2021 Convention

[ATC Zero]

Live-streamed for 4 hours, sounded like a frat boy good ole boy party before the booze started flowing.
They didn’t accomplish anything that was overall positive for the membership. Prove
me wrong otherwise. What was done there could have been done over zoom.

 

[Bandit117]

I truly understand why you proposed them, I just don’t feel it is what is in our best interest. Especially if you understand the timing of why they elected to extend the contract.

Explain please, the timing of the extension and why it matters. I can’t see the advantage of extending a contract with what’s supposed to be the most labor friendly administration ever without trying to change a single word. there’s plenty of parts that are dated, holdovers from previous contracts, or ambiguous enough that it causes all kinds of headaches, region to region and even local to local. Why not try to clean it up? Or, shoot for the moon. How about an annual cost of living increase? How about restoring article 60 to its original purpose, clearing it out from under ncept? There’s a few things we all have on our wish list, and they just took it on the chin. Agreeing to an unacceptable Status quo is like paying sticker price at the lot.

 

[GulfBravoPapa]

Live-streamed for 4 hours, sounded like a frat boy good ole boy party before the booze started flowing.
They didn’t accomplish anything that was overall positive for the membership. Prove
me wrong otherwise. What was done there could have been done over zoom.

I believe per the constitution or contract or something like that it has to be accomplished in person.

 

[32andBelow]

But the Convention is integral part of keeping our union strong. Blah blah blah for the health and safety of the workforce. Blah blah talking point We are fight for the FAAs your best interest.

Can’t vote for things remotely on zoom. Impossible

 

[ATC Zero]

I believe per the constitution or contract or something like that it has to be accomplished in person.

Agreed and aware of that, they didn’t accomplish anything meaningful just an excuse to have a convention. Are they all this lame? And a waste of money?

 

[Soham]

Agreed and aware of that, they didn’t accomplish anything meaningful just an excuse to have a convention. Are they all this lame? And a waste of money?

I don't necessarily disagree with you and I doubt I will ever attend a convention unless it's within 30 minutes of me but on the other hand how much camaraderie or team building has ