlick from Los Angeles Center. Molen got on the line, heard about the organizing efforts, and before long was talking up a union in Salt Lake. Soon after, AFGE s Western states organizer, Kelly Candaele, visited the center. The AFGE position was the tall, thoughtful Irishman s first union job. Initially, Candaele was ambivalent toward the controllers based on his strong feelings about people who cross picket lines. But he knew a lot was at stake in air traffic control, making the workers vulnerable without a union. He also realized it would be symbolic for the labor movement if several thousand controllers organized again. Molen s philosophical outlook appealed to Candaele and they hit it off. Selling AATCC was tough in the West, though, given the region s laid-back culture and right-to-work ethic. Molen and Candaele also found it hard to interest new-hires in their 20s, who were earning good money and had little job experience to put the working conditions in perspective. The two traveled extensively together across Utah and Colorado. Candaele knew that certain personality traits and communication skills were critical in the people who waved the organizing flag. The upheaval from PATCO had colored many controllers views of organized labor. Candaele understood that the AFGEfinanced team had to tread lightly, focus on issues, and allay anxieties before they could gain the trust of controllers. He believed that Molen s reflective, sincere nature and cowboy wisdom fit the mold perfectly. The covert nature of their efforts could turn anxiety into anger for potential recruits at meetings, some of whom felt trapped by poor working conditions yet frightened of the potential consequences of organizing. Molen was patient and calm. One fateful incident helped to shape Candaele s view of the Montana native. Snow was falling while they drove south along Interstate 25 back to Stapleton Airport from Denver Center in Longmont. Candaele nervously gripped the steering wheel whenever the Apr The Air Line Pilots Association announces the possibility of organizing controllers. ALPA and AFGE discuss the proposition throughout the summer, but in late August ALPA s Master Executive Council votes against the move. During the fall, John Thornton and Howie Barte seek interest from other unions, including the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, which had organized PATCO.

67 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 63 car skidded along the slippery highway. As a resident of Los Angeles, he was not accustomed to winter driving. Suddenly, a semi-trailer truck passed by, throwing up a wave of slush that cascaded across the windshield and obliterated the road ahead. Candaele hit the brakes. The car spun around. Sparks flew as the passenger side scraped against the guardrail along the median. The car pulled away, then banged against the railing several times, flinging more orange embers into the air before skidding to a stop. Both men silently thanked the presence of the guardrail, which prevented them from careening into oncoming traffic. Candaele looked over at Molen. Gary was just as calm as could be with a kind of smirk on his face. Almost like, what did you do that for? Candaele recalls. Neither man was hurt. Unfortunately, Candaele had neglected to take out insurance and his bosses at AFGE weren t pleased about paying for the damage. If management decided to look for technical faults, they could find things wrong. They could make life miserable for an individual. You always knew you could be fired. Other controllers joined Candaele as he ranged farther afield in the West, including Dave Bottini, an organizer from San Francisco Tower. Bottini became involved after the tower chief changed the seniority policy, denying him credit for the time he d spent at SFO while on loan from the Defense Department. Lack of job security for a largely inexperienced work force also concerned him. If management decid ed to look for technical faults, they could find things wrong. They could make life miserable for an individual, he says. You always knew you could be fired. That wasn t fair. Bottini joined Candaele and Skirlick on a winter trip to visit Albuquerque Center. They had advertised two meetings at a nearby hotel. The morning dragged by while they waited in a conference room for someone to show up. Finally, a lone controller appeared in the afternoon and warily asked a few questions. No, we re not here to get you fired, the organizers stressed. We can t strike. The O Hare Tower controller Dave Bottini June Citing financial constraints, AFGE lays off fourteen staff members, including John Thornton and the rest of its organizing staff except for the department s director. 26 July The FAA awards a contract to IBM to replace the 9020 computers at en route centers with new 3083-BX1 Host computers. The 9020s were installed starting in 1967.

68 64 Against the Wind Some controllers regarded professional organizations such as ALPA and the AMA as the perfect role models for their budding union. controller relaxed and listened while they explained his labor rights under the law. A knock sounded at the door. They all looked over and saw a reporter and TV cameraman peeking into the room. Is this the group of controllers who are trying to organize a union? the reporter asked. Can we come in and film? No, the organizers replied in unison. But the edgy controller was already hustling out the door. Interest from an Interloper On April 26, 1985, the day before the deadline for the FAA to appeal the ruling that authorized regional unions, the agency filed a two-page statement. This predictable move further delayed an election until the full FLRA reviewed the case. The following Monday, however, controllers and AFGE organizers awoke to surprising news. ALPA President Henry A. Duffy announced that his union, an AFL-CIO affiliate representing 34,000 pilots at forty-eight airlines, planned to The AFGE effort is dead in the water, it is not moving, and time is of the essence. organize the controllers. ALPA First Vice President Thomas Ashwood said the pilots were keen on accelerating the drive because they wanted the controllers input on a $10 billion program to overhaul the air traffic control system. The AFGE effort is dead in the water, it is not moving, and time is of the essence, Ashwood said. 6 Some controllers ALPA First Vice President Thomas Ashwood regarded professional organizations such as ALPA and the American Medical Association as the perfect role models for their budding union. They admired how the organizations emphasized brains over brawn and cooperation rather than conflict. But while ALPA was financially sound, well organized, and exercised significant influence in the industry, fundamental disputes periodically erupted between controllers and airline pilots. Many worried about how the disagreements could be resolved within the same organization. ALPA s interest also raised a legal issue. Article 20 of the AFL-CIO constitution frowned upon com- Aug A Delta Air Lines L-1011 crashes after encountering wind shear during final approach to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. The accident kills 134 of the 163 people aboard the plane and one on the ground. DFW s Low-Level Wind Shear Alert System did not record the turbulence until after the crash, demonstrating its limitations. Raytheon Company develops Terminal Doppler Weather Radar to provide improved alert capability.

69 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 65 petition among its affiliates. If a second union tried to organize the same group of workers, the original affiliate could seek mediation to determine which one should retain exclusive rights. While AFGE publicly vowed to continue the drive, it quietly held talks with ALPA throughout the summer of 1985 about transferring the campaign. AFGE s ongoing money problems served as a catalyst. In June, it laid off fourteen staff members, including Thornton, Thomas, and Candaele. Like a broken summer romance, ALPA ended its flirtation in late August when its Master Executive Council voted against the proposal. Insiders believe it is likely that MEBA was a factor in their decision. The Marine Engineers Beneficial Association had formally ceded its rights to organize the controllers to AFGE in the spring of When it appeared that AFGE might try to sell those rights to the pilots union, MEBA strongly opposed the move. Most controllers merely shrugged, given their worries about dealing with ALPA as a union. But they were bitterly disappointed, though not too surprised, in September when the full FLRA overruled its Washington regional director and disallowed New England s bid for a regional union. The authority agreed with the FAA s contention that it administered a nationwide air traffic system primarily from headquarters. To support its decision, the authority cited PATCO s national bargaining unit and a similar FLRA ruling concerning the Agriculture Department s Food and Nutrition Service as precedents. In light of its decision, the authority declined to rule on whether automation specialists and air traffic assistants were entitled to be a part of AATCC. The determination, which came eleven months after AFGE filed for a New England unit, sounded a death knell for its stagnating effort. Layoffs had wiped out AFGE s organizing department and the union appeared disinclined to spend much more money on the controllers, who now needed to obtain all new signatures on petitions calling for a national union. Heading for a Fall Since June 1984, Barte had been holding monthly telephone conferences among activists in New England and other regions as they joined AATCC. By now, the calls were about the only thread holding the effort together and represented AFGE s Gene DeFries: The MEBA president repeated history by committing his union s resources to the controllers. MEBA also organized PATCO. / NATCA archives 20 Sep. Overruling its regional director, the full FLRA disallows New England s bid for a regional union. Citing PATCO and a similar FLRA ruling concerning the Agriculture Department s Food and Nutrition Service as precedents, the authority mandates that only a national bargaining unit is appropriate.

70 Howie Barte PVD Local President New England Alt. RVP ANE-540 Liaison 1990 / 93 / 97 Pr e s e n t Operating Initials: RJ Hom e t o w n : New York City Childre n: Laura, Susan Other Trivia: Courtesy of Howie Barte Rebuilt a Korean War-era Jeep In t e r e s t s: Science, electronics, computers, space exploration, sushi ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: PVD Pr e v i o u s: OQU EWB ZSU Tower/TRACON TRACON Tower Center Born in the Bronx, Howie Barte spent part of his childhood in Madrid, Spain, Caracas, Venezuela, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, while his parents followed various professional pursuits. But it wasn t until he saw the world from inside cramped airplane cockpits above the azure seas of the Caribbean that Barte developed an appreciation for unions. His first air taxi outfit pressured him to fly despite bad weather, excess payloads, and without water survival gear. The next airline, whose pilots belonged to ALPA, rated safety much higher. It was very much akin to working in a sweatshop and then realizing it doesn t have to be this way, he says. Nor did the shoestring carriers offer much job security. After being furloughed twice, Barte applied to the FAA and started as a controller at San Juan Center in Two months later, he heard familiar voices on the radio as his pilot friends confronted a nasty thunderstorm. Grateful to be on terra firma, Barte recalls, They got out of it, but it was scary. He joined PATCO, retained his membership as an associate while a controller for four years in the Navy, then was drafted to be facility rep six months after arriving at New Bedford Tower in Massachusetts. I wasn t afraid to speak up, he says. Barte stayed involved when he transferred Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements New England provisional regional rep ; parliamentarian at NATCA national conventions since Hir e d Nov to Quonset TRACON in Rhode Island by editing the local union newsletter. However, he viewed the mounting drumbeat to walk out as corporate hysteria, resigned from PATCO the day after the first strike vote, and stayed on the job. Barte soon realized controllers needed another union and, in 1984, became a founder of the movement to form NATCA. His goal was to regain a contract. I had no idea this thing would become my life, he says. After playing a central role in NATCA s drive to certification, Barte endured a heartbreaking loss in the union s national election in He could not ignore the call of activism for long. During the past dozen years, he has served as the local president at Providence Tower/TRACON, alternate New England Region vice president, and NATCA regional liaison to the FAA s Resource Management Branch (ANE-540), all while maintaining his certification as a controller. He serves as parliamentarian at every union convention, a role he assumed in 1992, and is known as NATCA s unofficial historian. Somehow, Barte has also found time to raise two daughters, feed his craving for Star Trek, and restore a military Jeep that he inscribed with the serial number NCC-1701-NATCA, a reference, of course, to the Starship Enterprise.

71 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 67 sole financial commitment to the campaign (in addition to Barte s regular long-distance phone bill). Fed up with the lack of support and its effect on the pace of organizing, Barte began contacting other unions to solicit their backing. Thornton, who stayed in touch with key activists while collecting unemployment, worked the phone, too. The Communications Workers of America sounded eager to help, but would offer funding only after controllers had collected the requisite 30 percent of signatures. With a work force of about 12,500 controllers, that amounted to 3,750 names, an expensive proposition. Officials at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Teamsters all responded, We ll get back to you, and never did. MEBA President Clayton E. Gene DeFries sounded the same refrain. Growing despondent, Barte wrote off the former PATCO organizer. In late October 1985, leaf-peeping season had Let me emphasize that this new air traffic controllers organization will indeed be new. It will not be a disguised rebirth of the old PATCO. come and gone in New England, and winter coats were in style again. The white and scrub pine tree needles carpeting Barte s back yard seemed to symbolize more than a passing season. Barte gloomily figured the frost that had stalled the organizing effort was about to kill it in a deep freeze. Suddenly, there was a thaw. At three o clock one afternoon, his phone rang. DeFries informed him that MEBA would organize the controllers, but the news could not be made public until December 2. An ecstatic Barte agreed to keep quiet. In mid-november, Thornton and ten activists met with AFGE s David Kushner in Alexandria, Virginia. AFGE had spent about $250,000 and was limited in how much more it could do, Kushner warned. He talked about a national organizing committee and another mailing. But the withering support prompted growing disenchantment from several people sitting around the table, including Barte, who knew this would be AFGE s last meeting with them. The curtain was coming down. MEBA President Gene DeFries Nov ABC News devotes its program Nightline to ATC, representing the first major TV broadcast about the topic since the strike ended. Howie Barte challenges FAA Administrator Donald Engen s contention that the FAA is sufficiently staffed with controllers and says management hasn t changed since the strike. Joe O Brien from New York TRACON and two unidentified controllers also appear on the program, along with Rep. Guy Molinari.

72 68 Against the Wind Howie Barte: His appearance on ABC s Nightline in November 1985 helped draw attention to controller understaffing and poor morale. / Courtesy of Howie Barte As promised, MEBA publicly announced its intentions in early December. Taking pains to clarify the initiative for the public and controllers, DeFries said: Let me emphasize that this new air traffic controllers organization will indeed be new. It will not be a disguised rebirth of the old PATCO. The new union will be effectively and responsively geared to serving the needs of this new generation of air traffic controllers. 7 Barte flew to Washington again to meet De- Fries on December 5 and chart the new campaign. At Barte s request, two other key activists joined them: Joe O Brien from New York TRACON, representing the Eastern Region, and Dan Keeney from Daytona Beach Tower/TRACON in the Southern Region. The difference from the AFGE meeting was like night and day. DeFries promised solid financial backing and pointed out an important distinction: The controllers would be a full affiliate of the engineers union. Unlike AFGE s council arrangement, the new union would establish its own structure and decide on policies without competing against the interests of other workers. What do you want in return? Barte asked. We don t want anything, DeFries said. We just want to see you guys organized. It s good for labor. DeFries then asked Barte to quit the FAA and become national coordinator for the new union. I m an air traffic controller, Barte replied. My goal is to get a contract not a job. He suggested that DeFries ask John Thornton, whose controller background and organizing experience made him a perfect candidate. Barte, Keeney, and O Brien left MEBA headquarters feeling elated. Much work lay ahead, but the drive for a new union had been revitalized. Part of their optimism stemmed from another helpful boost three weeks earlier when ABC-TV highlighted the controllers cause on its popular news program Nightline. The segment aired near the end of a year in which 1,500 people had died in plane crashes around the world. The worst in the United States occurred on August 2 nd, when a Delta Air Lines L-1011 plummeted to the ground after encountering wind shear on final approach to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, killing 137. Ten days later, a Japan Air Lines 747 suffered mechanical problems and limped along for thirty minutes before plunging into Mount Ogura outside Tokyo. All but four of the 524 aboard perished, making it the deadliest single-plane accident in history. The Nightline broadcast was prompted by a midair collision three days earlier between a Nabisco Nov. AFGE outlines further organizing activities, which solidifies the belief among several controllers that the union does not intend to commit adequate resources to finish the AATCC campaign. 2 Dec. MEBA President Gene DeFries announces that the union will organize controllers. In October, DeFries notified Howie Barte, who had contacted the union for help, of MEBA s intentions.

73 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 69 Brands corporate jet and a Piper Archer over Cliffside Park, New Jersey, which killed six and injured several others. Controllers were not initially implicated in any of the accidents, but Nightline called into question President Reagan s actions in * Reporter Jack Smith noted that the ranks of journeymen controllers had dropped by 5,000 since the strike yet they were handling 1,000 more flights a day. Reported near misses had soared an alarming 65 percent. Inexperienced controllers were training others and sick leave was being denied because there weren t enough replacements. In a taped interview, Joe O Brien said employee relations committees had failed because FAA management simply took the groups recommendations into consideration and did nothing more. FAA Associate Administrator Quentin Taylor brushed off the problem, contending the complaints came from an extreme minority of controllers. FAA Administrator Donald Engen, New York Republican congressman Guy Molinari, and Barte appeared live on the program. Barte spoke from ABC s studios in Boston. When a technician attached a microphone to his lapel, he could hear his heart thumping in an earpiece. His nervousness vanished as he listened to Taylor s assessment. Barte noted that 2,500 controllers had signed a petition to form a new union, even though organizers had not reached all parts of the country, and said, Management within the FAA, in reality, has not changed at all since Nightline also ran a video clip of Engen in Congress one week after the strike testifying that the FAA did not need more controllers. I m full up. I have everything I need right now, he said. If I had more controllers today, I literally couldn t use them. The clip prompted a spirited debate about continuing staff shortages between Engen, Barte and Molinari, who said he planned to give President Reagan a letter signed by seventy members of the House urging that he rehire some of the fired controllers. During commercial breaks in the Boston studio, Donna Gropper jumped excitedly in the shadows behind the cameraman while flashing Barte a thumbs-up sign. On the way home in a rented limo, courtesy of ABC, they decided to stop for a drink to watch the program, which had been taped an hour beforehand. While they searched for a tavern, Barte schemed that he d tell the bartender he was about to appear on TV, then wager for a free round, figuring the bartender wouldn t believe him. As the minutes ticked down to broadcast time, they found a bar at last. Barte, Gropper, and the driver rushed inside, only to discover it had no television. The broadcast piqued the interest of many air travelers and galvanized controllers who watched The ranks of journeymen controllers had dropped by 5,000 since the strike yet they were handling 1,000 more flights a day. Reported near misses had soared an alarming 65 percent. * In its accident report issued in May 1987, the National Transportation Safety Board cited a breakdown in coordination among Teterboro Tower controllers as a contributing cause to the midair collision. Several controllers were also named in a civil lawsuit, leading NATCA to lobby for immunity from tort actions. 5 Dec. MEBA President Gene DeFries invites Howie Barte to Washington, D.C., to discuss organizing, and agrees to Barte s request to include two other controllers: Joe O Brien and Dan Keeney, representing Eastern and Southern regions, respectively. DeFries asks Barte to serve as national coordinator, but he declines and recommends John Thornton, who accepts the job.

74 70 Against the Wind New acronym: When MEBA took over the organizing effort in December 1985, the union resurrected the name created at Washington Center two years earlier. with a sense of vindication as one of their ranks successfully debated the FAA administrator in a national forum. Engen ignored the facts and seemed out of touch with the realities of his work force. Barte s appearance was one of our biggest tools, says Dave Landry from Lebanon Tower in New Hampshire. The i n t e r v i e w pushed people who were sitting on the fence. In mid- D e c e m b e r 1985, Engen fulfilled a promise he made on Nightline and met with five controllers at FAA headquarters in Washington, away from the intimidating presence of facility managers. Among those at the unprecedented 2½-hour meeting were Barte and Washington Center controller Walt Simpkins, who had taken over as president from Jack Crouse and also served as the alternate Eastern regional representative on the controllers provisional Executive Board. Following up on the Nightline debate, both controllers drove home the point that continued understaffing translated into excessive overtime. Simpkins acknowledged they were able to take summer leave, but stressed that their colleagues suffered as a result. While we were on leave, we knew that someone at the facility was working overtime so we could be off, he said. Simpkins had not enjoyed two consecutive days off during the past ten months. After the meeting, Barte hopped in a cab for the ride across The Mall to MEBA headquarters on North Capitol Street to talk about the organizing campaign with Thornton, who had been hired as national coordinator. Once again, the question arose over a name for the new group. This time, there was little discussion. Thornton had prepared a list of possibilities and they quickly agreed to resurrect the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Back on Track The new year dawned on a bright, if confusing, note for controllers. AFGE and MEBA each vied for their loyalty and the all-important signatures on election petitions in letters mailed nationwide. Although Dec Five controllers meet with FAA Administrator Donald Engen to discuss the state of the ATC system and controller morale. The gathering is a result of the Nightline program. Afterward, Howie Barte and John Thornton agree to change the name of the proposed union to NATCA, which Washington Center controllers used during organizing. They also agree to adopt the AATCC logo used in New England as the new NATCA logo.

75 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 71 A Logo is Born Like many of NATCA s founders, the union s logo traced its heritage to AATCC. In the fall of 1984, Howie Barte took a break from drumming up support on the phone one day to sketch out a logo for New England s monthly newslet- ters. The circular artwork paid hom- age to centers and TRACONs with its dotted and crosshatched lines and other markings representing a radarscope, and was anchored by a control tower near the bottom. Influenced by his interest in Star Trek, he selected a computer-style typeface for the initials AATCC in the center. After the logo s debut in the October edition of the New England AATCC Update, Barte collaborated with Kim Kochis, another controller on his crew at Quonset TRACON. * Kochis, who loved to draw and paint, relied on graphic design skills she developed in high school. By the time Barte and Kochis were finished, concentric circles with a radar sweep had replaced the radar map. A tower cab rested atop the T in a series of simple block letters spelling AATCC. Barte presented the finished product for formal adoption at an AATCC regional representatives meeting in March But a few controllers argued that it didn t adequately represent en route centers. Unwilling to change the design, Barte used it throughout the year in New England. When MEBA entered the picture, he gave a copy to Thornton, who turned it over to the union s graphic artist. The resulting logo, with red letters and blue lines, made Barte swell with pride when he saw it at NATCA s first national meeting. The logo was subsequently trademarked in 1993, and in 2000 then-president Michael McNally presented Barte with a plaque recognizing him for his efforts in creating the union s longstanding symbol. Noting that many companies change their visual identity as they mature, Kochis says, I m surprised it s held all these years. Two unsuccessful attempts to redesign the logo were made during the 1990s. To help ensure its enduring look, NATCA convention delegates in 2000 mandated that any changes must be approved by a majority vote at a convention. * Kochis later transferred to two other New England facilities before settling in at Raleigh-Durham Tower/TRACON in North Carolina in May 1995.

76 72 Against the Wind Helping hand: When the FAA instituted random drug testing in 1986, NATCA educated the work force about its rights. In the fall of 1987, a few months after certification, the union signed an agreement with the agency outlining testing procedures. m o s t activists quickly jumped aboard MEBA s deck, a handful clung to AATCC s sinking ship. AFGE cranked out a handful of newsletters during the spring trying to retain support, but its limited efforts foundered. Unwilling to go down quietly and keen to recoup its organizing investment through future dues, AFGE forced the issue of organizing rights for the controllers at an Article 20 hearing before the AFL-CIO in June. It soon became a moot point. Still struggling with money problems, AFGE convention delegates voted later that summer to stop funding the AATCC drive, opting instead to focus on the organization s existing unions. By contrast, NATCA hit the ground running and never looked back. MEBA s support breathed life back into the smoldering effort and soon stoked a roaring blaze. Many familiar faces were on hand at its first national organizing meeting on January 11, 1986, including several who had been nominally elected to represent their regions in AATCC: Barte from New England, Dan Keeney from Southern, Gary Molen from Northwest Mountain who endured ribbing for wearing cowboy boots and a belt buckle with his suit and O Brien from Eastern. Walt Simpkins also attended, along with representatives from Boston, Denver, Los Angeles and Miami centers, and elsewhere. Notably, the president and vice president of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists were among the crowd. PASS, which became a union at the end of 1981, represented workers in the FAA s Airways Facilities, Flight Standards, and Office of Aviation 1985/86 31 Dec. First NATCA organizing letter is sent via U.S. mail from NATCA New England to activists across the country. 3 Jan. First NATCA organizing letter is sent to all controllers in the country from NATCA/MEBA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

77 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 73 Standards branches. After PASS President Howard Johanssen stood up and offered to lend guidance on establishing locals, post information about NATCA, and file grievances on their behalf, a grateful audience applauded him warmly. An ebullient John Thornton directed the proceedings. His high spirits stemmed from more than being gainfully employed again. After watching AFGE run out of money and one union after another decline to help, he had worried that the controllers might never get organized. MEBA s deep pockets and powerful political contacts came as a major relief. The sense of history was also not lost on Thornton. Aside from its long tradition of representing seafaring workers, MEBA had backed PATCO. Now, it seemed only right that the same union should stand beside the controllers once more as they fought to restore their place in organized labor. Joining Thornton on the dais were Beth Thomas and Kelly Candaele, whom he d hired to resume their roles as organizers. Hanging behind them was a banner bearing NATCA s new logo and the inscription MEBA/AFL-CIO. Even at this early stage, the controllers expressed their desire to become more than a trade union. They envisioned a professional organization that would exercise clout in such matters as their retirement, stress reduction, and restoring the immunity program for controllers who reported operational errors. Former FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond had unilaterally canceled the program in NATCA did not waste time developing strength and finding its voice. Budding Influence About 7:30 on the morning of March 3, 1986, a lanky controller named Michael Sheedy sped across the double-decker Verrazano Narrows Bridge on his way to New Brunswick, New Jersey. Sheedy, whose deep voice was familiar to pilots on New York TRA- CON frequencies, had been selected by his colleagues to testify at a congressional field hearing about airspace congestion, jurisdiction, and procedures. After the hearing, Sheedy had to race back to Long Island in time to start his 3 o clock shift. Such was the frenetic pace of NATCA activists, many of whom still worked six-day weeks and spent their free day hustling to get the new union off the ground. Even with MEBA s help, they had to use annual leave, FAM trip privileges, and sometimes spend their own money to visit other facilities, attend organizing meetings and, at long last, publicly air their issues. The House Subcommittee on Aviation hearing, chaired by California Democrat Norman Mineta, marked another milestone. For the first time since the strike, an organization representing controllers Jan. About two dozen controller activists, MEBA organizers, and representatives from across the nation attend NATCA s first national organizing meeting in Alexandria, Virginia. The AATCC logo, which MEBA graphic artists converted to the name NATCA, is used officially for the first time. The same logo is still used today.

78 74 Against the Wind Norman Mineta: The California Democrat attended a one-day NATCA conference in March 1986, while he was chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation. President Bush appointed him transportation secretary in / Transportation Department Mar. was testifying to Congress. Joining Sheedy were fellow Newark sector controllers Steve Bell and Joel Hicks. As a General Accounting Office representative presented testimony about serious staffing problems, Bell, Hicks, and Sheedy nodded in agreement. They worked in an area with just half the number of controllers authorized by the FAA. The hearing attracted news coverage, prompting an enthusiastic reaction from controllers at the TRACON. When Bell walked into work the next day, it was like I d just hit a home run at Yankee Stadium, he recalls. The attention helped their organizing efforts, too. Meetings that previously attracted six or seven people began pulling in forty to sixty participants. Several weeks after the hearing, more than thirty NATCA activists from every region except Alaskan gathered in San Francisco. Congressman Mineta, a renowned speaker on aviation issues, also attended the one-day conference. MEBA s political contacts led to his presence, which further legitimized NATCA s increasingly public role on behalf of controllers. In June, Fred Gilbert and John Thornton tes- For the first time since 1981, an organization representing working controllers testifies before Congress. Steve Bell, Joel Hicks, and Michael Sheedy speak on behalf of NATCA. An Activist Finds His Voice Steve Bell, a newcomer to the blossoming union, quickly moved into its leadership. The oldest of three children, he grew up in Baltimore and moved to Omaha when he was 15. During nine years as a controller in the Air Force, Bell and his buddies dreamed of hitting the big time with the FAA after they got out of the service. The agency hired one of Bell s friends, who became the PATCO representative at Litchfield Tower (now Goodyear) in west suburban Phoenix. Bell was astonished when the friend refused to accede to Reagan s ultimatum. Another ex-military friend was also fired, giving Bell his first inkling of the strong sentiments boiling within. The FAA shut down all of the small towers in the Phoenix Valley and began contracting with private firms to operate them. Several months later, Barton ATC Incorporated hired Bell to work at Falcon Field in Mesa. By the time the FAA called him the following spring, PATCO had been decertified. Worried that he might never get another chance to join the agency, Bell accepted their job offer. He hadn t understood the issues in August But they immediately became apparent when his first instructor sat down to talk to him at Ontario TRACON in South-

79 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 75 ern California. Steve, we don t want you here, the trainer said. Your chances of making it are slim to none. Bell survived training, however, and by December 1984 found himself at New York TRACON after a brief stopover at Omaha Approach. One of Bell s instructors was Joe O Brien, who occasionally talked about the union. One day, O Brien asked Bell if he wanted to get involved. You ve got to be kidding me, Bell said. I don t even know if I ll be here next month, let alone help you start a union. That s fair, O Brien responded. I ll ask when you re checked out. Steve Bell: A preacher s son, he inherited a gifted tongue. The day Bell certified in June 1985, O Brien approached him again. After a swing shift, Bell and another controller joined O Brien in his basement in Selden on Long Island and learned about AATCC. Reflecting his penchant Stan Barough for history, Bell sought out more information over the next several months from PATCO cofounder Mike Rock, John Leyden, and a few choirboys who d been fired. He didn t see the militancy reoccurring, but knew the issue would be a major hurdle to overcome with controllers who distrusted unions and were anti-patco. The Cliffside Park, New Jersey, midair in November 1985, which led to several civil lawsuits against controllers, pushed Bell over the edge into union activism. I saw what happened to my friend and colleague, Steve Kelley, who had to go to the NTSB by himself, Bell says. When he got no help from the FAA, I knew and a lot of other controllers knew this is not right. We need to organize so this can never happen again. Bell was well suited to the task. He d inherited a sense of leadership and a gifted tongue from his father, a nondenominational Christian preacher. Bell soon took over as president of the New York TRACON local from O Brien, whose extensive travels kept him away from his wife and two young children too often. More than a few controllers listened to Bell proselytize and promptly joined the cause. Steve had a gift and his gift was his ability to speak, says New York Center controller Michael McNally, who saw the light after a two-hour session with Bell. By the time I walked out of that preach, I said, This is something I want to do. He put it all in perspective for me.

80 76 Against the Wind Guy Molinari: The New York Republican congressman advocated rehiring some of the fired strikers to ease staffing shortages during the 1980s. / Stan Barough * Despite 145 co-sponsors, H.R never came to the floor for a vote. Molinari tried again in the next Congress. Although the House passed his bill, the Senate never voted on it. ** The Salt Lake Center election served as a noteworthy litmus test on the competition between AFGE and MEBA. Local President Gary Molen supported NATCA while Vice President Jim Edmunds preferred to stay with AFGE (he was voted AATCC national vice president in a separate election that the group held in April). tified before Congress about continued low staffing to generate support for a bill that would authorize rehiring at least 1,000 PATCO strikers. Reflecting the polar differences of its membership, NATCA walked a fine line on the emotional rehire issue. While Gilbert and Thornton acknowledged that the ratio of air traffic to full-performance level controllers had begun to exceed the acceptable, prudent level, NAT- CA shied away from formally endorsing the bill. Nevertheless, Rep. Molinari, the bill s sponsor, met privately with Thornton and Gilbert after the hearing and pledged his support to the NATCA organizing. * The following month, NATCA appeared before a Senate committee to support the creation of the Aviation Safety Commission. The proposed panel would be charged with presenting recommendations to President Reagan on improving air safety. The four events highlighted a key difference between AFGE and MEBA. Where AFGE preferred to focus on organizing and ignored the controllers desire to lobby Congress, MEBA plugged them in right away on Capitol Hill. That was really what was needed, Thornton says. MEBA not only put up money, they put up some of their political capital. The Home Stretch Meanwhile, the drive to collect 3,750 election petition signatures was in full swing. Some controllers grumbled over signing for the third time once for a regional union, another for a national AATCC, and now for NATCA. But sign they did. In February 1986, Salt Lake Center controllers voted 22-0 to join NATCA. ** In March, the Professional Controllers Alliance at Indianapolis Center climbed aboard. Cleveland Center held its first organizing meeting in April and 140 controllers signed up in two weeks. By the time Minneapolis Center got involved, organizers could see the nationwide movement start to jell. NATCA had collected more than 3,000 names when AFGE and MEBA argued their case at the Article 20 hearing in June. After two years of false starts and stagnation, the numbers were climbing steadily. The almost constant travel to endless meetings with controllers, answering familiar questions, and allaying common fears gave Thornton, Candaele, Thomas, and a cadre of former AATCC activists a sense of déjà vu. Joining them during this second national campaign were new NATCA activists and another MEBA Mar MEBA organizer Kelly Candaele coordinates a NATCA Western-Pacific conference in San Francisco, which is attended by more than thirty controllers from all regions except Alaskan. Rep. Norman Mineta, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, also attends.

81 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 77 For Want of a Signature Ed Mullin took the FAA s entrance exam in 1974, but never heard back from the agency. At the time, he worked at Philadelphia International Airport in passenger service and flight operations for Eastern Airlines, which contracted with British Airways to handle their flights, as well. Several years later, Mullin planned to use his pass privileges to enjoy a trip to Ireland with his mother. Unfortunately, British Airways went on strike the day before they were scheduled to leave. Mullin told his mother their vacation would have to be restricted to the United States and asked her to pick any destination as an alternative. They were soon flying first class to Denver to see the Rocky Mountains. They rented a car at the airport and stopped at a motel in nearby Aurora for the night. Mullin happened to notice the FAA Regional Office in the town (it was later moved to a suburb of Seattle after regional consolidations). Curious, he decided to inquire about his longlost job application the next day. The receptionist directed Mullin to a manager down the hall and NATCA archives he introduced himself. The man broke into a wide grin, opened his bottom desk drawer, and pulled out Mullin s file. We ve been looking for a medical qualification, he said. A form needed a signature. Mullin shook his head over the circuitous route his application had taken from Philadelphia and signed the document. The manager then consulted some other paperwork and announced that Mullin could start work in Lewistown, Montana, in two weeks. 14 Apr. The FAA reports 758 near midair collisions during 1985, compared with 589 in 1984, a 29 percent increase. FAA Administrator Donald Engen attributes the higher rate to improved reporting. The previous fall, NTSB Chairman James Burnett told Congress the board was very concerned. Subsequently, the FAA reports 840 near midair collisions in 1986 and 1,058 in 1987, followed by a steady downward trend to 293 during 1993.

82 Ed Mullin ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: Pr e v i o u s: DAL FAY Various Tower Tower Flight Ser. Stations Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements Southwest regional rep ; Reclassification Committee; member of NMI Board of Directors; Southwest Region vice president emeritus. Hir e d Oct Retired NATCA archives Operating Initials: EM Hom e t o w n : Philadelphia Childre n: Jennifer Aileen Other Trivia: Former sky diver In t e r e s t s: 2002 Pr e s e n t Arkansas Ozarks, Philadelphia Eagles, NCAA basketball, Rolling Rock beer Ed Mullin s involvement with aviation began during college, when he worked for Eastern Airlines and, later, British Airways in passenger service and flight operations. The experience gave him a good grounding for air traffic control, but his formal education proved equally valuable when he helped organize NATCA. After growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs and attending a Jesuit prep school, Mullin graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a degree in philosophy and a concentration in Eastern studies. All that philosophy helped me quite a bit and enabled me to frame lucid opinions, he says. He needed all available resources. The FAA hired him in 1977 as a flight service station specialist in Lewistown, Montana. But by the time Mullin joined the NATCA movement in early 1986, he was working at Dallas Love Field Tower. Unionism in Texas and the Southwest is largely nonexistent a world away from Philadelphia, where he belonged to the United Steelworkers of America as a teenager. Dealing with a post-strike work force composed largely of Pepsi generation controllers, who were often ambivalent about organized labor, presented another challenge. Just the fact of certifying was literally against all odds by anybody s calculus, he says. Yet Mullin and his fellow organizers prevailed and set about shaping their union. During his six years on the National Executive Board, he approached many issues with a long-term view, including his successful campaign to set aside a portion of dues money for a rainy day fund, a program that remains in effect. He also advocated professional standards. Mullin acknowledges it is a sensitive issue, but believes the union should police itself like lawyers and doctors. If NATCA can deal with it, they will have really come of age, he says. Back in the region, Mullin relied on good communications to build membership and get NATCA going. His detailed newsletters did not escape the attention of FAA management. When Mullin found out a staff member was assigned to collect all of his material, he chided the agency for wasting taxpayer money and promptly added the Regional Office to his mailing list. Mullin retired as a controller in January 2002, and his daughter, Jennifer, graduated from veterinary school at Texas A&M University that year. He still serves as a member of the NMI Board of Directors, and hopes to transition into aviation research on air traffic services and health issues. Noting that three controllers at the same facility suffered heart attacks one recent summer, Mullin says, We re hitting effects that no one has ever studied.

83 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 79 organizer. Doc Cullison, a former marine engineer, handled the Central and Southwest regions. Although his family included a long line of ship captains, the allure of the bridge eluded him. After plying the seas for a few years, Cullison became a MEBA representative organizing workers and conducting contract negotiations while PATCO was still an affiliate. His familiarity with controller issues led MEBA President Gene DeFries to assign him to the project. Cullison worked out of his Houston townhouse and found himself scrambling at all hours to meet workers engaged in a 24/7 occupation. Right-to-work states throughout the Southwest Region and many new-hires who were ambivalent toward unions presented a difficult challenge. But Cullison discovered that the controllers independent, Marvel Man mentality and a string of broken promises by the FAA made the new union inevitable. The FAA thought that in eliminating PATCO their problems were solved, he says. They refused to accept any responsibility for any of their labor problems. * His right-hand man in the Southwest was a reflective, committed controller from Love Field in Dallas, who held a bachelor s degree in philosophy emphasizing Eastern studies. Ed Mullin had joined the agency in 1977 as a flight service station specialist in Lewistown, Montana, along the eastern edge of the Continental Divide. At the time, Mullin and his estranged wife were involved in a dispute over custody of their infant daughter. Mullin s sister and brotherin-law took care of young Jennifer in Columbia, Maryland, leading him to seek several transfers in an attempt to relocate closer to his family. To avoid imperiling his chances for custody and sensing political realities Mullin chose not to strike. It was a difficult decision because he believed in the legitimacy of a number of the issues. But reuniting with Jennifer was paramount. By now, his daughter and her surrogate parents lived in Dallas. Around Christmas 1981, Mullin finally arrived at Love Field. He was no stranger to working conditions within the FAA, but it took a pivotal event for him to get involved in the new union. As a FAB chairman, Mullin had been pushing to add a second person to the midnight shift at the busy airport. Despite his arguments about the higher level of fatigue (he noted that the Three Mile Island and Exxon Valdez disasters occurred during midnight shifts), his proposal never went anywhere. One night in late 1985, an elderly private pilot suffered a heart attack. His wife, who d logged only a few hours of flying time, struggled to control the * Cullison wrote a thesis on the subject titled The Forgotten Promise: The Resurgence of Unionism Among the Air Traffic Controllers, which he submitted while earning a master s degree in labor and policy studies from State University of New York in June NATCA national organizer John Thornton and Chicago Center controller Fred Gilbert testify in Congress. They say the ratio of air traffic to journeymen controllers has started to exceed the acceptable, prudent level. The hearing is held in conjunction with an ill-fated effort to pass a bill, introduced the previous fall by Rep. Guy Molinari, R-N.Y., that would have authorized rehiring at least 1,000 fired PATCO controllers.

84 80 Against the Wind Dan Brandt: When the Omaha TRACON controller organized in America s heartland, he had to counter a perception that unions were violent. / Courtesy of Howie Barte plane. The sole controller on duty at Love Field tried to talk her down while juggling other traffic. But the plane flew into some clouds, tumbled to the earth near Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, and the couple perished. After the crash, the FAA assigned two people to the midnight shift to adequately staff the tower. When news media attention dwindled a month later, however, the schedule was changed back to one. The experience soured Mullin so much that he resigned from the FAB and attended a NATCA meeting several months later with about ten other controllers. When the call went out for someone to lead the effort, Mullin remembered the accident and figured: Why not? I thought the best thing for this agency would be a viable internal voice, he says. In a flash, he was the de facto Southwest Region representative. Initially, the soft-spoken Mullin talked to controllers reluctantly. The crowds, already a tough sell in a state where right to work is a euphemism for anti-union, sensed his timidity and gave him a cool reception. His home answering machine recorded several threats of violence and a Bible verse. The cultural difference from his teenage summers as a union steelworker in Philadelphia was stark. Consequently, Mullin avoided the word union. Instead, he used metaphors such as the American Medical Association, American Bar Association, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving to describe the new organization and what it could do. The fear factor was sky high, he recalls. Omaha TRACON controller Dan Brandt ran into similar sentiments while helping to organize in America s breadbasket. Many people equated unions with Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters. The meat packers had gone on strike when Brandt showed up in Sioux City, Iowa, and a union member had just been murdered. The homicide unnerved the controllers. People are getting killed, they said with alarm. You re not a meat packer. You re an air traffic controller, Brandt countered. That s a big difference. It all depends on how you run the union. Cullison tutored Mullin (and others) on the phone every night and smiled with satisfaction as his spokesman matured in front of audiences. You could look at people s eyes and watch to see if they were persuaded, Cullison says. If they believed you and how credible they believed he was. Mullin racked up thousands of miles on his June The AFL-CIO holds an Article 20 hearing to determine whether AFGE or MEBA should organize NATCA. MEBA, which had organized PATCO controllers, ultimately prevails.

85 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road year-old Honda Civic hatchback as spring and summer 1986 passed in a blur. He met with controllers, placed leaflets on cars, and tested other, less traditional, organizing methods, such as renting a bus to ferry controllers to a horse track in Shreveport, Louisiana. Cullison ran into a crowd playing softball one afternoon in Corpus Christi, Texas. He rented a pickup, filled the bed with ice and beer, and parked near the exit gate when the game ended. Thirsty players happily accepted the refreshments and union flyers. During a meeting in a hotel near Kansas City Airport, a slender controller with a quick smile named John Carr sat in the audience. After Cullison s presentation, Carr asked, At the end of the day, why should we have a union? Let me tell you a little story, Cullison responded. It s about a neighborhood. All the houses in the neighborhood were just beautiful except for this one vacant lot. It was overgrown with weeds and trash and rats. One of the neighbors decided if we each kick in a couple of bucks, we could turn it into a park. Everybody could share. He went door to door and everybody pitched in. They got the trash removed. They exterminated the pests. They mowed the grass. They hauled off the refrigerators and old tires. They put in playground equipment and a basketball hoop and some benches for the old people. Everybody said, This is the most beautiful park we ve ever seen. Then a couple of neighbors moved out and a couple moved in. About a year later, the same neighbor decides they need to take up another collection NATCA archives The neighborhood: Doc Cullison s fable about homeowners who improve a local park and then let it fall into disrepair perfectly conveyed the essence of solidarity. 23 Sep. Seventy-two delegates attend NATCA s founding convention at the Chicago-O Hare Ramada Hotel, including provisional representatives from each of NATCA s nine regions. John Thornton announces that NATCA has collected more than 4,200 signatures calling for an election on whether to form a union. However, the group plans to gather more signatures before filing them with the FLRA to help ensure a big win.

86 John F. Thornton Acting Director of Free Flight Program 2001 Pre s e n t Operating Initials: JT Hom e t o w n : Atlantic City, New Jersey Spouse / Children: Ginny / Michelle (married to Shawn Daniels); granddaughter: Amanda Other Trivia: Peter Cutts John, Ginny, and Michelle starred in a 1976 PATCO film about a day in the life of a controller ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: FAA Pr e v i o u s: DCA Free Flight Tower/TRACON Previous Union Positions / Achievements PATCO fac rep at DCA; NATCA nat l. organizer; NATCA sr. dir. of legislative affairs ; helped avert Russian ATC strike as AFL-CIO special envoy. Hir e d June 1973 John F. Thornton joined the Air Force in 1965 with no intention of becoming an air traffic controller. Computers were the nouveau wave, leading him to pester his career counselor about training. But the waiting list for school meant he d have to endure a year of menial tasks such as KP duty and collecting roadside trash. When Thornton learned about the alternatives, he promptly chose ATC as a profession. The newness of it all made him apprehensive until the intricacies of the job jelled one sunny day at Little Rock AFB and he realized it was what I was deemed to be. His eight years in the military also included duty at McGuire and Dover AFBs as well as Phan Rang Air Base in Vietnam. As Congress held Watergate hearings in the summer of 1973, Thornton started as a civilian controller at Washington National Tower/ TRACON. Still in training when elected facility rep, he also served as a voting representative at several PATCO conventions. He walked out in 1981, hoping to gain a better retirement and shorter workweek in a profession where many of his colleagues retired on medical disability. Among a handful of controllers who were jailed for their actions, Thornton credits his family for helping him survive the ordeal. His wife, Ginny, was a rock and his daughter loyally supported him in public. Worried that her classmates might say something hurtful, Thornton advised Michelle against wearing a PATCO on strike T-shirt to school in a neighborhood where many controllers crossed the picket line. I don t feel bad, she replied. They feel bad. Despite the pain and damage of the walkout, his association with controllers was far from over. Two years later, they sought Thornton s help in his new role as a labor organizer for the American Federation of Government Employees. Recognizing their needs were legitimate, he quietly healed personal wounds and immersed himself in a nationwide effort that culminated with a new union. After certification, Thornton directed NATCA s legislative affairs for seven years. My work with NATCA was some of the most rewarding I ve had in my life, says Thornton, who is justifiably proud of the successor that he helped to create. NATCA is a very smart organization. They think everything is possible and they go after it. Thornton left the union in 1995, but continued to represent controllers interests. For the past five years, he has participated in the FAA s Free Flight program, a collection of computerized tools designed to automate certain ATC functions. In late 2001, the agency promoted him to acting director of the program. In t e r e s t s: Philly sports, reading, the beach

87 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 83 to paint the playground equipment and make sure the lawn gets mowed and the trash gets picked up. Well, some of the new neighbors said: Why should I contribute? That park was here when I moved in. I don t have to pay for it. It s always been part of my life. So they didn t kick in any money. By and by, more people move in and decide the park has always been a part of my life and is something I ve got coming to me. Pretty soon, it looks just like it was the very first time they found it. That s why you need the union, John. I m asking you for ten bucks to fix the playground, okay? Do you want to fix it or don t you? Where do I sign up? Carr said. As soon as he returned to Kansas City Tower/ TRACON, Carr manned a table in the break room to hand out pledge cards. Managers followed a typical pattern and looked askance at his involvement. You know when that effort fails, they re going to fire you, You really can t underestimate that first step they took because they were going up against a government that had just fired 11,000 people who did the same job they did. they d say. They ll find a reason to fire you just like they fired those other boys. Carr wasn t intimidated nor were others drumming up support for NATCA, even as they struggled just to get inside some facilities. Managers usually relented as soon as the controllers reminded them about the Civil Service Reform Act, which guaranteed workers the right John Thornton to organize. O Hare TRACON controller Joseph Bellino, drawing on experience he gained while serving in the Army in Vietnam and as a police officer in McHenry, Illinois, relied on another trick. At facilities that used numbered keypads for door locks, Bellino applied powdered deodorant to the keys and waited until someone punched the code to open the door. The missing powder on certain keys made it easy to determine the correct numbers. We had a lot of great people step up, Thornton says. You really can t underestimate that first Jan. NATCA files an election petition with the FLRA to be the sole bargaining agent for all operational GS-2152 air traffic controllers. The proposed union needed 3,750 signatures 30 percent of the work force but submits 5,800, or 46 percent.

88 84 Against the Wind 19xx 1986 Founding Convention Regional Representatives Among those attending NATCA s founding convention in September 1986 were the nine interim regional representatives, who had been elected or appointed during the preceding two years: Alaskan: Joe Dunigan from Anchorage Tower/TRACON served as regional rep and Anchorage Center controller Will Faville Jr. assisted him as his alternate. However, Faville, who checked out as an FPL just three weeks before the convention, was the only controller from Alaska to attend. As a result, he signed the MEBA affiliation agreement and represented the region on votes for the interim constitution and initial dues. He took over officially when Dunigan stepped down shortly after the union was certified in Central: Like many others in the region, Jim Poole from Cedar Rapids Tower/TRACON did not get involved in organizing until During the spring and summer, however, he visited every facility in the region, often accompanied by Doc Cullison. Poole was elected regional representative at a meeting in August. He knew he d be transferring to Chicago Center in October, however, so Dan Brandt from Omaha TRACON was elected first alternate and Kansas City Center controller Ray Spickler was voted second alternate. Eastern: Joe O Brien from New York TRACON served as the original regional rep during the AATCC organizing drive, but stepped down due to family pressures. At a pre-convention caucus in August 1986, controllers elected Steve Bell, also from New York TRACON, as regional rep and Dave Pearson from Harrisburg Tower/TRACON in Pennsylvania as his alternate. Great Lakes: Fred Gilbert, an early activist from AATCC days at Chicago Center, served as regional rep. His alternate was Cleveland Center controller Scott Lawless. New England: Howie Barte, who now worked at Providence Tower, was elected regional rep in November Dave Landry, another PATCO member who refused to strike at Lebanon Tower in New Hampshire (believed to be the only facility in the region where no one walked out), served as Barte s alternate. Northwest Mountain: Gary Molen from Salt Lake Center had served as regional rep since Seattle Center controller David Brown became his alternate (until he quit the FAA in June 1987 to publicize his biography of rodeo cowboy Chris LeDoux, titled Gold Buckle Dreams). The FAA rehired Brown in Southern: Dennis Delaney from Pensacola Tower/TRACON served as regional rep after Lee Riley nominated him for the position. Riley, who helped start the movement at Atlanta Center, had taken over as regional rep from Daytona Beach controller Dan Keeney. When Delaney was elected, Riley became his alternate. Southwest: Ed Mullin from Love Field in Dallas was named regional rep at a meeting in early Houston Center controller Dennis O Brien served as Mullin s alternate. Western-Pacific: Jim McCann from Chino Tower in California served as the original de facto regional rep. At the national NATCA meeting in March 1986, attended by Rep. Mineta, controllers elected Los Angeles TRACON controller Karl Grundmann as regional rep and Richard Bamberger from Lindbergh Field in San Diego as his alternate.

89 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 85 step they took because they were going up against a government that had just fired 11,000 people who did the same job they did. Founding Convention At a ballroom inside the Chicago- O Hare Ramada Inn on September 23, 1986, Thornton stood behind a podium and welcomed seventy-two controller delegates and assorted dignitaries to NATCA s founding convention. Almost immediately, he roused the audience by informing them that 4,200 controllers had signed petitions for a national union about 33 percent of the work force. In less than nine months, the new campaign had met its goal and NATCA would soon file for an election with the FLRA. Thornton then articulated what many in the audience believed about their organization. It is clear that, in the FAA s book, controllers are to be seen and not heard, he said. NATCA is a new union. It is not a reincarnation of the past. Our goals and methods are different, and despite what our critics say, we are not condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past. 8 Determined to chart a different course from its more militant predecessor, the preamble of NATCA s proposed constitution explicitly vowed to abide by lawful means in carrying out its mission. The clause formalized a no-strike pledge that the union had adopted two months earlier. The constitution included two other key differences. First, every controller would receive a ballot in national elections. And every facility was entitled to send a proportional number of delegates to conventions to vote on constitutional amendments and participate in other business. * PATCO had elected voting representatives to speak for large blocs of members when electing officers and changing the constitution. You had a cadre of kingmakers out there who could really play politics and force the union perhaps to do things it might not have done, Thornton says now. By having direct election of officers by the membership, you curb some of that. Secondly, NATCA conventions would be held every two years. That way, the new union would reduce the amount of political fallout that influenced Founding convention program: Delegates to NATCA s gathering in Chicago in September 1986 adopted an interim constitution. The preamble stated the union s intention to abide by lawful means. * The formula stipulated one delegate for each facility with up to 100 union members. Larger facilities were entitled to another delegate for every additional fifty members. Jan NATCA Southern Regional Representative Dennis Delaney, New England Regional Rep Howie Barte, and national organizer John Thornton testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation. They urge Congress to restore immunity for controllers who report operational errors. They also urge Congress to release money in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund to hire more controllers and replace outdated equipment and software.

90 86 Against the Wind June 11, 1987 This day in history: The culmination of NATCA s campaign to represent air traffic controllers captured the attention of journalists from around the world. After the Federal Labor Relations Authority tallied the ballots the vote passed by a 70 percent margin the news was announced at MEBA headquarters in Washington. Right: Confident of victory, regional reps filled out NATCA membership applications and FAA form 1187, which authorized payroll deductions for union dues, in the morning before the votes were counted. / NATCA archives Feb About thirty-five Eastern Region controllers discuss NATCA organizing and certification election strategy. Former PATCO President John Leyden tells the group that controllers need an organization to speak for them on Capitol Hill. He says Congress wants to hear from the rank and file, not just managers. Howard Johannssen, president of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists, urges the group not to relax its campaign drive.

91 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 87 PATCO for several months before and after its annual gatherings. Later that morning, a bespectacled Gene DeFries offered encouragement that appealed to the independent-minded controllers. MEBA is going to fill your tank with gasoline and send you on your way, and we ll follow you for a while with a tow truck in case you break down, he said. But we want you to run your organization. 9 NATCA took two formal steps that afternoon. Delegates unanimously approved an interim constitution and adopted initial membership dues of 1 percent of base pay. Many of the delegates were unaware that MEBA had tried to exert some influence already by mandating that Thornton be named executive director of NATCA in the draft constitution. Thornton had high hopes of leading NATCA, but the misstep was embarrassing for him. When MEBA lawyers drafted the constitution at headquarters before the convention, Thornton, Beth Thomas, and John Leyden all objected to including his name, telling DeFries the move was heavy-handed. If they don t want you, maybe we don t want them, DeFries countered. 24 Mar. The FLRA schedules an election for May 6 through June 10 to decide whether NATCA will represent the nation s controllers. The move comes after a consent meeting attended by NATCA, the FAA, and the FLRA.

92 88 Against the Wind For the record: John Thornton, left, and MEBA President Gene DeFries announce the favorable vote for the new union. At a reception that evening, a congressman put the event in perspective: You people have no idea what you did. They [the FAA] never saw this coming. / NATCA archives After Thornton explained the background to the board members in Chicago, several walked off for a private discussion with DeFries. Some felt MEBA was acting presumptuously. Others worried that Thornton s PATCO background would send the wrong message to the FAA and other organizations. There was also strong sentiment to have an active controller lead the new union. D e F r i e s agreed to remove Thornton s name from the constitution as director. Instead, the board added a clause retaining Thornton as national coordinator until NATCA held a formal election for officers. On the second day of the convention, NATCA legally cemented its relationship with MEBA but not without a surprise. After lunch, board members were told to report to a conference room. Thornton, DeFries, and another individual stood near a table with documents spread out on it. Before we can go any further, we need to take a minute so you guys can sign these affiliation agreements, DeFries said. As he explained the resources that MEBA could offer, the controllers read the papers and their eyes widened. A promissory note obligated the union to reimburse MEBA for organizing expenses when its finances permitted. By that point, the loan amounted to $500,000 (it would climb to $1.5 million within the next year). The second agreement stipulated a quarterly affiliation fee amounting to a steep 15 percent of the dues that NATCA collected from each member double the industry average. Most board members had been under the impression that NATCA would not have to repay the money. They were also surprised that the affiliation fee would be so high, although MEBA assured them the 15 percent would be reduced as NATCA membership increased. The provisions so angered Eastern Regional Representative Steve Bell that he stormed out of the room May The FAA begins using the Aircraft Situation Display at its Central Flow Control Facility. The equipment provides a real-time visual display of all aircraft flying IFR in the nation. 29 May The FAA commissions the first Host computer system at Seattle Center. The new equipment replaces IBM s aging 9020 mainframe computers.

93 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 89 Shaking his head, Gary Molen signed the papers, commenting, Well, it s their money. What s the big deal? Dan Brandt said with a shrug. One by one, they each stepped up and scribbled their name, including Bell after he cooled down and returned to the room a few minutes later. But the incident left some of the controllers with a lingering mistrust of MEBA and Thornton. Even as NATCA held its convention, FAA Administrator Engen steadfastly maintained that few controllers were unhappy. I have been to every air traffic facility... and I haven t found strong support for a union, he told USA Today. This is a very vocal minority that probably stems from PATCO. 10 Yet signatures continued to pour in. When NATCA filed its national petition with the FLRA on January 5, 1987, they totaled 5,800, far more than the 3,750 needed. The final tally represented 46 percent of the work force. New England outpaced the other regions with signatures from more than 71 percent of its controllers. Reflecting the region s strong anti-union sentiment, a mere 18 percent had signed petitions in the Southwest. The solid showing in the Northeast was due in large measure to Howie Barte s efforts marshaling his contacts in the field. Barte was so relentless in pursuing the new union that he once called another controller on Thanksgiving, forgetting it was a holiday. When the controller reminded him, Barte quickly apologized and hung up. The FLRA approved the petition in March and scheduled a mail-in vote for all controllers during May and early June. This time, the FAA did not appeal the decision. A Union at Last NATCA archives Washington, D.C., awoke to warm, sunny skies on the morning of Thursday, June 11, The pleasant, though humid, weather matched the upbeat mood of NATCA s regional representatives as they bantered at MEBA headquarters. A few bloodshot eyes betrayed early revelers who d begun celebrating the night before. John Thornton had told a reporter he estimated that 70 percent of controllers would vote in favor of the union. The accuracy of his prediction would be tested shortly when ballot counting commenced. Confident of victory, the nine board members filled out a NATCA membership application and FAA form 1187 to authorize payroll deductions for union dues. They piled into taxicabs, rode to FLRA head- 11 June More than 80 percent of all controllers vote in NATCA s certification election. Seventy percent approve the union as their sole bargaining agent. MEBA President Gene DeFries characterizes the results as a victory for all air traffic controllers who have carried the nation s air traffic system on their backs for nearly six years with excessive overtime and stress. Charter members begin signing membership and dues deduction forms.

94 90 Against the Wind Special recognition: NATCA issued gold cards and charter member pins to the more than 3,000 controllers who joined in the first year after union certification. quarters not far across town, and gathered with FAA officials in a large conference room. Numerous large bags stuffed with ballots were clustered around several tables occupied by FLRA staff members. As the tabulating began, agency and union volunteers removed the ballots from their envelopes using electric letter openers supplied by MEBA to expedite the process. Repeated murmurs of yes and no started rebounding throughout the room. Once counted, the workers bundled the ballots in packets of fifty and stacked them on two tables at one end of the room. Watching from the sidelines, Gary Molen paced while puffing nervously on a cigarette. A comment from his facil- i - ty manager, who d spoken with Molen just before he flew to Washington, came to mind: When you guys lose it, I want to be sure we have an all-hands meeting and we ll shake hands. There s no hard feelings and we ll try to work things out. But Molen knew it was an empty gesture and he dreaded a difficult relationship should the vote for a union fail. He listened to the FLRA workers at the closest table and winced while they repeated no more often than yes. This doesn t look good, he said. Still pacing, Molen lit another cigarette. Oh, God, this doesn t look good. Standing nearby, Karl Grundmann finally snapped: Would you shut up. You re driving me crazy. Ed Mullin was preoccupied with similar thoughts. An anonymous telephone caller had told him before he left for D.C., It s going to be a long ride home if this doesn t work out. Mullin responded: You ve been wrong every step of the way. My bet is you re wrong now. Nevertheless, he felt unsettled as he watched the counting proceed. Morning edged into afternoon without a formal lunch break and the stacks on the yes table gradually mounted. In time, they dwarfed those on the no table. The controllers smiled and nudged each other while the FAA managers grew increasingly subdued. Eighty-four percent of the work force cast ballots. After the last one was counted, the tally stood at 7,494 to 3,275 a margin of 70 percent, exactly as Thornton had predicted. Thornton and the board members shook hands, hugged each other, and tried to keep mum about the victory as they shouldered past a thicket of reporters outside the building. The official announcement would be made at MEBA headquarters. But they couldn t contain their ear-to-ear grins and Barte discreetly gave one reporter a thumbs-up signal June The FLRA officially certifies NATCA as a union. 2 July FAA Administrator Donald Engen leaves office after serving since April 10, 1984.

95 Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road 91 Back at MEBA s offices, they joined other controllers who d been anxiously awaiting the results. DeFries and Thornton each spoke into a forest of microphones to announce the historic news to a mob of reporters and television camera crews. Afterward, controllers, FAA officials, other dignitaries, and journalists milled about a reception on the second floor. The FAA managers wore gold NATCA pins in a show of respect but, privately, they were stunned the union had garnered so much support. During the celebration, a member of Congress approached an exhausted Mullin, who was sitting in a corner nursing a drink. You people have no idea what you did, the politician said. They never saw this coming. Reflecting on the accomplishment now, Mullin agrees. To do it after an apocalyptic event but before Reagan left the White House, and during an anti-union decade with Pepsi-generation people was quite astounding, he says. The FLRA certified the election results on June 19. Donald Engen, who presided over the FAA throughout NATCA s formation, had announced the previous March that he intended to return to the private sector. Two weeks after certification, he left office. President Reagan and his administration would occupy the White House for another nineteen months. Once again, they had to deal with a labor organization representing air traffic controllers, less than six years after crushing its predecessor. 1. Hockstader, Lee Controllers seek new union at Leesburg center. The Washington Post. 30 May, final edition. 2. Smith, Philip Three in PATCO given 10-day terms. The Washington Post. 12 December, final edition. 3. Ibid. 4. Shifrin, Carole Union launches program to organize controllers. Aviation Week & Space Technology. 9 July. 5. Ibid. 6. Witkin, Richard Pilots planning to form union for controllers. The New York Times. 29 April. 7. MEBA archives. 8. NATCA archives. Founding convention transcript. 9. Ibid. 10. Adams, Marilyn, and Spahn, Holly Air controllers see if union revival will fly. USA Today. 23 September. 8 July NTSB Chairman Jim Burnett tells the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation that the FAA should implement an improved controller feedback program. He says operational errors for April and May 1987 were 10 percent higher than Reports of near midair collisions for the first five months of 1987 rose 39 percent.

96 Imagine walking into an empty office space. That s where they started. Former MEBA President Alexander Doc Cullison Labor of love: Adell Humphreys, NAT- CA s director of administration, pieced together sixty-two logos to create a wallsized quilt, which hangs in the local union office at Oakland Center. / Steve Tuttle

97 Chapter 4 The House That NATCA Built Nearly 300 delegates packed the Phoenix Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, seated in nine regional clusters. Among those on the dais at NATCA s second national convention in late January 1988 was John Thornton. Once again, he found himself in a swirl of debate about his role with the union. Hoping to preserve a place for Thornton, New England Regional Representative Howie Barte had introduced a constitutional amendment to create a chief executive officer position. Barte argued that hiring a professionally qualified CEO would eliminate the specter of national politics, which had already permeated the convention. The CEO PATCO started with a similar corporate-type structure would be answerable to the National Executive Board, ensuring that controllers established the union s goals and policies. Thornton was a natural candidate for the position. He d held the job under the title of national organizer since MEBA hired him in December 1985 and had been involved in the organizing campaign since the earliest days with AFGE. Thornton also racked up sixteen years of experience as a controller with the Air Force and FAA before he was fired in the strike. But many delegates believed NATCA would have more credibility if its members ran their union. We want an organization of, by, and for air traffic controllers, Western-Pacific Regional Rep Karl Grundmann said, a sentiment that struck a chord throughout the ballroom. Those who applauded Grundmann s stance wanted to completely disassociate from PATCO. Many feared that NAT- CA would become another radical organization and were adamantly opposed to Thornton running their new union. Deciding their destiny: Karl Grundmann spoke for many by arguing that controllers should run the new union. / NATCA archives

98 94 Against the Wind NATCA archives Legacy of the strike: John Thornton, left, confers with MEBA President Gene De- Fries, right, and NATCA General Counsel Bill Osborne at the union s Atlanta convention in Thornton s PATCO background dashed his hopes of becoming president. * NATCA retained a professional parliamentarian to monitor its proceedings in Atlanta. Central Regional Representative Dan Brandt handled the duties during the 1990 convention and Howie Barte has served as parliamentarian at every subsequent gathering. John s loyalty and his contribution to NATCA were unparalleled. Nobody can deny that, says Steve Bell, the Eastern regional rep at the time. But there was no way, no way we could campaign and build a union by electing a PAT- CO guy as the new president. A healthy dose of wariness about Thornton s relationship with MEBA also existed. For the contingent from New York, parochialism came into play, as well. Bell had emerged as a leading candidate for president in the upcoming national election. After delegates voted down Barte s CEO proposal, Barry Krasner introduced two constitutional amendments aimed at barring Thornton from the presidency he sought. One resolution defined an active member as a certified controller or a developmental in a training program. The second limited the right to vote or hold office to active members. Krasner, who had taken over as the local president at New York TRACON from Bell, was very familiar with Robert s Rules of Order and would later earn a reputation for running conventions with a deft hand. * But he became tongue-tied while simultaneously trying to write and announce one of the resolutions. Wait, wait, wait, he stammered, trying to be diplomatic. What I m trying to do Thornton leaned toward a microphone and remarked, Barry, we all know what you re trying to do. The measures passed, but some felt badly for Thornton. Northwest Mountain Regional Rep Gary Molen, who dismissed the anti-patco sentiment as pettiness, nearly came to tears watching the drama play out. He s the one who got us going and we owed him something, Molen says now. To that end, the Atlanta delegates bestowed Thornton with the union s first honorary lifetime membership in appreciation of his contributions. Their recognition moved Thornton and he understood the controllers desire to run NATCA. But the snub over the presidency still hurt. During the four-day convention, delegates wrestled over a variety of organizational issues and came to grips with politics. One proposal would establish a weighted scale for National Executive Board members, giving two votes each to the four largest regions and July The Aviation Safety Commission, created by Congress in 1986 to develop recommendations on improving air safety, holds its first day of hearings. NATCA national organizer John Thornton presents a six-point improvement plan. Key elements include immunity for controllers who report operational errors, increasing FPL controller ranks, addressing equipment problems, and ending the FAA s contract tower program.

99 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 95 one each to the remaining five. In a fiery speech to the delegates, Kansas City Center controller Ray Spickler, from the four-state Central Region, contended the divisive move would pit large facilities and regions against small ones. Delegates rejected the measure. They also considered a Southern Region resolution to consolidate NATCA s nine regions, which mirrored the FAA s, into seven, as PATCO had done. * We were really looking for an efficient organization. It didn t make sense to have nine regions and it still doesn t, Krasner says now. Today, many agree that NATCA and the FAA would be better off with just three or four matching regions or even a single national entity to reduce overhead costs and foster more unity. We ve perfected the FAA model to an art form and we really need to stop doing that, says Carol Branaman, who was elected Northwest Mountain Region vice president in If I had my way, we wouldn t have a bunch of regional anything. It would be different. But in 1988 in Atlanta, some delegates viewed the move as a power play among the larger regions. Representatives from Alaskan, Central, and New England they were loosely known as the Small Region Coalition sent letters opposing the proposal to all facilities. We feel that by limiting NATCA to only a few regions, all controllers will not get the proper representation they deserve, and that there will exist certain internal power structures that helped destroy PATCO, Alaskan Regional Rep Will Faville Jr. wrote. The proposed amendment was withdrawn, though not before Barte threatened to pull New England delegates out of the convention. The First National Election Honorary Lifetime Members Heavy lobbying ensued in the hotel s bars and regional war rooms, which were making their first appearance at a NATCA function. The Small Region FYI John F. Thornton 1988 NATCA nat l. organizer, sr. leg. affairs director John F. Leyden 1992 PATCO president James Breen 1994 New England regional representative Robert D. Taylor 1994 Director of labor relations Richard Swauger 1996 National technology coordinator Cathy Meachum 2000 NATCA Charitable Foundation co-founder Emeritus Members Gary Molen 1994 Northwest Mountain Region VP emeritus Ed Mullin 1994 Southwest Region VP emeritus Barry Krasner 1996 National president emeritus Michael McNally 2000 National president emeritus * Under the proposal, New England Region would be consolidated into Eastern. Central and a renamed Western Region would absorb Northwest Mountain states, and several other realignments would occur west of the Mississippi River. A new Pacific Region would include Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories in the South Pacific. 22 July T. Allan McArtor takes over as FAA administrator from Donald Engen, who resigned twenty days earlier. McArtor logged 200 combat missions in Vietnam, winning the Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross. He also flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds for two years. McArtor worked for Federal Express Corporation for eight years until his appointment as administrator.

100 96 Against the Wind Sep. Coalition, joined by Northwest Mountain, hosted a combined hospitality suite. A fully stocked bar covered a credenza that ran the length of one wall. After the convention, Central Regional Rep Dan Brandt paid the hefty room and bar tab with a credit card. Thornton, who approved expense reports, gulped deeply before reimbursing Brandt. The upcoming national election dominated conversations in the war rooms. Nominations opened in another week, voting would take place in the spring, and results would be tallied in July. Many union members viewed Steve Bell as the heir apparent for president. Seven months before, on the day the FLRA tabulated the votes to certify NATCA, he d announced his candidacy to the others on the board. The 35-year-old preacher s son was an inspirational speaker, had gained visibility during NATCA s formation, and enjoyed a powerful political base rooted at New York TRACON. Karl Grundmann from Los Angeles TRACON had been perceived as a contender for political office as far back as NATCA s founding convention. Tall, astute, and at ease in front of a crowd, 34-yearold Grundmann became Kelly Candaele s leading spokesman during organizing on the West Coast. He was seen as a natural candidate for executive vice president. Fred Gilbert, an early NATCA stalwart from Chicago Center, and Ray Spickler, the Kansas City Eastern Regional Representative Steve Bell and other controllers in the New York area appear on behalf of NATCA in the city s traditional Labor Day parade. The Bell / Grundmann Ticket native of Maryland, Karl Grundmann A quit high school before I got asked to leave to join the Navy in He served as an aviation bosun s mate at Lemoore Naval Air Station, south of Fresno, where he befriended the tower crew and then trained as an air traffic controller. After the FAA hired him two years later, he worked briefly at Sacramento Tower and was certifying at Burbank Tower/ TRACON when the strike countdown began. As luck would have it, Lemoore needed radar controllers. Grundmann s old commander called to offer him a civilian transfer to the Defense Department, a five-level bump on the GS pay scale if he accepted the job. Grundmann took the offer and subsequently sidestepped the difficult decision of whether to strike. Three weeks after the walkout, the FAA rehired him at Burbank. It was very uncomfortable for a while to walk past the picket line, Grundmann says. But I believed the FAA. All I heard was we re going to take care of you. Before long, though, the ten-hour, sixday weeks began to grate. Grundmann also took exception to the FAA s public pronouncements that the air traffic system was returning to normal. All it would have taken would have been one major accident, one controller

101 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 97 Courtesy of Howie Barte Bicoastal running mates: Steve Bell, right, never formally acknowledged his unofficial ticket with Karl Grundmann. screw-up, and the whole thing would have come down. It was a house of cards. Despite these issues, Grundmann hadn t seriously thought about organizing given that federal-sector unions were not permitted to strike. But when he transferred to Los Angeles TRACON in 1984, another controller named George Stevens persuaded him to take a closer look. Kelly Candaele still recalls his first encounter with Grundmann at an organizing meeting in Anaheim. He was a longhaired guy full of piss and vinegar, Candaele says. Reminded me of not exactly a biker type. I came walking in the door and he said, Who are you? I had a tie on, so he knew I wasn t a controller. Grundmann listened to Candaele explain that controllers should think about organizing because their jobs involved high stakes. If a mistake occurred, a union would define a hierarchy of responsibility to help protect the workers. Candaele was quick to point out, though, that it was a decision the controllers needed to make on their own. I knew that it was so tender during the initial period that I couldn t come in and just say we ll give you protection, Candaele says. His words won Grundmann over. Not long after, NATCA held its March 1986 national meeting in San Francisco. Though Grundmann had joined the NATCA drive only recently, the controllers elected him as Western-Pacific regional rep over Jim Mc- Cann from Chino Tower, who had served as the de facto rep. Under Candaele s gentle tutelage, Grundmann trimmed his shoulder-length hair, replaced his jeans with a coat and tie, and quickly demonstrated a natural savvy in responding to controllers concerns about the new union. Before NATCA s certification, Grundmann and Bell befriended each other and forged an alliance. MEBA had assigned a member of its staff named Walter Browne to keep tabs on its fledgling affiliate. Everybody felt he was there as MEBA s hit man, Barry Krasner recalls. After the disagreement over MEBA s promissory note and steep affiliation fee, Browne s appearance further frayed the controllers faith in their funding organization. That lack of trust came to bear when Browne asked the interim regional reps whether they could guarantee the vote for a union and if anyone was willing to quit the FAA and join MEBA as a full-time organizer. Bell and Grundmann talked about it, decided to offer their services, and met with Gene DeFries. When word of the meeting reached the other NATCA board members, they exchanged heated phone calls that were charged with political accusations. Very quickly, Bell and Grundmann abandoned the idea. Now, as Grundmann launched a campaign for executive vice president, he and Bell were widely regarded as a ticket. However, the New Yorker never formally acknowledged his West Coast counterpart as a running mate.

102 98 Against the Wind 19xx The Gilbert / Spickler Ticket Fred Gilbert joined the FAA in 1969 and encountered his first big lie from the agency during orientation at Chicago Center. The academy in Oklahoma City, he was told, would teach Gilbert and the other new-hires how to think, speak, and act exactly alike. In Gilbert s first class, however, he watched with incredulity and unease when two instructors nearly came to blows arguing about phraseology. After working as a controller for seven years, he was promoted to the Great Lakes Regional Office and soon became associate administrator of the Air Traffic and Airway Facilities National Task Force. Gilbert returned to the boards after the strike, where his wariness over unions waned as he endured his ill-fated attempt to convene a national FAB conference and realized the committees were an FAA ploy to placate Congress and controllers. Seeing that little had changed, he joined the movement, was elected Great Lakes regional rep, and traveled extensively during organizing. Hoping to steer NATCA toward a more professional orientation than a traditional labor bent, Gilbert threw his hat in the ring for president. Fellow Midwesterner Ray Spickler who regarded Gilbert as being level-headed, decent, and likable backed his candidacy. The youngest of the four top contenders, 29-year-old Spickler grew up in Kansas City, attended Catholic schools, and studied chemistry for a while at Rockhurst University, a Jesuit institution. His chosen specialty did not inspire him, however, and the strike turned his attention to air traffic control. Spickler had no qualms about applying to the FAA several days after the walkout. He believed the picketers broke the law and would not get their jobs back. By the summer of 1986, controllers at Kansas City Center were talking about a union, but only Spickler attended an organizing meeting near the airport. Among the handful of others present were Jim Poole and Dan Brandt. The group elected Poole as regional rep and Brandt as his alternate. Poole was transferring from Cedar Rapids Tower/ TRACON to Chicago Center that fall, however, so Spickler was named second Gilbert / Courtesy of Howie Barte Spickler / NATCA archives alternate to prepare for the upcoming vacancy. After certification, talk turned to NATCA s first national election. Spickler inherently distrusted Bell and Grundmann. The two men from the coasts just hit me wrong, Spickler says now, though he adds: I came to view New Yorkers with a great deal of love and respect. They supply the union with a lot of energy. He has also since resolved his differences with Grundmann. But others shared Spickler s suspicions at the time and fretted in particular about the Eastern Region s influence. Spickler s thoughts about running for executive vice president solidified in Atlanta after his speech opposing weighted voting on the National Executive Board attracted attention from delegates. Looking for a vice presidential candidate to give the Midwest and smaller regions a greater voice, they encouraged him to run. A week later, Spickler and Gilbert agreed to form a ticket.

103 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 99 Center controller who gained attention with his pointed speech about competition among regions, ran together in opposition. They hoped their Midwestern roots would appeal to members as a more balanced ticket. However, Gilbert s link to PATCO, his emphasis on professional issues over labor problems, and possibly his age he was 42 worked against his bid for president. Another factor may have been a joint campaign mailing. To save money, Spickler relied on third-class postage and the literature did not arrive in time for balloting. When the results were announced on July 18, 1988, Bell outpolled Gilbert nearly two-to-one out of more than 3,200 votes cast. Likewise, Spickler trailed Grundmann in the race for executive vice president by about 200 votes. Neither won a majority, however, because of candidacies by two other controllers. Spickler campaigned hard in a runoff while Grundmann was hampered by a serious bicycle accident that knocked out all his teeth. He also suffered embarrassment, if not voter backlash, from a letter claiming Bell s endorsement sent out by an overzealous campaign worker. Bell quickly disavowed the en- dorsement and Spickler went on to win 63 percent of the runoff vote. First Steps Even before the Atlanta convention, NATCA began publicly asserting itself as a labor organization. Shortly after certification, the union joined AFGE in a lawsuit to prevent the Transportation Department from implementing random drug testing. Both unions contended the program violated Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure. Meanwhile, newly retained general counsel William Osborne demanded talks with the FAA to negotiate the rules based on NATCA s rights under federal labor laws. Although a U.S. District Court denied an injunction sought by the unions against drug testing, NATCA immediately signed its first Memorandum of Understanding with the agency in October The agreement, which outlined testing and grievance procedures, would be included in the union s first contract whenever it was negotiated. By the time Steve Bell arrived at NATCA headquarters in August 1988, the union was in the midst of lobbying Congress on a key issue that had helped fuel the organizing effort. A bill by Rep. Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts, would FYI NATCA retained William W. Osborne Jr. as its first general counsel in August Osborne had been in private practice representing labor unions for eleven years. He also taught labor law at Georgetown University, The George Washington University and The Catholic University of America in Washington, as well as the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland. I m very proud to have been on the 1989 union negotiating team that bargained the first post-patco agreement with the FAA and to have been one of the signatories, Osborne says. Ray Spickler: The Kansas City Center delegate attracted attention at the Atlanta convention by speaking out against competition among the regions. / NATCA archives Sep. The Senate Aviation Subcommittee begins the first of at least four hearings on an ill-fated bill that would remove the FAA from the Transportation Department. 1 Oct. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole leaves office after serving since February 7, 1983.

104 100 Against the Wind 1988 The First National Executive Board Although several interim regional representatives retained their seats, the 1988 election brought five new faces to the board: Alaskan: Incumbent Will Faville Jr. from Anchorage Center handily beat Gordon Jones from Kodiak Tower. Central: Incumbent Dan Brandt from Omaha TRACON easily defeated Larry Clementz from St. Louis TRACON. Eastern: Steve Bell s presidential bid left the field open in the region. New York TRACON controller Barry Krasner won a runoff election against Steve Van Houten from New York Center after cultivating the support of voters who had backed Dave Pearson from Harrisburg Tower/TRACON in the first round. Great Lakes: Joseph Bellino, the first developmental at O Hare Tower/TRACON to join PATCO and a longtime NATCA NATCA archives Band of brothers: NATCA s first elected board took office in September The top two executives and nine regional representatives included, from left: Will Faville Jr., Alaskan; President Steve Bell; Jim Breen, New England; Joseph Bellino, Great Lakes; Barry Krasner, Eastern; Dan Brandt, Central; Executive Vice President Ray Spickler; Lee Riley, Southern; Ed Mullin, Southwest; Gary Molen, Northwest Mountain. Not pictured: Western-Pacific Regional Rep Richard Bamberger. organizer, had taken over as alternate rep from Cleveland Center s Scott Lawless before the election. He beat Mark Ward from Indianapolis Center and David Shuler from O Hare Tower with 61 percent of the vote. New England: Providence Tower controller Howie Barte, who had served as the regional rep for nearly four years, lost to Jim Breen from Bradley Tower/TRACON. A former state trooper who helped establish the Connecticut State Police Union, Breen edged out Barte by seventeen votes Oct. NATCA and FAA representatives sign an agreement regarding random drug testing. The Memorandum of Understanding provides for a grievance and arbitration procedure for controllers who are forced to undergo testing. The signing follows a U.S. District Court ruling denying an injunction against testing sought by NATCA and AFGE.

105 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 101 with heavy support from Boston Center, the region s largest facility. Northwest Mountain: Incumbent Gary Molen from Salt Lake Center easily withstood a challenge by Robert Fletcher from Denver Center. Southern: Pensacola Tower/TRACON controller Dennis Delaney was unable to win a majority over challengers Lee Riley from Atlanta Center and Tim Leonard from Miami Center. Riley, who served as Delaney s alternate on the provisional board, triumphed in a runoff election thanks to healthy backing from his facility. Southwest: Incumbent Ed Mullin from Dallas Love Field ran unopposed. Western-Pacific: Karl Grundmann s alternate, Richard Bamberger from San Diego Lindbergh Tower, held back challenges from three other candidates. immediately substitute the government for federal employees as the defendant in civil lawsuits. For years, accident victims next of kin had periodically sued controllers, costing them thousands of dollars in legal fees and hampering their ability to buy and sell real estate and obtain loans until the government stepped in. Many controllers signed petitions for NATCA after five of their colleagues at New York TRACON were named in a lawsuit stemming from the midair collision over Cliffside Park, New Jersey, in In a concerted lobbying campaign, John Thornton spoke with Frank s staff several times and enlisted support from MEBA, which earmarked political action committee money for the tort reform bill. NATCA welcomed the financial help. Although the union had formed constitution, finance and safety committees, no PAC existed yet. NATCA also joined a coalition of federal-sector unions formed by the Public Employees Department of the AFL-CIO NATCA archives Leading the PAC: NATCA retained John Thornton as senior director of legislative affairs and, in 1989, director of its new Political Action Committee. Nov. Dec. 18 NATCA s provisional Executive Board votes to hold national elections. February 1, 1988, is the opening date for nominations for president, vice president, and regional representatives. 3 James H. Burnley takes over as transportation secretary. Burnley, former deputy secretary, also served as general counsel and as associate deputy attorney general in the Justice Department.

106 102 Against the Wind 1988 Election Results President Votes Percent Steve Bell Eastern New York TRACON 1, Fred Gilbert Great Lakes Chicago Center 1, Joseph Perrone New England Bradley Twr./TRACON John Saludin Eastern Albany Twr./TRACON Executive Vice President Runoff Votes Runoff Percent Incumbents served on the provisional Executive Board Ray L. Spickler Central Kansas City Center 1, , Karl Grundmann Western-Pacific L.A. TRACON 1, , Richard Bolton Southwest Okla. City Twr./TRA Timothy Stinson New England Boston Center Regional Representatives Alaskan Will Faville Jr. / incumbent Anchorage Center Gordon P. Jones Kodiak Tower Central Dan Brandt / incumbent Omaha TRACON Larry Clementz St. Louis TRACON Eastern Barry Krasner New York TRACON Steve Van Houten New York Center Dave Pearson Harrisburg Twr./TRA Dec Union representatives from all fifty-three Southwest Region facilities meet in Dallas to share experiences and initiate a regional self-training mode. FAA representatives from Air Traffic, Labor Management Relations, and Human Resources also attend.

107 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 103 Votes Percent Great Lakes Joseph M. Bellino Chicago TRACON Mark Ward Indianapolis Center David A. Shuler Chicago O Hare Tower New England James Breen Bradley Tower/TRACON Howie Barte / incumbent Providence Tower Northwest Mountain Gary Molen / incumbent Salt Lake Center Robert Fletcher Denver Center Southern F. Lee Riley Atlanta Center Dennis Delaney / incumbent Pensacola Tower Tim Leonard Miami Center Southwest Ed Mullin / incumbent Dallas Love Field Tower Write-ins Various Western-Pacific Richard Bamberger San Diego Tower Owen Bridgeman Phoenix TRACON Kenneth Moen Reno Tower/TRACON Benjamin Pappa Jr. Los Angeles Center Runoff Votes Runoff Percent Jan Nearly 300 delegates attend NATCA s second biennial convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta. Major issues adopted include: establishing Constitution, Finance, and Safety committees, composed of one member from each region; defining an active member as a controller who has been certified in the preceding two years or a developmental in a training program; limiting the right to vote or hold office to active members.

108 R. Steve Bell Training Specialist ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: ATCSCC Pr e v i o u s: P50, N90 OFF ONT Command Ctr. TRACONs TRACON Tower/TRACON Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements National president ; Eastern provisional regional rep ; Western-Pacific Region QTP coordinator; New York TRACON local president. Hir e d April Pr e s e n t Operating Initials: SB, RB, BS Ho m e t o w n : Baltimore Spouse / Children: Carrie / Jeff, Randy, Tim, Colleen, Christin, Shawn Other Trivia: Lives in a house built circa 1765 In t e r e s t s: History, sailing Stan Barough Steve Bell s vision of NATCA has always hovered on the horizon. That vision is the creation of a twenty-first century labor organization, he says. A union that understands systemic approaches, understands the complexities of systems, and one that truly does collaborate to the greatest extent possible to reach consensus with management. That s what we organized this union on. Even as Bell preached the need for NATCA in the early days, he advocated collaboration with the FAA and embraced Quality Through Partnership during his presidency. Since transferring to the Command Center in October 1998, he is often on the road trying to motivate people to think outside the box and see labor-management relations in a new light. The problem has never been people in the FAA. The problem has always been the structure, he says. The paramilitary structure comes to us from Rome and has primary dysfunctions built into it that don t allow people at the bottom of the pyramid to bubble up good ideas into the organization. Part of Bell s perception of the agency stems from his diverse ATC experience. After nine years as a controller in the Air Force, he worked at a privately run tower in Mesa, Arizona, before the FAA hired him at Ontario Tower/TRACON in He then worked in radar rooms in Omaha and New York, before his election as president, and in Phoenix from 1991 to Bell discovered a new world at the Command Center. Acknowledging that he previously gave little thought to airplanes beyond the range of his scope, he now regards traffic management as the wave of the future. While Bell keeps looking forward in the profession, the past also fascinates him. A Civil War history buff, he walks across the battlefields of Antietam and Gettysburg with the same familiarity as Gen. Grant and Robert E. Lee. He and his wife, Carrie, live in the rolling hills outside Charles Town, West Virginia, in a colonial-style house built about the time the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act of 1765, infuriating American colonists. In the barn behind their home and elsewhere on the property a variety of animals claim residence, including eleven head of sheep, a donkey, golden retriever, miniature schnauzer, and two cats. The couple also owns a sailboat, which they someday hope to steer through the Panama Canal and along the West Coast. Meanwhile, Bell remains passionate about his vision for NATCA. How else will we get there? he says. Until I die or I leave the FAA or I leave the union, I m going to keep plugging that way.

109 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 105 to campaign for the bill. By fall, the Senate passed a companion measure, which President Reagan signed into law a month later. NATCA s first significant legislative victory came as Bell and Spickler joined a skeletal national office staff on the eighth floor of MEBA headquarters at 444 North Capitol Street in Washington. Besides Thornton and Osborne, Richard Gordon Jr. served as director of labor relations and Tony Dresden handled public affairs. They had to create new space where none had been as far as developing the whole organization. Their space at MEBA headquarters grew as they grew, Doc Cullison says. But that was the sort of thankless job that Steve and Ray did to create the environment. The things you take for granted. Such as hiring a bookkeeper, receptionist, secretaries, and other staff members, leasing and buying office equipment, establishing lines of communication with union members and the FAA, and negotiating with the agency. Indeed, Bell and Spickler were forced to spend a good deal of time and energy on infrastructure during their three-year reign. With President Bell on the scene, Thornton s title of executive director posed a dilemma for outsiders who might be confused about the group s leadership. Joe Kilgallon, a consultant whom NATCA and PATCO retained periodically, devised a solution. Thornton was named to the newly created position of senior director for legislative affairs. Among the new faces appearing at the national office was a stylishly dressed, fun-loving woman named Frances Alsop, whom Spickler hired as the union s comptroller in May NATCA had seen two previous bookkeepers come and go, but Alsop would remain with the union for twelve years until she passed away in August Fellow employees and NATCA members were largely unaware of Alsop s lengthy illness until her death, which took away a vibrant personality and a gold mine of institutional history. A year after Alsop joined NATCA, Adell Humphreys, a tall woman with flowing blonde hair and an easy smile, came onboard. More than a decade earlier, Humphreys had been secretary for PATCO s director of operations until she moved on when the job lost its challenge. Humphreys had met Thornton during her PATCO days and they kept in touch throughout the Eighties. In April 1990, he called to let her know about Frances Alsop: The union s longtime comptroller was a vivacious presence at NATCA headquarters until she passed away in August / NATCA archives 1988 Apr. A joint NATCA-FAA labor-management training course, called Partners in Problem Solving, begins. Three-day sessions are held in the regions throughout the spring and summer.

110 Adell Humphreys Director of Administration Ni c k n a m e : Adelli 1992 Pr e s e n t Ho m e t o w n : Quantico, Virginia Other Trivia: Attended more National Executive Board meetings than anyone in NATCA In t e r e s t s: Peter Cutts Quilting, sewing, gourmet cooking, music NATCA Facilities Cu r r e n t: NO Pr e v i o u s: National Office While the National Executive Board is in flux every three years and has evolved through five administrations, one of the few constants at headquarters is Adell Humphreys. Officially known as the union s director of administration, her professional touch graces everything from the prosaic to the strategic. Humphreys learned about the nuances of air traffic controllers when she worked for PATCO s director of operations. More than a decade later, NATCA astutely grasped the benefits of her skills and knowledge. Adell s qualifications were outstanding, former Executive Vice President Ray Spickler says. With lightning-fast fingers, Humphreys has documented the deliberations at monthly NEB meetings since As the union grew, her responsibilities did, too. They were secretarial in nature at first she earned the nickname Adelli for faithfully ordering in lunch at NEB gatherings but Humphreys deftly demonstrated her ability to manage executive affairs. She has coordinated schedules for all of NATCA s presidents, from the era of Day-Timers to the latest PalmPilot. Convention delegates vote on which cities to hold the union s biennial gatherings, but Humphreys oversees the selection of hotel and meeting sites. And she inherited the title of landlord with the purchase of the Krasner Building in 2000, supervising initial renovations and ongoing Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements Received the Barry Krasner Award for Distinguished Service, presented by New York TRACON, in Hir e d May 1990 maintenance. Juggling the move to the new headquarters while preparing for the Anchorage convention made the first three months of 2000 a chaotic time for Humphreys. Yet she handled the additional workload like a veteran controller expertly reeling in planes during an arrival rush. Little wonder, perhaps, given that she devotes much of her life to NATCA. She considers the union her family aside from doting on two nieces, Ashley and Kendall. The lasting association contrasts with a childhood marked by fleeting friendships as Humphreys moved among various Marine Corps bases across the country, a time when playing the flute and violin cultivated an early love of music. These days, her tastes favor Bruce Springsteen, who she believes is truly the king of all music. The union has even benefited from her primary recreational passion. In 1998, she lovingly quilted an attractive potpourri of sixty-two NAT- CA logos taken from various shirts. Controllers contributed several thousand dollars to a Political Action Fund raffle for the privilege of owning the quilt, which now hangs in the local union office at Oakland Center. Other wall-sized quilts grace Humphreys office at headquarters, along with the Barry Krasner Award for Distinguished Service. It meant so very, very much to me to be honored by the men and women I work for, she says.

111 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 107 a job at NATCA. By this time, she was happily employed as the administration manager for the data processing department of a bank in Alexandria, Virginia. But the position of executive assistant to the president sounded appealing, too. Sitting once again in PATCO s old offices, adorned with the same garish metallic wallpaper and red plush carpet, she felt comfortable enough to advise Bell and Spickler against running a newspaper ad for the job. You ll get a ton of applications, Humphreys warned. Then she pitched her strengths. I know the kind of people that we re talking about. I ve worked with air traffic controllers. I know what I m getting into here. Afterward, she chatted with a friend about her interview. Exhibiting a characteristic sense of fairness, Humphreys noted that it was bad business practice to hire the first person to walk through the door for a job without talking to more candidates. If they offer it to me, I ll tell them they should consider other applicants, too, she told her friend. Are you nuts? he exclaimed. If they call you up and offer the job, you take it! You don t tell them to interview more people. The phone rang within an hour and Humphreys took her friend s advice as well as NATCA s offer. Three months later, a colleague left to have a baby and Humphreys added office manager and assistant to the executive vice president to her responsibilities. Today, her title is director of administration, a generic description that masks the far reach of her involvement in everything from responding to distressed members on the telephone to booking several hundred hotel rooms for conventions and other union functions. Regardless of the title, union members and the rest of the national office staff simply consider her the all-knowing, ever-capable Adell. Barry Krasner describes Humphreys as the beginning and the end of NATCA. She s the one constant. She holds it all together. Krasner remains in awe of her many talents, least of all a more pedestrian skill. Adell types faster than you can talk. We would finish a five-day board meeting and as I said, This meeting is adjourned, she would hand me the minutes. Finished. Including, This meeting is adjourned. By the end of 1990, NATCA s headquarters staff numbered a dozen or so, including two full-time lawyers to help Bill Osborne handle the mounting pile of grievances and other legal issues. James Morin, a PATCO controller from LaGuardia Tower, earned a law Tool of the trade (above): Adell Humphreys five-year anniversary plaque is framed by a gift from President Barry Krasner when he left office. / Japphire James Morin (left): Hired in 1989, the former LaGuardia Tower controller served as general counsel for NATCA throughout the 1990s. / Courtesy of Howie Barte June John Thornton, NATCA s senior director of legislative affairs, testifies before the House Aviation Subcommittee in favor of an independent FAA. Although Thornton credits the agency with making progress under Administrator T. Allan McArtor, he says, There is no reason that the FAA must carry the DoT s bureaucratic anchor around its neck forever.

112 108 Against the Wind Susan Tsui Grundmann (right): When NATCA s current general counsel joined the union s staff in 1990, she recalls that we were like a small family. / NATCA archives Cheryl Cannon (far right): She has handled the union s growing switchboard while watching the national office staff triple in the past decade. / Peter Cutts degree from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, after the strike and practiced with a private firm specializing in aviation law until he joined NATCA in He would serve as the union s general counsel for a decade. Susan Tsui, a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, came to the union in December 1990 from the Sheet Metal Workers National Benefit Fund. Early in 1991, NATCA hired a part-time receptionist named Cheryl Cannon. She eventually switched to full time and remains the first NATCA employee that most visitors see when they walk into headquarters. The growing staff also included NATCA s first director of safety and technology. Joel Hicks, who d worked at TRACONs in New York, Chicago and Oakland, California, had been one of the activists involved in organizing NATCA during the mid-1980s. Since then, NATCA s national office staff has tripled in response to the evolving needs of the union. Where Tony Dresden once grappled single-handedly with the monthly newslet- t e r and media inquiries, C om mu n ic a t ion s Director Courtney Portner and three other people handle that work and much more now. Richard Gordon, the union s first director of labor relations, enjoyed the help of an assistant. But with the mushrooming growth in bargaining units, the Labor Relations Department has swelled to nine people, plus a full-time liaison, under the direction of Bob Taylor. (Gordon left NATCA in 1996 to start a consulting firm, working with the FAA, The MITRE Corporation, and other clients.) Like Humphreys, Tsui has grown up with the union personally and professionally. She married Karl Grundmann in 1994 and was promoted to general counsel in Tsui Grundmann recalls that in those early days we were like a small family. and the Web were not in the public realm yet and few committees existed. As a result, members in need often turned to headquarters, where the phones rang almost nonstop. You had to do it all. It was exhausting, she June The FAA commissions the twentieth Host computer system at Salt Lake Center. 15 Aug. President Steve Bell announces the establishment of a ten-member contract negotiation team for the union.

113 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 109 says. But the employees were happy doing their best to keep the child alive. While the lack of personnel made every day a scramble, it created a close-knit atmosphere that included moments of whimsy. One favorite activity involved a visit to Wilma Gisala in the Membership Department. Gisala read palms and had a knack for accurate predictions, including one premonition about a union member who won a car and Tsui s impending marriage to a controller. A few diehards called in for daily readings. Out in the field, regional representatives and the union s locals faced the same daunting task of starting from scratch. Watching the whole system develop was like watching a tree come to life, says Christine Neumeier, who worked with Ed Mullin during NATCA s organizing days and has been the administrative assistant for the Southwest Region office since When Neumeier signed on, the office consisted of a small, windowless space in one of Dallas Love Field s largely empty terminals. Only later did NATCA expand its quarters to include a bathroom and badly needed storage areas. We were so covered up with file cabinets, Neumeier says, adding that the furniture was one step above a garage sale. As with headquarters, the telephone served as a primary communications link in the field. There was no , pagers, cell phones, etcetera, says Terri Jeffries, who also joined NATCA in 1992 as administrative assistant for the Southern Region office. Simply obtaining a bulletin board to post union material in FAA facilities was often a fight. Many controllers set up offices in their homes because managers refused to give them space at work. The first Atlanta Center union office consisted of a tiny desk and wall phone in the men s locker room. Files for the New York Center local resided in the trunk of Michael McNally s red Toyota Corolla hatchback. Members held meetings in their living rooms and basements until management ceded the second guard shack at the center, which was spacious enough for three people. They gave me that because it leaked like a sieve, McNally recalls. But it did have a bathroom, so I was excited. For a couple of years before and after certification, the local at New York TRACON enjoyed the use of a room at the Public Employees Federation branch office in Hauppauge on Long Island. The largess came through Michael Sheedy s father, a union Richard Gordon: NATCA s first labor relations director left the union in 1996 and formed a consulting firm. / NATCA archives Sep. Sep. 12 NATCA s new National Executive Board meets for the first time since the election in its offices on the eighth floor of MEBA headquarters in Washington, D.C. 29 NATCA presents the union s first contract proposal to the FAA. The proposed agreement contains about eighty articles.

114 110 Against the Wind FYI officer. When TRACON management finally permitted NATCA an office at the facility, they stationed a beat-up desk behind a radarscope in the control room with a phone shared by all controllers. Local President Joe Fruscella had to buy a lamp and light bulbs. Today, NATCA occupies two offices: one for the membership and another for its ten-member Executive Board. Virtually every other local in the country also has an office and at least one computer. As the locals established themselves, membership edged upward. About 6,000 controllers 44 percent of the work force belonged to the union when the first National Executive Board took office. By early 1989, membership exceeded 50 percent. David C. Abbott from Billings Tower/TRACON in Montana put NATCA over the halfway mark by becoming its 6,859 th member. Membership milestones during NATCA s early years Date Members No. in Unit Percent October 31, ,000 13, February 2, ,859 13, July 26, ,610 14, October 19, ,600 14, About 2,000 more joined during the summer of 1990, thanks to concerted efforts from an organizing committee headed by Atlanta Center s Rick Woolbright, before the union instituted an initiation fee. The fee equal to one year of dues, or 1 percent of a controller s base pay was temporarily waived during a few other organizing drives during the 1990s. Membership broke the 10,000 mark within three years of certification and gradually increased to 82 percent by In its eagerness to attract recruits, NATCA stumbled early on with a program designed to refund a member s lifetime dues upon retirement. Trish Gilbert, a newly hired Houston Center controller, had no union background but joined NATCA because the innovative program called the O.N.E. Dues Back Trust appealed to her. Executive Board member Ed Mullin, ever on the lookout for ways to boost membership in his difficult Southwest Region, proposed the plan after hearing that seven other unions participated in it. Skeptical that it sounded too good to be true, he sought advice Jan. NATCA and the FAA reach tentative agreement on their first contract. The three-year pact includes seventy-seven articles. 2 Feb. Tower controller David C. Abbott in Billings, Montana, becomes the union s 6,859 th member. For the first time since NATCA was certified, membership exceeds 50 percent.

115 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 111 from a couple of associates who declared the trust to be sound. Other board members were leery. Several thought it sounded like a pyramid scheme. But they nevertheless approved it as a membership benefit in the fall of Their fears proved correct a year later. The plan s promoters claimed that NATCA s initial contribution would be 5.35 percent of dues and never exceed 10 percent. However, consultant Joe Kilgallon discovered the union would need to allocate at least 20 percent to make the plan financially viable. An embarrassed NATCA sued and was able to recover all contributions as well as most of its legal and actuarial costs. Another Mullin proposal has lived a long and useful life. Early on, he successfully persuaded the board to set aside 6 percent of income as a contingency fund. Known as the Southwest Rule, Mullin s budgetary foresight proved invaluable in By then, the fund had swelled to $800,000 and enabled NATCA to avoid going into debt as it spent heavily to finish a facility reclassification project and complete its third contract with the agency. That same year, the Southwest Rule was reduced to 4 percent of income. Although dues revenue grew as membership climbed, NATCA s first two years were awash in red ink, forcing the union to borrow another $400,000 from MEBA in July Regional reps using a common credit card occasionally had to dig for other NATCA archives Paying off the debt: Strapped for cash in its early years, NATCA s finances quickly improved. In October 1995, President Barry Krasner, right, and Executive Vice President Michael McNally presented MEBA with a final loan payment. means of payment when merchants rejected the union plastic. Spickler, who was in charge of finances, grew so concerned about expenses that he finally told Bell, Nobody can buy a paper clip in this office unless I approve it. Bell instituted mini-minutes summaries of National Executive Board meetings reduced on a photocopier to save paper. Those with less than perfect eyesight could barely read them. Aside from the additional loan, MEBA agreed to halve its 15 percent affiliation fee for six months shortly after the first National Executive Board took Feb. Feb. 6 Samuel Skinner takes over as transportation secretary from James H. Burnley. Skinner, an Illinois lawyer, served as chairman of the state s Regional Transportation Authority. 17 FAA Administrator T. Allan McArtor leaves office after serving since July 22, 1987.

116 Ray Spickler Air Traffic Control Specialist 1982 Pr e s e n t Nickname / Operating Initials: Maj. Ksang / SP Ho m e t o w n : Kansas City Former Spouse / Children: Jayne / Shannon, Stevie Other Trivia: NATCA archives Owns a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy In t e r e s t s: Guitar, Little League baseball coach, active in church ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: ZKC Pr e v i o u s: MCI IAD Center Tower Tower/TRACON Ray Spickler dreamed of being a top gun pilot while growing up in Kansas City. When the U.S. Naval Academy did not accept him and he could not obtain an ROTC scholarship, he studied chemistry in college. Meanwhile, his interest in aviation simmered beneath the surface. Spickler applied to be a controller after the strike and jumped at the chance to attend the academy in He was assigned to Kansas City Center, where working conditions were better than many facilities. Nevertheless, talk about a new union blossomed when managers implemented a major reorganization with little worker input. It was an eye-opening experience for Spickler, who soon found himself attending organizing meetings and serving as alternate Central regional representative. After certification, Spickler mounted a successful campaign for executive vice president, and subsequently relocated to Washington. His wife, Jayne, accompanied him and they quickly found an apartment albeit a little too hastily, in retrospect. Enchanted by the bucolic campus of The Catholic University of America, the couple didn t notice the war zone a few blocks away. The two Midwesterners were taken aback that the neighborhood grocery checker worked the cash register from behind bulletproof glass. They moved again a short while later. Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements Executive vice president ; Central provisional alt. regional rep ; Nat l. QTP Steering Committee member; first ZKC local president. Hir e d April 1982 Spickler s new duties left him little personal time. He and President Steve Bell had the substantial task of setting up NATCA s national office virtually from scratch while juggling other pressing issues, such as the union s first contract. They were also cognizant of the PATCO legacy. Spickler recalls having to walk a tight line to represent members while not appearing overly strident. We both really did believe in trying to collaborate with the agency. Although Spickler lost his bid for re-election in 1991, his disappointment was short-lived. It s hard to turn around and walk away from that, he says. But the change enabled him to enjoy more time with his children. Shannon was born four months before he left office and Stevie arrived in January Spickler went to work at Dulles Tower/ TRACON and transferred to Kansas City Tower in 1994 before returning to Kansas City Center two years later. While he has stayed involved by participating in various local positions and a work group on Article 87/88 issues, he also believes in balancing work with his private life. Active in his church, he coaches his son s Little League team and plays guitar, a self-taught skill. I m proud to have been a part of NATCA s history and to play a small role, Spickler says. Thanks to the members who gave me the opportunity.

117 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 113 office. In March 1990, Bell and Spickler approached MEBA again and negotiated the fee down to 7.5 percent permanently, saving NATCA $200,000 a year. MEBA also agreed to forgive about $250,000 in debts and consolidated eight other loans into one promissory note to be paid at 6 percent interest instead of the previous average of 8.8 percent. The restructured debt represented another $50,000 in annual savings. They were good to us, Spickler says. They just wanted to see us get organized again. They wanted to be able to say they were the ones who did it again. MEBA s accommodating attitude continued with Spickler s successor, Joseph Bellino, who renegotiated the $1.9 million loan once more for a threeyear term at 3 percent interest. By October 1995, NATCA wrote a final check for $34, to close out the debt, having saved nearly $1 million in interest and accelerated repayment by ten years. Spreading the Word The strike had ended seven years earlier and a different generation of controllers stood at the helm of the new union. But it took time for NATCA to break the ice with the agency s top-level managers, some of whom regarded the upstart group warily. The FAA people they were dealing with had been there when PATCO was there, Doc Cullison notes. So, this wasn t exactly the most conducive environment for labor relations. As with all relationships, personalities were key. Bell preached collaboration. Spickler s philosophy was to believe in someone until they betrayed his trust. The agency s deputy associate administrator for air traffic, Norbert Nobby Owens, believed in collaboration, too, and was helping to start an innovative program called Success Through Partnership at New York Center. Joseph Noonan, the FAA s director of labor and employee relations, could be hard-nosed but he preferred dealing with a single entity rather than thousands of individual controllers. Collectively, those attitudes began to thaw a chilly divide of contentiousness. But even as NATCA took its first tentative steps with the agency, union members struggled over the direction of their organization. When NATCA formed a steering committee to develop a joint labormanagement cooperative with the FAA, it proved to be a seminal charge for the group. This steering committee brought out some big differences within NATCA on what our basic issues should be traditional LMR or new initiatives, says committee member Anthony Coiro from South Bend Tower/TRACON in Indiana. Collaboration was a hard sell in those early days. After the agency denied NATCA s proposed memorandum to provide 100 percent official time for The strike had ended seven years earlier and a different generation of controllers stood at the helm of the new union. But it took time for NATCA to break the ice with the agency s top-level managers Apr. NATCA members ratify their first contract with the FAA by a vote of 3,920 to 748, more than a 5-to-1 ratio. 19 Apr. According to NATCA s first financial report, the union had assets of $319,772 and liabilities of $1,941,564, including principal and interest of $1.7 million owed to MEBA, on August 31, 1988.

118 114 Against the Wind Getting to yes: Labor Relations Director Bob Taylor developed a different procedure for settling disputes that has saved NATCA and the FAA money while also cutting down on arbitrations. / Japphire regional representatives to carry out their union duties, Bell urged the committee not to jump ship and become a strictly confrontational union. When Bell and Spickler ran for re-election in 1991, they cited the regional representatives request for $200,000 to clear up a backlog of arbitrations and noted that some wanted to spend even more. They urged less emphasis on grievances and greater employee involvement in management decisions and resolution of problems at the facility level. They argued this was a way to save money that could be put back into studying facility reclassification, safety and technology issues, legislative action, and member benefits. Such lofty goals competed with reality for the young union. In the field, controllers were still growing accustomed to their new roles as union representatives while dealing with facility managers who did not always subscribe to the notion of collaboration. In that regard, the local reps were clamoring for help. Some schooled themselves in labor law, but there was a clear need for formal training. Central Regional Representative Dan Brandt approached FAA Division Manager Ed Newburn, who suggested they attend joint classes conducted by the FLRA. At least two sessions were held, although some in the FAA feared it would set a precedent for contract negotiations scheduled to begin soon. Using instructional materials from the classes, Brandt and Kansas City Center controllers Mark Kutch and Michael Putzier held training sessions for other reps. Joseph Bellino conducted similar classes in the Great Lakes Region, as did others elsewhere. NATCA launched an official program in October 1989 under a contract with the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland. The weeklong course covered federal-sector labor relations, management rights, unfair labor practices, disciplinary and adverse actions, grievance and arbitration preparation, and a briefing on the union s first May NATCA President Steve Bell and FAA Acting Administrator Robert E. Whittington sign the union s first collective bargaining agreement, which takes effect immediately. 18 June The FAA launches a five-year Pay Demonstration Project providing a bonus of up to 20 percent at eleven hard-to-staff facilities in the New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Oakland areas.

119 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 115 Training the Troops The three dozen controllers seated in a Las Vegas hotel meeting room were ready to relax. They d spent the past week poring over a ream of information about labor-management relations and the union s contract with the FAA. Weariness from the intense training session competed with a desire to race back to their facilities and put this newfound knowledge into practice. Conversations buzzed at tables throughout the room. Several participants impatiently eyed the exit doors, yearning for a cocktail and one more crack at the casinos. Rising from his chair, a longtime facility representative announced with conviction: I m glad you ve all learned the contract. But I m here to tell you that being a fac rep will present you with moral choices. It is a moral issue. Everyone fell silent while they absorbed the import of his hard-earned wisdom. The contract might be black and white, but the day-to-day process of carrying out its provisions could lead them into a gray morass. Labor Relations Director Bob Taylor, primary instructor at the weeklong Facility Representative and Leadership Greg Llafet / Peter Cutts Training course, addressed the dilemma with a philosophy he espouses at every seminar: Be honest, be fair, but firm. Good, bad or indifferent, if you say you will do something, see it through, no matter how politically incorrect it may be. On the other hand, when the employer makes a commitment, make them deliver. With that, you can walk away knowing you did your best with respect and dignity. Always have the courage to stand tall, to do it right. The facility rep course, which has been available to NATCA members up to eight times a year since 1989, forms the bedrock of educating the union s local presidents and other activists. The curriculum covers the gamut of labor-management relations: workers rights under federal law; unfair labor practice charges; grievance procedures; conduct and discipline; midterm bargaining; leadership survival skills; and more. Taylor and a variety of NATCA activists and staff members taught the course through the 1990s. When NATCA hired Greg Llafet as its training coordinator (now director of training) in 1999, he took over responsibility for scheduling, course materials, hotel arrangements, all on-site duties, and teaching the leadership module. Llafet held a similar position with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation and has a background in adult education and corporate training. Four people now augment Taylor and Llafet to offer specialized knowledge on different sections of the curriculum. President John Carr typically provides an overview and encourages the audience to conduct themselves with trust, honor, and integrity sentiments codified in the preamble of the union s 1998 contract with the FAA. Summarizing NATCA s growth and accomplishments, he drives home the point that without labor relations all the rest of this is a club. Taylor covers that realm using a no-nonsense, street-smart style he acquired from working in several positions with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, including Southern Region general chairman, before joining NATCA in Quoting chapter and verse from the United States Code and labor authority rulings, he

120 116 Against the Wind contract, which had been adopted the previous May. The training also included mock negotiating sessions, an invaluable component for new union reps, many of whom had little relevant experience other than haggling over the price of a car or house. Classes were also held at MEBA s training facilities in Easton, Maryland, until the mid-1990s, Japphire Fac rep training: NATCA conducts up to eight weeklong sessions a year to teach its rank and file about labor-management relations and leadership skills. The union also offers several advanced courses and has begun Web-based training. when NATCA assumed responsibility. Staff members from headquarters initially taught the course, which was expanded to include sections on local finances, organizing, safety and technology, National Transportation Safety Board issues, and such. A year later, the regions began teaching the class with help from the national office. Meanwhile, Labor Relations Director Bob Taylor and David Sandbach, a recent addition to his staff, worked with Cary R. Singletary, a Florida attorney who specialized in mediation, to develop basic and advanced arbitration courses. To help convey concepts of arbitration advocacy, they wrote and produced a 40-minute video that is still used today. Several years later, they inaugurated an advanced facility rep course that included another video on negotiations. In late 1997, labor relations training was transferred back to headquarters. Controllers James Ajax Kidd, Chris Sutherland, and Rodney Turner with help from other activists and Heather Timme at headquarters developed a basic facility rep curriculum using material they d been teaching in the Eastern and Southern regions for years. Shortly after they launched the new national course in the spring of 1998, which was more comprehensive and consistent than various classes conducted by the regions, the Labor Relations Department took the reins and has been teaching it ever since. June Retired Navy Adm. James B. Busey IV takes over as FAA administrator from T. Allan McArtor, who resigned 4½ months earlier. Busey won the Navy Cross for combat missions in Vietnam. During his 37-year military career, he also served as vice chief of naval operations, commander-inchief of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, and commander-in-chief of Allied Forces in Southern Europe.

121 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 117 Training the Troops (continued) translates legal jargon into plain English, provides a liberal dose of practical tips, and often exhorts the students, Do not fear this, people. Andy Cantwell, considered a guru on the 1998 contract, explains every article of the agreement. Finance Committee Chairman Dale Wright covers money matters and Mike Hull, the current Air Traffic Resources (ATX) liaison, brings the class up to date on ongoing negotiations, human resource issues, and technical projects. They are true experts in their fields, Llafet says. No one talks to my class unless they have worn the shoes. Since Llafet took over training, NATCA revived its Advanced Representation course. The union also offers a oneday seminar for liaisons and technical representatives who deal with the FAA, training for leaders of new bargaining units that don t yet have a contract with the agency, and two arbitration advocacy courses. The overall curriculum represented a $300,000 investment in NATCA also created an external program in cooperation with the George Meany Center National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland. Participants can earn a bachelor s degree by completing five courses that supplement their work and union leadership experience, and technical and labor training. In early 2002, Llafet launched an initiative to provide Web-based instruction by posting the Formal Discussions module on NATCA s site. Many segments of the basic facility rep course are also available online for reference. Although the training provides a firm grounding in traditional labor-management procedures, it also emphasizes working relationships with the FAA. This philosophy, coupled with a new process called Alternate Dispute Resolution, has helped to significantly reduce grievance arbitrations. During 1998 contract negotiations, more than 900 grievances were pending. Typically, most are resolved before going to arbitration. Even so, Taylor successfully pushed for an expedited arbitration process, which was written into the contract. He also sought a way to settle disputes under less adversarial conditions by inventing procedures for ADR. Aside from faster resolution of grievances, Taylor lauds the program for providing substantial cost savings. Arbitrations usually cost $5,000 to $8,000 or more, depending on the length of the hearing. With ADR, a mediator can handle five to eight grievances a day for about $2,000. The savings stem from ADR s accelerated and simplified procedures. At traditional arbitration hearings, witnesses representing the union and management may testify for days. Under ADR, each side receives about fifteen minutes to present its case. Based on the testimony, a mediator renders an advisory opinion that both sides are encouraged to accept. If either party forces the issue to arbitration, the ultimate loser pays all expenses arising from the dispute. Since NATCA and the agency formally adopted ADR three years ago, arbitrations have declined 44 percent to just ten cases in 2001.

122 118 Against the Wind The NATCA Voice When Bryan Thompson transferred to Chicago TRACON around Thanksgiving 1993, he heard the standard directive issued to all new arrivals: Don t talk to the journeymen controllers. There s nothing you can say about what it is we do that will have any impact or that they want to hear, management told him. If it looks like you might get checked out and get to stay here, then they ll probably want to get to know you. In the meantime, you re probably not going to make it so don t bother. Thompson, who d worked as a controller for more than eleven years in Lafayette, Louisiana, and at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina, bristled over the outcast treatment. He also brushed it off. Thompson had been involved with the union in Lafayette, where he served as the NATCA facility rep, and did not intend to sit on the sidelines in Chicago. Instead, he approached Ray Gibbons and John Carr, the local s president and vice president, respectively, to offer his photography and design skills. Coincidentally, the union was resurrecting a facility newsletter called Intentionally Left Blank. Articles in previous issues had been cobbled together with scissors and paste, and duplicated on a photocopier. Gibbons and Carr, who wanted a more professional appearance, welcomed Thompson s help. During the next year, Thompson edited and published Intentionally Left Blank every two months or so. The issues contained an eclectic mix of news articles, soapbox columns, historical perspectives, cartoons, top ten lists, and other offbeat tidbits. Thompson designed the pages using an Amiga computer, and worked with a local shop to duplicate and collate them into a newsletter. If I had to move or some big event was taking place, the publishing got pushed back a bit because there was nobody to slough it off on, he says. The experience provided a firm foundation for Thompson s next venture. In the fall of 1994, Great Lakes Vice President Jim Poole decided to launch a regional newsletter. Veronica Green from Flint Tower/ TRACON in Michigan volunteered to lead the effort, but she had no background in print production and gratefully accepted Thompson s help. From the beginning, the co-editors sought to create a publication written entirely by controllers. Their philosophy was embodied in the title of the inaugural 32-page issue in March 1995: The NATCA July An arbitrator rules that NATCA local presidents may leave the facility on official time to perform representational duties. The decision grew out of three cases in which facility reps had been denied such permission.

123 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 119 Voice. Thompson s involvement fulfilled an artistic craving (he also plays the baritone and tenor saxophone). Air traffic control is an art form, he says. But it s an art form that, when you re done, there isn t anything for you to see. I like the creativeness of the other stuff. Each monthly edition was sent to every facility in the nation with the goal of sharing information about common issues. By August, Green had transferred to Tamiami, Florida, leaving more of the editing to Thompson. Funding was also in jeopardy. Far from letting The NATCA Voice fold, however, Thompson Bryan Thompson / Frank Flavin envisioned even broader national distribution to provide an alternative forum to the officially sanctioned newsletter produced at headquarters. Executive Vice President Michael Mc- Nally saw the merit and provided money that enabled Thompson and his crew to publish the first grass-roots national edition in February The union funding was unusual given that some of the articles in The Voice attacked NATCA s leadership as well as the FAA. It has allowed the membership a place to voice their opinions, Thompson says. The NATCA Voice has issues in it that are important to them. Plagued by several years of budget battles, The Voice enjoyed firmer financial footing after delegates at the 1998 convention voted to allocate $44,000 annually for the newsletter. Even that amount has become insufficient in the face of the union s growing family of bargaining units. Circulation has climbed to 7,500, with distribution to some 385 air traffic control facilities and other interested parties around the world. Income has been supplemented with advertisements, which are coordinated by longtime Voice staff member Jeff Parrish. Money is also derived from The NATCA Shop, an online venture that stemmed from a desire among some controllers for quality jackets bearing the union s logo. People liked them and wanted them, Thompson says. Next thing you 19 July A United Airlines DC-10 suffers total hydraulic failure after one of its engine fans breaks apart and damages the aircraft s control system. Capt. Al Haynes and his crew fly the plane to the airport in Sioux City, Iowa, where a crash landing kills 110 of the 269 people onboard. Canadian controllers help their U.S. colleagues deal with traumatic stress, which ultimately leads to a formal program known as Critical Incident Stress Debriefing.

124 120 Against the Wind The NATCA Voice (continued) know, we started selling a couple of polo shirts. Over time, the shop s inventory has expanded to include a variety of clothing and accessories. In the fall of 1996, The NAT- CA Voice launched a Web site to augment its print edition, and both efforts have received several awards from the International Labor Communications Association. The Voice has also supported unions outside the profession, such as raising thousands of dollars for workers who staged a 5½-year strike at Detroit s two Cutting edge: Stories in The NATCA Voice take the FAA and the union s leadership to task. The alternative publication began as a Great Lakes Region newsletter in March 1995 (center). metropolitan newspapers. But at its core are the articles and cartoons from Brian Fallon and Mike Iggy Irving that may run counter to conventional wisdom. Although a committee composed of three National Executive Board members and the union s general counsel reviews each edition, Thompson has never been told to withdraw an article. My job is to print the stuff that nobody else is getting to see, he says. We re an alternative news source Sep. NATCA creates a Political Action Committee, which collects $21,163 in contributions during its first election cycle. Oct. The union holds its first weeklong facility representative training class at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland.

125 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 121 NATCA hired a training coordinator in 1999 and has continued to refine and expand its educational program. Some 400 participants annually take advantage of seven different courses offered multiple times a year. Many more benefit from other classes taught at the regional and local level using instructional material from headquarters. The union s commitment to ongoing education has resulted in a platoon of activists so well versed in labor law and negotiating tactics that the FAA is very envious, Kidd says. I ve been told directly by managers at the local, regional, and headquarters level that our training is so much better than theirs. They would die to get ours. As NATCA took shape, getting the word out to members proved to be another challenge. Most regions and several facilities published newsletters, but pagers for local and regional representatives buzzed and beeped constantly. After returning home from dining out with his wife, Linda, Brandt would walk straight to an answering machine loaded with a backlog of messages. He realized a computer bulletin board would be a boon to cutting down on unnecessary communication. Brandt hooked up with the late Scott Davies, a San Diego controller who was savvy with computers, and they looked around for a place to host their textbased bulletin board service. The late John Galipault, who founded the respected Aviation Safety Institute, agreed to give them computer space on an aging 8088 PC. In time, they moved to CompuServe and formed an aviation special interest group for the union. Several years later, the controllers temporarily transferred their online activities to Genie before returning to the AFL-CIO section on CompuServe in In September, Chicago Center s Doug Holland and Tim Kuhl from Springfield, Illinois, Tower/TRA- CON provided the first comprehensive online coverage of a convention. Transcripts of the discussions, online live chats, and photos were posted throughout the proceedings in Pittsburgh. With Internet usage starting to explode, Holland spearheaded a move to create a BBS on the Web. Other activists aided the effort, including Gordon Baker, Bryan Thompson, and Ed Morris, an Omaha Tower controller who had formed another listserv. The group lacked funding, but New York Center controller Leo Kremer came to the rescue by providing space on his Internet hosting company s servers. At the time, the union s online community Rodney Turner: The Southern Region VP, who is renowned for sharing information with members, helped activists gain NEB approval for a National Communications Committee in / NATCA archives 17 Oct. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes the Bay Area during a World Series game. Tower cab windows break at San Francisco and San Jose airports, but controllers remain on position Jan. Randy Schwitz from Atlanta Center takes over as Southern regional representative from Lee Riley, who steps down to devote attention to his ATC duties and a trucking business he owns.

126 122 Against the Wind FYI Heard on the Airwaves Controllers are rarely at a loss for words and their sharp wit can lead to interesting exchanges on the radio. The following actual transmissions appeared as part of an occasional feature in the Chicago TRACON newsletter Intentionally Left Blank during the mid-1990s: Controller: The traffic at nine o clock is gonna do a little Linda Ronstadt on you. Pilot: Linda Ronstadt? What s that? Controller: Well, sir, they re gonna Blue Bayou. Controller: Sure you can have eight miles behind the heavy there ll be a United trijet between you and him. Pilot: The first officer says he s got you in sight. Controller: Roger. The first officer s cleared for a visual approach runway two-seven right. You continue on that one-eighty heading and descend to three thousand. Pilot: Approach, what s the tower [radio frequency]? Controller: A big, tall building with glass all around it, but that s not important right now. remained minuscule compared with a membership numbering close to 12,000 (though its activity outpaced larger unions in the AFL-CIO). On a busy day, perhaps twenty users would exchange messages on NATCAnet. One of those who logged on was Doug Laughter from Salt Lake Center, who quickly joined the move to expand the union s Web presence. Initially, the communications activists were stymied by a lack of support from the national office. Financial backing was nonexistent, even though nearly 1,000 members were using the Web site and BBS by the end of Limited technical knowledge at headquarters also hindered their plans. At the convention in September, two computers were sent to Seattle to disseminate information for controllers who couldn t attend. Unfortunately, the PCs lacked modems. Laughter unwittingly saved the day by bringing his PC from home as a backup. The activists grew increasingly frustrated. All the people in the field who were doing communications work didn t have a voice in communications, Thompson says. They found an influential ally in Rodney Turner, who was serving his first term as Southern Region vice president and embraced open communication with the membership. His detailed weekly updates of union activities, which he dubbed Rod- Jan An Avianca 707 crashes on Long Island, New York, after running out of fuel while waiting to land at Kennedy Airport. The accident kills seventythree of the 158 people onboard the plane. In its probable cause report, the NTSB cites the flight crew s failure to manage the plane s fuel load and declare an emergency to controllers. The board also notes that lack of standardized terminology for fuel emergencies was a contributing cause.

127 Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built 123 ney Vision, were widely read by NATCA members and FAA managers. I ve always been one who told my membership that what I knew, they would know, he says. Communication is one of the most important things that we need to continually improve upon. With Turner s support, the activists now had the ear of the Executive Board and they crafted a proposal to create a National Communications Committee. In February 1999, Thompson and Morris attended an NEB meeting to make their pitch. Board members agreed with their recommendation and empowered the new group with oversight on most communications issues between the national office and the membership. * This included merging the Web-based BBS and a very active listserv a boon to bringing the union s members and leadership together in a consolidated online venue and further development of the Web site, which national office staff members had been working on with help from an outside contractor. We felt we could build a better product at no cost to NATCA, says Laughter, who by now served as NAT- CAnet administrator. Thompson, a Chicago TRACON controller who is also managing editor of an alternative newsletter called The NATCA Voice, redesigned the site by creating public and members-only areas. By early 2002, union information available on the Web had multiplied exponentially and about 2,200 members were exchanging an average of 125 messages a day on more than seventy-five forums. Plans were also under way to unveil a completely revamped site in the summer. * A previous standing Communications Committee was disbanded in late 1997 after the union acted on most of its recommendations and transferred ongoing duties to NATCA headquarters. Mar. MEBA agrees to lower the union s affiliation fee from 15 percent to 7.5 percent of dues income an annual savings of $200,000. MEBA also forgives about $250,000 in debts and consolidates eight other debts into one promissory note to be paid at 6 percent interest instead of the previous average of 8.8 percent. The restructured debt saves the union about $4,200 a month in interest.

128 Never leave anything on the table if you can get it now. Barry Krasner, the negotiator It s a deal: President Steve Bell, right, and chief FAA negotiator Ray Thoman tentatively agreed on NATCA s first contract in January / Courtesy of Anthony Coiro

129 Chapter 5 The Art of the Deal Seated on one side of a long table in a narrow hotel conference room in Washington, D.C., Ray Thoman, the FAA s deputy director of labor and employee relations, slid a proposed collective bargaining agreement across to a clean-shaven, fair-haired man with wire-rimmed glasses. NATCA President Steve Bell let the proposal rest on the table and looked Thoman in the eye. Barry Krasner and union contract team Co-Chairman Mark Kutch, who flanked Bell, watched and waited. This meeting on November 16, 1988, represented the first bargaining talks between a controllers union and the agency in more than seven years. NATCA had rehearsed this moment, and Bell responded on cue. Thank you very much, he said. We know how hard you must have worked on this. We d like to work off ours. Bell then slid a thicker document across the table. Thoman, broad-shouldered with black hair and a graying beard, smiled politely. I thank you for your efforts. It was obviously a lot of work, he said. But it is a sophomoric attempt because of your lack of expertise in this area. 1 Thoman s comment was not entirely off the mark. The NATCA reps in the room, including Bell, were controllers not businessmen. Nevertheless, they clearly understood the historic nature of this gathering and their responsibility of helping to ensure the well being of more than 13,000 families. They d prepared as if this were the Super Bowl. The union s ten-member contract team had been carefully chosen to represent a balance of terminals and centers across the regions. They d attended a two-day seminar on negotiating skills conducted by the American Arbitration Association. They d also spent two intensive weeks at MEBA s expansive, colonial-style training facility in Easton, Maryland, working up proposals. NATCA s first contract: Built on the foundation of PATCO s last agreement, the 1989 pact also broke new ground.

130 126 Against the Wind Courtesy of Anthony Coiro (upper left); NATCA archives (lower left, above) Setting the stage: NATCA s first contract team spent two weeks at MEBA s training facility in Easton, Maryland, preparing for negotiations. Kansas City Center controller Mark Kutch, left, and President Steve Bell, above, cochaired the ten-member team. Eight others served as resource specialists. Apr Nearly 500 delegates attend NATCA s third biennial convention at The Desert Inn in Las Vegas. After an emotional debate, delegates overwhelmingly approve a resolution asking President Bush to allow fired controllers to apply for new positions in the FAA, which Bush refuses to do. A resolution to increase union dues by one-half percent is voted down.

131 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 127 While they were there, they listened to advice from PATCO s ousted president, John Leyden. Unrealistic expectations from the last contract proposal, which Robert Poli and company shared with the membership, had led to widespread discontent, Leyden told them. Determined not to repeat history, the NATCA team solicited suggestions from members, but did not reveal its starting position. Aided by eight resource specialists, the contract team spent many a late night digging through PATCO archives, Office of Personnel Management regulations, FAA orders, grievance files and arbitration transcripts, private-sector entitlements, and federal-sector contracts for all bargaining units. Their voluminous research culminated in a comprehensive proposal containing eightytwo articles. Team members then ranked them numerically by importance and plotted the articles on a grid. Sitting at the negotiating table, Bell remained confident and poised. Ignoring Thoman s remark, he began to outline the union s proposal. Parts of the document traced their roots to PATCO s 1978 contract, including provisions for mandatory breaks after two hours on position, reinstatement of immunity for controllers who reported operational errors, and official release of union representatives for NTSB accident investigations. Other sections were new, such as the union s right to conduct midterm bargaining a significant enhancement and guaranteed leave for prenatal care. Workplace articles related to prime time leave (during summers and holidays) and a uniform dress code were aimed at addressing inconsistent policies. * The agency forbade tape recordings of the negotiations. As a result, team member Anthony Coiro filled a hefty stack of yellow legal pads with scribbled notes to create a bargaining history. In the event of subsequent grievance arbitrations, the notes could prove invaluable in establishing the parties intentions while they were formulating the contract language. One notable gain for the union involved reporting immunity. NASA created the Aviation Safety Reporting System in 1975 to allow controllers, pilots, and others to document errors within ten days of an incident without fear of penalty (except in cases of gross negligence or criminal activity). The system was designed to document common mistakes, which could help lead Hard-won victory: Beth Thomas, who helped organize controllers, rejoined the FAA after certification and was a contract team resource person. / NATCA archives * The final contract included all of these provisions. May July 10 The FAA announces that Hampton University in Virginia has been awarded a contract to develop a controller training program. Graduates can apply to the FAA as developmentals. 10 Ruling on a lawsuit originally filed by NATCA, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the FAA s random drug testing program for the aviation industry.

132 128 Against the Wind Signed, sealed, and delivered: FAA and union representatives are all smiles after adopting the contract. Controllers worked without a formal pact for nearly eight years until NATCA s first agreement became effective May 1, Union members on the team included: President Steve Bell; Co-Chairman Mark Kutch, Kansas City Center; NATCA archives Richard Bamberger, San Diego Tower; Don Carlisle, Washington Center; Paul Cascio, Seattle TRACON; Anthony Coiro, South Bend Tower/TRACON; Art Joseph, Miami Center; Lonnie Kramer, Corpus Christi Tower/TRACON; Barry Krasner, New York TRACON; William Osborne Jr., general counsel; and eight resource specialists. to procedures to avoid them. Controllers, who could lose their jobs if they were involved in three operational errors deals within 2½ years, considered the program critical because various managers handled mistakes differently. NATCA and the agency had been working to reinstate the policy for controllers, which FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond had canceled in 1980, before negotiations began. However, Thoman insisted the provision was non-negotiable and did not belong in the contract. Barry Krasner suggested they include it for educational purposes. Thoman ultimately agreed, which ensured that the agency could not unilaterally change or abolish the policy because the union could contest the move by filing a grievance. The two sides reached tentative agreement by mid-january NATCA members spent most of the grueling two months during negotiations in the Washington area, far from their families. Yet, the process went easier than expected. Coiro recalls that it was tentative and strangely predetermined. We all needed a good contract. No one was able to bring their side to a showdown and we knew it. NATCA s first effort differed from PATCO s final contract in several ways. The agency negotiated the right to change controllers schedules within one Aug. In a Walk for Safety, NATCA national office staff members and more than 120 controllers from around the nation picket in front of Washington Center to protest continued low staffing. 1 Sep. A new Transportation Department policy takes effect, banning smoking at FAA facilities, although designated smoking areas are permitted.

133 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 129 week. Under PATCO, it had been three weeks. And developmentals had to check out on at least two control positions before receiving FAM trip privileges; PATCO trainees received the benefit immediately. NATCA made one significant improvement over PATCO. The FAA agreed to grant regional representatives 50 percent of official time off to conduct their duties. PATCO board members who took leave to serve the union did so without pay from the agency. The contract is not a panacea. However, it goes well beyond a start, Great Lakes Regional Representative Joseph Bellino said. 2 Half of the union contract team joined Bell and Spickler on different segments of a tour to twenty-three cities to sell the pact to the rank and file. The group found itself repeatedly defending a clause that appeared frequently throughout the document: if operational conditions permit. Controllers worried that the phrase diluted their rights. But without it in connection with guaranteed breaks, for example an arbitrator could rule that the article in question was unenforceable and, therefore, void. The contract is not a panacea. However, it goes well beyond a start. Great Lakes Regional Rep Joseph Bellino The costly briefing tour helped educate the members. But with little cash to spare in the union, it drew criticism from some who accused NATCA s top officers of wasting thousands of dollars on what they dubbed Steve and Ray s Excellent Adventure, paraphrasing the title from a popular Hollywood film that year. Regardless, union members overwhelmingly approved of the contract. The three-year pact took effect May 1, 1989, after they ratified it by a vote of 3,920 to 748 a margin of 84 percent. Subsequent contracts would strengthen and expand controllers rights. For now, NATCA founders and activists who d spent more than five years creating their union and securing its first collective bargaining agreement basked in an enormous sense of accomplishment. Power Struggles Steve and Ray s Excellent Adventure was one of many skirmishes over money and control that beset the first National Executive Board. Having run The negotiators: President Steve Bell, right, and Ray Thoman, the FAA s deputy director of labor and employee relations, went head to head during talks on the union s first contract. / Stan Barough 19 Oct. An initiation fee takes effect after a major organizing drive in which more than 2,000 controllers join NATCA. Membership is about 10,600 or more than 70 percent of the work force Jan. An 8 percent pay raise called an interim geographic adjustment is given to 5,933 FAA employees at facilities in the New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco areas.

134 130 Against the Wind New NATCA logo (above): Steve Bell s move to redesign the union s visual identity riled regional reps and members. Steve and Ray (right): Executive Vice President Ray Spickler, left, stood by Steve Bell when the president came under criticism. Spickler s loyalty derailed his bid for re-election in / NATCA archives their regions largely autonomously, board members now had to adjust to a different power structure. We were all new, says Gary Molen, the Northwest Mountain regional rep. We wanted Bell and those guys to jump. They took Bell to task for having little or no say on everything from hiring new employees to buying fax machines for each region (the reps couldn t live without them after a few months) to retaining an elderly woman as parliamentarian at a board meeting (a one-time appearance stemming from Bell s impatience with Robert s Rules of Order). A history buff, Bell maintained that the most successful U.S. presidents were those who led decisively. He defends his style by pointing out he was elected to get NATCA up and running. The board s time was better spent on addressing regional and national issues rather than focusing on infrastructure. If we d sat there and argued, he says now, we d never have gotten anything done. Several board members gave Bell more latitude than others. But when they discovered that NATCA had paid a public relations firm about $20,000 to revamp the union s logo, they all revolted. The new look, which appeared on promotional materials for the 1990 convention, consisted solely of the word NATCA in a streamlined typeface. The letter A was positioned above the others, which some observers referred to as the excited A. While a few controllers considered the original old-fashioned, most regarded any changes akin to redesigning the U.S. flag. The board and members at large believed the logo was their identity and quickly called for its reinstatement. A subsequent board also toyed with updating the logo and failed. Changing it was like the third rail of NATCA politics, President John Carr says now. The original logo remains to this day. National Executive Board members were also perturbed when Bell and Spickler borrowed another $400,000 from MEBA in Feb A USAir 737 landing at LAX Airport crashes into a Sky West Metroliner positioned on the runway awaiting takeoff clearance. The nighttime accident kills all twelve aboard the commuter plane and twenty-two aboard the USAir flight. Two weeks later, the FAA amends procedures to prohibit planes from holding at runway/taxiway intersections at night or when the intersection is not visible from the tower.

135 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 131 July 1989 to tide the union over. While they understood the financial need, the lack of consultation was a sore spot. Even so, the clashes amounted to little more than an inevitable byproduct of a young association finding its sea legs. None of us had either the experience or the wherewithal to get the job done, Bell says. We all came from a controller background and were well versed in moving airplanes, not an infant organization in the birth-pangs of its evolution. Power struggles and politics were not Bell s only problems. Just as the Las Vegas convention began in April 1990, Karin Bell informed her husband she wanted a divorce. It kicked the legs right out from under him, Spickler recalls. So much so that Bell did not feel up to chairing the proceedings. As soon as the opening session ended, he turned to a friend from New York TRACON, whom he perceived to be a gifted negotiator and a gifted communicator Barry Krasner. Speaking privately in Krasner s room, Bell asked him to run the convention, sidestepping his second-in-command. Despite Krasner s position as Eastern regional representative and his work on the contract team, he NATCA archives 1990 convention: President Bell passed over Ray Spickler and asked Barry Krasner to conduct most of the proceedings. Dan Brandt, right, served as parliamentarian. was scared to death of the podium. But he warmed to the task nicely during the first two days before handing the gavel to Spickler, who d approached Bell and insisted that the executive vice president should rightfully conduct the proceedings. Krasner s skill came from a mixture of street smarts he learned while growing up in Flushing, New York you take out the biggest guy first and a keen familiarity with Robert s Rules of Order. He first read the book when New York TRACON formed a constitution and continued to review it before every Apr. May 4 The FAA finishes transferring more than 600,000 square miles of oceanic airspace from Miami and Boston centers to New York Center. 1 Aviation safety inspectors vote to organize as a bargaining unit of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists. On May 10, PASS is certified for the 1,913 FAA workers.

136 Barry Krasner Air Traffic Control Specialist 1982 Pr e s e n t Op e r a t i n g In i t i a l s: XO Hom e t o w n : New York City Spouse / Children: Sallie / Michael, Bryan Mindy; grandson: Drew Other Trivia: Owns an extensive collection of stuffed frogs In t e r e s t s: Wine, trout fishing NATCA archives ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: N90 Pr e v i o u s: TRACON After six years at NATCA s helm, Barry Krasner dismayed many members by going back to the boards. One controller lamented that the union s second president had been the best they would ever elect. Krasner shook his head and responded: If that s the case, we might as well fold our doors right now. Everybody after me should be better than me. Otherwise, we ve learned nothing. His down-to-earth attitude comes from contemplating life at 35,000 feet. I spend a lot of time on airplanes looking out the window and seeing nothing but clouds, he says. You start thinking on a different level. Growing up with NATCA has also framed his outlook. While serving as Eastern regional rep in the late 1980s, Krasner frequently stretched the telephone cord out of his cramped office space donated by another union to pace in a hallway during conversations. That s when you really had to believe and fight. There was no luxury then, he says. Today, NATCA s seven-story headquarters in Washington, D.C., bears his name. Like many union activists, Krasner s commitment involved significant personal sacrifice. The demands extended to his new wife, Sallie Sullivan, a veteran bank manager who works in NATCA s Eastern Region office now. His presidency began just eight months after their wedding. Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements National president ; Eastern regional rep ; chief contract negotiator; NMI president; nat l. president emeritus; N.Y. TRACON president. Hir e d Jan Throughout his tenure, she lived in New York to be near her son and family while he commuted home on weekends. On the job, Krasner s razor-sharp negotiating skills were tempered by an offbeat sense of humor. A stuffed armadillo stared down visitors to his office from atop a curio cabinet. Softening his sentry s demeanor one year, he transformed the stubby creature into the Pope-adillo. The next year the animal evolved into a Santa-dillo. An exotic collection of more than two-dozen stuffed frogs rounded out the menagerie. After leaving office in 1997, Krasner returned to the birthplace of his FAA career: New York TRACON s LaGuardia sector. He now spends most nights at the couple s home on a peaceful two acres in central Long Island, where the armadillo and stuffed frogs have been quarantined to a recreation room to preserve decorum elsewhere in the house. NATCA still benefits from Krasner s talents. As the union s chief negotiator, he has spent the past few years wrapping up numerous contracts for a growing roster of bargaining units. Once asked what inscription he d prefer on his tombstone, Krasner said simply, He made a difference. While content with his NATCA accomplishments, he remains restless. When you jump the last hurdle, your only two choices are to find another hurdle or die.

137 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 133 convention. His mastery of handling the proceedings earned him such fame that he began to hold seminars for delegates. On stage, Krasner was in his element. I like arguing with a thousand people at a time, he says with his characteristic laugh. There was plenty of opportunity. Convention delegates considered some 100 constitutional amendments and resolutions. Despite backing from a majority of the National Executive Board, they declined to increase dues by a half percent. However, delegates agreed to impose an initiation fee for new members equal to one year of dues, which took effect the following October. Newly hired trainees were granted a six-month grace period. After listening to a heartfelt speech by John Leyden, the delegates also voted by more than a three-to-one margin to urge the Bush administration to allow controllers fired in the 1981 strike to reapply for new positions in the FAA. Krasner had gone to Las Vegas intending to announce his candidacy for executive vice president. He and his campaign manager, Bernie Reed from Bay TRACON, had prepared buttons and printed flyers to slip beneath the doors to delegates rooms. After Bell approached him, however, Krasner hid the paraphernalia beneath the bed in his room, fearing it would look like a setup. As it turned out, his exposure on the podium may have been Krasner s most effective campaign tool. There s a really good possibility Barry would never have become president of this union had that not happened, Spickler maintains. When Krasner hit the campaign trail the following January during a honeymoon in Las Vegas with his second wife, Sallie he sought the presidency. A changing of the guard seemed likely. By now, the board s frustration had been compounded by Bell s long absences the previous summer while he tried to mend fences with Karin. For Krasner, the decision to run against his friend was a difficult one. His change of heart arose over a separate financial matter stemming from a dinner with Bell and Leyden that occurred before the Vegas convention. During an Eastern Region preconvention caucus in Atlantic City, Bell invited Barry NATCA archives Friends and foes: Barry Krasner, left, and Steve Bell formed a personal bond at New York TRACON during the mid-1980s. Dissatisfaction with Bell s leadership, however, drove Krasner to campaign for president in the 1991 election and defeat Bell May NATCA and the FAA reach agreement on alternative work schedules, which enable controllers to complete an 80-hour work period in less than ten days.

138 134 Against the Wind Tallying the vote: Controllers cast ballots by mail in NATCA s national elections, held every three years. The union pays a salary to its and Sallie Krasner to the casual get-together with the former PATCO president, who was a speaker at the day s event. The Krasners had another commitment and stopped by just long enough for drinks. Later, NATCA archives president and executive vice president, who serve on leave from the FAA without pay. Regional VPs conduct their duties on official time. when the National Executive Board questioned Bell s expensive tab, he claimed the meeting involved NAT- CA business and asked Krasner for confirmation. Put on the spot, Krasner agreed. When I realized that I d blindly stood behind him so he could explain himself to the Executive Board I couldn t live with myself anymore, Krasner says, adding it was the defining moment when I decided to run against him. Executive Vice President Spickler sympathized with some of the unhappiness over Bell, but he remained loyal to his partner. I just felt that Steve was really the best guy for the job and I was going to hang with what I believed, regardless of the political cost, he says now. The two formed a ticket, which many believe killed Spickler s chances for re-election against a challenge by Joseph Bellino, the Great Lakes regional rep. Bellino became a controller at O Hare Tower in Oct Construction begins on Southern California TRACON in San Diego, which will consolidate five approach control facilities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Burbank, Ontario, and Coast (covering the Pacific coast north to San Luis Obispo). The new facility will become the nation s third consolidated TRACON. Two others New York TRACON on Long Island and Bay TRACON at Oakland Airport have operated for years.

139 When John Leyden visited O Hare looking for members to join the newly formed PATCO, Bellino was the first trainee to sign up. But he was forced to retire a few years before the strike on medical disability. He believed the agency acted without just cause and spent seven years fighting on his own for reinstatement. When he wasn t working as a McHenry, Illinois, policeman or at other jobs, he spent hours in the library researching the law on employees rights. Bellino hit a breakthrough in his case when he wrote to the American Medical Association to prepare for a hearing with the FAA and discovered that the doctor who d issued his medical disqualification was not board certified at the time. After Bellino informed the agency, he was quickly allowed back on the job in 1984 with full seniority. He soon joined the drive for election petition signatures and mounted an effort to obtain extra money for understaffed O Hare Tower/TRACON, which culminated with the Pay Demonstration Everybody wanted the world. In two-and-a-half years, you can t deliver that. We didn t even have an office staff. [Bell] started this and got everything going. Project in 1989 that covered seven air traffic control facilities. He also served as the Great Lakes alternate regional rep under Jim Poole before his election to the National Executive Board in In the election of 1991, seven board members endorsed Krasner, helping him defeat Bell with 60 percent of the vote. Bellino beat Spickler by Former President Michael McNally an equally large margin. Afterward, Bell transferred to Phoenix TRA- CON, where he raised eyebrows by quitting the union for a few weeks over a travel voucher dispute. He later moved to the FAA Command Center in Herndon, Virginia, as a traffic management specialist and trainer. His leadership qualities were strong-willed, says former New England Regional Rep Jim Breen. He was what the union needed to get started. Beyond the first term, we needed to get out of an organizational mode and into an operating mode. Spickler went to Dulles Tower/TRACON and later transferred to Kansas City Tower as a supervisor (the only way the agency would pay for his move) Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 135 Nov. NATCA and the FAA formally agree to implement Quality Through Partnership. This program is intended as a collaborative labor-management relationship that creates an environment where employees are empowered to participate in decisions that affect their work lives. QTP National Coordinator Michael McNally initially oversees the program for NATCA, followed by Bill Murphy from Kansas City Center.

140 136 Against the Wind Labor-management training: The FAA and union members initially attended classes that evolved into an ongoing program known as Quality Through Partnership. to live near his extended family. But he grew disenchanted with management and returned to Kansas City Center about eighteen months later. Michael McNally, who later served as executive vice president and president, believes NATCA s first two top officers were doomed to go down. The first ones out of the box always are. The expectations are too high. They re green. They re brand new. It s just coming at them too fast. Everybody wanted the world. In two-and-a-half years, you can t deliver that. We were barely a union. We didn t even have an office staff. Steve built the office staff. He hired the talent. He got us an office. He started this and got everything going. The Age of Collaboration Even before Bell became president, he and others in NATCA advocated collaboration with the agency, eschewing traditional, contentious labor-management relations in favor of a partnership philosophy that was permeating many organizations at the time. Despite the FAA s steadfastly intolerant reputation, a notable segment in the agency hoped to avoid a repeat of 1981 and embraced cooperation, too. With backing from T. Allan McArtor, who d taken over as FAA administrator from Donald Engen, those attitudes dovetailed in March 1988 with a training course called Labor and Management: Partners in Problem Solving. The curriculum was designed to jointly teach facility managers and union representatives about their rights and responsibilities as well as techniques in communicating and resolving differences. During the three-day classes, controllers and managers switched roles to better understand problems and perspectives from the other side. Controllers learned what it was like to defend policies they did not personally support, while managers found reasons to file grievances. About 1,000 managers and facility reps attended the course throughout the spring and summer. The one-time sessions paved the way for a more formal, ongoing program whose path began at New York Center. Like some others, local President Michael McNally worried about a PATCO II. I didn t want to be involved in a union if it was going to be radical, he says. He, too, saw the need to stop butting heads and encourage more harmonious relationships. McNally approached the facility s deputy manager, Jim Buckles, and the two developed a collaborative, committee-oriented program called Success Through Partnership. Initially, both sides were resistant. Management hated it, McNally recalls. To them, it was a raid on their authority. They thought it was all going downhill. Letting the monkeys run the zoo. Union Dec. FAA Administrator James B. Busey IV leaves office after serving since June 30, Dec. Transportation Secretary Samuel Skinner leaves office after serving since February 6, 1989.

141 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal The Second National Executive Board Mirroring the first election, five new members joined the board in 1991: Alaskan: Sam Rich beat incumbent Will Faville Jr. (both were from Anchorage Center). Faville went on to become NATCA s third safety and technology director. Central: Incumbent Dan Brandt from Omaha TRACON did not win a majority and waived a runoff against Michael Putzier from Kansas City Center. Eastern: Incumbent Barry Krasner s run for president left the field open. Although Michael McNally from New York Center outpolled Tim Haines from Pittsburgh Tower, neither won a majority. Haines edged past McNally in a runoff. Great Lakes: In the absence of incumbent Joseph Bellino, who won election for executive vice president, Jim Poole from Chicago Center beat Chuck Owens from Bismarck Tower/TRACON in North Dakota. Poole had briefly served as Central regional rep on the interim board. New England: Incumbent Jim Breen from Bradley Tower/ TRACON withstood a second challenge by Howie Barte from Providence Tower to retain his seat for another term. Northwest Mountain: Incumbent Gary Molen from Salt Lake Center retained his seat for a second term against challenges by contract team member Paul Cascio from Seattle TRACON and James Brawner from Denver TRACON. Southern: Incumbent Randy Schwitz ran unopposed. Schwitz, from Atlanta Center, took over from fellow center controller Lee Riley when he stepped down in January 1990 to devote more attention to a trucking business he owned with his brother, Bill. Southwest: Incumbent Ed Mullin from Dallas Love Field ran unopposed for a second term. Western-Pacific: Rick Bamberger from Lindbergh Field in San Diego lost his re-election bid. Karl Grundmann from Los Angeles TRACON, who was defeated by Ray Spickler for executive vice president in the union s 1988 election, beat Owen Bridgeman from Phoenix TRACON in a runoff Feb. President Barry Krasner, Contract Committee Co-Chairman Bernie Reed, and Labor Relations Director Richard Gordon present the union s second contract proposal to the FAA. 24 Feb. Andrew H. Card Jr. takes over as transportation secretary from Samuel Skinner. Card, who served in the Massachusetts Legislature, was deputy chief of staff under President Bush.

142 138 Against the Wind 1991 Election Results President Votes Percent Barry Krasner Eastern Regional representative 3, Steve Bell / incumbent Eastern New York TRACON 2, Executive Vice President Joseph M. Bellino Great Lakes Regional representative 3, Runoff Votes Runoff Percent Ray L. Spickler / incumbent Central Kansas City Center 2, Regional Representatives * Brandt waived a runoff election to Putzier. ** Schwitz joined the NEB in January 1990 after Lee Riley stepped down. Alaskan Sam Rich Anchorage Center Will Faville Jr. / incumbent Anchorage Center Central Michael Putzier Kansas City Center Dan Brandt * / incumbent Omaha TRACON Mark Kutch Kansas City Center Eastern Tim Haines Pittsburgh Tower Michael McNally New York Center Deborah Ann Katz Washington Center May NATCA s fourth biennial convention is held at the Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio. Delegates vote to modify Article IX, Section 7, of the union s constitution to allow a majority attending conventions to change dues rather than a majority of the membership; they then approve raising dues to 1.5 percent. Delegates also approve an honorary lifetime membership for former PATCO President John F. Leyden.

143 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 139 Votes Percent Great Lakes Jim Poole Chicago Center Chuck Owens Bismarck TRACAB New England Jim Breen / incumbent Bradley Tower/TRACON Howie Barte Providence Tower Northwest Mountain Gary Molen / incumbent Salt Lake Center Paul Cascio Seattle TRACON James Brawner Denver TRACON Southern Randy Schwitz / incumb. ** Atlanta Center 1, Southwest Ed Mullin / incumbent Dallas Love Field Tower Western-Pacific Karl Grundmann Los Angeles TRACON Owen Bridgeman Phoenix TRACON Rick Bamberger / incumbent San Diego Tower Runoff Votes Runoff Percent June Aug. 27 Thomas C. Richards takes over as FAA administrator. Richards served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He later served on the President s Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism. 24 In its sweep through southern Florida, Hurricane Andrew forces Miami International, Fort Lauderdale Executive, West Palm Beach, Tamiami, and Key West airports to temporarily close.

144 Joseph M. Bellino Air Traffic Control Specialist 1968 Pr e s e n t Operating Initials: MB, NC Hom e t o w n : Chicago; McHenry, Illinois Childre n: Anna; granddaughter: Marissa Other Trivia: Vietnamese interpreter and sign language interpreter in the past In t e r e s t s: Stan Barough Blue-green water, white sand beaches, Internet business, rental properties ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: C90 Pr e v i o u s: ORD RFD TRACON Tower Tower Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements Executive vice president ; Great Lakes regional rep ; O Hare Tower and TRACON local president (multiple terms). Hir e d Sept Joseph M. Bellino has always lived life on the front lines. Before starting as a controller at O Hare Tower in 1968, he served in the Army s 125 th ATC Company in Vietnam. He was also assigned to the 101 st Airborne and 1 st Infantry setting up landing and drop zones. Shrewdly, he bought a monkey named Johnny to guard him. When you sleep in the jungle with a monkey tied to your wrist, not even the invisible man can sneak up on you, Bellino says. Johnny had a mischievous streak, however, such as the time he picked Gen. William Westmoreland s pocket. Bellino s tenacity and ethical nature have characterized his involvement in organized labor for more than three decades. During a seven-year fight to overturn his forced medical disability retirement, he learned enough about the law to become an astute negotiator who could cite federal regulations as fluently as sports fans reel off statistics for their favorite team. Whether he was testifying before Congress, bargaining with the FAA or filing an insurance claim for a controller injured in an auto accident, Bellino always relied on stacks of documentation and sound oral arguments. He is motivated by an eternal distrust of the government. After the birth of his daughter, Anna, Bellino discovered he d been contaminated with Agent Orange in Vietnam. Medical problems that could be attributed to the toxic defoliant prevented him from having more children. The government knew the dangers of dioxin. We didn t, he says. My continuing lack of trust in governmental activities has never proven to be without merit. After the FAA reinstated him in 1984 as if he never left the agency, Bellino did not intend to re-enlist in the labor movement. I was so happy to have my job back, he says. But the agency had become even more of an ogre than before. I couldn t stand it. Life as an activist can entail protracted discussions in bars, but Bellino does not drink alcohol. Instead, he prefers to read or research issues online, often into the wee hours. Despite his preference for such low-key activities, colorful is the word most often used by those who know him. Colleagues rib Bellino about his height he stands just 5 feet, 4 inches yet an equally toughnosed adversary at the FAA measured him differently. Joseph Noonan, the agency s director of labor and employee relations when Bellino served as executive vice president, once introduced him to a group of managers, eliciting a comment about his stature. You think Bellino s short? Noonan responded. The longer he talks, the taller he gets.

145 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 141 members believed the program diluted their power as a labor organization. But, over time, people saw benefits to STP and it eventually caught the attention of high-ranking managers at headquarters. The experiment migrated to New York TRACON and by 1991 evolved into Quality Through Partnership, which McNally directed as the union s national QTP coordinator. Under the program, groups of managers and union members had to agree on issues before they could be implemented. Decisions were binding; neither side Course on cooperation: NATCA and the FAA underwent recurrent training on Quality Through Partnership. This class included four re- NATCA archives gional vice presidents, from left: Michael Putzier, Central; Jim Poole, Great Lakes; Rich Phillips, Southwest; and Joe Fruscella, Eastern. could appeal to the FLRA. The agency created a training video to introduce QTP and committed substantial money for sessions at all of its facilities. Acceptance came slowly for some and not at all for others who were uncomfortable with this new way of thinking. Referring to QTP as drinking the Kool-Aid, participants on both sides felt it undermined their authority. I always viewed the agency as the enemy, not a friend. I didn t see the collaborative thing working, says Bill Otto, a controller at St. Louis TRACON who 1992 Oct. NATCA s recently formed Reclassification Committee, chaired by Eastern Region Vice President Tim Haines, meets for the first time to discuss ways to change the classification system for air traffic facilities. The union hires Dick Swauger, a former PATCO member, and consultant Joe Kilgallon to work on the project. Both men were involved in PATCO s reclassification effort in the mid-1970s, which resulted in higher pay for busy facilities.

146 142 Against the Wind later served as Central Region vice president. QTP gave us a façade of working together, but tough issues we never really worked on together. Paul Williams, a former facility rep at Washington Center, says QTP took away one of our biggest weapons. Williams acknowledges that cooperative relationships are possible. But he also believes consensus negates leadership. Under QTP s committee structure, one person either in management or with the union could undermine a decision everyone else thought was fine. It s led to a lot of weak decisions, watered-down decisions, half-hearted language. Others looked at collaboration differently. Carol Branaman, who served in leadership roles with PATCO and was elected NATCA s Northwest Mountain Region vice president in 2000, contends the program opened doors for the union. Everyone maligns QTP, but it was a huge leap for the FAA, she says. In many ways, it gave the Everyone maligns QTP, but it was a huge leap for the FAA. In many ways, it gave the union tremendous influence that it never had before. union tremendous influence that it never had before. It was the first time they acknowledged the union had a role in everything that affected the facility. Barry Krasner notes that the law allows both sides to engage in protracted disputes over grievances that can take years to resolve. QTP provided a way to settle them faster. Bill Northwest Mountain Region VP Carol Branaman Murphy from Kansas City Center, who succeeded Mc- Nally as national QTP coordinator in 1994, says it came down to common sense. If you beat up someone, what are you going to get back? You ll get beat up. Aided by follow-up training sessions, the tenor of labor relations in the FAA gradually improved though not everywhere. But in 1996, QTP was among nine agency programs totaling $29 million that were cut by the Republicancontrolled Congress as part of its Contract With America to balance the budget. QTP was not a failure. It left its mark, says Howie Barte, who continues to believe in collaboration. Where it was successful, it s still successful. 1992/93 Nov. T. Craig Lasker from Boston Center takes over as New England Region vice president for Jim Breen, who retired as a controller after suffering a mild stroke and vision loss. 20 Jan. FAA Administrator Thomas C. Richards leaves after serving since June 27, Transportation Secretary Andrew H. Card Jr. resigns after serving since February 24, 1992.

147 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 143 Where it wasn t successful, it never had a chance. The program is carried on in practice at some facilities. The Second Contract While QTP gathered steam and Krasner and Bellino took up residence in Washington as the union s second president and executive vice president in September 1991, preparations were already under way for negotiations on the second contract. Before leaving office, Bell had appointed Bernie Reed from Bay TRACON as team chairman (he d served as a resource person on the first contract). Washington Center s Paul Williams and Rodney Turner from Nashville Metro Tower/TRACON, both of whom had helped Bell with his unsuccessful campaign, were also on the team. After the election, the members gathered at Airlie Center, a retreat in eastern Virginia, to brief the new administration. Reed, Turner, and Williams assumed Krasner would ask them to step aside so that he could appoint his own people. Turner offered to resign. But in a move indicative of Krasner s sense of cooperation and political savvy, he asked everyone to stay. Reed was particularly astonished. Due to a miscommunication, he d dropped his support for Krasner during the campaign and joined the Bell camp. Kras- NATCA archives The 1993 contract team: Presidents Bell and Krasner both selected members, who included, bottom row from left: Bruce Means; Mike Motta; Jay Keeling; Rob Stephenson; Co-Chairman Bernie Reed; and Ken Brissenden. Top row from left: Lonnie Kramer; Joe Fruscella; Mark Kutch; President Barry Krasner; Paul Williams; Rodney Turner; Labor Relations Director Richard Gordon; and Duane Dupon. Jan. Apr. 21 Federico F. Peña takes over as transportation secretary. A chief booster behind the new Denver Airport, Peña served as the city s mayor and was also elected to the Colorado Legislature. 5 The union relocates from suite 845 at MEBA headquarters, 444 North Capitol Street, to its own leased offices in suite 701 at th Street NW, both in Washington, D.C.

148 144 Against the Wind Team building: President Krasner favored the exercises to help contract teams and National Executive Boards form a bond and learn to work together. / NATCA archives ner then set a tone of partnership by arranging teambuilding exercises at Airlie Center to help the group forge a bond before negotiations started, a particularly effective way to get the Bell and Krasner supporters working together. Like their counterparts three years earlier, the contract team knew all too well how much was riding on their efforts and grasped the enormity of the task ahead. Their commitment played out in distinct contrast to the FAA negotiators. While union members toiled sixteen hours a day and spent two weeks a month on the road during bargaining talks, the agency s representatives largely regarded the process as a 9-5 job. At hotels where the two teams met, the walls of NATCA s caucus room were papered with lists of contract provisions and proposals, broken down into those they absolutely needed, ones that would be nice to have, and giveaways. Paul Williams regularly collected the trash and took it home to prevent the FAA team from scavenging hints about their strategy. The agency rarely used its caucus room. We re volunteer workers, Krasner says. It s a whole lot easier to work airplanes than it is to do this union stuff. We do it because we believe. And, if you believe, you don t walk away at five o clock. Bargaining talks began in March 1992 and ended with tentative agreement fourteen months later. During the latter part of the year, as the FAA fought Apr. NATCA begins briefing the membership on its tentative, fouryear contract with the FAA. Article 83 of the new pact gives locals the right to determine their own seniority policy. 1 Aug. NATCA s second contract with the FAA takes effect after 92 percent of voting members approve it.

149 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 145 Congress over the budget, its negotiators told NATCA they weren t sure when they d be able to meet again due to cost cutting. Relishing the chance to show the union s foresight, Krasner told them: Look, we just got a half percent dues increase. If you want, we can lend you money to continue to negotiate. Federal law prohibited the two sides from bargaining over salary and benefits, but the second contract included language guaranteeing a 5 percent operational differential. Congress had established the premium in 1982 to recognize the efforts of controllers who stayed on the job during the strike. Other provisions strengthened and expanded the first contract, such as mandating split urine specimens Contract caucus: The walls of hotel rooms where the NATCA team met during negotiations were plastered with prospective provisions. / Courtesy of Bernie Reed Aug. Aug. 10 David Hinson takes over as FAA administrator. A Navy pilot, Hinson flew for Northwest Airlines and was an instructor for United Airlines. He was also a founder of Midway Airlines. 12 President Clinton announces that controllers fired for participating in the 1981 PATCO strike may reapply for employment with the FAA.

150 146 Against the Wind NATCA s second contract: Among other provisions, the 1993 agreement guaranteed the 5 percent operational differential paid to controllers, which had been at the whim of Congress. / NATCA archives * During a visit to Barnstable Tower in Hyannis, Massachusetts, a highly desirable area of Cape Cod not far from the Kennedy family s summer home, Bellino discovered that housing costs forced controllers to commute long distances to work. He vowed to obtain pay demo for Hyannis, too, but the site was dropped when Congress got involved. for drug testing to allow rechecks in case of false positive results. One new article outlined critical incident stress debriefing procedures for controllers involved in a traumatic event. Collective bargaining has changed over the last twelve years. It is no longer a game of unions going to management, asking for more, and receiving it, Krasner said at the time. Nowadays, unions have to fight to maintain the rights they currently have, in addition to making gains. 3 Members took that sentiment to heart with a ratification vote of 92 percent. The four-year contract became effective on August 1, The U.S. Postal Service and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation negotiated with their federal-sector unions over pay, but otherwise bargaining talks about money were extremely rare. Yet, to a certain degree, NATCA had successfully circumvented that limitation. In addition to the congressionally mandated 5 percent operational differential that the union built into its latest contract, about 2,100 controllers enjoyed a 20 percent bonus as part of a five-year Pay Demonstration Project. The premium was designed to attract and retain controllers at hard-to-staff facilities known in the profession as the Magnificent Seven: Chicago Center; O Hare Tower/TRACON; New York Center and TRACON; Los Angeles Tower/TRACON; Coast TRACON in Santa Ana; and Bay TRACON in Northern California. Flight Standards district offices in Los Angeles, Teterboro, New Jersey, and Farmingdale and Valley Stream, New York, also received the bonus. 4 The campaign for pay demo, as it was commonly known, began in Chicago before NATCA was even certified as a union. Joseph Bellino, who was reinstated at O Hare in 1984 following wrongful dismissal for a medical issue, returned to find just twenty-seven journeymen controllers. That was down from about forty who staffed the facility in the late 1970s. His frustration over working conditions soon launched him on a mission to garner extra pay to compensate the O Hare controllers for forced overtime and provide a carrot that would attract others. * Bellino found a receptive ear in the office of Democratic Illinois Sen. Paul Simon. After a series of calls between Simon and FAA officials, a meeting was arranged in October 1985 between Jerry McDer- Sep More than 250 members participate in Lobby Week the union s inaugural effort to educate the rank and file about working with Congress. As a result of controller lobbying, the number of sponsors for H.R increases from ten to forty-one. The Air Traffic Controller Incentive and Retention Act includes premium pay for working Sundays and boosts the controller operational differential from 5 percent to 15 percent.

151 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 147 Follow the Money During the early 1990s, a grievance filed by Cleveland Center facility rep Pat Forrey involving Sunday premium pay led to a settlement of more than $20 million, the largest with the FAA to date. The issue involved controllers who arrived for work at 11:45 p.m. Sunday for a midnight shift. The agency maintained that the controllers chose to start work early for their Monday shift under flexible scheduling rules and did not deserve the extra pay. However, the Comptroller General, the head of the General Accounting Office, concluded that the flexible schedule issue was irrelevant. The employees worked part of Sunday and, according to the union s contract, were entitled to the differential, which amounted to about $650,000. As the case evolved, NATCA s grievance expanded to include controllers who d been denied the premium pay for taking annual and sick leave on Sundays. The $19.5 million settlement covered nearly seven years dating to November 1986 (Congress later passed a law prohibiting the extra pay). When the FAA s hefty check arrived at union headquarters, it was endorsed to Executive Vice President Joseph Bellino rather than to NATCA. The check also posed another issue: It was well above federal deposit insurance limits. Bellino and comptroller Frances Alsop agreed they d have to parcel the money out in different bank accounts across the country until NATCA calculated how much each controller should receive. Demonstrating his characteristic sense of humor, Bellino created fictitious names for the accounts: Grand Cayman Local 1, Grand Cayman Local 2, etc. An auditor who stumbled across the wealthy Caribbean local immediately approached Bellino. Are there controllers in the Grand Cayman Islands? he asked suspiciously. Unable to resist, Bellino deadpanned: No, I don t think there are. But we ve got a local there. The auditor appeared confused. Well, we ve got some $19.5 million in these Grand Cayman locals. It s a pretty rich local, Bellino acknowledged. What do you mean? Where did it come from? I don t know. NATCA archives Up his sleeve: When NATCA won a back pay settlement and banked the money before disbursing it to controllers, Joseph Bellino unnerved an auditor by creating a fictitious local in the Cayman Islands. The auditor persisted. Who s in this local? Barry Krasner is the VP. I m the president. He s the president of the union. I m the president of the local. John Thornton is the secretary-treasurer. We have one member and that s Will Faville. Where d you get this money? I don t know. Does it matter? The auditor was not amused and insisted that Bellino transfer the money out of the accounts as soon as possible. NATCA planned to do just that, of course, and mailed the entire $19.5 million to controllers a few months later.

152 148 Against the Wind Joseph Bellino: The O Hare TRACON controller led a campaign that resulted in 20 percent more pay for controllers at seven hard-to-staff facilities. / Stan Barough mott, who was a member of the senator s staff, and Ed Bears from agency headquarters. Bellino was invited to present the controllers proposal, which essentially amounted to a request for more money. For Bellino, that posed one critical question: How much? On the flight from Chicago to Washington, figures swirled in his head. The controllers wanted 5 percent, so should he ask for 9 percent, hoping to split the difference? What about 7 percent or 8 percent? His uncertainty kept him awake that night at the hotel. At the meeting the next day, McDermott laid it out to Bears. What we re looking for here, Ed, is something for O Hare. If you controllers wanted more money, you should never have taken jobs in the government sector, Bears snapped irritably. Then he turned to Bellino and demanded to know the bottom line. We want twenty percent more, Bellino blurted. Realizing he d responded impulsively Bellino swears he doesn t know where the figure came from he quickly adopted a poker face. Bears looked shocked. You know about it, don t you? Bellino fought back a look of puzzlement. He had no idea what Bears meant. Instead, he bluffed. Yeah, of course we know about it, Ed. What do you think we re doing here? Just because you re at headquarters doesn t mean the rest of the country is stupid. McDermott interjected and asked what they were talking about. Bears proceeded to describe a relatively new Pay Demonstration Project that compensated scientists with a 20 percent bonus for working at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center in the Mojave Desert, a hard-to-staff facility like O Hare. It took Congress until 1989 to enact the same differential for controllers. By then, Michael McNally in New York, Bernie Reed on the West Coast, and others had gotten involved to help expand the list of facilities to the Magnificent Seven. Bay TRACON controllers particularly appreciated the extra money due to the area s exorbitant cost of living, and they joined NATCA in droves. People saw that the union was doing something for them, Reed says. When he later stepped down as facility rep, the membership presented him with what remains a prized possession a gavel with the inscription: To Bernie Reed. You accomplished 100 plus 20 percent. Even though controllers at the Magnificent Seven were happy, pay demo rankled many others and created an awkward dilemma for the union. NATCA s leadership warily embraced the hefty pre- Sep The FAA agrees to pay $19.5 million in back premium pay to controllers who took annual and sick leave on Sundays. The grievance, filed November 20, 1992, covered nearly a seven-year period beginning November 20, Subsequently, Congress passes a law outlawing the extra pay.

153 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 149 mium while pointing out its drawbacks. Testifying at an Office of Personnel Management hearing before the FAA implemented pay demo, then-executive Vice President Ray Spickler acknowledged that the chosen facilities deserved the extra money. But he also raised the issue of divisiveness. Thousands of other controllers have been left out in the cold. The perception at these facilities is that they were not selected because they lack the visibility or political clout to get them on the FAA s A List, he said. We trust that Congress and the American public do not believe for one moment that the Pay Demonstration Project is anything more than a Band-Aid on a hemorrhage. 5 Pay demo was extended by Congress in 1994 and was later replaced by a program known as Controller Incentive Pay that provided variable differentials to facilities based upon the local cost of living. Going for the Gold Despite the significance of pay demo, the program was far from comprehensive and its longevity hinged on the whims of Congress. The 5 percent operational differential also landed in the cross hairs when Capitol Hill took aim at balancing the budget during the mid-1990s. * These issues prompted NATCA more than ever to pursue an agenda of negotiating pay with the agency. The goal had eluded unionized controllers for a quarter century. But several factors came into play throughout the Nineties that put the brass ring within reach. Other than legislative action by Congress, the only way the union could change pay for all controllers was through an appeal to the Office of Personnel Management, which had the authority to declare government occupations unique and remove them from the standard General Schedule or GS scale. But persuading the agency and OPM to agree to Bay TRACON: Given the Bay Area s steep cost of living, facility rep Bernie Reed worked to ensure that the TRACON was included among pay demo sites. / Japphire * In what became an annual rite for several years, heavy NATCA lobbying helped to preserve the 5 percent premium. Oct. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues a full federal registration for the NATCA logo, with its distinctive control tower and radar sweep. 2 Oct. Longtime NATCA activist and Northwest Mountain Region Vice President Gary Molen retires from the FAA. James Ferguson of Salt Lake Center replaces Molen on the Executive Board.

154 150 Against the Wind Tim Haines: NATCA tapped him in 1990 to head a comprehensive facility and pay reclassification project, which was put into effect in the 1998 contract. / Peter Cutts * Van Nuys ranked as the fifteenth-busiest control tower in the nation during Controllers handled 483,000 takeoffs and landings more than San Francisco (23 rd ), LaGuardia (25 th ), and Kennedy (35 th ), among others. such a momentous change would be difficult, at best, and proposing an alternative pay system represented a Herculean task. The FAA linked the GS scale to a five-tier facility ranking based solely on traffic volume. High-density TRACONs were rated Level V while small VFR towers were considered Level I. However, several inequities plagued the system. Controllers at en route centers, which adhered to a separate three-tier scale, could earn no more money than those at the busiest terminal facilities. Most towers were capped at Level IV, regardless of how much traffic they handled. Van Nuys Tower in Southern California, which swarmed with general aviation traffic, was limited to Level II and ranked lower than some radar towers that were not as busy. * A few towers, such as San Francisco and the three New York airports, had been elevated to Level V due to political influence and the difficulty of staffing them, even though their traffic did not justify the higher ranking. In the fall of 1990, President Steve Bell and Barry Krasner, then the Eastern regional rep, approached Tim Haines and directed him to create a classification standard that would eliminate the disparities. It was an unsaid thing, though, that somehow pay would be attached to it, says Haines, who was the Pittsburgh Tower facility rep at the time and would win election as Eastern regional rep the next year. Lack of money stalled progress for a while as did lack of interest. When the union invited the FAA to join its effort, agency managers declined. Even many controllers dismissed the project, thinking the FAA would never agree to a new standard or find the money to pay for it. Probably the biggest problem throughout this whole thing was the general feeling that it would never happen, Haines recalls. But in the fall of 1992, the National Executive Board allowed Haines to appoint one person from each region and committed enough money to retain consultant Joe Kilgallon and Dick Swauger, a controller who d been fired in the strike. Both men had worked on PATCO s reclassification project in the 1970s. Committee members were selected to create an equal representation of large and small terminal facilities and centers. From the start, everyone agreed the current standard was overly simplistic. We wanted to make it more realistic and in Dec. Five years after its first financial statement, NATCA reports assets of $2.5 million and liabilities of $1.6 million, including principal and interest of $747,765 owed to MEBA.

155 corporate volume, complexities, knowledge, skills, and ability to do the job, says committee member Pat Forrey, who was the facility rep at Cleveland Center. For the next eighteen months, the group traveled every three to four weeks to more than 200 sites to observe air traffic operations and collect mountains of information. They interviewed more than a thousand controllers about runway configurations, the types of planes they handled, and facility-specific issues. They gathered traffic counts, studied aeronautical charts, and reviewed Letters of Agreement that outlined procedures with other facilities. Notebooks containing all the data filled several long shelves at the national office. Heeding a suggestion from Kilgallon and Swauger, the group purposefully waited to review PATCO s reclassification project to avoid being swayed by its conclusions. It was some of the best advice we got, says committee member Mike Coulter, the facility rep at Denver Tower. We didn t fall into the trap of just We wanted to make it more realistic and incorporate volume, complexities, knowledge, skills, and ability to do the job. taking over where PATCO left off, although our findings were very similar. The issues hadn t changed. The wearisome process of acquiring information was relatively easy compared with the challenge of devising a standard that included myriad complex factors. After producing a document that ran more than 100 pages, the committee then had to decide Reclassification Committee member Pat Forrey how to weight the factors to rank the facilities fairly. While Coulter taught himself how to use a spreadsheet program and plugged in the numbers, Haines, Forrey, and Cam Maltby from Nantucket Tower wrangled for hours over the formula. We were operating in a pure environment, Maltby says. We didn t really know what putting a facility into a particular grouping would do to their pay. We were working on the concept that we had the right facilities together. At the 1994 convention in Tampa, Florida, the committee unveiled a proposal that assigned facilities to one of seven categories and expanded the FAA s five-tier scale to fourteen levels. The first three grades Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal Dec. All airliners with more than thirty passenger seats flying in U.S. airspace must now be equipped with the Traffic Alert/Collision Avoidance System. Early on, TCAS suffers from many false alerts that cause numerous near misses due to pilot unfamiliarity and lack of controller involvement during product development. The incidents subside as pilots become familiar with TCAS and controllers help programmers working on software updates.

156 152 Against the Wind 1994 The Third National Executive Board Along with Executive Vice President Michael McNally, four new regional vice presidents joined the board in 1994: Alaskan: Jerry Whittaker from Anchorage TRACON beat incumbent Sam Rich from Anchorage Center. Central: Incumbent Michael Putzier from Kansas City Center ran unopposed for a second term. Eastern: Incumbent Tim Haines from Pittsburgh Tower, who was now leading the union s Reclassification Committee, chose not to run for re-election. Joe Fruscella, president of the local at New York TRACON for the past six years, ran unopposed. Great Lakes: Incumbent Jim Poole from Chicago Center held back a challenge by Cleveland Center facility rep Pat Forrey to retain his seat for a second term. New England: Incumbent T. Craig Lasker ran unopposed. Lasker, from Boston Center, took over for Jim Breen after he suffered a mild stroke and accompanying vision loss in the fall of 1992, which forced him to retire as a controller and leave the bargaining unit. Breen contin- ued to work for the FAA as an automation specialist, a category of workers he helped to organize as a new NATCA bargaining unit in Northwest Mountain: Incumbent NATCA archives The new regime: President Krasner s second board, which took office in September 1994, included, front row from left: James Ferguson, Northwest Mountain; Joe Fruscella, Eastern; Jim Poole, Great Lakes; Rich Phillips, Southwest; and Randy Schwitz, Southern. Back row from left: Jerry Whittaker, Alaskan; Owen Bridgeman, Western-Pacific; Krasner; Michael Putzier, Central; Executive Vice President Michael McNally; and Craig Lasker, New England. James Ferguson ran unopposed. Ferguson, from Salt Lake Center, took over for Gary Molen when he retired in the fall of Molen s involvement on the board spanned more than eight years, dating back to the Jan. A 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Southern California briefly closes Los Angeles International Airport. Windows in the Van Nuys tower cab break, but the airport continues to operate until a temporary tower is activated.

157 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 153 days of AATCC organizing. Southern: Incumbent Randy Schwitz from Atlanta Center ran unopposed for his second full term. Southwest: Ed Mullin, who had served on the board since joining the NATCA organizing drive in 1986, chose not to run for re-election. Mullin s two alternates campaigned for his seat along with Tulsa Tower controller Dennis Hartney, who garnered just 9.5 percent of the vote. In a runoff vote, Rich Phillips from Houston Center narrowly won a majority over longtime Fort Worth Center President Bill Shedden. Western-Pacific: Incumbent Karl Grundmann from Los Angeles TRACON chose not to run for re-election. After losing a runoff vote to Grundmann in 1991, Owen Bridgeman from Phoenix TRACON campaigned again and defeated Bernie Reed from Bay TRACON. covered controllers in training. Facilities were ranked ATC-4 through -12, leaving two higher grade-levels for future air travel growth. Soon after the convention, several FAA managers came onboard to form a joint workgroup. Although the two sides would refine the standard over the next two years, it remained essentially true to NATCA s original proposal. The agency s interest was piqued when the Clinton administration announced a plan in May 1993 to create a quasi-governmental entity called the U.S. Air Traffic Services Corporation. The nonprofit USATS, the latest in a series of proposals to reform the FAA, would derive its income from fees paid by airlines and other commercial users rather than relying on Congress for funding. Two elements of the USATS proposal appealed to NATCA. The union hoped that removing the Airport and Airway Trust Fund from the general budget would ease the FAA s financial constraints. That, in turn, could help expedite long-awaited modernization projects and eliminate what had become an annual union fight in Congress to retain the 5 percent operational differential. NATCA also liked USATS provisions allowing for a personnel and pay system that was not locked to the GS scale. USATS never got off the ground. However, parts of the plan resurfaced two years later, when NATCA found itself confronting a historic opportunity and the most serious threat to its existence since 2 Feb. The FAA announces that twenty-five Level I VFR control towers will be contracted out per year in 1994, 1995 and 1996, plus several more in The agency has been contracting out towers since By the end of 1993, private firms were running thirty facilities. In 1994, NATCA and the FAA agree to implement the Direct Placement Program, which ensures that affected controllers can transfer to the facility of their choice.

158 154 Against the Wind 1994 Election Results President Votes Percent Barry Krasner / incumbent Eastern New York TRACON 4, F. Lee Riley Southern Atlanta Center 1, Write-ins Various Various Executive Vice President Runoff Votes Runoff Percent * Lasker joined the NEB in November 1992 after Jim Breen retired. ** Ferguson joined the NEB in October 1993 after Gary Molen retired. Michael McNally Eastern New York Center 5, Clayton J. Hanninen Great Lakes DuPage Tower 1, Write-ins Various Various Regional Vice Presidents Alaskan Jerry Whittaker Anchorage TRACON Sam Rich / incumbent Anchorage Center Richard H. Potzger Anchorage Center Central Michael Putzier / incumbent Kansas City Center Write-ins Various Eastern Joe Fruscella New York TRACON 1, Write-ins Various Apr. The Air Traffic Control System Command Center begins operations at a new facility in Herndon, Virginia. Size and technological constraints prompted the move from FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

159 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 155 Votes Percent Great Lakes Jim Poole / incumbent Chicago Center Pat Forrey Cleveland Center Write-ins Various New England T. Craig Lasker / incumb. * Boston Center Write-ins Various Northwest Mountain James Ferguson / incumb. ** Salt Lake Center Write-ins Various Southern Randy Schwitz / incumbent Atlanta Center 1, Write-ins Various Southwest Rich Phillips Houston Center Bill Shedden Fort Worth Center Dennis Hartney Tulsa Tower Write-ins Various Western-Pacific Owen Bridgeman Phoenix TRACON Bernie Reed Bay TRACON Write-ins Various Runoff Votes Runoff Percent 19 Apr. More than 400 delegates attend NATCA s fifth biennial convention at the Hyatt Regency Westshore in Tampa. A proposal to establish a national seniority system is defeated. The delegates approve honorary lifetime memberships the union s third and fourth for former New England Region Vice President Jim Breen and Labor Relations Director Robert D. Taylor.

160 156 Against the Wind Fighting for its life: NATCA hired Ken Montoya as its second legislative affairs director. The union s fate hinged on his first mission: lobbying Congress to restore key workers rights. Stacy Trigler, left, later became his assistant. / NATCA archives certification. The Double-Edged Sword In mid-november 1995, Congress passed an annual appropriations act for the FAA that required the agency to implement a new personnel system and procurement procedures by April 1, To give the FAA freedom to reinvent itself, Congress exempted it from the vast majority of a thicket of regulations contained in Title 5 of the United States Code. As a result, the agency could legally negotiate pay for the first time, among many other potential changes. However, part of the statutes that vanished included Chapter 71 of Title 5, a crucial section granting federal workers the right to union representation and collective bargaining. Chapter 71 is the heart and soul of employee rights, says Bob Taylor, director of labor relations. Without that, we wouldn t exist. In a one-two punch, Congress stripped away what little remaining authority the agency s unions had to negotiate by directing the FAA to work in consultation with them. This deceptively simple phrase gave the agency a free rein to merely announce sweeping changes before unilaterally implementing them, unfettered by the wishes of its workers. The dichotomy reflected conflicting agendas in Washington. The Democratic Clinton administration was pleased to salvage a portion of its USATS plan with FAA reform. Republicans, who had just won majorities in both houses of Congress, took the opportunity to severely limit the power of the agency s unions. The Republicans were looking for something and the administration was looking for something, but they were coming at it from two different points of view, says Ken Montoya, a former aide to Sen. Paul Simon who joined NATCA as its legislative affairs director in January Now, unless the unions could persuade Congress to reinstate Chapter 71 rights before the April 1 deadline for FAA reform, they would lose their raison d être. Although FAA management assured NATCA that it would continue to bargain in good faith, the union was taking no chances. We do not exist because they allow us to exist, then-president Krasner says. We exist because we have a right to exist. Just when NATCA was hitting its stride in the workplace and the aviation community at large, its fate rested on the ability of Montoya and others to lobby Congress and the White House. May The Clinton administration announces a plan to create the United States Air Traffic Services corporation to operate, maintain, and modernize the air traffic control system. The nonprofit concern, covering 38,000 FAA employees, would bring in revenue by levying fees on commercial aviation. NATCA supports the proposal, but it is never implemented.

161 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 157 As Washingtonians shivered through the first few months of 1996, NATCA fought two battles. On one front, the union sought to include language restoring workers rights in a continuing resolution, the only way it could get legislation enacted in time. Congress was passing a series of the bills to prevent the government from shutting down while it argued over balancing the budget. The other front entailed strengthening the in consultation phraseology to shall negotiate. Even if Chapter 71 rights were reinstated, the FAA could still develop procedures before bargaining with its unions over putting them into effect. The new language would obligate the agency to involve its workers throughout the process. To expand its lobbying fight, NATCA joined forces with the FAA s two other major unions the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists and the Professional Airways Systems Specialists to form the Aviation Labor Coalition. At the same time, We re scabs in some of your eyes but, by God, we are a union again. Good, bad or indifferent. And they re about to kill us one more time. Michael McNally, who d won election as executive vice president in 1994, launched another offensive by turning to the AFL-CIO for help. Occupying MEBA s seat at the mid-february meeting of the Executive Council in Bal Harbour, Florida, McNally faced the eighty members and their staffs gathered around a long, rectangular table. Executive Vice President Michael McNally Technically, as a MEBA affiliate, NATCA did not have the authority to speak at the proceedings. Breaking protocol, he introduced himself, spelled out the threat to the FAA s unions, and asked for help. The council members were surprised; this had not been on the agenda. McNally was whisked away to speak with Richard Trumka, the AFL-CIO s newly elected secretary-treasurer. Walking down a hall, Trumka said, We have to find a room. They pushed open a door and stepped inside the hotel kitchen. To the accompaniment of clanging pots and pans, McNally outlined again what was happening in Washington. Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson showed up and escorted McNally In a one-two punch, Congress stripped away what little remaining authority the agency s unions had to negotiate. 3 June Citing lengthy delays and cost overruns of about $1.5 billion, FAA Administrator David Hinson cancels most of the Advanced Automation System project. However, he allows the Display System Replacement project to move forward at the nation s twenty-one en route centers. DSR consists of 20-inch-square color monitors powered by IBM RISC-6000 computers, but it does not offer new functionality.

162 158 Against the Wind Working the Hill: Grass-roots legislative activism helped save the union during NATCA s battle to regain key rights taken away by Congress in / NATCA archives back into the meeting. President John Sweeney stopped the proceedings and McNally explained once more. We re scabs in some of your eyes. I understand that s what we look like to you, he said. But, by God, we are a union again. Good, bad or indifferent. And they re about to kill us one more time. And if they kill us this time, whether we re scabs or not, others in this room are going to go down, as well. Sweeney said: We will take care of this, Mr. McNally. For the first time since the strike in 1981, a U.S. president became involved in an air traffic control labor issue. During a White House meeting brokered by the Clinton administration, Montoya and Krasner pleaded their case with the secretary of the Cabinet and representatives from the FAA, Transportation Department, and Office of Management and Budget. Although the Clinton administration agreed to insist on reinstating the workers rights, NATCA then ran into a stumbling block with the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Oregon Republican Mark Hatfield refused to include Chapter 71 language in a continuing resolution without the approval of Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who chaired the Commerce Committee. This presented yet another dilemma as well as the chance for victory on NATCA s second front. McCain was drafting the FAA Reauthorization Act of 1996, which outlined the parameters of agency reform, and he demanded union support for his bill before giving Hatfield the green light. NATCA liked many provisions of the act with one key exception. It included the same in consultation provision as the FAA reform measure that Congress had passed the previous fall. After McCain s staff verbally agreed to change the language to shall negotiate, Montoya and the union s National Legislative Committee endorsed the reauthorization bill. But as the April 1 deadline loomed ever closer, McCain had still not given Hatfield his approval to include Chapter 71 rights in a continuing resolution. By mid-march, Krasner decided time was running out and turned up the heat. In a page sent to the nine regional vice presidents, June The FAA commissions twin control towers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, making DFW the only airport in the world to have three working towers. 26 Sep. More than 250 participants attend the union s second annual Lobby Week.

163 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 159 he instructed them to let McCain feel the pain. Krasner included McCain s phone and fax numbers. Board members forwarded the information to hundreds of facility representatives. The local union presidents, reinforced by an army of grass-roots activists organized by the National Legislative Committee, quickly jammed the senator s phone lines. They shut down McCain s office with incoming calls, Montoya recalls. At the eleventh hour, McCain gave his okay to Hatfield. On the afternoon of Friday, March 29, the last business day before NATCA would lose its very essence, Congress passed a continuing resolution that included three special items: aid for Bosnia, Midwest flood relief, and restoration of Chapter 71 rights. Montoya awaited the outcome while pacing in a staff room in the Hart Senate Office Building. The moment he saw a fax showing the approved resolution, he called Krasner. It s done, he said. Shortly after, NATCA pagers across the nation started beeping. It was the most beautiful of all beautiful turns of events, says Ruth Marlin, who served as chairwoman of the National Legislative Committee in 1996 and was later elected executive vice president. We effectively used the legislation designed to cripple us to get everything we ever wanted. McCain s FAA Reauthorization Act became law the following October. As his staff members had promised, it included the shall negotiate language. During the four months that NATCA fought for its survival on Capitol Hill, the union simultaneously engaged in another massive effort to help reinvent the FAA under the congressionally mandated reform. Along with NAATS and PASS the other two groups in the Aviation Labor Coalition NATCA and the agency created task forces to discuss virtually every aspect of personnel procedures, from pay and leave policies to training to disciplinary actions. Information from these meetings at agency headquarters flowed into a command post at the end of a maze of corridors on the second floor of the Mayflower Hotel, two blocks from the national office. The back room was crammed with tables, computers, a photocopier, and a crew consisting of NATCA members Carol Branaman, Jon Ramsden, Joe Trainor, and then-labor Relations Director Richard Gordon. They consolidated the data, researched employee practices at other companies, and prepared proposals for a new FAA. All of their material was collected in a thick, black notebook known as the football, which someone monitored at all times. The football never left the room. The group submitted several dozen suggested reforms to the union and disbanded on April 1. Krasner, McNally, and Montoya spent the summer hag- NATCA members prepared proposals for a new FAA. All of their material was collected in a thick black notebook known as the football, which someone monitored at all times. Oct. The FAA develops a structured system for implementing Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, which was provided for under Article 74 of the 1993 NATCA/FAA contract. Oct. Former Western-Pacific Region Vice President Karl Grundmann starts work as a liaison at FAA headquarters. This new program enables NATCA to better represent its interests in the agency.

164 160 Against the Wind NATCA archives A fortuitous pairing: President Michael McNally and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey both took office in They developed a good relationship that resulted in an unprecedented pay agreement and improved worker-management cooperation. The Stars Align gling with the agency over which proposals to include in McCain s FAA Reauthorization Act. More than thirty were adopted, but the most significant by far enabled the FAA to abandon the standard GS pay scale, negotiate with NATCA, and implement its own pay system. Removing themselves from the GS scale was a quantum step forward, says John Leyden, who had tried to attain the same goal for PATCO two decades earlier. With the legal framework in place at last, NATCA and the FAA now had to translate the momentous reform into reality. Two individuals were about to emerge who would prove to be key in closing the deal of a lifetime. In 1994, Barry Krasner ran for re-election as president and easily fended off a challenge from Lee Riley, the Southern regional rep who served on the first National Executive Board for about eighteen months before stepping down. During Krasner s second term, NATCA racked up a number of major accomplishments. The union paid off its debt to MEBA, instituted full-time liaisons at FAA headquarters to participate in safety and technical projects, asserted its political influence to dodge the Chapter 71 bullet and retain the 5 percent operational differential, and was now heading into contract talks involving pay. Krasner was widely revered among the rank and file for his eloquence, savvy, and sharp negotiating skills. Many believed he would run for office again. But having spent the first six years of his marriage to Sallie away from home, Krasner was ready to return to New York. He made his decision public in a poignant speech at the 1996 convention in Pittsburgh, telling New York TRACON facility rep Phil Barbarello to dust off my headset and warning Sallie, who was sitting in the audience, to get your clothes out of my closet because I m coming home. The following spring, McNally, Riley, Joseph Bellino, and Bill Blackie Blackmer from Washington Center all sought the top office. During his term as executive vice president, Bellino had successfully pushed for higher salaries for the union s top two officers and, consequently, had chosen not to run again in 1994 to avoid charges of impropriety. Now, Bellino, McNally, and Riley each received about onethird of the vote while Blackmer trailed far behind. In a runoff election, McNally picked up many Riley 1994 Oct. At the FAA s request, RTCA Inc. begins to study a concept known as Free Flight. By using new technology and procedures, this concept would enable pilots at high altitudes to fly to their destination more directly rather than following established airways. Controllers would provide clearances only to ensure safety and prevent congestion.

165 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 161 supporters and won. One month before McNally took over the helm from Krasner in September 1997, the FAA s fourteenth administrator moved into her office at agency headquarters. Ending a revolving door policy that had afflicted the FAA s executive suite since its inception in 1958, the Senate appointed Jane Garvey to an unprecedented five-year term. A former director of Logan International Airport in Boston, Garvey came to the FAA after serving in the two top positions at the Federal Highway Administration for more than four years. Bright and sincere, she was a firm believer in collaboration and soon endeared herself to controllers by listening to their concerns and demonstrating that the agency valued their input. The sharp difference from previous administrators floored the work force, which considered Garvey a breath of fresh air. Houston Center controller Trish Gilbert, who sits on the National Legislative Committee and has actively organized new members and other bargaining units, echoes a widely held sentiment when she says Garvey realizes that you can get more from people when you respect them rather than try to control them. Garvey credits her parents for instilling that attitude. My mom was a great teacher and she listened to people, brought them forward through persuasion rather than coercion, she says. Garvey also understands her limitations in technical knowledge and isn t shy about seeking guidance from others. I always think I have something I can learn. The new administrator and McNally met for the first time that fall. Over the next few years, they established a lasting rapport and an unparalleled Fourteen administrators have directed the FAA since its inception in Elwood R. Quesada Nov. 1, 1958 Jan. 20, Najeeb E. Halaby March 3, 1961 July l, William F. McKee July l, 1965 July 31, John H. Shaffer March 24, 1969 March 14, Alexander P. Butterfield March 14, 1973 March 31, John L. McLucas Nov. 24, 1975 April l, Langhorne M. Bond May 4, 1977 Jan. 20, J. Lynn Helms April 22, 1981 Jan. 31, Donald D. Engen April 10, 1984 July 2, T. Allan McArtor July 22, 1987 Feb. 17, James B. Busey IV June 30, 1989 Dec. 4, Thomas C. Richards June 27, 1992 Jan. 20, David R. Hinson Aug. 10, 1993 Nov. 9, Jane F. Garvey Aug. 4, 1997 Aug. 4, 2002 * FYI * Appointed to a five-year term 28 Nov. U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aldrich dismisses NATCA s lawsuit to prevent the contracting out of 111 Level I VFR towers. The judge cites case law supporting government contracts to private employers essentially agreeing that air traffic control is not inherently governmental and rules that the union lacks standing to press its claim against the FAA and Transportation Department. NATCA appeals the decision.

166 Michael McNally Air Traffic Control Specialist 1982 Pr e s e n t Op e r a t i n g In i t i a l s: XO Hom e t o w n : New York City Childre n: Shannon, Erin NATCA archives ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: Pr e v i o u s: ZNY Center Michael McNally always had his eyes in the sky. He graduated from the specialized Aviation High School in Queens, New York, and joined the Air Force. He wanted to become a military controller, but was stymied by a ten-month waiting list. Instead, he learned electronics and applied to the FAA after leaving the service. Hired in 1982, McNally found the academy exciting and hoped to settle in happily at New York Center. Realities of the post-strike workplace soon tempered his dream. Training became an ordeal when a supervisor sexually harassed a married woman at the facility. McNally verified her allegations and endured harsh reprisals from the supe. He survived after another manager took McNally under his wing and certified him as a journeyman. Like his colleagues, however, McNally then grew weary of working six-day weeks to keep pace with skyrocketing traffic. Consequently, he willingly heeded the call when former PATCO controller Ed Day, newcomer Steve Bell, and others talked about another union. After NATCA was certified, McNally served for four years as New York Center s first elected president. His union perspective was founded on a desire to work cooperatively with management. A receptive manager agreed with that philosophy, and the two laid the groundwork for what became a major labor-management initiative in the early Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements National president ; executive vice president ; national QTP coordinator; national president emeritus; N.Y. Center local president. Hir e d Jan s known as Quality Through Partnership. McNally s vision of collaboration continued during his term as executive vice president. He encouraged expansion of a budding roster of NATCA liaisons and technical representatives, which boosted controller influence in FAA projects while saving the agency time and money. His election as president in 1997 came shortly after NATCA won the right to legally bargain over pay. The union was also finishing a massive project to restructure facility and pay classifications. Hoping to negotiate a compensation package that fairly represented controller workloads, McNally understood the need for cooperation more than ever. His successful talks with FAA Administrator Jane Garvey further solidified the labor-management partnership in a contract that rewarded controllers with substantially larger paychecks. Although some union members accused McNally of not communicating enough, he defends his style as a necessary strategy. I would have tipped my hand, he says. I had to keep things close to the vest. After nine years away from home, McNally left office in 2000 to spend more time with his wife, Maria, and two daughters. Coming on the heels of the historic contract and direct affiliation with the AFL-CIO, he remains wistful about stepping down. It s the best job I ever did, he says. The hardest job I ever did.

167 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 163 level of respect and trust between the agency and the controller community. When President Krasner assembled the third contract team in early 1997, the chief negotiator turned to Bernie Reed again to serve as chairman. Like the previous group, the ten members who joined Krasner, Reed, and Labor Relations Director Bob Taylor engaged in team-building exercises before immersing themselves in research and bargaining preparations. The pile of materials they accumulated measured roughly five feet high by ten feet wide and was trucked to each meeting location. As in 1993, the walls of the NATCA hotel caucus room were plastered with lists of contract goals, proposed articles, and pending tasks. This time, laptop computers littered the tables. Team members took along a mini-refrigerator and brought in a pallet of soft drinks. During one negotiating stint, they survived on pizzas from a nearby restaurant that offered a magnet with each delivery. By the time the controllers checked out of the hotel two weeks later, magnets blanketed the fridge. Although the lack of Title 5 restrictions enabled the two sides to talk about pay, existing law still prevented them from negotiating health and retirement benefits. A new memorandum from the FLRA also imposed a significant burden chiefly on the union. The parties were now subject to the FLRA s covered by doctrine, which determined the validity of unfair labor practice charges based on one of three prongs. The most far-reaching prong stipulated that no charge could be filed if the parties reasonably should have contemplated the subject, even when it wasn t explicitly spelled out in the contract. Given the vast array of workplace issues, this language sent shivers up the controllers spines. Can you imagine having to reasonably contemplate everything? team member John Carr says. We were doing a contract literally with no net. To protect the union, NAT- CA proposed to the agency that they abide by just one of the three prongs: If the contract expressly contained a subject in question, an unfair labor practice charge could not be filed. For anything not spelled out in the bargaining agreement, the union would still be able to file charges. The agency s Ray Thoman, who postured against Steve Bell and the first negotiating team, initially refused to sign the Memorandum of Understanding. But the FAA was interested in modifying the union s national seniority policy, which had been Round Three: Bernie Reed, left, served as contract team chairman for a second time in while Barry Krasner assumed the role of chief negotiator. / NATCA archives Jan. Ballots are counted in the election to organize traffic management coordinators, who vote 279 to 169 against joining NAT- CA. In May 2000, they vote in favor of union representation. 28 Feb. Denver International Airport, occupying 53 square miles, begins operations during a snowstorm. The last major airport to open in the United States was Dallas-Fort Worth in 1974.

168 164 Against the Wind 1997 The Fourth National Executive Board With Michael McNally running for president, several candidates stepped forward to campaign for executive vice president in the 1997 election. They included: James R. Randy Schwitz, who d represented the Southern Region on the National Executive Board since 1990; James Ajax Kidd, a longtime Washington Center facility rep who helped lead the fight to increase staffing at the center, wrote the Eastern Region s strategic plan in the early 1990s, and was a member of an FAA reform task force; Will Faville Jr., a former Alaskan regional rep and safety and technology director at headquarters who was working as a controller again at Muskegon Tower/TRACON in Michigan; and Larry Bubba Watson, an Atlanta Center controller. Schwitz outpolled Kidd by a mere eight votes. As with the presidential race, however, neither candidate attained a majority due to significant support for Faville. In a runoff, Schwitz pulled further ahead to collect nearly 53 percent of the vote. Among the regional vice presidents, six new faces joined the board: Alaskan: Incumbent Jerry Whittaker from Anchorage TRACON chose not to run for re-election. Ricky Thompson from Anchorage Center ran unopposed. Central: Bill Otto from St. Louis TRACON defeated incumbent Michael NATCA archives Changing of the guard: In July 2000, the fourth National Executive Board dedicated NATCA s new headquarters in Washington. The board included, from left: James Ferguson, Northwest Mountain; Gus Guerra, Western-Pacific; Jim D Agati, Engineers & Architects; Ricky Thompson, Alaskan; Jim Poole, Great Lakes; Executive Vice President Randy Schwitz; President Michael McNally; Bill Otto, Central; Joe Fruscella, Eastern; Mike Blake, New England; Mark Pallone, Southwest; and Rodney Turner, Southern. Putzier from Kansas City Center. Eastern: Incumbent Joe Fruscella from New York TRACON ran unopposed for a second term. Great Lakes: Incumbent Jim Poole from Chicago Center withstood a sig Mar. More than 400 participants attend NATCA s third annual Lobby Week.

169 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 165 nificant challenge from the center s longtime facility rep, Mark Scholl, and retained his seat for a third term. New England: Incumbent T. Craig Lasker from Boston Center chose not to run for re-election. Mike Blake, the facility rep at the center, ran unopposed. Northwest Mountain: Incumbent James Ferguson from Salt Lake Center held back a challenge by Reclassification Committee member Mike Coulter from Denver Tower to retain his seat for a second full term. Southern: Rodney Turner from Nashville Metro Tower/TRACON beat Tim Leonard from Miami Center. Southwest: Mark Pallone from Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON defeated incumbent Rich Phillips from Houston Center. Western-Pacific: Gus Guerra from Oakland Center beat incumbent Owen Bridgeman from Phoenix TRACON. adopted a year before contract talks began. To remove a stumbling block and avoid the potential of negotiating over the contract ad nauseam with the union Thoman agreed to the single-prong test after Krasner pledged to review the seniority issue at NAT- CA s 1998 convention. The doc trine was extremely damaging to unions in their effort to conduct midterm bargaining, says Andy Cantwell, another member of the team who helps te ach cont r act pro - visions at facility rep training sessions. It s my belief that this was one of the most significant achievements in the 1998 contract. One of the union s proposals prohibited contract team members from leaving the bargaining unit and going into management for the duration of the agreement. After the FAA rejected the article on the grounds that it concerned union business, the members decided to affirm their allegiance another way. Carr wrote the pledge on a cloth napkin at dinner one night. Each of the members then scrawled their signatures on the shroud as it was passed around the table. * * Mark Hood from New York TRACON, keeper of the shroud, noted in 2000 that John Carr technically and unwittingly violated its precept when he was elected president. The union s top two officers serve their terms while on leave without pay from the FAA. 1 May NATCA starts a program to award five $2,000 scholarships annually. May 1 is the deadline for children of active members to submit a 500-word essay. NATCA subsequently announces the inaugural winners to be: Karen Blittersdorf, Margaret L. Bullard, Melissa Lee Hambrick, Laura Caroline Hightower, and Brandy L. Smith. Chalmer Detling is recognized for best essay.

170 166 Against the Wind 1997 Election Results President Votes Percent Michael McNally Eastern Executive VP 2, , Joseph M. Bellino Great Lakes Chicago TRACON 1, , F. Lee Riley Southern Atlanta Center 1, Bill Blackie Blackmer Eastern Washington Center Write-ins Various Various Runoff Votes Runoff Percent Executive Vice President Randy Schwitz Southern Regional VP 2, , James Ajax Kidd Eastern Washington Center 2, , Will Faville Jr. Great Lakes Muskegon Twr./TRACON 1, Bubba Watson Southern Atlanta Center Write-ins Various Various Regional Vice Presidents Alaskan Ricky Thompson Anchorage Center Write-ins Various Central Bill Otto St. Louis TRACON Michael Putzier / incumbent Kansas City Center Write-ins Various Eastern Joe Fruscella / incumbent New York TRACON Write-ins Various xx

171 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 167 Votes Percent Great Lakes Jim Poole / incumbent Chicago Center Mark Scholl Chicago Center Jim Green Detroit TRACON Write-ins Various New England Mike Blake Boston Center Write-ins Various Northwest Mountain James Ferguson / incumbent Salt Lake Center Mike Coulter Denver Tower Write-ins Various Southern Rodney Turner Nashville Met. Twr./TRA Tim Leonard Miami Center Write-ins Various Southwest Mark Pallone DFW TRACON Rich Phillips / incumbent Houston Center Write-ins Various Western-Pacific Gus Guerra Oakland Center Howie Rifas John Wayne Tower Owen Bridgeman / incumbent Phoenix TRACON Write-ins Various Runoff Votes Runoff Percent

172 168 Against the Wind Third contract team: NATCA spent a year negotiating with the FAA. Union members included, from left: Tim Kuhl; Labor Relations Director Bob Taylor; Phil Barbarello; Bruce Means; Eric Owens; Chris While the two sides hammered out 106 articles from the summer of 1997 to the summer of 1998, McNally worked on the pay component of the contract, which NATCA and the agency agreed to handle separately. By now, the Reclassification Committee had enlisted the help of Ed Mullin to provide economic justification for a raise. Mullin tracked airline stocks I knew what each of them was worth to the penny and gathered other diverse information on aviation s economic impact. It s actually the easiest argument I ve ever made in my life, he says. Although NATCA is one of the smallest federal-sector unions representing just 15,000 controllers and 1,200 engineers and NATCA archives Boughn; President Michael McNally; Dan Fitas; FAA Administrator Jane Garvey; chief negotiator Barry Krasner; team Chairman Bernie Reed; Mark Hood; Carol Branaman; John Carr; and Andy Cantwell. architects at the time its members spin gold by helping to support an industry that contributes $3.5 trillion to the world s economy, or 12 percent of its total gross output. Based on Mullin s research and other factors, the committee established 5 percent as the minimum raise. Armed with this information, McNally approached staff members on the key Appropriations and Authorizing committees in Congress to let them know the union s bottom line. He and Legislative Affairs Director Ken Montoya also lobbied the White House to push reclassification along. Throughout the spring of 1998, McNally and Tony Herman, an attorney retained by the FAA July The FAA and Qantas finish the first test of the satellite-based Future Air Navigation System, designed to improve communications between controllers and pilots flying oceanic routes. 1 Oct. NATCA pays off its loan to MEBA with a final check of $34, Overall, the union saved about $982,000 in interest and accelerated repayment by ten years.

173 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 169 from the prestigious firm of Covington & Burling, dickered over money. Although some union members argued in favor of an across-the-board raise for everyone, McNally refused to turn his back on the concept of pay for performance and years of work by the Reclassification Committee. There are a lot of controllers in the system today who believe that a controller is a controller is a controller. No matter how hard you work, no matter how difficult the job you do, we should all make the same amount of money, McNally says. I don t believe that. I believe there are logical steps of progression and of difficulty that should separate the different levels of work we do, and commensurate with that should be pay. I also believe there are different parts of the country that have higher costs of living that should be recognized in order to drive people to those parts of the country. I don t have the magical answer. But I know reclassification and CIP is a start in that direction. * Many endorse McNally s beliefs, including Haines, Forrey and John Leyden, who fought a similar battle with his PATCO brethren in the 1970s. I always was a believer, and paid a heavy political price for it, that a controller is not a controller is a controller, he says. When those who worked at smaller facilities debated him on the issue, Leyden told them to transfer to Chicago or New York, where they could earn more money. No one ever took me up on my offer, he says, because they didn t want to go to the pressure cooker. Further talks about money between NATCA a n d the FAA culminated one morning in early July at a hotel in Montréal. Seated in a glasswalled meeting room off the lobby, McNally and Herman countered back and forth while Krasner and Garvey watched in silence. Herman offered $140 million in new money for pay raises. Saying they couldn t accept it, the two union officials left the room for a break. I never in my life believed that someone would offer me $140 million and we would tell them to take a walk, Krasner said while strolling toward the lobby. They wandered into the gift shop, where Krasner bought a Cuban cigar, before returning to the meeting. Herman asked about the cigar as Krasner set it on the table. That s for when the fat lady sings, he explained. NATCA s third contract: The 1998 agreement was the first time a controllers union negotiated pay with its employer. The new system tied wages to operational complexity as well as traffic counts. * CIP is a cost-of-living premium known as Controller Incentive Pay, which is awarded to some facilities based on their ranking in studies conducted by Runzheimer International. 15 Nov. The appropriations bill funding the Transportation Department for fiscal 1996 becomes law. Two sections of the bill mandate that the agency institute new personnel and procurement systems. To help the FAA implement these reforms, the bill exempts agency employees from key workers rights under Title 5 of the United States Code, effective April 1, 1996, which would strip the union of its powers as a labor group.

174 170 Against the Wind McNally and Herman argued some more until the agency s offer was up to $190 million and Mc- Nally had come down to $210 million. Look, it s $200 million, Herman said at last. That s all there is. McNally finally agreed. After everyone shook hands, Krasner lit his cigar. The fat lady has sung, he said. In less than twenty minutes, the historic deal had been closed, one that would compound into $1.6 billion over the life of the five-year contract. The amount of money sparked some criticism in Congress, but Garvey is unapologetic. Noting that controllers work around the clock in the world s most complicated air traffic system, she says, I m glad we re paying them that. More importantly, Garvey wanted to send a clear message to controllers. Faced with concerns over the year 2000 computer bug and a pressing We wanted the union in full partnership with us. We wanted a common message that both sides could deliver to the Hill each year and that would provide predictability in budgeting that would be cost-avoidance. need to expedite the FAA s lagging modernization program, she did not want contract negotiations to linger as a distracting issue. We wanted the union in full partnership with us, she says. We wanted a common message that both sides could deliver to the Hill each year and that would provide predictability in budgeting that would be costavoidance. To help pay for the package, NATCA agreed to assume more duties that would enable the agency to whittle its supervisory ranks through attrition for an estimated savings of $70 million. Disbanding alternate work schedules, commonly known as AWS, was projected to save another $60 million. Kansas City Center controllers led the drive for compressed workweeks and won a court ruling in 1991 that permitted them. However, the agency contended AWS cost more than regular scheduling, and FAA Administrator Jane Garvey Jan. NATCA begins depositing $33,000 a month into a building fund. 29 Mar. President Clinton signs a continuing resolution bill providing aid to Bosnia, Midwest flood relief, and restoration of Chapter 71 rights for air traffic controllers.

175 Chapter 5: The Art of the Deal 171 NATCA agreed to give it up at 24-hour facilities. The two sides also agreed on a controller work force of 15,000 in the first three years of the contract, with growth of 2 percent in each of the last two years. Garvey considered the contract historic in terms of the partnership it created. We had to change the relationship between management and labor in order to meet the challenges, she says. It had been so adversarial and not productive. Unlike the first two contracts, there was no briefing trip to the regions to sell this one. It wasn t necessary. The agreement took effect on September 1, 1998, after a 92 percent ratification vote. Pay reclassification did not kick in until the following summer because of the complexity of recalculating salaries for 15,000 controllers. However, NATCA released information in the fall of 1998 about the increases, which ranged up to 30 percent. While most controllers were very pleased, a vocal minority tied up special phone lines at headquarters for a few weeks. McNally, Haines, Coulter, Forrey, and others spent twelve to fourteen hours a day trying to explain the new scales and placate controllers who felt they weren t being compensated fairly. When we turned the switch on, I felt I was the most hated individual in the country, Haines says. Everybody was measuring themselves against each other. McNally was dismayed by the reaction, too. But the complaints could not diminish his pride over the union s enormous accomplishment. We rocked their world, he says. And we did it in a way that I believe everybody gained. Everybody won. 1. Related by Anthony Coiro during an interview in January Executive Board applauds the tentative agreement. NATCA Newsletter. February NATCA and FAA reach tentative contract agreement. NATCA News. May. 4. Schmidt, William Controllers at busy airports get 20 percent bonus. The New York Times. 19 June NATCA testifies on DoT/FAA pay demonstration project. NATCA Newsletter. December. Michael McNally: NATCA s third president closed the deal on a significant pay raise for controllers in the 1998 contract. We rocked their world, he says. / Steve Schneider May July 1 Twenty-four participants attend a mini Lobby Week. 30 NARI, a nonprofit offshoot of NATCA, holds kickoff ceremonies. This new group was created to ensure that human factors are considered in ATC research and development projects.

176 The easy stuff is over. Now the union has to look inside itself. Former Southwest Region Vice President Ed Mullin A voice of one: During the latter half of the 1990s, NATCA expanded its presence on Capitol Hill with more lobbying and an annual legislative session attended by several hundred activists. / NATCA archives

177 Chapter 6 Spreading Its Wings One day in the spring of 1989, an Airways Facilities technician approached Mark Scholl and said simply, I want to show you this. Scholl, an area representative at Chicago Center, nodded and followed his colleague through the control room. A buzz of murmuring voices surrounded them while they passed controllers seated along four rows of radarscopes. The hubbub diminished as the two men ascended a stairway to the top of the two-story room. They opened a door to a dark chamber and the technician flipped a switch. Fluorescent lights flickered on, casting a ghostly glare over a maze of water pipes and ventilation ducts. The two men climbed more stairs and stepped onto a catwalk. Below them, gray heaps of asbestos fibers, twelve to eighteen inches high, carpeted sections of ductwork and the control room ceiling. Overhead, they could see bare sections of the metal roof where the toxic insulation material had flaked off. Sobered by the sight, Scholl returned later to take photographs and collect samples. When Scholl and facility rep Jim Poole alerted management, they contended the building was safe and declined to do anything. NATCA s first collective bargaining agreement would not be signed for another few months and the young union was still learning how best to resolve its issues. Resorting to tactics that had proven effective in the past, Scholl and Poole turned to the news media and Congress. Local newspapers ran several articles about the health hazard. Sen. Paul Simon, who d helped institute the Pay Demonstration Project for controllers, and Rep. Dennis Hastert, a Republican from Illinois, got involved, too. We learned that the agency was at the whim of NATCA archives Sen. Paul Simon: The Illinois Democrat aided controllers on pay and health issues.

178 174 Against the Wind Brian Fallon Drawing a perspective: New York TRACON controller Brian Fallon has highlighted many issues with his cartoons, which have appeared regularly in The NATCA Voice. He also draws a poster-sized illustration for most conventions. Congress and the public, and that we could use that to our advantage, Scholl says. Even with congressional interest, it took another three years before the FAA formally agreed to remove the asbestos an expensive, complicated project in a building where hundreds of employees worked around the clock handling about 6,000 flights a day. Contractors built a steel superstructure to support a second dropped ceiling in the control room. Crews also erected a plastic canopy to shield workers during construction and set up monitoring equipment to issue warnings when air quality dropped below safe levels. Controllers on position wore breathing apparatus several times while the second ceiling was installed. Asbestos affected all twenty-one of the agency s en route centers, which had been built three decades earlier. Picketers outside Boston Center in Nashua, New Hampshire, wore protective suits and masks to call attention to the hazard. In Boston, Chicago and elsewhere, mold grew around air vents. Drip pans for air conditioning units leaked water onto radarscopes and supervisors desks. NATCA and the agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 1992 mandating the removal of asbestos from all the centers. The 1993 contract extended that same directive to terminal facilities. Before the work was completed at the centers, however, different control rooms were created in other parts of the buildings to accommodate the installation of new radarscopes during the latter part of the Nineties. The asbestos incident proved to be an object lesson for the Chicago Center controllers and others. They realized how much the news media could Sep NATCA holds its sixth biennial convention at the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers. Delegates institute a national seniority policy and vote to allow NATCA to expand representation to other employee groups. MEBA President Alex Shandrowsky urges NATCA to stay with the union that helped the controllers organize. However, delegates vote to allow NATCA to consider affiliation with another union.

179 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 175 help the public understand this hidden world and that Capitol Hill had the power to resolve their issues. A year after the asbestos discovery, the controllers relied on the media again to call attention to a less serious, yet annoying, problem: lack of chairs. Ironically, the FAA had recently replaced its old chairs. But the new ones, which were not as durable, frequently broke. Atlanta Center was thirtyone short of the number required for a normal day shift. At Chicago Center, Poole snared a supervisor s chair to sit in front of a radarscope, which prompted a heated argument with his boss. Other controllers perched on boxes and atop wastebaskets that were turned upside down. Alerted by Poole, USA Today ran a story. In response, furniture manufacturers offered to donate several hundred chairs and a local radio station conducted a chair-a-thon. 1 CNN broadcast live from Chicago Center several years later on Thanksgiving Day and the weekly news magazines began printing stories about equipment breakdowns. The growing coverage pushed the union into the realm of a player, Scholl says. Beyond these disparate efforts, the concept of formalized lobbying crystallized in 1992 when two visionary controllers, Dee Green and Debbie Cunningham, recognized that the union s ultimate boss was Congress not the FAA. At the San Antonio convention, they spoke passionately about the need for grass-roots involvement in legislative affairs. Thus was born a far-reaching structure of facility legislative representatives, state coordinators, and a National Legislative Committee with an elected representative from each region. Green and Cunningham, respectively, served as the first two chairwomen of the committee. It wasn t sufficient to have one or two people in Washington lobbying our cause, says Alan Clendenin, who was chairman from 1997 to Indeed, the well-organized legion of activists responded immediately and overwhelmingly when Krasner issued his let McCain feel the pain directive during the Chapter 71 battle. The union s Lobby Week: The union launched an annual, weeklong program in 1993 to raise legislative awareness and provide an opportunity for members to meet their congressional representatives. 16 Sep. The FAA awards a contract to Raytheon Company to develop and build the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System for approach control facilities. STARS consists of color radar monitors, similar to the DSR displays used in en route centers, as well as replacement computers and updated software. The new equipment will replace the aging Automated Radar Terminal System, which had been installed starting in 1965.

180 176 Against the Wind FYI One of the most celebrated and enduring trinkets that permeates NATCA s biennial conventions concerns the union s highest calling. Since Las Vegas in 1990, Alaskan controllers have populated each gathering with condoms as a reminder about safety. growing legislative savvy and influence also helped it close the deal on reclassification. When we got down to crunch time, it was political pressure that turned those tides in our favor, Clendenin says. In addition to creating the army of foot soldiers, Cunningham saw the need to teach them how the political system works. In 1993, she helped launch an annual Lobby Week. This effective program teaches the rank and file about the legislative process, introduces them to their local representatives, and promotes ongoing activism. The face-to-face contact has proven to be extremely effective in cultivating relationships with Congress and opening doors in districts across the country. Lobby Week, which attracts as many as 350 controllers, was renamed NATCA in Washington in 1997 when it evolved into a lobbying and training opportunity and, significantly, a high-profile political event. Key members of the House and Senate appear as guest speakers, influential staff members attend the congressional reception, and news organizations such as CNN and Aviation Daily cover the proceedings. The annual gathering also serves to educate participants about the union s Political Action Committee fund. By spring 2002, nearly 5,000 members were contributing some $1 million to the fund every election cycle. That shines just as bright as any of those specific legislative victories, Clendenin says. We ve built it from nothing to one of the most influential in a labor organization in D.C. Safety Above All As the decade progressed, NATCA expanded its influence in other arenas. Since its organizing days, one of the union s missions had been to increase its voice in workplace issues, operating procedures, and new equipment to help ensure air safety. Controllers were expected to deliver perfection on the job, yet they often had little say in matters that affected their ability to meet such a high standard. Many who joined NATCA considered it a professional association as much as a labor union and worked to push it in that direction. By the early 1990s, controllers had highlighted staffing shortages and equipment problems to the agency, Congress, and the news media on numerous Nov. FAA Administrator David Hinson leaves office after serving since August 10, Dec. The FAA installs the first Display System Replacement at Seattle Center.

181 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 177 occasions. In a yearlong effort, the safety committee at Dallas-Fort Worth Tower and TRACON documented numerous problems with the ARTS software, which displayed aircraft information on radarscopes. A contract provision entitled union members to join other industry representatives in NTSB accident investigations. NATCA had also established review committees to help oversee training and performance standards. But its role in the research and development of new technology remained slim to nonexistent. A classic example involved a computer onboard airliners known as the Traffic Alert/Collision Avoidance System. TCAS monitors traffic and instructs pilots to climb or descend if it senses a potential collision. Before TCAS was deployed in the late 1980s and early 90s, however, controllers had very little input in its design and operation, even though the computer inserted a third element in the critical equation of communications between pilots and controllers. With the advent of TCAS, cockpit crews sometimes received conflicting instructions from controllers and the computer. Early versions of the software generated targets for nonexistent planes on radarscopes. Other problems resulted in frequent false alerts. Some of these led to dangerous near misses when pilots deviated from their assigned altitude by as much as 1,000 feet. During a 4½-month period in 1991, deviations occurred in 70 percent of the 590 incidents that were reported. 2 It is like a puppy walking over a game of chess, destroying the board s composition, Executive Vice President Joseph Bellino said. Every controller is executing a plan. When one plane deviates from its assigned space, it affects all the aircraft under the controller s plan, making the controller scramble to develop another plan in seconds. 3 NATCA was unable to halt deployment of the new equipment until the bugs were fixed. But extensive field documentation by safety representatives helped TCAS manufacturers fine-tune the software and problems gradually diminished. The experience was not lost on the FAA. As frustrations mounted over poor communication, a Traffic alert: NATCA Safety and Technology Director Will Faville Jr., left, and Ray Gibbons from Chicago TRACON testified at an international symposium in 1992 (and before Congress a year earlier) about TCAS deployment problems. Gibbons, the union s national TCAS representative for terminals, and Greg Meyer, his counterpart for centers, led the effort to gather compelling statistics showing that early versions of the collision avoidance system adversely affected safety. / NATCA archives Feb. Transportation Secretary Federico F. Peña leaves office after serving since January 21, Rodney E. Slater takes over. Slater, who previously directed the Federal Highway Administration, also served as assistant attorney general of Arkansas and as a member of then-gov. Bill Clinton s staff.

182 178 Against the Wind Hurricane Andrew After the storm: The ferocious hurricane that slammed into southern Florida and Louisiana on August 24, 1992, packed sustained winds of 125 knots, leaving fifteen people dead and 250,000 homeless. NATCA members quickly donated food, clothing, generators, financial assistance, and more to help the affected controllers and their families. / NATCA archives significant change occurred albeit slowly. In the fall of 1994, the FAA invited a union liaison to work full time at agency headquarters on a trial basis to provide controller perspectives on technology and equipment. Never before had a NATCA member occupied an office at 800 Independence Avenue. Several union technical representatives also became involved in projects full time. Karl Grundmann, who d chosen not to run for re-election as Western-Pacific Region vice president, hung out the first shingle as a liaison. Working with Neil Planzer in the agency s Air Traffic Requirements branch, Grundmann found himself privy to key budget information and attended meetings with Administrator David Hinson and other top-level managers that were previously off-limits to NATCA. I was in places the FAA had never let the union in before, he says Feb. The National Labor Relations Board certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for its first contract tower. 27 Feb. NATCA President Barry Krasner meets with MEBA President Alex Shandrowsky, notifying him of the union s intent to terminate affiliation.

183 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 179 Both sides were feeling their way in the experiment. Grundmann essentially made up his job day by day. The agency s longstanding top-down culture spawned a cool reception and a conference room of managers often drowned out Grundmann s objections at meetings. Attitudes had not changed appreciably by the summer of 1996, when Darrell Meachum began working as a liaison with Planzer. We felt a lot like window dressing, says Meachum, who served as one of the original technology representatives in 1994 and is now the facility rep at Fort Worth Center. We had to force ourselves into dialogues and discussions within the culture of the FAA and it wasn t easy. Part of the difficulty stemmed from a lack of formal recognition. Neither the union s contract nor a Memorandum of Understanding with the agency covered the work of liaisons and technical representatives. As a fac rep, you re basically enforcing the rules. As a liaison, there are no rules to enforce, Meachum says. It was all about trying to influence decisions that would affect us for the next ten to twelve years. Relationships slowly improved when it became apparent that union input during the development phase of projects could save time and money. Other managers at headquarters voiced interest in having liaisons and technical representatives. Despite the initial difficulties and ongoing differences of opinions, Meachum lauds Planzer for helping to ensure the survival of NATCA s involvement. If Neil had not stepped out there and made a commitment to the union, he says, not only would the program not have existed, it would not have been successful. The first major project in which NATCA members were centrally involved was called the Display System Replacement. DSR consisted of 20-inchsquare color radar displays and newer computers to replace antiquated scopes and mainframes at the en route centers. The equipment had been developed for the Advanced Automation System, an ambitious and enormously complicated venture started by the FAA in the early 1980s to overhaul its air traffic operations. Citing delays, multibilliondollar cost overruns and seriously flawed software, Administrator Hinson scrapped most of the program in June Yet aging equipment was older than some of the people using it and growing increasingly unreliable. The agency hoped to salvage some of its investment and partially modernize its centers by deploying the newer displays and computers Karl Grundmann: As NATCA s first fulltime liaison to the FAA, he blazed the trail for providing union input on technology and equipment issues to management at agency headquarters. / NATCA archives Apr. May 20 NATCA holds its annual Lobby Week. The gathering, which has evolved into a lobbying and training opportunity and highprofile political event, is renamed to NATCA in Washington. 28 The union files a lawsuit against MEBA, seeking the right to disaffiliate. The action follows a letter from MEBA opposing disaffiliation and threatening legal action against NATCA.

184 180 Against the Wind NATCA archives Controller involvement: Darrell Meachum from Fort Worth Center worked with the FAA to ensure the feasibility of deploying new radarscope displays in the agency s en route centers. The displays were salvaged from a costly project known as AAS. without the software, which would have made flight strips obsolete. This presented a problem. The existing design of the new workstation, called the sector suite, now had to accommodate racks to hold flight strips known as strip bays. That fall, while Grundmann began work as the first liaison, the agency invited two controllers to its William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to evaluate a slightly modified sector suite. When Meachum and Scott Hanley from Kansas City Center saw a cardboard mockup, they realized the strip bay would obscure controllers views of the radar display. Working with the center s engineers, Meachum and Hanley suggested redesigning the bay to reduce its size and make it curve like a ski slope so it could hold more strips. They also recommended repositioning the bay to avoid any visual obstructions. The modifications were minor enough that the basic sector suite would not have to be radically redesigned. As engineers set about making the changes, NATCA tried to persuade the agency to involve more controllers in this early development of DSR. The FAA declined, however, and when DSR arrived at Seattle Center in late 1996 the union realized it still wasn t ready for prime time. One notable flaw involved drop-down menus that had been incorporated into the display. The menus covered up targets and aircraft information, which controllers needed to see at all times. A thirteen-member Tiger Team formed by NATCA created a punch list of items requiring attention. Before DSR was installed at the agency s other twenty centers, most of the items were resolved. DSR s successful deployment provided a significant boost to the FAA, which was under heavy fire for its creeping pace of modernization. The project showed what was possible when the agency and NATCA worked together. With support from Michael McNally and Jane Garvey, both of whom embraced collaboration, the liaison program snowballed. Garvey s building block approach to implementing components of new equipment, as opposed to the agency s traditional method of waiting years to deploy one huge system, also spurred the growth of liaisons and technical reps. By spring 2002, twenty-eight people were involved full time in about sixty-five projects. Their participation ranged from strategic planning to design factors as detailed as the placement of a control button or the height of a shelf, which can have a significant effect on the ability of controllers to do their jobs June NATCA files a petition with the FLRA to hold an election on whether the union can represent FAA engineers and architects. This would be NATCA s first bargaining unit for non-controllers since it was established.

185 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 181 From Sanskrit to Silicon DSR brought new scopes and supporting PCs to en route centers. However, the programming language that relays information to controllers from radar sites and aircraft transponders remains etched in the Stone Age of computing. Ever since the FAA installed radar data processing computers at its centers in 1967, they have run on a venerable, but obscure, language known as JOVIAL. Jules Schwartz, a programmer for System Development Corporation, wrote the language for the U.S. Air Force. He dubbed it Our Own Version of the International Algebraic Language, but his moniker presented a problem. In the late 1950s, society wasn t quite as free thinking as it is today, Schwartz wrote years later. The name OVIAL seemed to have a connotation relative to the birth process that did not seem acceptable to some people. 6 A colleague at System Development Corporation suggested JOVIAL as an alternative in honor of its inventor, Jules, and the name stuck. Aside from FAA computers, JOVIAL is used on a variety of weapons systems, including the B-52 Stratofortess, F/A-18 Hornet, UH- 60 Blackhawk helicopter, and the advanced cruise missile. Work on replacing JOVIAL at the FAA s en route centers was under way in The ARTS system in TRACONs runs on another arcane language called ULTRA. Programming is done painstakingly at the bit level akin to using toothpicks to create each stroke of every letter in a sentence. ULTRA will fade into history when Unix-based STARS is deployed. 19 June NATCA holds a ten-year anniversary celebration, including a party at the U.S. Capitol. Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles declares June 19 Air Traffic Control Day, as does Manassas, Virginia, Miami, Milwaukee, New York City, and Spokane, Washington. Many facilities hold open houses and other festivities.

186 182 Against the Wind The level of manpower was a world away from the days when Joel Hicks, Amy Kaufman, and Will Faville Jr. the union s first three safety and technology directors grappled with scores of projects. We found that with every rock we turned over, we had many more issues scurry out from underneath, Faville says. Brian Fallon Advanced Automation System: The FAA wasted about $1.5 billion in its ambitious plan to overhaul ATC. During Faville s tenure in the early 1990s, NATCA hired veteran Washington Center controller Jerry Tierney and former PATCO member Dick Swauger to help. Many facility safety representatives pitched in, too. But not until the liaison and technical rep program took hold within the agency, accompanied by a collaborative spirit, did the union begin to exercise real influence on equipment issues. Garvey sees no other choice. We have a job to do that is so fundamentally important and critical to the economy and the American people that nothing short of our best efforts will do, she says. Garvey credits the union with being a catalyst in keeping key projects on track, including a counterpart to DSR known as the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System. Like its cousin at the centers, STARS includes a full-color display bright enough to be used in a lighted room and provides TRACON controllers with more than 200 digital maps (older scopes contained just five). The equipment can also accept information from multiple radar sites, a boon to facilities plagued by blind spots from mountainous terrain. In a repeat of DSR s evolution, however, controllers were not involved until development was well under way. The union s technical team on the STARS project had to argue for changes that, necessarily, delayed implementation. Among other issues, pop-up menus once again obscured critical information on the display June Eighteen controllers from radar towers across the nation meet in Chicago and form the NATCA Radar Tower Coalition to address common issues.

187 In late 1999 and early 2000, STARS became operational at TRACONs in El Paso, Texas, and Syracuse, New York. Unlike previous FAA projects, controllers at the two test radar rooms worked closely with Raytheon Company and the union s Computer-Human Interface workgroup to finish developing the product before it was to be installed at some 185 other NATCA took something that was unworkable and has brought about a piece of equipment that the average controller can use with just three days of training. TRACONs. NATCA took something that was unworkable and has brought about a piece of equipment that the average controller can use with just three days of training, says Doug Wicker, the project lead in El Paso. At the same time controllers gained influence at FAA headquarters, they extended their reach globally by joining the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations in Composed of group membership from more than 100 nations, IFATCA is a professional entity that represents air traffic controller issues to the International Civil Aviation Organization, which sets worldwide policies. The union s interest in affiliating with IF- ATCA germinated over time. Executive Vice President Ray Spickler and Fernando Ospina from Fort Worth Center attended the group s annual meeting in May The most striking Doug Wicker, STARS project lead at El Paso TRACON thing to me was the commonality of problems all controllers are facing, Spickler wrote after the gathering in Frankfurt, Germany. There is as much we can learn from them as they from us. 7 A few years later, Safety and Technology Director Will Faville Jr. attended another IFATCA meeting and applauded the group s philosophy on computer issues. While the FAA and U.S. controllers worked on Computer-Human Interface or CHI problems, IFATCA reversed the emphasis. They put the human before the computer, Faville says. It was clear to me that we needed that international help and support. Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings Aug. Jane Garvey takes over as FAA administrator. For the first time, the Senate appoints the agency s chief to a five-year term, ending a revolving-door policy that had been in effect since the PATCO strike. Garvey has held a number of public positions, including commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, director of Logan International Airport in Boston, and acting administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.

188 184 Against the Wind Japphire Atlanta TRACON: The facility became operational in April 2001, and is one of a half dozen TRACONs that consolidate operations from several radar rooms. Martin Cole, a Washington Center controller who served as executive vice president technical of IFATCA from 1997 to 1999, agrees. We work a predominant amount of the world s air traffic, he says. To not have a voice in the global scene for aviation is something that wouldn t sit well. But the international association s per capita dues structure was cost-prohibitive to NATCA, which represented the largest group of controllers in the world. IFATCA was interested in having the United States onboard, however, and agreed to the union s request to re-evaluate its dues. After a temporary cap was imposed, NATCA joined and helped the group create a three-tier scale based on a United Nations model. Cole s involvement began after he was assigned to the FAA as one of NATCA s original technical representatives. His project involved Data Link, which enables controllers and pilots to exchange text messages and other digital information. I had no idea what Data Link was, Cole recalls. When he arrived at FAA headquarters, his agency counterpart showed him two file cabinets of information and suggested he start reading. Over time, Cole became an expert and was the obvious choice to represent the United States on Data Link issues after the union joined IFATCA. The second meeting he attended nearly convinced him he d made a mistake. Poverty in Dakar, Senegal, was prevalent and he confronted sanitation problems with the water and food during the twoweek conference. After waking up one morning at the Ngor Diarama Hotel, he heard a commotion and looked out the window of his room on the sixth floor. Armed Aug. Ballots are counted from NATCA members, who vote 5,984 to 60 in favor of breaking away from MEBA. The effective date is May 30, 1997, based on an out-of-court settlement with MEBA. 15 Aug. About fifty controllers picket outside Boston Center to call attention to asbestos problems at the facility.

189 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 185 FYI NATCA formed the National Aviation Research Institute in 1996 as another way to ensure that the union could exercise some influence in the development of air traffic control technology. Mike Connor, the union s former director of external operations, spearheaded the move to create the private, nonprofit group to give controllers a voice before functionality and design considerations of new systems are set in stone. Among its board of directors was former Rep. Norman Mineta. Within a year of its founding, five organizations had committed more than $1 million in grants to NARI, including the NASA Ames Research Center, Lockheed Martin, The MITRE Corporation, The Catholic University of America, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. NARI and these organizations have focused on advanced air traffic control systems and Free Flight, an FAA project aimed at automating certain air traffic functions by using computerized tools. Today, controllers are given a piece of equipment and told, Make this work, Connor said at the time. NARI will change this mindset by placing human factors at the top of the priority list. 5 soldiers were spilling out of numerous trucks lined up in front of the building. Some ran into the lobby while others formed a perimeter around the hotel. Cole, whose pounding heart took awhile to settle down, learned later that the troops constituted security for a meeting of high-level government officials. At the end of his stay, Cole and a colleague, Delta Air Lines Capt. Terry Hanson, discovered that airlines serving Dakar overbook flights even more heavily than their U.S. counterparts. Several exasperating days passed while they vainly tried to get home. When they heard that an Air France charter flight was arriving to pick up Club Med patrons, the two dashed to the airport and pleaded for a pair of seats. But everyone from ticket agents to the airline s station manager shook their heads. Not long before the flight was scheduled to leave, Hanson noticed an attractive Senegalese woman near the ticket counter wearing a Club Med name-tag that read Aby. Hanson approached her and smiled. Aren t you named for the fourth wife of the prophet Mohammed, the youngest one, the most beautiful one, the one he loved the best? he asked. Global connections: Randy Schwitz, left, and Jim Poole attended IFATCA s conference in Montevideo, Uruguay, in NATCA member James Ferguson was elected deputy president of the international organization in / NATCA archives Sep. Nov. 18 NATCA submits a written request to the AFL-CIO for direct affiliation with the labor organization. 10 The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 1,150 FAA engineers and architects. In October, the employees voted 498 to 141 in favor of joining NATCA.

190 186 Against the Wind Martin Cole: The Washington Center controller was a technical rep on Data Link, which led to his election as vice president technical of IFATCA. / Courtesy of Martin Cole The woman beamed. Yes, I am. How could you possibly know that? I ve read the Koran, Hanson replied. He then explained their plight and Aby excused herself to speak with the station manager. Minutes later, Hanson and Cole were sinking into their seats on the flight and breathing long sighs of relief. A subsequent trip to Taipei, Taiwan, where Cole was elected executive vice president technical, went much smoother. In his new role, he once again endured a steep learning curve to absorb information about a wealth of projects besides Data Link. He also felt an added obligation to represent NATCA at its best to help set the stage for future U.S. involvement in the group. Although some members from other nations worried about the United States dominating decisions, their fears were allayed by Cole s knowledgeable and even-handed manner. In 2001, James Ferguson, the former Northwest Mountain Region vice president, was elected deputy president of IFATCA. Two other union members serve on IFATCA committees. Barry Krasner is chairman of Standing Committee 6, which deals with constitution and administrative policy. Southwest Region Vice President Mark Pallone is a member of Standing Committee 3, which is responsible for finance. NATCA sees its continuing representation in the international organization as an important element of its mission to help shape aviation policy. If our voice isn t heard out there in the world, we re going to have to bear the brunt of these ICAO regulations when they come back though the FAA, Cole says. The U.S. view of air traffic control needs to be out there. Breaking Away While the union s reputation and influence propelled it to new heights in the aviation industry, NATCA felt the weight of a ball and chain gripping its ankles in the house of labor. The union was growing increasingly disenchanted over its affiliation with the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association. The union that had provided NATCA with manpower, political contacts, and $1.9 million to organize and prosper after certification was now sinking under dwindling membership, serious financial problems, and fallout from a racketeering trial. Five Feb. President Michael McNally, Executive VP Randy Schwitz and former General Counsel William Osborne Jr. appear before the AFL-CIO Executive Council to request direct affiliation. 22 Feb. More than 250 participants attend NATCA in Washington.

191 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 187 top former officers, including Gene DeFries and Doc Cullison, were accused of collecting more than $2 million in severance pay after MEBA merged with the National Maritime Union in * These simmering issues pushed NATCA into action, but the independent-minded controllers had long set their sights on affiliating directly with the AFL-CIO. In their capacity as a MEBA affiliate, they could not submit resolutions at AFL-CIO conventions without the parent union s permission. Money was another issue. NATCA continued to pay 7.5 percent of its members dues to MEBA and didn t believe it was getting much, if anything, in return. NATCA s always If our voice isn t heard out there in the world, we re going to have to bear the brunt of these ICAO regulations when they come back through the FAA. The U.S. view of air traffic control needs to be out there. Martin Cole, former vice president technical of IFATCA had this ego thing, and part of the ego thing is we stand on our own two feet, Krasner says. We always wanted to be directly affiliated with AFL-CIO. Aware of NATCA s dissatisfaction, MEBA President Alex Shandrowsky spoke at the September 1996 convention in Pittsburgh, urging the union not to jump ship. But the delegates were not swayed and voted to allow NATCA to consider aligning with another union. Krasner and William Osborne, NATCA s outside counsel, met one last time with MEBA in late February 1997 to fulfill the requirements of their affiliation agreement. Worried that MEBA would retaliate by putting the controllers union in trusteeship and seize its assets, Osborne had already prepared a court injunction to prevent such action. The meeting ended badly after Shandrowsky announced that MEBA had unilaterally modified its agreement with NATCA to make disaffiliation nearly impossible and to ensure that the controllers union would forfeit its assets in the event it successfully broke away. Krasner replied that NATCA * DeFries, Cullison, and two others were convicted of racketeering in July Cullison cooperated with authorities and received one year of unsupervised probation. DeFries was sentenced to sixty-three months in prison and fined $600,000 in January 1996, but his conviction was overturned on appeal. 8 Mar. The U.S. District Court vacates its decision from 1994 allowing the FAA to contract out Level I towers. The FAA does not appeal this decision. Subsequently, NATCA seeks a court order requiring the agency to dismantle its contract program. The court denies the union s motion, but it orders the agency to determine whether ATC services are inherently governmental or a commercial activity, in which case they can be contracted out.

192 188 Against the Wind intended to do so with or without MEBA s approval and, on the way out of the meeting, directed Osborne to file the injunction immediately. Despite the protections afforded by the injunction, a cautious Krasner hired 24-hour armed guards to protect the national office in case MEBA decided to launch a raid. He also told employees to take home critical files. I want nothing in this office that you think you re going to need in case they re actually successful, he said. This union has to keep running. About $3 million was shifted to different accounts to make it harder for MEBA to find. Walking around my last days in office with armed guards and money spread out across the country was kind of spooky, Krasner says now. During this time, AFL-CIO general counsel Jon Hiatt advised Osborne that the labor association would not be inclined to grant NATCA direct affiliation if the union broke away from MEBA. At Krasner s Walking around my last days in office with armed guards and money spread out across the country was kind of spooky. direction, Osborne replied that NATCA intended to achieve independence and it believed direct AFL- CIO affiliation was best for both organizations. He added that, if NATCA was turned down, the union was prepared to live with that outcome. But the tense period passed without incident. As part of a courtordered settlement in June 1997, NATCA asked its members to vote on the issue of affiliation. Out of the 6,044 ballots cast, 99 percent favored breaking away from MEBA. Having gained independence, NATCA now faced the formidable task of persuading the mighty AFL-CIO, which represented some thirteen million workers, to accept a union with less than 11,000 members as a direct affiliate. Since the merger of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955, only twenty or so unions had achieved that honor. Indeed, AFL-CIO policy discouraged direct affiliations and there were just sixty-two by the time Former President Barry Krasner Mar The AFL-CIO Executive Council votes unanimously to accept NATCA as a direct affiliate to the union. Since the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations merged in 1955, it has accepted just twenty direct affiliates.

193 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 189 NATCA approached the organization in early The entire direction of the council and the AF of L-CIO was to bring existing organizations into bigger organizations, so this flew in the face of all of those resolutions that had been passed previously, says John Leyden, who was director of the organization s Public Employee Department and sat on its Executive Council. History provided both an obstacle for NATCA to overcome and a persuasive argument in favor of its recognition. A three-member special committee on AFL-CIO national charters expressed concern about the PATCO strike and its effect on organized labor. They wanted assurances from President McNally, Executive Vice President Randy Schwitz, and Osborne that NATCA did not intend to repeat history. But the committee was also mindful of what NATCA had achieved during its short tenure. Unquestionably, the mass discharge of the PATCO strikers near the beginning of Ronald Reagan s administration represented one of the most shameful acts of union-busting by our federal government in the past several decades, the committee stated in its report. The panel credited NATCA and MEBA with helping to ensure that the air traffic controllers legacy has not been quietly forgotten, that it remains a symbol warning the labor movement against complacency and against forgetting that an attack on one union is an attack on all. A month after NATCA appeared before the committee to present its case, the AFL-CIO Executive Council agreed to accept the union as a direct affiliate. It was the right thing to do. I think [AFL- CIO President John] Sweeney saw the wisdom, says Leyden, who lobbied on NATCA s behalf. That s going to be a monumental step for them to stay in the house of labor. Bob Taylor, a frequent visitor at the George Meany Center for Labor Studies when NATCA held its facility rep training there, often watched workers from other unions nearly come to blows with controllers over misunderstandings about PATCO and its successor. With the direct affiliation, the distinction of NATCA as a scab union has been laid to rest, he says. At a meeting later that spring in Las Vegas, the AFL- CIO presented NATCA with its cherished independent charter. McNally approached the podium to accept it and told Sweeney, You understand how much this means to us. I understand, Sweeney responded. But I ve got a big agenda, Mike. Make it quick. McNally thanked the audience and said: I understand you have a lot of important work to do here. 28 Aug. NATCA and the FAA sign an unprecedented five-year, $1.6 billion collective bargaining agreement after negotiating for nearly a year. The new pact includes a ten-tier pay reclassification system that had been under development since Members voted 8,219 to 747 in favor of the contract, a 92 percent margin. The contract takes effect September 15, 1998.

194 James R. Schwitz Air Traffic Control Specialist 1982 Pr e s e n t Operating Initials: RV Hom e t o w n : Fayetteville, Georgia Spouse / Children: NATCA archives Pamela / Taylor, Sam, Chad, Nicole Grandchildren: Breanna, Michael Other Trivia: Longest-serving member of the National Executive Board ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: ZTL Pr e v i o u s: Center Randy Schwitz developed a kinship with aviation as a boy when he accompanied his dad, a controller, to work and discovered the challenging variety of the job. At home, he sat on a swing set watching planes thunder overhead after taking off from Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta. The family s home bordered the south side of the field, leading to another diversion when jetliners began flying. Scared by the screaming turbine engines, rats scurried from airport property into the back yard, where Schwitz and his father picked them off with.22-gauge rifles. As he grew older, Schwitz set his sights on becoming an orthodontist. But his career plans took a detour when he quit Georgia State University temporarily to earn money at a local General Motors plant in the early 1970s. Assembling Chevrolet trucks and Pontiac Grand Prix and Le Mans cars during the South s sweltering summers opened his eyes to the need and value of labor unions. Four months after he was hired, the plant installed fans following a wildcat strike, providing welcome relief for the workers. Schwitz promptly joined the UAW and was soon elected steward of the body shop. The plant closed a few years later and he transferred to another GM facility, where he continued as a union rep. However, the job s mindless repetition eventually drove him to apply to the FAA and he Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements Exec. VP ; Southern Region VP ; ZTL fac rep ; negotiated liaisons and tech rep positions; spearheaded STARS, DSR programs. Hir e d 1982 attended the academy in 1982 before starting work at Atlanta Center. By now, his father was an assistant manager at Hartsfield. They re going to run all over you unless you form a new union, he advised his son. Schwitz heeded the warning, participated in organizing, and became the center s second facility rep after certification. In late 1989, he was appointed Southern regional rep when his colleague, Lee Riley, stepped down. Schwitz traveled extensively during two more elected terms and lived in Washington while serving as executive vice president from 1997 to 2000, earning recognition as a low-key manager with a sharp eye for finances. During his tenure with President Michael McNally, NATCA signed its historic 1998 contract and was granted direct affiliation with the AFL-CIO. The union also launched a public relations campaign that included a television commercial showing controllers at work. Schwitz and his young daughter, Taylor, appeared at the end of the spot, along with the tag line, We guide you home. He rediscovered life back home after narrowly losing his bid for re-election. Besides spending much more time with his wife, Pamela, and their children, Schwitz has been able to enjoy regular rounds of golf with his father. In t e r e s t s: Golf, skiing, riding his Harley

195 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 191 I want you to understand how important this is to us. In order to show how much it means to us, I guarantee that when your business is done your flights home are going to get out on time. A Growing Family The direct affiliation came as NAT- CA began to embrace other FAA workers in the union. Interest in expanding membership dated to 1990, when NATCA unionized controllers at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station. It had also recently started to reorganize towers run by private contractors. In 1994, NATCA stepped outside its active controller ranks for the first time by seeking to organize traffic management coordinators. Although 62 percent of the TMCs who voted rejected the move, they later reconsidered and joined in May * The formal decision to expand representation occurred at the 1996 conven- Bob Taylor: NATCA s labor relations director, a former Eastern Airlines employee and official with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, has seen the union s bargaining units grow from two to twenty. / NATCA archives AFL-CIO charter: The labor organization prefers to absorb new unions as affiliates of existing entities. However, it granted NATCA direct affiliation in / Japphire * Traffic management coordinators are controllers who work in centers, TRACONs, towers, and the FAA s Command Center. Their mission is to minimize airborne delays by monitoring the weather, runway capacity at major hub airports, and other factors. When necessary, the coordinators adjust traffic flows by temporarily holding planes at their point of departure, which is known as a ground stop, and through other means. Sep NATCA holds its seventh biennial convention at the Westin Hotel in Seattle. Delegates revise the national seniority system. Previously, members who went into staff or management positions lost all seniority; now, they will lose only the amount of time they spend outside the bargaining unit. Delegates also allow the engineers and architects a seat on the National Executive Board, and authorize the board to buy an office building.

196 192 Against the Wind NATCA archives Engineers and architects: NATCA s second-largest bargaining unit joined the union in November Among the activists were, front row from left: Mike Martin; Mark McLauren; Curt Howe; and Pete Healy. Back row from left: controller/organizer Kevin Christy; Jim D Agati; Tom Bayone; Jim Frascone; and Doug Hintz. tion. By this time, the agency s engineers and architects had broached the subject of affiliation with NATCA and the Professional Airways Systems Specialists, which represents more than 11,000 technicians, safety inspectors, and other FAA workers. The engineers motivation sounded very familiar to NATCA. We felt left out of most of the decision-making processes, says Doug Hintz, who spent a decade with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before joining the FAA in Most of us were becoming disenchanted. Initial interest sprouted in the New England, Northwest Mountain, Southern, and Southwest regions. Five engineers Floyd Majors from Seattle, Mark McLauren from Boston, Hintz from Atlanta, and James Frascone and Garlon Jordan from Fort Worth met NATCA and PASS representatives in the summer of On the basis of those encounters, the organizing group decided NATCA was their union of choice. NATCA was much better organized, Hintz says. The engineers also believed that their issues were less likely to conflict with those of a group composed predominantly of controllers. A year later, many other engineers began clamoring for union representation when the agency implemented a PASS proposal to reclassify those who did not wish to transfer to a regional office. This new job called a GS-2101 engineering technician represented a technical generalist position rather than an engineering specialty such as electronics or the environment. The new position was aimed at enabling field engineers to move into management. But it rankled many who historically had served as technical managers and now faced the prospect of forfeiting their state licenses because they would no longer be prac- Oct President Michael McNally and Rick White, NATCA technical representative on the STARS modernization program, testify in Congress. They say that, until recently, controllers were not consulted on the program and the equipment is not suited to the way TRACON controllers do their job. STARS consists of color monitors, similar to the DSR displays in en route centers, which will replace aging radarscopes.

197 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 193 ticing engineers. With help from NATCA Southwest Region Vice President Rich Phillips, Great Lakes Region VP Jim Poole and Chicago Center controller Kevin Christy, the engineers mounted a nationwide organizing drive. In November 1997, little more than a decade after NATCA was certified, the FAA s 1,150 engineers and architects voted overwhelmingly to become the union s second major bargaining unit. Their decision led to the first expansion of NATCA s National Executive Board. Pete Healy was appointed the first engineers vice president and invited to sit on the board as a non-voting member. After delegates at the 1998 convention approved a voting position, Jim D Agati, the Great Lakes Region local president, won election to the NEB the next year. Some controllers feared the growth in representation would dilute their organization, but most saw it as a necessary evolution. Look at China, says Phillips, who also helped to organize traffic management coordinators in One thousand years ago, they were the most advanced culture in the world. They built a big wall to keep everyone out. Look where they are now. They re still one thousand years ago and are now trying to catch up. We could do that just be controllers but then we d stagnate. That was hardly the case after the historic 1998 contract. Interest in affiliating with NATCA suddenly ballooned and the union found itself representing another 3,500 FAA workers over the next three years. Controllers continued to dominate the organization, followed by the engineers and architects. The FAA s 950 staff-support specialists voted to join NATCA in late 2001, becoming its third-largest bargaining unit. As union membership and representation grew, so, too, did the national office in Washington. During NATCA s first six years of existence, it occupied the same suite that PATCO had used at MEBA headquarters on North Capitol Street, near Union Station. To liven up the offices, President Steve Bell brought in several brass lamps with pink shades and hanging beads evocative of the Civil War era. When Barry Krasner took over, the lamps gave Direct AFL-CIO affiliation came as NATCA began to embrace other workers in the union. In 1997, NATCA stepped outside its controller ranks for the first time. 15 Dec. DSR becomes operational at Seattle Center. After the equipment was installed in 1996, a thirteen-member NATCA Tiger Team determined that DSR was not deployable in its present configuration. Subsequently, the union and the FAA corrected a punch list of issues before allowing the system to go live.

198 194 Against the Wind FYI Besides representing 15,300 air traffic controllers, NATCA s twenty bargaining units include some 4,700 other FAA and Defense Department workers and privately employed controllers (as of June 2002). Bargaining Unit Workers Certification Date Air Traffic Control Specialists 15,300 June 19, 1987 Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station 30 September 6, 1990 Privately Employed ATC Specialists 110 February 21, 1997, and later Engineers and Architects 1,200 November 10, 1997 Notice to Airmen Office 10 March 23, 1999 Budget and Financial Analysis 101 February 7, 2000 Logistics, Finance, Acc t., Info. Services Division 518 April 26, 2000 Engineers (Oklahoma City / Atlantic City) 124 May 22 / July 14 / Sept. 28, 2000 Traffic Management Coordinators 605 May 25, 2000 Automation Specialists 175 June 1, 2000 Aerospace Medicine 30 August 23, 2000 Airports Division 263 August 31, 2000 Airworthiness Engineers 13 September 8, 2000 Aircraft Certification 532 September 12, 2000 Hawaii Department of Defense 12 October 26, 2000 Hawaii National Guard 10 October 26, 2000 Regional Counsel s Office 50 January 4, 2001 Staff Support Specialists 950 January 7, 2002 way to a large bearskin rug strategically positioned so that visitors entering the president s office looked directly into a mouth full of bared teeth. Krasner s motif also included a stuffed armadillo, which he d haggled over for forty-five minutes in Tijuana, Mexico, and an exotic collection of more than two-dozen stuffed frogs in strikingly authentic poses: shooting pool, strumming a ukulele, tending bar. A frog dancing atop a charred picnic table a gift from Joseph Bellino mimicked Krasner s antics at a party. By April 1993, employees at headquarters were stumbling over each other. Space was so limited that Labor Relations Director Richard Gordon worked out of a converted closet in Krasner s office. To gain breathing room, NATCA moved to much larger leased offices at 17 th and M streets on the northern edge of downtown. Although ten-year leases were the norm, Krasner had his eye on the future and insisted on a seven-year term. He and many others in the union envisioned owning a building. Delegates at the 1994 convention in Tampa took a step toward making their dream come true when they agreed to transfer MEBA payments to a building fund after the loan was paid off. Starting in January 1996, they deposited about $33,000 a month into the fund. Just two-and-a-half years later, convention delegates in Seattle approved releasing the money to buy a building. The challenge was finding an affordable structure that provided enough space to Dec. Ten years after its first financial statement, NATCA reported assets of $2.7 million and liabilities of $1.3 million.

199 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 195 suit the union s needs. Working with a real estate broker, Executive Vice President Randy Schwitz and Finance Committee Chairman Dale Wright scouted different sites. Given President Michael McNally s belief that NATCA archives (left); Japphire (right) The menagerie: President Krasner s office included an exotic collection of stuffed animals. An armadillo greeted visitors from atop a curio cabinet. A dancing frog mimicked Krasner s antics at a party. NATCA would not be taken as seriously with an address outside D.C., they decided to concentrate their search within the capital. Nevertheless, a vacant lot at King Street and Diagonal Road in Alexandria, Virginia, first caught their eye because of its proximity to the Metro, a nearby hotel, and Old Town. However, another buyer stepped in before NATCA could put down a deposit. Several older buildings were available in D.C., but they were priced in the $15 million range out of the union s reach. While walking around on his lunch hour one day in the summer of 1999, Schwitz saw a for sale sign in front of a seven-story, white brick structure at 1325 Massachusetts Avenue. Located just off Thomas Circle, it was a mere three blocks from the union s current offices. The American Society for Microbiology owned the building, which seemed perfect in terms of size and location, and NATCA bought it for $8.1 million. In a sense, the controllers were coming home. AFGE owned the offices during the mid-1980s while it directed the organizing drive Feb. On the basis of a court order, the FAA notifies NATCA that it has determined VFR control tower operations are a commercial activity that can be provided by private firms. The union files a second lawsuit and the two parties agree that no more towers will be contracted out until the courts resolve the matter.

200 196 Against the Wind for AATCC. Schwitz, who handled many of the purchase decisions, says it was probably the most scary thing I ever did. The union had to wait until another buyer s purchase option expired before moving forward. Financing then became an issue. Three banks that were vying for NAT- CA s business repeatedly undercut each other s offer. With the deadline to close the deal looming, Schwitz finally called the banks representatives together in his office. Y all sit in here together and decide who wants our business, he told them. I m going to go outside and smoke a cigarette and drink a Pepsi. When I come back in, you tell me which one of you is going to do business with us because I m not going to go back and forth between you anymore. By the time Schwitz returned, a decision had been made. The union occupies the first, third, fourth, and Y all sit in here together and decide who wants our business. I m going to go outside and smoke a cigarette. When I come back in, you tell me which one of you is going to do business with us. fifth floors of its headquarters, and has leased all the remaining space. Before occupying the building in February 2000, NATCA spent two frenetic months and about $580,000 on renovations, including carpeting, dropped ceilings, telephones, and office furniture. New desks and other items for McNally and Schwitz did not arrive until the day before an Executive Vice President Randy Schwitz open house in mid-july. The two of them camped out on tables for a few months, recalls Adell Humphreys. As director of administration, she has overall responsibility for maintenance of a building constructed in the mid-1960s. It is a role, she says, that makes her feel like Bob Vila as she frets about replacing the roof and heating and ventilation system, and listens to the wind whistling through the windows. To avoid liability issues, the union formed a separate entity called NATCA Membership Investments Incorporated to act as owner of the building Mar. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for ten FAA workers who issue Notices to Airmen.

201 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 197 Schwitz, McNally, and Walter J. Boyne a retired Air Force colonel, former director of the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution, and prolific aviation author constituted NMI s first board of directors. Boyne soon resigned because of other commitments, and Krasner was appointed in his place. After McNally and Schwitz left at the end of their terms in the fall of 2000, Krasner appointed Ed Mullin and James Ferguson to the board. * The day after Krasner announced at the Pittsburgh convention that he would not seek re-election, delegates voted to dedicate to him any building the union bought. In April 2000, Anchorage convention delegates paid homage to Michael McNally by christening the first-floor conference room with his name. Both men were moved by the honor. I can t think of a prouder moment than to have a building named after you while you re still alive, Krasner says. That was pretty darn cool. The Home Front Even as NATCA grew and extended its outside influence, it grappled with several thorny internal issues throughout the 1990s. Early on, money created an intense conflict when the union wrestled over a second attempt to raise dues from 1 percent to 1.5 percent at its convention in Despite the fact that NATCA did not pay off * To ensure autonomy, Krasner, Mullin, and Ferguson adopted a resolution giving the NMI board sole authority to appoint new members. The National Executive Board retains power to confirm appointees. 29 Apr. NATCA and the FAA agree to a revised policy concerning familiarization trips. The replacement Article 23 provides for: six FAM trips per year, including one international (down from eight domestic and one international); all FAMs on duty time; no more than two trips to the same airport (the previous limit was eight); FAMs used toward annual proficiency training requirements. The new agreement takes effect May 31, 1999.

202 198 Against the Wind the MEBA loan until October 1995, it was no longer spending in the red. But its annual income of about $7 million was stretched to the limit. Arbitrations were piling up, asbestos issues loomed, negotiating the 1993 contract would cost about $1 million, and the union was outgrowing its cramped space at MEBA headquarters. NATCA publicized the need for raising dues before the convention. But nearly half of the controllers back home sent their delegates to San Antonio with firm instructions to oppose any increase. We were against it for the same reason we re against taxes. It wasn t clear enough what we were going to do with the money, says Bill Otto, facility rep at St. Louis Tower and TRACON at the time. The issue became the talk of the convention in hotel bars and elevators, at Dick s Last Resort along San Antonio s famed River Walk, everywhere. Aside from membership sentiment, there were several procedural obstacles. At the Las Vegas I can t think of a prouder moment than to have a building named after you while you re still alive. That was pretty darn cool. convention in 1990, when delegates first rejected an increase, they approved Karl Grundmann s constitutional amendment requiring a vote of the entire membership to change the dues structure. And standing convention rules stipulated that all adopted decisions took effect at the close of the convention. Both had to be changed before the delegates could even consider raising dues. President Krasner always believed in an increase to enable NATCA to grow as a union. He wanted to raise dues once and never change them again up or down. Deftly applying Robert s Rules of Order and taking care to explain each step of the process to the delegates, Krasner first tackled the issue of modifying the standing convention rules so that amendments and resolutions would take effect immediately. This required a two-thirds majority. At virtually every convention, controllers seize on an issue they believe demands a roll-call vote, known as a division of the house. In San Antonio, Former President Barry Krasner May Nearly 300 participants attend NATCA in Washington. 21 July The union signs a purchase agreement with the American Society for Microbiology to buy its office building at 1325 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., for $8.1 million.

203 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 199 changing the standing rules was it. Doors to the convention floor were locked and no one was allowed to enter or leave. One by one, delegates stepped up to a microphone and cast their ballots. The involved procedure took about an hour. Krasner, who established the rules for security and protocol during the vote, says, I ve always made it so painful they never do it a second time. Once the delegates approved the procedural change, Krasner knew the dues increase was assured. Next, by voice vote, they adopted an amendment stating that dues could be changed by a majority of delegates attending a convention rather than the membership as a whole. Finally, they raised the dues a half percent. At the convention s closing banquet, Richard Gordon announced that he d called the national office and told them he wanted a facility rep training class scheduled for each month during the next four years. The room erupted in applause. It s one of the biggest reasons we ve been able to do what we ve done over the past ten years, say Pat Forrey, a delegate who returned to Cleveland Center and wrote a detailed memo explaining why he voted against his members wishes. Some were upset by the process, but most accepted the rationale. Not all facilities were as understanding. Membership at Fort Worth Center plunged from 50 percent to 38 percent, the largest drop of any local in the country (though it has since rebounded to 80 percent). Membership elsewhere suffered, too, but the resentment soon faded. The Brotherhood Aside from the dues increase, another emotional issue divided NATCA virtually from Day One: the union s stance on rehiring the controllers who struck in At an organizing meeting in the fall of 1984, New York controllers argued strenuously in favor while those from Atlanta vehemently objected. A proposal to formally support rehiring passed by one vote. The issue came up at other organizing meetings, too. NATCA founders quickly learned to downplay the subject to most potential members, who were NATCA publicized the need for raising dues before the convention. But nearly half of the controllers back home sent their delegates to San Antonio with firm instructions to oppose any increase. 20 Sep. Jim D Agati beats Pete Healy by a vote of 126 to 93 in a runoff election for Engineers and Architects vice president. Hurricane Floyd delays the ballot tally for four days. Dec. The Early Display Configuration of STARS is installed in El Paso, Texas, for testing and evaluation. In January 2000, the prototype is also installed in Syracuse, New York.

204 200 Against the Wind PATCO rehires: Valerie and Bob Butterworth worked in the Bay Area at the time of the strike. Rehired in 1997, she is now a controller at San Diego Tower while he works at Southern California TRACON. Both are members of NATCA. / Japphire * This changed when NATCA adopted a national seniority policy in Depending upon their length of service before 1981, some rehires were more senior than their post-strike colleagues. skittish about another radical union. After NATCA was certified, John Leyden attended the Las Vegas convention to speak on the issue. His presence stirred anew unease among the new generation of controllers. While Leyden stood by and listened, delegates heatedly wrangled over whether he should be permitted to address them. Those in opposition largely respected Leyden, but they were reluctant to provide him with a forum. It measured us on how much the wounds were still open, recalls then-southwest Regional Rep Ed Mullin, who left Las Vegas feeling unsettled by the fragmentation and the degree of rancor. Leyden was finally allowed to step up to the podium after a roll-call vote. These individuals are the same as you are, he said in an impassioned speech. They wanted to change the system. In many instances, through no fault of their own, they lost their jobs. Leyden described controllers who had suffered through divorces and committed suicide. Some lost their homes and were still struggling to make a living. He explained that the FAA would not fire the new breed to rehire the strikers and that they wouldn t lose their seniority. * He urged the NATCA members to give their former brethren a chance. During a question-and-answer period, the toughest queries came from former PAT- CO members who had not struck. They spoke about the threats, acrimony, and confrontations at work that were common during the PATCO era. Leyden couldn t answer point for point, but he said the former controllers had been in a union and should not be denied the chance to come back. After an emotional debate, the delegates voted by a three-to-one margin to urge President Bush to allow the fired controllers to apply for new job openings in the FAA. Like his Republican predecessor, Bush declined. But on August 12, 1993, Democratic President Clinton signed an executive order lifting the ban on the strikers. That fall, the FAA sent a questionnaire commonly known as the 93 List to the last known addresses of the fired controllers. They were given a Feb. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 280 workers in the Budget and Finance divisions at FAA headquarters.

205 limited time to reapply and about 5,000 did so. The agency responded deliberately, but rehired some 800, most since Passing certification again was not easy for all of them, who were re-entering a young man s profession and confronting traffic that had doubled since they left more than fifteen years earlier. I ve watched PAT- CO brothers come in that door and what that did to them is worse than what the strike did, says Bob Butterworth, who walked out at Oakland Center in 1981 and now works at Southern California TRACON in San Diego. They remembered themselves as being good at their jobs, but with all the additional traffic these days and the fact that they re so much older now, it was crushing. They had to go back to their now-grown children and say they were failures. Even for those who succeeded, checking out could be a bumpy ride. Many rehires encountered the same insolent attitudes that first-time trainees These individuals are the same as you are. They wanted to change the system. In many instances, through no fault of their own, they lost their jobs. endured. They also discovered a more reserved work force shaped by different circumstances and times. We were more like family, says Jim Shearer, a striker who hired back in at Indianapolis Center and now works at Indianapolis Tower/TRACON. The clash of cultures and lack of understanding about history saddens people like Barry Krasner. We forget all those who died before us, he says. For controllers who remain opposed to rehires, he reminds them: They gave all they had. You may not have agreed with them going on strike, but you couldn t have the contract you have, the pay raise you have, or the job you have if they hadn t died so you could live. On a Monday morning in mid-september 1995, Krasner found himself in an awkward meeting with a former PATCO controller an individual who, like the rehires, had inspired heated emotions over the years. The encounter stemmed from a decision made at a National Executive Board session the Former PATCO President John Leyden Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings Feb. The union holds its second annual Legislative Conference Committee, attended by about seventy NATCA activists. Democratic Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson speaks out against privatization of the FAA.

206 202 Against the Wind Krasner found himself in an awkward meeting with a former PATCO controller a man widely regarded as instrumental in NATCA s creation John Thornton. previous week in Pittsburgh, where a protracted yet heartfelt discussion ensued concerning a man widely regarded as instrumental in NATCA s creation John Thornton. While acknowledging his contributions, several board members believed Thornton was out of his element as senior director of legislative affairs, a sentiment that had been growing over the past year. It culminated with the feeling that he wasn t doing enough to block the looming loss of Chapter 71 rights. Congress was talking about stripping away FAA workers rights to union representation and collective bargaining in a Transportation Department appropriations bill it had introduced in July and would soon vote on the measure. The board members harped about his job performance and accused him of dropping the ball. Legislatively, people weren t happy with the direction we were going in, Eastern Region Vice President Joe Fruscella says now. James Ferguson, the Northwest Mountain Region VP, agrees: We felt like it was time for a change. When I think of NATCA, I think of John. He had done excellent work, but there were some mistakes being made. Another incident that tripped up Thornton and the National Executive Board concerned NATCA s stance on a law known as the Wright Amendment. Named after former Texas Democratic Rep. James Wright, the 1979 law prohibited airlines at Love Field in Dallas from flying beyond the four states bordering Former Executive Vice President Ray Spickler Texas, an anticompetitive limitation that helped to ensure success for the new DFW Airport. Noting that Love Field and DFW are just eight miles apart, supporters justified the Wright Amendment on safety grounds. Their argument incensed Southwest Regional Rep Ed Mullin. Chicago s airports are busier. New York s are closer. L.A. s are more numerous, he says. It was strictly a marketing issue, but they framed it as a safety issue. When Congress considered repealing the Wright Amendment a decade after it was enacted, Mullin persuaded the National Executive Board to publicly support the move. However, the union Feb The union moves into its newly purchased office building at 1325 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. AFGE owned the structure during the mid-1980s, and John Thornton briefly worked in the offices while organizing AATCC.

207 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 203 quickly back-pedaled in the face of irate reactions from key congressmen. Thornton did not believe NATCA should be fighting for the issue, particularly while it was trying to build a presence on Capitol Hill. His position angered Mullin, who left the board a year before the discussion about Thornton. Even so, simmering dissatisfaction lingered. U n w i t t i n g l y, Thornton had not really ingratiated himself with Michael McNally, who had been elected executive vice president the previous year. Thornton had developed a close confidence with President Barry Krasner, a level of trust that McNally did not yet enjoy. At the meeting in Pittsburgh, Krasner tried to persuade the board not to take such drastic action, but a majority voted to remove Thornton. It was one of the few debates Krasner has ever lost and lent credence to those who contend that the union eats our young. Politics gets involved, Krasner says now. You know that if you don t have your entire board behind you, you re going to fall apart. It s not just a matter of removing John. They can remove me. They can ultimately do what they want if you don t have your executive board behind you. Krasner went home to Long Island, as he usually did on weekends, and agonized about what to do. Early Monday morning, he and McNally drove to Washington. While they were on the road, Sallie Krasner awoke in bed, crying, and wrote out a speech that she paged to both men. Please reconsider this, she said. Please don t do this. Please think about what you re doing. Krasner listened to the page when he arrived at the national office, but the outcome was inevitable. The board s decision astonished many members. When I think about NATCA, I think about John, says Ray Spickler. Michael Putzier, Central Region vice president at the time, likens the action to firing the founder. Thornton was as shocked as anyone. I thought it was obvious to them I was doing good work for the union and I was a believer in all this stuff, he says. Over time, the wounds healed and he has grown philosophical. You go through things, and if you don t get over them, you ve crippled yourself. Two months after Thornton left, NATCA hired Ken Montoya to lead the fight to regain Chapter 71 rights. MEBA retained Thornton as its deputy director of legislative affairs, but he was laid off a few months later in a cost-cutting sweep and moved on to the National Parks and Conservation Association. In 1997, he joined the FAA s Free Flight program, an initiative John Thornton: After leaving NATCA, he became involved with the FAA s Free Flight project and was named acting director of the program in late / NATCA archives 26 Apr. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 274 FAA regional office employees in the Logistics, Finance, and Computer Support divisions.

208 204 Against the Wind 19xx NATCA Charitable Foundation Shortly before Christmas 2000, Darrell Meachum and a colleague hefted a dilapidated table up a flight of stairs to a two-bedroom apartment in a low-income suburb northeast of Fort Worth, Texas. Meachum, his wife, Cathy, and their volunteer helper had driven forty miles to retrieve the item from the donor s outdoor porch. Its weather-beaten condition made them shake their heads in dismay. Grime covered the white Formica top and splotches of rust were corroding the metal trim and legs. It belonged in a dump. But the trio did their best to wipe off the dirt before setting out to deliver it to a single mother and her three young boys. They were one of several families adopted that holiday season by the NATCA Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by the Meachums. While maneuvering the table into the apartment, they noticed that the only furniture outside the bedrooms consisted of a shabby couch and a small television sitting atop a nightstand. They made three more trips to lug in a donated microwave, pots and pans, a laundry basket full of toiletries, and two armloads of holiday gifts under the ecstatic gazes of the youngsters and their mother. As soon as the table and four vinylpadded chairs were positioned in front of a window near the kitchen, the boys jumped onto their newfound seats. Beaming, they set their hands on the table as if holding forks and knives. Look, ma, a table, they exclaimed. Can we have a meal at our table? The mother was speechless. Such scenes are one of the most rewarding aspects of the NATCA Charitable Foundation. Cathy Meachum says recipients inevitably are crying because they re so happy and we re just beside ourselves. Darrell Meachum, a Fort Worth Center controller, hoped to pool the efforts of many NATCA locals that run charity fund-raisers and bring recognition to the profession when NCF was formed in August Originally incorporated in Texas, the organization expanded to Florida in 2001 and to Georgia the next year. The long-term goal is to make it a nationwide entity, but in measured steps to prevent a good idea from crumbling under its own weight due to Courtesy of Cathy and Darrell Meachum Darrell and Cathy Meachum: The couple formed their foundation in 1994 and hope to expand it nationwide. poor implementation, Meachum says. Far-flung expansion is something the skeptics never imagined possible when he envisioned the foundation. They are amazed at how far we ve come and how much we ve accomplished, Cathy Meachum says. They didn t think it was feasible to get a bunch of people to do all this work by volunteers only. The absence of paid staff members enables NCF to donate nearly 96 percent of the money it raises. A core group of about twenty volunteers runs the organization, including satellite offices in Houston, Jacksonville, Florida, and Peachtree City, Georgia. In 2001, the foundation gave $43,000 to more than two dozen Continued on page 206

209 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 205 to automate certain air traffic functions through the use of several computerized tools. Thornton was promoted to acting director of the program in late It s About Time Controllers toil in an aroundthe-clock profession. They refer to their constantly changing schedule as the rattler because it bounces them between day and night like a baby s toy. Days off, prime time annual leave, and other matters are determined by seniority. Consequently, the issue is dear to the heart of every controller. When NATCA organized during the mid-1980s, the issue of seniority cultivated interest among controllers who hoped the new union would give them a say in their work schedules. At the time, each facility established its own policy. Some based seniority on controllers length of service at the facility rather than how long they had worked for the FAA. The policy discouraged controllers from transferring to certain high-density operations, such as Chicago Center, because they would lose all the time they d accrued. As a result, those facilities were chronically understaffed and controllers frequently had to work overtime although some enjoyed the extra pay and did not want to see it diminished under a national seniority policy. Support for such a change had been steadily brewing. Although delegates at the 1994 convention defeated a proposal to abolish local policies, the prickly issue arose again two years later in Pittsburgh. Fractious debate raged throughout the first day. Numerous controllers lined up at microphones urging the union to banish a disincentive for those seeking to move up the ranks and establish a fair system for everyone. We had to stand up and make one policy for each and every controller to make it fair. It s about time we had one policy, said Barrett Byrnes, the facility rep from Poughkeepsie Tower. 9 However, an equally vocal contingent pleaded to retain control over their local policies. Seniority was a tool fac reps were able to use against management, New York TRACON facility rep Phil Barbarello said. Now, this is a tool I no longer have. 10 Another contentious issue involved specifics of the proposed national policy. Reflecting a disdain Convention credentials: Delegates wear official badges as well as a potpourri of other union trinkets. / NATCA archives Apr More than 800 delegates attend NATCA s eighth biennial convention at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage. Moves to revisit the seniority plan and dues structure are voted down. The delegates approve an honorary lifetime membership for Cathy Meachum, a longtime associate member who created the NATCA Charitable Foundation with her husband, Darrell. The foundation raises about $17,000 at the convention.

210 206 Against the Wind NATCA Charitable Foundation (continued) charities and families. NCF income has grown steadily since its inception a total of $153,575 by the end of 2001 and focuses on areas that aren t being met by other charities. One recipient has been a Dallasarea shelter for abused women, which regularly needs undergarments, towels, and art supplies for children, who often use creative outlets to deal with their emotional trauma. NCF also favors helping children who are disadvantaged, disabled and terminally ill, along with national charities such as the American Heart Association, Cystic Fibrosis Association, and Habitat for Humanity. Visiting terminally ill children and disadvantaged people surviving on the edge of poverty can be uncomfortable, Darrell Meachum says. But, he adds, You know that you ve done something for the good of the community and that you ve given something back in the name of your profession and your union. Cathy Meachum notes that persuading detail-oriented controllers to donate is sometimes a challenge. They want to know the full picture before they commit to anything, she says. But once they see it, they jump in full body. They are overwhelmingly generous. Relying on her background running auctions for the American Cancer Society, Cathy Meachum planned a similar event for NCF s first official function. Starting in 1996, the organization has also raised money through silent auctions at every NATCA convention. When Darrell was called to the podium to announce the winner of the raffle grand prize at the closing banquet that first year, then-executive Vice President Michael McNally introduced him as Mr. Cathy Meachum. At the biennial gathering in Anchorage in 2000, where the foundation raised more than $17,000, the union officially recognized her ongoing efforts with an honorary lifetime membership. It was the first time NATCA bestowed the tribute on someone wholly outside the air traffic control profession (fellow lifetime member Bob Taylor is not a controller, but has worked for the union since 1991). Cathy Meachum, who d been an associate member for seven years, is a dental hygienist. I just couldn t believe it, she says. That s an honor beyond expression. Web site: May The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA s AOS-200/260 engineers in Oklahoma City. 25 May The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA s 600 traffic management coordinators.

211 for management, one clause stated that controllers who had become temporary supervisors or worked in staff positions would lose all their seniority unless they returned to the bargaining unit within a 30-day grace period. Nevertheless, a grounds well of support from smaller facilities helped pass the resolution for a national policy by a whisker. The roll-call vote of 4,706 to 4,573 amounted to 50.7 percent approval. In a 5-4 regional split, Alaskan, Central, Great Lakes, New England and Southern favored the change, while Eastern, Northwest Mountain, Southwest and Western-Pacific were opposed. Kevin Keener, a controller at Napa Tower in California, characterizes the outcome as monumental in terms of the power of small- and mediumsized facilities. It was the first time it showed the body that when you collectively get together as a unit you have a voice, he says. The FAA filed a grievance on the grounds that the union s 1993 contract stipulated seniority would We had to stand up and make one policy for each and every controller to make it fair. It s about time we had one policy. be set at the local level. Contending that the locals were still controlling the policy under direction from the national office Krasner denied the grievance with great relish. In a rare role reversal, former Executive Vice President Joseph Bellino testified on behalf of the agency during an FLRA hearing on a separate unfair labor practice charge concerning the rights of nonmembers. Bellino believed the NATCA delegates had adopted the policy illegally by not stating they were speaking on behalf of all controllers rather than just union members. He based his argument on a case involving another union, in which a non-member was prohibited from voting on the seniority policy. William Osborne argued for NATCA that the contract authorized the union to determine seniority, its national policy was lawful, and that non-members had no right to vote. The administrative law judge ruled against NATCA, leaving the union in the difficult position of having to decide whether to capitu- Poughkeepsie Tower facility rep Barrett Byrnes Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings June The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA s 180 automation specialists (AOS 300/400).

212 208 Against the Wind Taking a stand: Beth Thomas weighs in with her views on a proposed national seniority policy at the 1996 convention in Pittsburgh. late or appeal and risk a potentially enormous back pay liability that continued to mount. But Krasner believed NATCA s actions were morally and legally right, and chose to appeal. Fortunately, the full FLRA overturned the judge s decision a year later. NATCA archives Delegates debated the fractious issue for a day and a half before narrowly adopting the policy by a vote of 50.7 percent. Bellino s actions on behalf of the agency angered many NATCA members. Aside from his brief testimony, he sat at the FAA table during the hearing. Consequently, he lost his bid for president against McNally in 1997 (and John Carr in 2000). Soon after, Bellino was removed as facility rep at Chicago TRA- CON when he refused to implement the new policy. The topic of seniority arose again at the 1998 convention in Seattle. Many controllers were still unhappy. During contract negotiations the previous spring, the FAA had pressured NATCA to soften a punitive aspect of the policy, which discouraged controllers from seeking management or staff positions because they would forfeit all previously accrued time. After a day and a half of debate, delegates modified the policy so that only time spent outside the bargaining unit was lost. The issue was brought up once more during the Anchorage convention in 2000, but delegates voted overwhelmingly against considering any modifications. June The U.S. District Court rules for the second time that the FAA has not made a valid decision on whether air traffic control is an inherently governmental function. The court leaves the existing contract tower program in place. For the second time, NATCA asks the U.S. Court of Appeals to discontinue the program.

213 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 209 Breaking the Glass Ceiling By 2000, President Michael McNally had been traveling away from home for nearly a decade as national QTP coordinator, executive vice president, and president. His two daughters on Long Island were growing up without him and his wife, Maria, was unhappy over the lengthy absences. Succumbing to her wishes, McNally decided not to run for re-election and publicly endorsed John Carr. After helping to organize controllers at Kansas City Tower/TRACON during NATCA s certification drive, Carr blazed the trail as facility rep there. He then moved on to spend ten years at Chicago TRA- CON, serving in every elected position in the local and frequently contributing to the facility s newsletter, Intentionally Left Blank, an early indication of his reliance on communication. Carr was now working at Cleveland Tower/ TRACON to be with his new wife, Jill, who was also a controller at the facility. Quick-witted and articulate, he d gained national visibility as a member of the 1998 contract team and wrote the preamble, which stated in part, The true measure of our success will not be the number of disagreements we resolve, but rather the trust, honor, and integrity with which the parties jointly administer this agreement. His campaign platform emphasized open communication, a stark difference from McNally s close-to-the-vest style, and reflected Carr s down-toearth, no-nonsense attitude. He referred to himself as Johnny the Bull, a nickname he acquired during negotiations for the collective bargaining agreement. Heading home: President Michael McNally (shown in a playful moment during the 2000 convention in Anchorage) had decided not to run for re-election when he chaired the gathering. He d been on the road for NATCA for nine years. / Frank Flavin 12 July FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, numerous other agency and union dignitaries, and rank-and-file members attend a ceremony to dedicate NATCA s new headquarters as the Krasner Building. The main conference area on the first floor is named the Michael McNally Conference Room. McNally presents Howie Barte with a plaque honoring him for his role in creating the NATCA logo.

214 210 Against the Wind John Carr: After NATCA s fourth president took office in 2000, he expanded communication with the membership and mounted an aggressive PR campaign to advance the union s perspective on flight delays and privatization. / NATCA archives Although its origin is a closely guarded contract team secret, the moniker came to typify Carr s tenaciousness and his campaign materials often included the slogan: Want no bull? Then know Bull. Members welcomed the refreshing change and elected Carr in a landslide over Joseph Bellino, who was seeking the presidency for a second time, and Atlanta Center s Lee Riley, who was mounting his third attempt. After taking office, Carr established himself as the communications president in several ways. Taking a cue from Rodney Turner, he posted detailed weekly updates on the Web to keep the membership informed about union activities. He also made it a priority to meet with the editorial boards of major newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune. As his administration progressed, the Communications Department underwent a metamorphosis. Dealings with the news media became more proactive, the Web site expanded further, and staff members produced a redesigned newsletter as well as several other special interest publications for the membership. Like McNally, Executive Vice President Randy Schwitz had spent a decade on the national board and was ready to go back to Atlanta Center. He still enjoyed widespread support, however, and says he let people talk me into a bid for re-election. He faced challenges by Will Faville Jr., the former Alaskan regional rep and safety and technology director who was making a second run for the position, and Ruth Marlin from Miami Center. Marlin joined the FAA in 1990 and became actively involved in the union s local after checking out as a controller. She attended NATCA s second annual Lobby Week in Washington, saw the power of political activism, and persuaded the Miami Center local to establish its own legislative representative, a position Marlin initially occupied. When Congress threatened to abolish the 5 percent differential for controllers, she worked with Miami Tower controller Andy Cantwell and Barry Wilson from Fort Lauderdale Executive Tower to form a group of seven facilities called the South Florida Legislative Committee to mount a coordinated lobbying effort. The ongoing success of this group became a model for similar organizational structures July The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA s Aviation Systems Standards specialists and seventy-five AOS-510 engineers in Oklahoma City. 23 Aug. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA s 30 occupational health specialists, occupational health nurses, and medical program assistants.

215 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 211 NATCA Racing The red-and-blue NATCA logo, a visual symbol of the union s identity since before certification in 1987, has appeared on shirts and jackets, pins and belt buckles, coffee mugs and key rings. It has graced the walls of air traffic control facilities and homes, and can be seen on many members cars and trucks. On Memorial Day weekend 1998, the logo debuted in a new venue: the Indianapolis 500. Its appearance represented the union s sponsorship of a car driven by Sam Schmidt, a recent contender on the circuit who placed sixth at Indy and won the Las Vegas 500K in Schmidt had been racing since he was 5. He owned a car, but needed sponsors when he met Taylor Koonce, a racing fan and controller at Indianapolis Tower/ TRACON. Showing the union s colors at major spectator sports events appealed to Koonce, as well as others in the local and across the field at Indianapolis Center. They also saw it as a natural pairing given that controllers frequently work in temporary towers at races to handle the influx of drivers, pit crews, and spectators. The two Indianapolis locals soon began selling stylish polo shirts with checkered trim, Sam Schmidt s autograph and car number 99 and a NATCA Racing logo to help underwrite the cost of sponsorship. It s a win-win situation, says Koonce, who spent ten years as a Navy controller before joining the FAA in The more we go to the track, the more people recognize the shirts. They get to know controllers. NATCA s involvement took on new meaning in January 2000 after the 35-year-old Schmidt suffered critical injuries in an accident at the Walt Disney World Speedway in Bay Lake, Florida. Supported by a respirator for months, he was diagnosed as a quadriplegic. For the Schmidt family, history had repeated itself. Sam s father, Marvin, remains partially paralyzed from a racing accident that occurred when his son was 10. When the family established the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, NAT- CA Racing proceeds from an expanded line of clothing sales were redirected toward spinal cord research. A year later, the foundation turned over $50,000 in donations from the union and other sources to the Washington University Japphire Clothing for a cause: A portion of proceeds from shirt sales helps underwrite spinal cord research. School of Medicine in St. Louis. Schmidt, who hopes to benefit from that research someday, has not been content to limit himself to daily physical therapy. In 2001, he formed a team and returned to racing. Sam is not a quitter, Koonce says. He continues to strive for excellence, and that s very representative of NATCA. In 2002, the union began sponsoring NASCAR Winston Cup star Bobby Labonte, who won the Virginia 500 in April.

216 John Carr ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: Pr e v i o u s: NO CLE C90 MCI National Office Tower/TRACON TRACON Tower/TRACON Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements 1998 contract team; all elected positions at Chicago TRACON; first local president at Kansas City Tower/TRACON; facility rep training instructor. Hir e d Jan President 2000 Pre s e n t NATCA archives Nickname / Operating Initials: Johnny the Bull / CY Ho m e t o w n : Washington, D.C. Spouse / Children: Jill / Rachael Diana Other Trivia: Fluent in Spanish; visited more than 50 nations and 45 states In t e r e s t s: Travel, football, sailing, swimming When John Carr moved to Washington after his election as NATCA s fourth president in 2000, it was a homecoming, of sorts. Carr grew up in the D.C. area, where he delivered The Washington Post and observed the workings of the Beltway through his father, a career civil servant who eschewed unions and regarded his son s eventual interest as a hobby. An understatement, indeed. Carr s passionate devotion stems from an overriding concern for others, a sense of fairness and empathy he once equated a woman s tears at work with men who kick walls in frustration tempered with intolerance for reckless authority. Carr spent four years as a Navy controller in Corpus Christi, Texas, and aboard the USS Eisenhower, including a 152-day deployment at sea without a port call a record that stood for twenty-two years. He turned down a job offer from the FAA a few days after the strike, but reconsidered when his brother counseled him on his career options. Five months later, he joined the agency and soon certified as a journeyman at Kansas City Tower/TRACON. NATCA s petition drive reached America s heartland in 1986, whereupon Carr organized his facility and became the local s first president. Two years later, O Hare s renowned traffic drew him to Chicago TRACON. The joy of serving in a variety of positions, including facility rep, wedded him to the union. It also contributed to a divorce. Unlike NATCA s previous presidents, Carr s election to the top office was not predicated on National Executive Board experience. Instead, he made the leap using his articulate flair, involvement with the 1998 contract team, and the consent of his new wife, Jill, a controller at Cleveland Hopkins Airport. After the couple married in July 1998, Carr transferred to Cleveland, where the newlyweds intended to settle down and start a family. But union activists had another agenda and nominated Carr for president. Determined not to repeat personal history, John ceded 51 percent of the decision to run to Jill. His wife reminded him that she was a NATCA member, too, and believed he was the best candidate. Taking the reins of a maturing union, Carr has proven adept at framing public debate on key issues such as flight delays and privatization while strengthening communication with the membership. I ve become a huge success in every corner of my life by giving Jill that 51 percent, he says. Part of that good fortune recently paid a dividend. On March 14, 2002, the couple celebrated the birth of a blue-eyed, red-haired beauty named Rachael Diana.

217 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 213 in other metropolitan areas. Marlin later served as chairwoman of the Southern Region Legislative Committee for several months before moving on to lead the National Legislative Committee. In the wake of the Chapter 71 battle, which she regarded as a coming of age in NATCA s education about legislative activism, Marlin set about changing the nature of Lobby Week. Scheduled in advance, the annual event might not coincide with a timely issue, and this could diminish its effectiveness. Marlin hoped to promote training and long-term relationships with Congress that would enable us to work issues in the district year round rather than have our grass-roots legislative success hinge on a few days in D.C., she says. Krasner and McNally agreed, and the union held its first no-issue NATCA in Washington in With other goals in mind and hoping to avoid being typecast, Marlin decided against running for a second term as National Legislative Committee chairwoman. A year later, she worked on terminal and en route issues as a full-time NATCA liaison in Air Traffic Requirements at FAA headquarters before returning to the boards at Miami Center in the spring of During this time, she decided to campaign for executive vice president at the urging of Jim Poole, the Great Lakes Region vice president. Like Carr and many other members, Marlin was frustrated by the recent lack of communication from headquarters and believed that a top-down attitude had started to disenfranchise the rank and file. When the ballots were counted, Faville placed a distant third. Marlin surpassed Schwitz, but neither carried a majority. Voters faced a distinct choice. Schwitz had a strong labor-relations background, ran the national office in McNally s absence, and represented continuity at headquarters. Marlin was part of the younger generation of controllers hired in the past decade, someone who embraced open communication, and sought to achieve the union s goals by influencing Congress and the news media. During a runoff election, Marlin did not campaign and continued to focus on re-certifying at the center to help stay in touch with life in the field, a decision she now calls foolishness. Indeed, her original 458-vote lead dwindled to just sixteen votes in the runoff. Ballots were tabulated in the firstfloor conference room at headquarters using dollarbill counters and workers conducted several tallies to verify the results. Ruth Marlin: After attending the union s Lobby Week in 1994, she became a strong advocate of maintaining close ties with lawmakers in Congress. / NATCA archives Aug. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 263 FAA workers in the Airports Division and airport district offices. 8 Sep. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 13 FAA workers in the Airworthiness Programs Branch.

218 214 Against the Wind When Marlin took her place on the National Executive Board (and began posting weekly updates on the Web, too), she joined Carol Branaman, the newly elected Northwest Mountain Region vice president. It was the first time in NATCA s history that women served on the board. While Branaman is happy to see that representation in the union s leadership, she says it was not the reason she campaigned for the position. There s a point at which an organization has to decide that it s a union principally, to make it a union rather than a loosely knit group of regions, all of which were going their own way. Branaman had been a union member most of her adult life. The FAA hired her at Daytona Beach Tower/TRACON in 1975 and she later became a PATCO facility rep. As one of the first women in the tower, she encountered unique, and often petty, issues. There s a point at which an organization has to decide that it s a union principally, to make it a union rather than a loosely knit group of regions, all of which were going their own way. The manager s daughter accompanied Branaman to lunch on her first day at work because, the young woman explained, her father didn t know what to do with his new female employee. When Branaman issued clearances to pilots, she often endured long silences before hearing the incredulous response, Is that a girl talking? Branaman transferred to Denver Centennial Tower in May 1981 after resolving not to strike, a decision prompted by her perception that the impending walkout was more about the leadership than the membership. Though not involved in organizing NATCA, she joined the union after it was certified and ultimately became the facility rep. She also served on several projects, including FAA reform and the 1998 contract team, before running for the National Executive Board in Her campaign manager, Denver Center facility rep Chris Monaldi, remembers the night Branaman Northwest Mountain Region VP Carol Branaman Sep. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 532 FAA workers in the Aircraft Certification Service. 17 Sep. About 260 participants attend NATCA in Washington. Membership financial contributions during the week push the union s PAC over the $1 million mark for the first time.

219 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings The Fifth National Executive Board Four new faces joined the board in 2000: Alaskan: Incumbent Ricky Thompson from Anchorage Center easily defeated Doug Holland to win his second term. Holland worked at Chicago TRACON and his candidacy involved an interesting quirk in the union s constitution. Candidates are permitted to run for vice president in regions other than where they work; however, controllers can vote only in their own region. Central: John Tune from Kansas City Center beat incumbent Bill Otto from St. Louis TRACON. Eastern: Incumbent Joe Fruscella from New York TRACON ran unopposed for his third term. Great Lakes: In his second campaign for the position, Alternate Regional Vice President Pat Forrey from Cleveland NATCA archives The current leadership: NATCA s fifth National Executive Board includes, from left: John Tune; Central; Jim D Agati; Engineers & Architects; President John Carr; Rodney Turner, Southern; Carol Branaman; Northwest Mountain; Mark Pallone, Southwest; Pat Forrey, Great Lakes; Mike Blake, New England; Kevin McGrath, Western-Pacific; Ricky Thompson, Alaskan; Executive Vice President Ruth Marlin; and Joe Fruscella, Eastern. Center edged out Kevin Christy from Chicago Center. New England: Incumbent Mike Blake from Boston Center ran unopposed for his second term. Northwest Mountain: Carol Branaman from Denver Centennial Tower defeated Mike Motta from Seattle TRA- CON. Southern: Incumbent Rodney Turner from Nashville Metro Tower/ TRACON won a second term by beating 1998 contract team member Andy Cantwell from Miami Tower. Southwest: Eric Owens from Houston TRACON outpolled incumbent Mark Pallone from Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON, but neither earned a majority. Dennis McGee from DFW Tower also ran and collected 19.5 percent of the vote. In a runoff, Pallone retained his seat for a second term. Western-Pacific: Kevin McGrath from Southern California TRACON defeated incumbent Gus Guerra from Oakland Center, making this the only region to select a new vice president in each of NATCA s five national elections.

220 216 Against the Wind 2000 Election Results President John Carr Great Lakes Cleveland TRACON 4, Joseph M. Bellino Great Lakes Chicago TRACON 1, F. Lee Riley Southern Atlanta Center 1, Executive Vice President Votes Percent Ruth Marlin Southern Miami Center 3, , Randy Schwitz / incumbent Southern Atlanta Center 2, , Will Faville Jr. Great Lakes Muskegon Twr./TRACON Runoff Votes Runoff Percent Regional Vice Presidents Alaskan Ricky Thompson / incumb. Anchorage Center Doug Holland Chicago Center Central John Tune Kansas City Center Bill Otto / incumbent St. Louis TRACON Eastern Joe Fruscella / incumbent New York TRACON Great Lakes Pat Forrey Cleveland Center Kevin Christy Chicago Center New England Mike Blake / incumbent Boston Center Northwest Mountain Carol Branaman Denver Centennial Tower Mike Motta Seattle TRACON xx

221 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 217 Votes Percent Southern Rodney Turner / incumbent Nashville Metro Twr./TRA Andy Cantwell Miami Tower Southwest Mark Pallone / incumbent DFW TRACON Eric Owens Houston TRACON Dennis McGee DFW Tower Western-Pacific Kevin McGrath Southern Calif. TRACON Gus Guerra / incumbent Oakland Center Tony Yushinsky Tucson TRACON Howie Rifas John Wayne Tower Runoff Votes Runoff Percent Engineers and Architects (special election in 1999) Jim D Agati Great Lakes Pete Healy Southwest James Ajax Kidd Washington Center Engineers and Architects (regular election in 2000) Jim D Agati / incumbent Great Lakes

222 Ruth Marlin ATC Facilities Cu r r e n t: NO Pr e v i o u s: ZMA National Office Center Previous NATCA Positions / Achievements Chairwoman of Nat l. Leg. Comm., Southern Reg. Leg. Comm.; South Florida leg. rep; liaison to FAA; earned B.A. and M.A. at George Meany campus. Hir e d Dec Executive Vice President 2000 Pre s e n t Peter Cutts Operating Initials: SL Hom e t o w n : Joppatowne, Maryland Spouse / Children: Scott / Sean Other Trivia: Hiked across the Grand Canyon In t e r e s t s: Skiing, art, entertaining Ruth Marlin stumbled into the profession of air traffic control, but she quickly developed a passion for NATCA and a vision for increasing the union s influence. While selling ads for the Yellow Pages in Deerfield Beach, Florida, she heard a radio commercial about the FAA s entrance exam for controllers and took the test one Saturday morning because I had nothing better to do. By the time the agency hired her eleven months later, she d worked at a chiropractor s office and maintained the computer network at a venture capital firm. Although not thrilled about the prospect of living in Oklahoma City during training, I had a really good time at the academy, Marlin says, and she soon discovered the exciting challenge of her new career. After checking out at Miami Center, she began lobbying to get involved in the union local and was appointed treasurer (later elected to two terms). Then-facility rep Tim Leonard encouraged Marlin s activism and she was assigned to attend Lobby Week. Those four days in Washington in 1994 changed her life in NATCA. It was great. It was three hundred people, she says. It was that big NATCA love. Rubbing shoulders with so many activists who shared similar interests energized her. Among the participants was Trish Gilbert, a former Houston Center facility rep whom Marlin regarded as an idol because she had clearly earned the respect of her peers with her effortless leadership style. Marlin returned to Miami with a heightened sense of political awareness, became the center s first legislative rep, and helped create the South Florida Legislative Committee to lobby for preserving the 5 percent operational differential paid to controllers. Like other legislative activists, Marlin viewed Congress as a needed ally as much, if not more, than the FAA. To help increase membership awareness in this regard, she spearheaded a philosophical shift in Lobby Week, a $200,000 annual event, to a more educational orientation rather than focusing on a single issue. It s an open door, Marlin says. Fac rep training is for fac reps. Conventions are for delegates. But Lobby Week is for anyone who wants to show up and learn. The evolution of the renamed NATCA in Washington occurred while Marlin served as chairwoman of the National Legislative Committee, experience that paved the way to her election as executive vice president in Her work in the legislative arena has attracted accolades from many members. One of her most cherished compliments came several years ago from Trish Gilbert, who told Marlin she was her idol.

223 Chapter 6: Spreading its Wings 219 expressed interest in running. It clicked for me right away, he says. I felt that the union needed to promote women and minorities better. This was just a middleaged white guy s organization. We needed a different perspective at the table. Called a visionary by some of her colleagues, Branaman authored a paper proposing the adoption of professional standards. It s a theory by which peer assessment is much more effective than the top-down hierarchy that we ve got going, she says. You have to function in teams, teams who care about one another and who are responsible for one another. While some see the value of the proposal, Branaman thinks it was introduced before its time: It takes the union into a gray area. It s uncomfortable for people. But it s where we re going, where we have to go. Former Southwest Regional Rep Ed Mullin, an early proponent of professional standards, agrees. We ve never been good at the inward look. It s easier to blame the agency, he says. If we re professional about it, we need to deal with it. It s arrogant and stupid to ignore it. 1. Sharn, Lori Air controllers face long-standing problem. USA Today. 13 April, final edition TCAS installation should cease indefinitely until the system s flaws are ironed out. NATCA Newsletter. October Unnecessary altitude deviations due to TCAS are increasing, wreaking havoc on the air traffic control environment. NATCA Newsletter. February. 4. Weintraub, Richard FAA grounds two key parts of big computer project. The Washington Post. 4 June, final edition NARI receives more than $1 million in grants. The Air Traffic Controller. September. 6. Miller, John M., and Saffle Jr., Charles F The JOVIAL/MIL-STD-1750A Integrated Tool Set IFATCA 89. NATCA Newsletter. June. 8. Shorrock, Tim Ex-MEBA president gets five-year sentence. Journal of Commerce. 30 January convention propels NATCA into the future. Radar Contact. October. 10. Ibid. Carol Branaman: Women served on the union s National Executive Board for the first time in Branaman, a controller since 1975, was elected Northwest Mountain Region vice president. / NATCA archives Oct. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for FAA employees in the Logistics, Finance, and Computer Support divisions in the Alaskan Region.

224 Safety and corporate America do not go arm in arm. Former President Michael McNally ATC One: Archie League, the nation s first air traffic controller, pioneered his profession in St. Louis about the time of the stock market crash of / National Archives

225 Chapter 7 The Skies Ahead When controller Archie League arrived for his day shift at Lambert Field in St. Louis, he did not don a headset. Radio communication with pilots was another year off in The tools of the trade for League, generally considered to be the first air traffic controller in the United States, consisted of checkered and red flags, a beach chair, notepad, water, and his lunch. Every morning, the former barnstormer and mechanic piled his equipment in a wheelbarrow that he d rigged with an umbrella to protect him from the sun. Then he trekked across the 170-acre dirt airfield, positioned himself at the approach end of the runway, and waved his flags to issue holding or landing clearances for inbound pilots. League was employed by the city of St. Louis. Other large airports followed suit and began hiring controllers, too. However, pilots had a hard time seeing them from above and it was nearly impossible for the controllers to simultaneously direct more than one arriving plane. Within several years, flourishing traffic forced dramatic changes. Twin-engine Boeing 247D and Douglas DC-2 airliners swarmed above Chicago, Cleveland, and Newark. One airport official said as many as fifteen planes often circled overhead, all of them blind flying and trying to keep at a different altitude, and some of them low on gas. 1 Near misses occurred regularly. Local officials worried about planes crashing into neighborhoods and enacted flying restrictions around major airports. In response, Congress formed the Bureau of Air Commerce in 1934 to create and operate an air traffic control system. But the Great Depression still gripped the nation and the new agency could National Archives Newark control: Earl Ward, left, and R.A. Eccles track aircraft at the nation s first Airway Traffic Control Unit in Ward helped to develop the concept of ATC.

226 222 Against the Wind National Archives Privatized ATC: Four airlines operated this first Airway Traffic Control Unit at Newark Airport plus others in Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Oakland for seven months before the Bureau of Air Commerce took over in July not afford to carry out its mission. Accordingly, the Commerce Department asked the airlines to run the system until it could take over. American, Eastern, TWA, and United opened the first Airway Traffic Control Unit at Newark Airport on December 1, Soon after, the four airlines launched facilities in Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Oakland, California. Dressed in white shirts and ties, controllers received position reports from airline dispatchers and pushed brass shrimp boats tagged with information about each flight across aeronautical charts to monitor their progress. They issued clearances by telephone to the dispatchers, who relayed them to pilots via primitive radios. By mid-1936, the Commerce Department was flush enough to acquire the operations and staff them with federally certified controllers. Many of the airline employees joined the Bureau of Air Commerce so they could continue working at the renamed Airway Traffic Control Stations. Except for some very small, municipally owned towers run by private firms, air traffic control remained within the province of the federal government for nearly half a century. In the wake of the 1981 strike, a hamstrung FAA turned to the private sector once more. Scrambling to keep the system running with just one-quarter of its controller work force, the agency closed eighty small facilities known as Level I VFR towers. Two-thirds of the towers were reopened by the fall of 1984, including nine operated by private companies under contract with the FAA. The towers ranged from North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina to Laredo, Texas, to Pendleton, Oregon. Oct The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 22 controllers in the Hawaii Air Guard and Defense Department on the islands. This is the eleventh and last new bargaining unit organized by the union during the calendar year. NATCA now represents 15,000 controllers, 80 percent of whom are union members, and nearly 4,000 other FAA employees, whose membership percentage varies.

227 Chapter 7: The Skies Ahead 223 The contract program expanded to thirty facilities by late 1993, when the FAA announced that it intended to privatize the remaining 101 Level I towers over the next four years. Concerned about the fate of some 1,150 controllers, who could be transferred at the agency s whim or simply let go, NATCA sued. The union charged that the FAA failed to comply with rules requiring government agencies to determine whether FYI Archie League, the nation s first air traffic controller, ultimately graduated to using a radio to guide aircraft. He also went on to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis and flew as a pilot during World War II. In 1937, League joined the Bureau of Air Commerce, which evolved into the Civil Aeronautics Authority and today s FAA. During his 36-year career, he served as assistant administrator of the Central Region, director of the Southwest Region, and director of Air Traffic Services at FAA headquarters before retiring in League died on October 1, He was 79. services they provide are inherently governmental or a commercial activity before awarding a contract. The law permitted private firms to handle commercial services only. At the same time, National Executive Board member James Ferguson, whose Northwest Mountain Region stood to lose the most towers, volunteered to work with the agency on arranging transfers for the affected controllers. Then-President Barry Krasner hedged his bet and readily agreed. He believed contracting out was wholly within the purview of the FAA and doubted that NATCA would win its case in court. * While the agency initially contended it knew best where people were needed, Ferguson successfully argued that giving employees a say on where they moved would improve their morale and job performance. Out of these talks came the Direct Placement Program, which essentially guaranteed Level I controllers the right to transfer to the higher-density facility of their choice. Krasner viewed the program with mixed emotions. Although the Level I controllers would be taken care of, he recognized that the union was establishing a precedent on contract towers. He also knew that some Level II and III controllers who d been trying to move up the ranks might be frustrated when their colleagues leapfrogged over them to larger facilities. Given his pessimism concerning the ongoing legal battle, however, he reluctantly signed an James Ferguson: When the FAA contracted with private firms to operate 101 small towers during the mid-1990s, NATCA s Northwest Mountain Region vice president worked with the agency to ensure that affected controllers could transfer to the facility of their choice. / NATCA archives * In the eight years since NATCA filed its original lawsuit as well as a second suit in 1999 the case has remained unresolved after a series of partial union victories and appeals. In February 2002, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Cleveland directed the FAA, once again, to complete a final attempt to bring its privatization program into compliance with federal law. 7 Dec. President Clinton signs an executive order mandating the FAA to reorganize its air traffic control operations into a performance-based Air Traffic Organization. He defines such services as inherently governmental. Clinton names five members to a board of directors that will serve as an oversight committee and directs that a chief operating officer be hired.

228 224 Against the Wind FYI Until 1998, the FAA ranked its towers and TRA- CONs on a five-tier scale according to traffic volume. Level V was reserved for the busiest facilities. En route centers were ranked on a different three-level scale, and controllers at the busiest facilities were paid the same as those at Level V towers and TRACONs. Level I VFR (Visual Flight Rules) towers were not equipped with radar and handled general aviation traffic in good weather only. Under the reclassification plan adopted by the FAA in 1998, all facilities are now ranked from ATC-4 to ATC-12 based on traffic volume and operational complexity. Two higher grades ATC-13 and -14 were built into the scale to accommodate future growth. agreement with the FAA to implement the Direct Placement Program. It was a victory for the people. It was a loss for the union, says Krasner, who regards the issue as the one key failure of his presidency. A twelve-member Level I Contracting Committee, composed equally of FAA managers and union representatives, was formed to carry out the program. The agency gave NATCA some latitude by allowing it to recommend which facilities would be transferred to private operators each year. Although the program was hailed as a success for the controllers involved, the overall toll on the union is represented by what its members call the Wall of Shame. Covering one side of the main conference room on the fifth floor of NATCA headquarters are the local charters of 101 towers that were once unionized but have since been contracted out. Another thirty-four privately run towers have been Japphire Wall of Shame: Union charters from towers that have been contracted out to private firms hang in a conference room at NATCA headquarters. The union has reorganized thirty-four contract towers. reorganized by NATCA. Unless it s absolutely necessary, Krasner won t enter the room. I just can t look at it, he says. It eats me alive. One of Krasner s fears about the Direct Placement Program reared its head not long after the remaining towers went private, posing a significant challenge to NATCA s future. In 1998, Congress directed the FAA to study the feasibility of expanding Jan. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA s 50 regional and center counsel. 20 Jan. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater leaves office after serving since February 14, 1997.

229 Chapter 7: The Skies Ahead 225 its contract program to all non-radar towers, which would include Level II and III facilities (now rated ATC-8 and lower). Murmurs also buzzed through Congress and the airline industry about spinning off transoceanic flight operations from the FAA, a potentially lucrative segment of the air traffic system. Meanwhile, a staunch public policy advocate named Robert Poole proposed turning all air traffic operations over to a private entity funded entirely by user fees. Poole, founder of a think tank called the Reason Foundation, had advocated the privatization of many government services for more than two decades. He based his model for air traffic control on Nav Canada and similar ATC systems in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. His views attracted attention at the end of the millennium as burgeoning air traffic led to unprecedented flight delays and Congress grew increasingly frustrated with the FAA s laggardly pace of modernization. Under the current U.S. system, larger airports assess airlines and general aviation pilots landing fees to help pay for operational costs and facility improvements. Money from an airline passenger ticket tax and a fuel tax assessed on GA pilots goes into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, which Congress appropriates to the FAA for other capital expenses. However, one-third of the agency s operating budget ($6.9 billion in fiscal year 2002) comes from general tax revenue. Poole and other proponents argued that a selffunded system would alleviate the congres sional budget battles that had plagued civil aviation ever since the Bureau of Air Commerce was formed nearly seventy years ago. They also contended it would expedite modernizing air traffic control facilities and reduce delays, which by the summer of 2001 reached an all-time high of one of every four commercial flights. Over the years, NATCA had endorsed two proposals to create a quasi-governmental body to operate air traffic control on the premise that such an agency could free the union from the constraints of the civil service pay system and potentially hasten The finances of flying: Privatized ATC systems charge user fees. In the United States, landing fees, fuel and ticket taxes, and general tax revenues pay for operating and capital expenses. / Brian Fallon 25 Jan. Norman Y. Mineta takes over as transportation secretary. Mineta served as a Democratic congressman from California for two decades and as Commerce Department secretary under President Clinton. In 1997, Mineta chaired the National Civil Aviation Review Commission, which recommended restructuring the FAA into a government-run, performancebased organization.

230 226 Against the Wind The bottom line: NATCA argues that the drive for profits in a privatized ATC system competes against safety in terms of adequate staffing and training. * Despite fifty-seven co-sponsors, Ford s bill never came up for a vote in the Senate. ** The Transportation Trades Department is an umbrella organization composed of thirtyfour AFL-CIO unions representing aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, and longshore workers. badly needed equipment upgrades. The union supported Sen. Wendell Ford s bill for an independent FAA in 1988 and worked with the Clinton administration to create its USATS plan in the mid-1990s. * However, NATCA opposed privatization and further contracting out. It also kept a watchful eye on other proposals. When the Clinton administration drafted an executive order in late 2000 to create a performance-based organization, the union s top two officers and the Transportation Trades Department s executive director attended a White House meeting to help ensure that the mandate described air traffic control as an inherently governmental function. ** Saving jobs was not NATCA s sole concern. Many members worried about the inevitable tradeoff between safety and the bottom line. Bill Blackie Blackmer, a former director of safety and technology for the union, says ever-increasing traffic puts pressure on controllers, whose adherence to safety margins can result in delays. What scares our people most is the pressure we d feel in the private world. One measure of that influence and the effect of mounting traffic is the number of near misses on the ground, referred to as runway incursions. A record 431 incidents were reported in the United States during 2000 or more than one a day. The National Transportation Safety Board considered the problem so acute that it listed prevention of runway incursions as one of its most-wanted safety improvements. While many incidents are relatively minor, the potential for disaster is always present. Aviation s worst accident in history occurred when two Boeing 747s collided on a fog-shrouded runway on Tenerife in the Canary Islands in 1977, killing 582 people. NATCA feared, with some justification, that a privatized system would create an acute staffing shortage and compromise safety. Its neighbor to the north provides an example of a privatized model. Nav Canada, a nonprofit corporation, paid the Canadian government C$1.5 billion to take over air traffic control operations in Airlines and other users pay Nav Canada fees for its services. The firm estimated that airlines saved more than C$225 million in fiscal year 2000 compared with their previous costs under Canada s air transportation tax. 2 Although Nav Canada has spent C$500 million on modernization, the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association maintains that some of the savings should have been allocated for further improvements. Other savings have come from Nav Canada s Jan. NATCA signs two collective bargaining agreements with the FAA representing engineers/architects and traffic management specialists. 28 Feb. A 6.1-magnitude temblor severely damages the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport control tower. Ignoring orders to evacuate, Brian Schimpf clears twelve remaining arrivals to land.

231 practice of closely matching traffic patterns with variable work shifts lasting six to eleven hours from one day to the next to minimize staffing. However, many of its 2,000 controllers complain about chronic fatigue. Former CATCA President Fazal Bhimji has said that it s not uncommon for many Canadian controllers to work nine consecutive days with one off. The extreme variation in shift lengths and start times, as the employer tries to match its anticipated traffic with staffing, is creating havoc on our controllers sleep patterns and their personal lives. Bhimji s successor, President Rob Thurger, points out that understaffing is systemic: Scheduling practices show that Nav Canada staffs for the ninetieth percentile of demand. So, at any given time, the system demand could be at least ten percent over capacity. 3 Boston Center controllers experienced that equation firsthand during the summer of 2000 when The extreme variation in shift lengths and start times is creating havoc on our controllers sleep patterns and their personal lives. they asked Nav Canada for permission to route some regional jets north of the New York border to avoid thunderstorms. The Canadians denied the request, citing insufficient flights to warrant paying another controller to work overtime. Those already on duty could not handle the overflow and, consequently, the flights were delayed. Bad weather typically accounts for about 70 percent of traffic holdups. Much of the rest have been caused by saturated capacity at major airports, where runways cannot physically accommodate the number of planes scheduled to arrive and depart within a given hour. In the face of mounting delays during the late 1990s, Congress and the Air Transport Association became increasingly critical of the FAA and its beleaguered air traffic control system. NATCA President John Carr s pronouncement that delays are on the ground not in the air became a rallying cry for the union in 2001 and formed Former CATCA President Fazal Bhimji Chapter 7: The Skies Ahead 227 Apr. May 7 Atlanta TRACON begins operations in a new consolidated facility in Peachtree City, Georgia. Macon and Columbus TRA- CONs are scheduled to move into the building within a year. 14 About 285 participants attend NATCA in Washington.

232 228 Against the Wind A concrete solution: NATCA President John Carr, center, and Capt. Andy Deane, an Air Line Pilots Association member, appeared in a television commercial in 2001 to convey the message that lack of runway capacity causes flight delays. / NATCA archives part of a public relations campaign that shifted the focus away from the FAA. For anyone under the mistaken impression that you can add limitless demand to a finite system, I ve got a news flash for you you can t, Carr contended. Fifty miles of concrete poured at the twentyfive busiest airports would do more for this country s aviation needs than privatization ever will. Working with Hill & Knowlton, a worldwide PR firm, NATCA also produced commercials for CNN s Airport Network and ran print ads in AOPA Pilot, Roll Call, and elsewhere to educate the public about privatization and other air traffic control issues. The union also created toy Beanie planes named Roger and Journey to distribute to members of Congress during NATCA in Washington. As the union s PR campaign gathered steam, the ATA, a trade group representing twenty-two domestic airlines and five international carriers, toned down its attacks on the FAA and supported NATCA. ATA President Carol Hallett also distanced the association from Poole s privatization proposal and acknowledged the need for infrastructure improvements. We must now set real, achievable priority targets to rapidly address system inadequacies, she said. What we do not need is another protracted debate among academics and theoreticians about the merits of a privately run air traffic control system. 4 Cataclysm on September 11 Rumblings over privatization and traffic delays vanished at least temporarily in the thick, ominous smoke that billowed from four plane crashes on September 11, May The FAA selects Lockheed Martin Corporation to upgrade the agency s Anchorage, New York, and Oakland oceanic control centers. Lockheed s system, which is used by privately run Airways New Zealand, will eliminate the need for controllers to use paper strips and track oceanic flights with grease pencils on Plexiglas charts. Such rudimentary tools have been in use since the 1930s.

233 Chapter 7: The Skies Ahead 229 The day dawned under brilliant blue skies along the East Coast. By mid-morning, the sun shone over a nation in shock from ghastly terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic extremists associated with Saudi Arabian exile Osama bin Laden. Some 3,000 victims from eighty nations died in the catastrophe, including Susan Mackay, the wife of a Boston Center controller. After American Airlines flight 11, a Boeing 767 destined for Los Angeles, slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York at 8:46 a.m., a few broadcast news reporters speculated about a grievous air traffic control error. Sixteen minutes later, a United Airlines 767 barreled into the south tower, making it painfully clear the crashes were no accident. Controllers had already alerted the military that hijackers commandeered the two aircraft. They d also passed along a chilling message from one of the terrorists aboard American flight 11 who said, We have some planes. 5 The hijacker thought he was speaking to passengers on the airliner s public address system. Instead, his words were transmitted over the radio frequency, providing controllers with confirmation that something was terribly wrong. But the horrific sequence of events unfolded too quickly to prevent disaster. One after the other, the planes raced south over the Hudson Valley and reached their target before two F-15 fighter jets from Otis Air National Guard Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, were able to intercept them. The twin 110-story towers, consumed by an inferno raging at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, collapsed in the next ninety minutes. Not long before the second tower was struck, Indianapolis Center controllers lost radio contact with another American jet. The radar target for Los Angeles-bound flight 77 disappeared, too. At 9:24 a.m. Danielle O Brien in the Dulles TRACON noticed an unidentified blip on her scope moving rapidly from the southwest toward prohibited airspace over the White House and Capitol known as P-56. Flight 77 had resurfaced. In spite of urgent warnings from Dulles, the Boeing 757 crashed into the Pentagon before fighter jets from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, could arrive to stop it. Half an hour later, passengers overwhelmed the hijackers aboard a United Airlines 757 en route from Newark to San Francisco. During the ensuing Jane Garvey: The FAA administrator credited the fast actions of controllers with preventing more loss of life after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001: It was public service at its best. / FAA 6 June The FAA and The Boeing Company s Air Traffic Management unit each unveil long-range plans for improving the ATC system. The FAA s plan, estimated to cost $11.5 billion, consists of several projects already in development. Boeing s blueprint relies heavily on satellites to provide navigation and communication services. Boeing s John Hayhurst stresses that his company s plan would minimize the need for ground-based facilities.

234 230 Against the Wind Dick Swauger: NATCA s national technology coordinator previously assisted the union with its comprehensive facility and pay reclassification project. / NATCA archives * The National Airspace System was shut down to commercial and general aviation traffic for the first time on September 10, 1960, when the Defense Department conducted a sixhour air drill known as Operation Sky-Shield. struggle, the plane nose-dived into a field about three miles from the tiny burg of Shanksville in western Pennsylvania. Shortly after the two planes hit the World Trade Center, the FAA Command Center banned all takeoffs nationwide. As more information poured in, it became obvious that the best move was to land the remaining 4,500 aircraft as soon as possible. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta issued the order at 9:45 a.m., shutting down the National Airspace System for only the second time in history under a modified implementation of a plan known as the Security Control of Air Traffic and Navigation Aids or SCATANA which was developed in the 1960s to clear the skies in the event of a nuclear attack. 6 Controllers guided 700 planes back to the ground in the first four minutes and the remainder in another two hours. * FAA Administrator Garvey credits the extraordinary actions of controllers with preventing further loss of life. The prevailing view and one that I share is that greater tragedies might have occurred but for their fine actions, she says. It was public service at its best. Recognizing the controllers efforts, Mineta subsequently presented them with the Transportation Department s 2001 Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement. The airspace system remained shut down for two days to commercial flights. General aviation traffic was grounded for a week and many private planes were stranded for several months due to new flying restrictions in high-density areas. Controllers and pilots contended with almost daily changes in procedures during the initial weeks after the attack. Ironically, three-quarters of the union s National Executive Board and facility representatives from five regions were gathered in New Orleans for a meeting on September 11 and spent several frustrating days trying to get home to help controllers on the front lines. NATCA s Critical Incident Stress Management Team also swung into action. The specially trained volunteers, who counsel their colleagues to help them deal with traumatic events, had their work cut out for them. Like many people in Manhattan, controllers on position at LaGuardia, Newark, and Kennedy towers endured a front-row seat to the smoke rising from the gaping hole in New York s skyline for several weeks. Sep Terrorists commandeer four airliners in an attack that kills some 3,000. The hijackers fly two Boeing 767s into the World Trade Center in New York, causing both towers to collapse from the ensuing fire. They fly a 757 into the Pentagon. A 757 crashes in Pennsylvania after passengers fight the hijackers to prevent further attacks. All air traffic in the United States, except for military flights, is grounded for only the second time in history.

235 Chapter 7: The Skies Ahead 231 Amid a clamor for heightened airport security, President Bush signed a law to federalize passenger screeners though with misgivings. New regulations on baggage screening were also adopted. While the attention focused solely on airports, many air traffic control facilities were still vulnerable. Security usually consisted of little more than chain-link fences and a guard stationed at the front entrance. NATCA urged the FAA to position armed guards at all control towers and radar facilities, and to redesign employee identification cards to minimize the chances of tampering or duplication. Perfection, Nothing Less As the tragic events of September 11 jolted the U.S. aviation industry out of its longstanding complacency over security, NATCA s core argument against privatization that air traffic control is an inherently governmental function took on a new dimension and affirmed the controllers role in homeland defense. But the passionate dedication of a cadre of NATCA activists concerned with safety and other issues has remained constant since the union s earliest organizing days. Much of their devotion stems from the nature of the profession, where perfection is the minimum performance standard and a momentary lapse of attention can wreak tragic consequences. Dick Swauger, a PATCO controller who now works in the union s Safety and Technology Department, likens the job to boxing. The only problem is you never win and you never lose. You come away from it and feel good if you didn t make any mistakes, he says. After that, you need something else to put those energies into. A lot of controllers feel very happy that they can do something. Those who turn to activism to satisfy their craving to do more often find themselves pulled into a vortex of nonstop involvement. National Executive Board members and facility representatives receive official time off from the agency to conduct union business. But NATCA s evolution and its many accomplishments have also come at the hands of countless activists working on their own time without financial compensation. Their commitment exacts a toll. Extensive travel has been a factor in divorces that have touched nearly every National Executive Board, along with activists in the field. Several longtime regional vice presidents have left the board and returned home to children who d grown a foot or more during their extended absences. Contract team members and those who are assigned to Washington for a year or more as liaisons and technical representatives know well the personal cost of participation. Back home, their spouses shoulder a greater burden, willingly or not. In May 1986, John Thornton visited Howie Barte Steve Schneider The union label: NATCAvists are passionate about their organization. Above: Many members demonstrate their allegiance with special license plates. Below: Oakland Center controller Mike Hull, a NATCA liaison to the FAA, shows off his pride in a more personal manner. Courtesy of Mike Hull 13 Sep. Limited commercial flights resume, however, passenger traffic declines dramatically. General aviation planes are permitted to fly IFR on September 15. VFR flights resume four days later, but restrictions near major airports leave thousands of private planes trapped where they were on the ground when the attacks occurred. All commercial airports reopen except National, due to security concerns; limited flights resume on October 4.

236 232 Against the Wind Phil Barbarello: A Pennsylvania police officer startled the longtime New York TRACON facility rep by arresting him during a session of the 1996 convention in Pittsburgh. The officer s brother, a controller, concocted the prank. / NATCA archives at his home in rural Rhode Island and was greeted by an indignant 10-year-old. You took my dad, Susan Barte said. Thornton nodded with understanding. My daughter says the same thing, he replied. The involvement is like a mistress, says former Central Region Vice President Michael Putzier. You have to be really careful because it can completely consume all of your time. Christine Neumeier, the longtime Southwest Region office administrative assistant, regards the members as her children. It is a sentiment that explains why she and other dedicated staff members can often be found working on NATCA business well past 5 p.m. The union s ongoing successes and its necessary involvement in decisions affecting the National Airspace System continue to lure 5 percent to 10 percent of its members into the ring of activism like a narcotic. Legions of others help by contributing to the union s Political Action Committee or simply paying dues. The net result can be seen in NATCA s contract gains with the agency, its significant influence in the industry and on Capitol Hill, its effective dealings with the news media, and its recognition by organized labor. Although NATCA is a relatively small union, Labor Relations Director Bob Taylor notes that its voice is strong. No doubt, we lead the way in the labor movement in the federal government for all bargaining unit employees and their families, he says. Such a string of victories has its downside. More than a few members worry about the inevitable serious setback. Sooner or later, it s going to happen and it will be a major shock. I don t think the union s ready for it, James Ferguson says. For the time being, however, NATCA remains justifiably proud of its accomplishments and enjoys a level of partnership with the FAA that eluded previous generations of controllers and agency managers. Many union members are quick to share the credit. Jane Garvey and her immediate staff are phenomenal, says Phil Barbarello, the facility rep at New York TRACON. They ve truly changed the way we think about the agency. They re more collaborative. And it s starting to trickle down. I don t think there s any turning back. Too many people within the general ranks like working with each other. From Garvey s perspective, NATCA leadership has played a big role in turning collaboration into Jan. The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for 950 FAA staff support specialists. This is the twentieth bargaining unit organized by NATCA since its inception. 19 May About 275 participants attend NATCA in Washington.

237 Chapter 7: The Skies Ahead 233 reality. I ve been very lucky to have McNally and Carr. Both are gifted leaders. Both were right for their time, she says. Mike understood the collaboration piece and the concepts of productivity and taking on more responsibility. As the relationship matures, Garvey notes, each side must rely on the other for support, a concept that Carr intuitively grasped. He always comes with the notion of problem-solving. She also lauds Carr for his exceptional communication skills. I don t think there is anyone better in Washington at capturing the public s attention, Garvey says. He s galvanizing. He says the right thing in the right way. It s great fun to watch him. The trade publication Aviation Daily echoed that sentiment when it named Carr the second most-influential person in aviation for The honor was bestowed in recognition of controllers efforts on September 11, but it also underscored the great strides NATCA had made since its inception fourteen years earlier. Air traffic controllers have always provided a guiding voice on the radio. Yet they have struggled for decades to attain one in the workplace. Today, NATCA and the FAA regard each other as partners like never before. Despite the unprecedented changes, though, realists understand that the process will never be complete. We haven t fully gotten there yet. We re not done, Garvey says. It s like any relationship. You have to constantly work at it. 1. Komons, Nick Aviation s Indispensable Partner Turns 50. U.S. Department of Transportation. 2. Flint, Perry A towering success. Air Transport World. October CATCA says, Privatization is not justified by Nav Canada example. The Air Traffic Controller. July/August. 4. Air Transport Association archives. News release of March 1, Wald, Matthew, and Sack, Kevin We have some planes, hijacker told controller. The New York Times. 16 October. 6. Schwartz, Stephen I This is not a test. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. November/December. 5 Sep. NATCA holds its ninth biennial convention at the Cleveland Convention Center, with the Sheraton City Centre serving as the host hotel.

238 253 Index Index Note Page references in italic type refer to information contained in illustrations or photographs. A AATCC New England, 57, 58 59, 61, 65 Abbott, David C., 110 activism, of NATCA members, Advanced Automation System project (AAS), 157, 179, 182 Aero Center map, 39 AFL-CIO accepts NATCA as direct charter, 8, Article 20 hearing on AFGE/ MEBA, and NATCA s Chapter 71 rights fight, Transportation Trades Department, 226 Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), 54 55, 57, 62, Airport and Airway Trust Fund, 153, 225 Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE), 53 air traffic assistants, 56, 59 Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), 18 air traffic control operations ARTS system, 17, 18, 175, 181 centers, equipment, 10, 15, 16, 17 late 1950s, modernizing, 229 origins of, post-strike, Project Beacon, STARS system, 17, 175, 181, Air Traffic Organization, 223 Air Transport Association (ATA), 24, 228 Alaskan Region, 176 Albuquerque Center, Allen, Tom, 53 Alsop, Frances, 105, 147 Alternate Dispute Resolution, 117 alternate work schedules (AWS), American Air Traffic Controllers Council (AATCC), 54, 72 logo, 71 American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) AATCC organizing efforts, 47, 53, 54, 55, 56 65, 67, 72 drug testing opposition, 99 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), 67 American Federation of Teachers (AFT), 67 American Medical Association (AMA), 64 Anchorage International Airport, 53 arbitration, 116, 117 arrival metering, 34 asbestos removal, , 184 Ashwood, Thomas, 64 Atlanta Center, 52 53, 56 57, 175 Atlanta Center local offices, 109 Atlanta TRACON, 184, 227 Atlantic City Tower, 54 Automated Radar Terminal System (ARTS), 17, 18, 175, 181 automation specialists, 56, Aviation Labor Coalition, 157, Aviation Safety Commission, 76, 94 Aviation Safety Reporting System, 21, 127 B Bailey, F. Lee, 21, 22, 23 Baker, Gordon, 121 Bamberger, Richard, 84, 100, 101, 103, 128, 137, 139 Barbarello, Phil, 36, 51, 160, 168, 205, 232 Bargaining units. see also NATCA bargaining units within Aerospace Medicine, 194 Air Traffic Control Specialists, 194 Aircraft Certification, 194 Airports Division, 194 Airworthiness Engineers, 194 Automation Specialists, 194 Budget and Financial Analysis, 194 Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, 194 Engineers and Architects, 180, 185, , 194 Engineers (Oklahoma City/ Atlantic City), 194 Hawaii Department of Defense, 194 Hawaii National Guard, 194 Logistics, Finance, Accounting Information Services Division, 194 Notice to Airmen Office, 194, 196 Regional Counsel s Office, 194 privately employed Air Traffic Control Specialists, 194 Staff Support Specialists, 194 Traffic Management Coordinators, 163, 191, 194 Barry Krasner Building, 2, 9, 106, , 197 Barte, Howie, 1, 6, 84, 100, 103, 137 and AATCC logo, 61, 71 Aviation Subcommittee testimony, 85 biographical sketch, 66 elected AATCC New England rep, 55 56, 58 and NATCA certification, 89 and NATCA creation, proposes CEO model, on strike s effect on operations, 33, 34 Bayone, Tom, 192 Bay TRACON, 149 Bears, Ed, Bell, R. Steve, 73, 84, 100, 128

239 254 Against the Wind biographical sketch, 104 elected first president of NATCA, 95 99, 97, 102 and first contract negotiations with FAA, 124, 125, 126 and John Thornton, 94 joins union movement, at New York TRACON, election, 135 Bellino, Joseph, 100, 103, 113, 114, 137, 138 and Barnstable Tower, 146 biographical sketch, 140 loses 1997 election, 160 and NATCA organizing, 83 and pay demo, runs for executive vice president, and seniority policy, and Sunday pay settlement, 147 Bentley, John, 47, 52 Bhimji, Fazal, 227 Blackmer, Bill Blackie, 160, 166, 226 Blake, Mike, 164, 215 Blaylock, Ken, 48 Blittersdorf, Karen, 165 Bolling, Charlie, 47, 52 Bolton, Richard, 102 Bond, Langhorne M., 21, 22, 73 Boston Center, 174, 184, 227 Bottini, Dave, Boughn, Chris, 168 Bradley-Windsor Locks Tower, 54 Branaman, Carol, 95, 142, 159, 168, , 215 Brandt, Dan, 42, 80, 84, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 114, 137, 138 Brawner, James, 137, 139 Breen, James, 95, 100, 103, 137, 139, 152 Bridgeman, Owen, 103, 137, 139, 152, 165 Brissenden, Ken, 143 Brown, David, 84 Brown, Don, 1, 35, 40, 46 Browne, Walter, 97 Buckles, Jim, 136 building fund, NATCA, 170, 194 Bullard, Margaret L., 165 Bureau of Air Commerce, Burnett, James, 77, 91 Burnley, James H., 101, 111 Busey, James, B., IV, 116, 136 Butterworth, Valerie and Bob, 200, 201 Byrnes, Barrett, 205 C Calhoon, Jesse, 23 Canada, ATC operations in, Canadian Air Traffic Control Association, Candaele, Kelly, 62 64, 73, 76, 97 Cannon, Cheryl, 108 Cantwell, Andy, 117, 165, 168, 210, 215 Card, Andrew H., 137, 142 Carlisle, Don, 128 Carr, John, 44, 115, 118, 163, 168 biographical sketch, 212 and Jane Garvey, 233 joins union effort, and safety campaign, 228 and the shroud, 165 training, election, Carson, Johnny, 21 Carter, Jimmy, 16 Carter, Randy, 53 Cascio, Paul, 128, 137, 139 Chapter 71 rights issue, , 202 Chavez-Thompson, Linda, 157 Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, 191 Chicago Center, 19, , 175 Chiles, Lawton, 181 China Lake Naval Weapons Center, 148 choirboys, 12, 23, 25 Christy, Kevin, 192, 193, 215 CIP (controller incentive pay), 169 Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), 16 Clementz, Larry, 100, 102 Clendenin, Alan, 175 Clinton, Bill, 145, 158, 171, 223 Coiro, Anthony, 113, 127, 128 Cole, Martin, Command Center, 104 committees. see NATCA committees Communications Workers of America, 67 CompuServe aviation special interest group, 121 computer bulletin boards, Conklin, Kenneth, 49 Connor, Mike, 185 Conom, Nick, 36 contracts. see NATCA FAA contracts; PATCO FAA 1981 contract negotiations contract towers issue, 153, 161, 178, 187, Controller Incentive Pay, 149 conventions. see NATCA national conventions Coulter, Mike, 151, 165 Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, 159 Critical Incident Stress Management Team, Crouse, Jack, 43, 47, 52, 57, 70 Cullison, Alexander Doc, 5 6, 27, 76 79, 80 81, Cunningham, Debbie, 175, 176 D D Agati, Jim, 164, 192, 193, 215 D Alessio, Joe, 58 Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, 158 Damalas, Al, 53 Data Link, 184 Davies, Scott, 121 Day, Ed, 162 deals, 16, 69, 77 Deane, Andy, 228 DeFries, Clayton E. Gene, 65, 67, 68, 88, 94, Delaney, Dennis, 84, 85, 100, 103 delays, airline, Denver Center, 35 Denver International Airport, 163 Detling, Chalmer, 165 Direct Access Radar Channel (DARC) systems, 20, 26 Direct Placement Program, Display System Replacement project (DSR), 157, 176, Dole, Elizabeth, 50, 99 Dresden, Tony, 105 dress code, 36 drug testing, 72, 99, 100 dues, 87, , Duffy, Henry A., 55, 64 Dunigan, Joe, 84

240 255 Index Dupon, Duane, 143 Dyess Air Force Base, 38 E Eads, Gary, 27, 29, 40 Eccles, R.A., 221 Edmunds, Jim, 76 Ehrlichman, John, 23 elections, see under NATCA national elections emeritus members, 95 Engen, Donald D., 55, 57, 67, 69, 70, 90, 91, 95 Engineers and Architects bargaining unit, 180, 185, F FAA. see also NATCA FAA contracts; PATCO FAA 1981 contract negotiations; strike, 1981 controllers administrators, since 1958, 161 Advanced Automation System project (AAS), 157, 179, 182 age limits for controllers, 47 Automated Radar Terminal System (ARTS), 17, 18, 175, 181 commissions first DARC, 20 contract towers issue, 153, 161, 178, 187, 195, 208, Controller Incentive Pay, 149 created, 16 Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, 159 Direct Placement Program, Display System Replacement project (DSR), 157, 176, facilities security, 42, 231 Facility Advisory Boards (FABs), Flow Control 50 implemented, 27, 32 Free Flight program, 82 funding and privatization, General Aviation Reservation system, 54 Human Relations Councils (HRCs), 42 independence hearings, 99, 107 Jones Committee reports, 37, 41, 43 NATCA liaison position, , 180 National Airspace System Plan, 42 Pay Demonstration Projects, 114, 135, 146 reclassification of facilities in 1998, 224 replacement controllers, training and treatment, 5 6, seeks consolidation of AATCC regional certification petitions, 57, 58 Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), 17, 175, 181, Structured Staffing program, 45 46, 51 supervision culture of, FAA Academy, 18, 21, 36, Facility Advisory Boards (FABs), Facility Representative and Leadership Training course, Fallon, Brian, 120, 174 FAM trip privileges, 24, 73, 197 Faville, Will, Jr., 84, 100, 102, 137, 147, 164, 177, 182, 183 Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), 38, 41, 50, 58, 163 Fellows, Mike, 35 Ferguson, James, 149, 152, 164, 185, 186, 202, 223 Fisher, Freddie, 42 Fitas, Dan, 168 Fletcher, Robert, 100, 103 Flow Control 50, 27, 32 Ford, Mike, 55 The Forgotten Promise: The Resurgence of Unionism Among the Air Traffic Controllers, 79 Forrey, Pat, 147, 151, 152, 199, 215 Frank, Barney, 99 Frascone, Jim, 192 Free Flight program, 82, 160, 205 Fruscella, Joe, 51, 110, 141, 143, 152, 164, 215 Future Air Navigation System, 168 G Galipault, John, 121 Galloway, Tom, 49 Garvey, Jane, 168, 183 collaboration emphasis, 160, 161, 182, credits controllers actions on September 11, 2002, contract negotiations, 7 8, General Aviation Reservation system, 54 George Meany Center for Labor Studies, , 117 Gibbons, Ray, 118, 177 Gilbert, Fred, 19 20, 55, 58, 84, 87 on controller treatment after strike, and FAB national meeting, 34, runs for president of NATCA, 96 99, 98, 102 supports rehiring controllers, 74 76, 79 Gilbert, John, Gilbert, Trish, 110, 161 Gisala, Wilma, 109 Goldschmidt, Neil E., 19 Gordon, Richard, Jr., 105, 108, 109, 137, 143, 159, 194, 199 Green, Dee, 175 Green, Veronica, 118, 119 Green, Jim, 167 Green Book, The, Greer, Phil, 55 Gropper, Donna, 55, 56, 69 Grundmann, Karl, 84, 90, 100, , 137, 139, 153 and dues increases, 198 liaison to FAA, 159, runs for executive vice president, 96 99, 97 on union leadership by controllers, 93 Grundmann, Susan see under Tsui Grundmann, Susan Guensch, Craig, Guerra, Gus, 164, 215

241 256 Against the Wind H Haines, Tim, 137, 138, Haldeman, H.R. Bob, 23 Hallett, Carol, 228 Hambrick, Melissa Lee, 165 Hampton University, 127 Handbook for Air Traffic Employees in Centers and Towers, Hanley, Scott, 180 Hanson, Terry, Hartney, Dennis, 153 Hastert, Dennis, 173 Hatfield, Mark, 158 Hays, Jimmy, 22 Healy, Pete, 192, 193, 217 Helms, J. Lynn, 22, 37, 54 Herman, Tony, 7 8, 168, Hiatt, Jon, 188 Hicks, Joel, 73 74, 108, 182 Hightower, Laura Caroline, 165 Hill & Knowlton, 228 Hinson, David, 145, 176 Hintz, Doug, 192 Hoffman, Bob, 53 Holland, Doug, 121, 215 Hood, Mark, 165 House of Representatives, U.S. see U.S. Congress Houston Center, 33 Howe, Curt, 192 H.R. 2663, 146 H.R. 4003, 75 76, 79 Hull, Mike, 117, 231 Human Relations Councils (HRCs), 42 Humphreys Adell, 92, , 196 biographical sketch, 106 Hurricane Andrew, 178 I IBM 3083-BXI Host computers, 63, computers, 16, 18, 63 RISC-6000 computers, 157 immunity program, operational error-reporting, 73, Intentionally Left Blank, 118 International Civil Aviation Organization, 183 International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations (IFATCA), 8, Irving, Mike Iggy, 120 J Jacksonville Center, 18 Jeffries, Terri, 109 Johanssen, Howard, 72 73, 86 Jones, Gordon P., 100 Jones, Lawrence M., 37 Jones, Rick, 45, 47 Jones Committee reports, 37, 41, 43 Jordan, Garlon, 192 Joseph, Art, 55, 128 JOVIAL computer language, 181 K Kansas City Center, 170 Katz, Deborah Ann, 138 Kaufman, Andy, 182 Keeling, Jay, 143 Keener, Kevin, 207 Keeney, Dan, 68, 72, 84 Keesler Air Force Base, 38 Kelley, Steve, 51, 75 Kennedy, John F., 16, 18 Kerr, George, 13, 25, 51, 53, 55 Kidd, James Ajax, 115, 116, 121, 164, 166, 217 Kilgallon, Joe, 105, 141, 150 Kirkland, Lane, 37 Kochis, Kim, 61, 71 Koonce, Taylor, 211 Kramer, Lonnie, 128, 143 Krasner, Barry, 100, 102, 128, 143, 152, 168 accomplishments during second term, 160 biographical sketch, 132 conducts third convention meetings, 131 and Direct Placement Program, and dues increases, emeritus member, 95 and IFATCA, 186 introduces constitutional amendments on membership, 94 and MEBA disaffiliation, contract team, , contract negotiations, 7 8, 163 office motif, , 195 organizing at New York TRACON, runs for president, , 137, 138 Kremer, Leo, 121 Kuhl, Tim, 121, 168 Kushner, David, 57, 58, 67 Kutch, Mark, 114, 125, 126, 128, 138, 143 L Labonte, Bobby, 211 Labor and Management: Partners in Problem-Solving, 136. see also Quality Through Partnership (QTP) Landry, Dave, 19, 20, 70, 84 Lane, Sally, 32 Lasker, T. Craig, 142, 152, 165 Laughter, Doug, 122, 123 Lawless, Scott, 84, 100 lawsuits, 101, 105 League, Archie, 220, 221, 223 Leonard, Tim, 100, 103, 165 Lewis, Drew, 19, 26, 37, 50 Leyden, John, 7, 22, 86 career highlights, 14 and choirboys, 12, 25 elected PATCO president, honorary lifetime membership, 95 and John Thornton, 48 ousted as PATCO president, and reclassification, 169 and rehiring of fired controllers, 200 and vocational retraining, 24 liaison and technical representative program, NATCA, , 180, 182 lifetime members, honorary, 95 Llafet, Greg, lobbying efforts and programs, NATCA, , 172, , Lobby Week, 146, 158, 164, 170, 175, 176, 179 Lockheed Martin Corporation, 228 logo, NATCA, 70, 71, 130

242 257 Index logo quilt, 92, 107 Lombardi, Bill, Jr., 49 Low-Level Wind Shear Alert Systems (LLWAS), 46, 64 M Mackay, Susan, 229 Magnificent Seven, 146 Magnuson, Warren, 16 Maher, Jack, 20, 21 Majors, Floyd, 192 Maltby, Cam, 151 Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA) affiliation agreements/fees, 88 89, and civil lawsuit legislation, 101 final loan payment to, 111, 168 NATCA disaffiliation, 178, 179, 184, and NATCA organizing, 62, 65, 67, 68, 70 72, 74, and PATCO, 5, 9, 23 training facility, 125, 126 Marlin, Ruth, 9, 159, , 213, 215 biographical sketch, 218 Martin, Mike, 192 McArtor, T. Allan, 95, 111 McCain, John, McCann, Jim, 84, 97 McDermott, Jerry, McGee, Dennis, 215 McGrath, Kevin, 215 McLauren, Mark, 192 McNally, Michael, 137, 138, 152, 164, 168 assesses Bell s performance, 136 biographical sketch, 162 and Chapter 71 rights fight, doesn t run for re-election, 209 emeritus member, 95 and Jane Garvey, 160, at New York Center after strike, contract negotiations, 7 8, as QTP National Coordinator, 135, 141 and Steve Bell, 75 Meachum, Cathy, 95, Meachum, Darrell, 179, 180, Means, Bruce, 143, 168 media use, by NATCA, 175 Metropolitan Controllers Association, 21 Meyer, Greg, 177 Meyer, Robert, 29, 40 Miami Tower, midair collisions, 16 Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. see FAA Academy Mineta, Norman, 73 74, 185, 225, 230 minimum safe altitude warnings, 34 Moen, Kenneth, 103 Molen, Gary, 58, 72, 84, 88, 100, 103, 137, 139, emeritus member, 95 and John Thornton, 94 and NATCA certifying election, 90 organizing at Salt Lake Center, 61 62, 63 retires, 149 Molinari, Guy, 67, 69, 76 Monaldi, Chris, Monroney, Mike, 16 Montoya, Ken, 156, , 168 Morin, James, Morris, Ed, 121, 123 Motta, Mike, 143, 215 Mullin, Ed, 84, 100, 103, 137, 139, 153 biographical sketch, 78 and certification election, 90, 91 emeritus member, 95 joins FAA, 77 O.N.E. Dues Back Trust program, organizing efforts, 6, and pay raise negotiations, 168 Southwest Rule (contingency fund), 111 and Wright Amendment, Murphy, Bill, 142 Murphy, Doug, 39 N NATCA approved as exclusive bargaining agent of controllers, 6 7, 86, bargaining units within, , 194, 210, 213, 214, 219, 222, 232 building fund, 170, 194 Chapter 71 rights issue, , 202 charter member pin, 90 charter members, Critical Incident Stress Management Team, dues, 87, , emeritus members, 95 employees, 245 Facility Representative and Leadership Training course, files election petition, 83 finances, and MEBA loans, 88, , 123, 150, 168, 194 health and working conditions, interim constitution, 85, 87 liaison and technical representative program, , 180, 182 lifetime members, honorary, 95 lobbying efforts and programs, , 172, , Logistics, Finance, Accounting, Information Services Division bargaining unit, 203 members, see also individual names membership milestone figures, 110, 129 name and logo adopted, 70, 71 national office and staff, 2, 9, , 106, , 202 O.N.E. Dues Back Trust program, Radar Tower Coalition, 182 regional divisions, 95, 234 safety concerns and initiatives, , seniority issue, debates and policies, 144, , 174, 191, 200, Small Region Coalition, 95-96

243 258 Against the Wind Southwest Rule (contingency fund), 111 training programs, Wall of Shame, 224 Web site, 117, 122 NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF), NATCA committees National Communications Committee, 121, 123 National Legislative Committee, 175 Political Action Committee, 8, 120, 176 Reclassification Committee (facility and pay), 141, , 168, 169, 224 NATCA FAA contracts 1989, 110, 113, 114, , , 137, , 7 8, , 168 NATCA in Washington, 176, 179, 186, 213, 227, 232 NATCA Membership Investments Incorporated (NMI), NATCA national conventions National Convention Body, 235 founding (1986), 81, 84, second (1988), 93 95, 103 third (1990), , 205 fourth (1992), 138 fifth (1994), 155 sixth (1996), 174 seventh (1998), 191 eighth (2000), 205 ninth (2002), 233 parliamentarians, 94 NATCA national elections 1988, , , , , , , , , , , , , NATCAnet, NATCA Racing, 211 NATCA Shop, NATCAvists, The NATCA Voice, , 174 NATCA (Washington Center), 45 48, 52, 56, 57 National Airport (Washington, D.C.), 28 National Airspace System Plan, 42 National Association of Air Traffic Specialists, (NAATS), 18 19, 157, National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) local controllers unions formed, O Hare slowdown and compensation plans, National Aviation Research Institute (NARI), 171, 185 National Communications Committee, 121, 123 National Executive Board (NEB). see also provisional Executive Board first (1988), second (1991), 137 third (1994), fourth (1997), fifth (2000), 215 expansion of, 193 family toll of, 231 first woman board member, 214 weighted scale proposal, National Federation of Federal Employees, 54 National Legislative Committee, 175 National Maritime Union, 187 Nav Canada, Neumeier, Christine, 109 Newark Airport, 222 Newburn, Ed, 114 New England, organizing in, New York Center, 54 New York TRACON, 18, 50 52, , 141 Nightline program on ATC, 67, Nixon, Richard, 23 Noonan, Joseph, 113, 140 O Oakland Center, 19 O Brien, Danielle, 229 O Brien, Dennis, 84 O Brien, Joe, 34, 51, 58, 67, 68, 69, 72, 75, 84 O Hare International Airport, 15, 20 O.N.E. Dues Back Trust program, Operational Error Detection Patch software, operational error-reporting, 73, 91, Operation Snowman, 20 Osborne, William W., Jr., 94, 99, 128, , 207 Otto, Bill, , 164, 198, 215 Owens, Chuck, 137, 138 Owens, Eric, 168, 215 Owens, Norbert Nobby, 113 P Padgett, Victor, 48 Pallone, Mark, 164, 186, 215 Pappa, Benjamin, Jr., 103 Parrish, Jeff, 119 PATCO. see also PATCO FAA 1981 contract negotiations; strike, 1981 controllers accomplishments under Leyden, affiliation with MEBA, 23 choirboys, 12, 23, 25 creation of, decertified, 29, 38 early negotiated victories, 21 endorses Reagan, 16 files Chapter 7 bankruptcy, agreement with FAA, sickout, retaliation, and reinstatement, Second-Career Retirement Bill, 24 work-to-rule slowdown at O Hare International Airport, 15 PATCO FAA 1981 contract negotiations educational package distributed to members, 13 labor agreement with FAA lapses in March 1981, 21 Poli agrees to FAA s final contract offer, 24, 26 representatives walk out of bargaining sessions, 23 second strike deadline set, 26 strike and aftermath, strike deadline set, 23, 26, 31

244 259 Index Pay Demonstration Projects, 114, 135, 146, 149 Pearson, Dave, 84, 100, 102 Peer, William, 13 Peña, Federico F., 143, 177 Perrone, Joseph, 102 Phillips, Rich, 141, 152, 165, 193 plane crashes, 1985, 68 69, 130 Planzer, Neil, 178, 179 Poli, Robert E. assumes leadership of PATCO, and FAA s final contract offer, 24, 26 resigns, 29, 40 strike deadlines set, 23, 26, 31 Political Action Committee, 8, 120, 176 Poole, Jim, 58, 84, 98, 118, 137, 138, 141, 152, 164, 173 Poole, Robert, 225 Portner, Courtney, 108 Potzger, Richard H., 154 Preston, Wayne, 13 privatized ATC systems, , 225. see also contract towers issue Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), 41, 72 73, 131, 157, , 192 Professional Controllers Alliance, 55, 76 Project Beacon, 16 18, 18 provisional Executive Board, 44, 72, 84 Putzier, Michael, 114, 137, 138, 141, 152, 164 Q Quality Through Partnership (QTP), 60, 104, 135, 136, , 162 Quonset TRACON, 35, 55 R radarscopes, 10, 15 Radar Tower Coalition, 182 rainy day fund, 78 Ramsden, Jon, 159 Raytheon Company, 20, 64, 175 Reagan, Ronald dismissal of 11,000 striking controllers, 5, pledges support to PATCO, 16, rescinds order banning fired controllers from federal jobs, 39 Reclassification Committee (facility and pay), 141, , 168, 169, 224 Reed, Bernie, 137, 143, 145, 148, 149, 153, 163, 168 rehiring of fired controllers, 75 76, 79, 145, Reuben, S. Jesse, Rich, Sam, 137, 138, 152 Richards, Thomas C., 142 Rifas, Howie, 167, 217 Riley, Bill, 53, 54, 56-57, 61, 137 Riley, Lee, 36, 52 53, 56 57, 84, 100, 103, 137, 160 Rock, Mike, 21 Rodney Vision, RTCA, Inc., 160 Rucker, Tom, 38, 41 runway incursions, 226 S safety concerns and initiatives, , safety statistics, Salt Lake Center, 20, 33, 62, 76 Saludin, John, 102 Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, 211 Sandbach, David, 115, 116 San Juan CERAP, 59 Schimpf, Brian, 226 Schmidt, Sam, 211 scholarship program, 165 Scholl, Mark, 164, 173 Schwitz, James R. Randy, 28, 121, 137, 139, 152, 164 attends IFATCA conference, 185 biographical sketch, 190 and national office building purchase, election, 210, 213 Scott, Mike, 47, 52 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 226 sector suite design, 180 Security Control of Air Traffic and Navigation Aids (SCATANA), 230 seniority issue, debates and policies, 144, , 174, 191, 200, September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Shandrowsky, Alex, 174, 187 Shedden, Bill, 153 Sheedy, Michael, shrimp boats, 15 the shroud, 165 Shuler, David, 100, 103 sickouts, 21, 22 Simon, Paul, , 156, 173 Simpkins, Walt, 70, 72 Singletary, Cary R., 115, 116 Skinner, Samuel, 111, 136 Skirlick, Anthony Skip, 38, 55, 57, Slater, Rodney E., 177, 224 Smith, Brandy L., 165 Southern California TRACON, 134 South Florida Legislative Committee, Southwest Region (NATCA), 102, 109 Southwest Rule (contingency fund), 111 Soviet Union ships/cargo, MEBA longshoremen and, 23 Sperry Univac Corporation, 17, 18 Spickler, Ray, 84, 100, 102, biographical sketch, 112 bypassed at third convention, 131 elected first executive vice president, 98, 99 at founding convention, 95 IFATCA meeting, 183 and pay demo, 149 re-election bid in 1991, 130 sprinters, 27 Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS), 17, 175, 181, Stephenson, Rob, 143 Stevens, George, 97 strike, 1981 controllers, Stinson, Timothy, 102 Structured Staffing program,

245 260 Against the Wind 45 46, 51 Success Through Partnership, 113, see also Quality Through Partnership (QTP) Sullivan, Sallie, 132 Sutherland, Chris, 115, 116 Swauger, Richard, 95, 141, 150, 182, 230 Sweeney, John, 158, 189 T Taylor, Quentin, 69 Taylor, Robert D., 95, 114, , 168, 189, 191 Teamsters, 67 Terminal Doppler Weather Radar, 64 terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Texas, 80 Thoman, Ray, 124, 125, Thomas, Beth, 59 61, 73, 127, 128, 208 biographical sketch, 60 Thomas, Chuck, 59, 61 Thomas, David, 18 Thompson, Bryan, , 119, 121, 123 Thompson, Ricky, 164, 215 Thornton, John addresses founding convention, 85 as AFGE organizer, 47 50, 55-56, 67 Barte recommends to coordinate NATCA organization under MEBA, 68, 69 biographical sketch, 82 board removes, and certification election, 44, honorary lifetime membership, 94, 95 MEBA mandates as executive director, as MEBA organizer, 73 as PATCO president, 49 and rehiring of fired controllers, 74, 79 role determined, at second national convention, as senior director for legislative affairs, 101, 105, 202 and Wright Amendment repeal, Thurger, Rob, 227 Tierney, Jerry, 3 5, 182 Timme, Heather, 115, 116 Torchia, Domenic, 19, 29, 40 Traffic Alert/Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), 25, 151, 177 training programs, Trainor, Joe, 159 trans-atlantic flights, 16 Transportation Department, 230 Transportation Trades Department, 226 Trigler, Stacy, 156 Trumka, Richard, 157 Tsui Grundmann, Susan, Tune, John, 37 39, 38, 41, 215 Turner, Rodney, 116, 121, , 143, 164, 215 U ULTRA computer language, 181 understaffing, 30, 69 union formation procedure, 50 United Air Traffic Controllers Lobby, 57 United States Air Traffic Control Organization (USATCO), 59 University of Oklahoma, 36 U.S. Air Traffic Services Corporation (USATS), 153, 156 U.S. Congress. see also individual congressmen Air Traffic Controller Incentive and Retention Act, 146 Chapter 71 rights issue, , 202 Civil Service Reform Act, 18 FAA Reauthorization Act, hearing on controller stress, 43 House Subcommittee on Aviation, 73 74, 107 H.R. 2663, 146 H.R. 4003, 75 76, 79 Postal Reorganization Act, 22 Second-Career Retirement Bill, 24 Senate Subcommittee on Aviation, 85, 99 Wright Amendment, U.S. Postal Service, 22 V Van Houten, Steve, 100, 102 Van Nuys Tower, 150 vocational retraining, 24 Volpe, John, 22 W Wagner Act, 18 Wall of Shame, 224 Ward, Earl, 221 Ward, Mark, 100, 103 Washington Center, 3, 4, 30, 45 48, 52, Washington National Airport, 28 Watson, Larry Bubba, 164 Web site, NATCA, 117, 122 Whittaker, Jerry, 152, 154, 164 Wicker, Doug, 183 Williams, Paul, 9, 142, 143 Wilson, Barry, 210 wind shear, 46, 64 Woolbright, Rick, 110 World Wide Web, use of, 117, Wright, Dale, 117, 195 Wright, James, 202 Wright Amendment, Y Yushinsky, Tony, 217

246 234 Against the Wind NATCA at a Glance The Nine Regions Washington North Dakota Minnesota New England Maine Oregon Montana Idaho Northwest Mountain Wyoming South Dakota Nebraska Great Lakes Iowa Wisconsin Illinois Michigan Indiana Ohio Pennsylvania New York Eastern Vermont New Hampshire Delaware Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New Jersey Nevada Western- Pacific Utah Colorado Central Kansas Missouri Kentucky West West Virginia Virginia Virginia Maryland California Tennessee North Carolina Hawaii Arizona New Mexico Texas Oklahoma Southwest Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Southern Alabama Georgia South Carolina Additional information is available on the union s Web site: Alaskan Alaska Notes Southern Region includes San Juan and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Western-Pacific Region includes Kwajalein and Marshall Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. Florida NATCA 1325 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, D.C Voice: 202 / Fax: 202 /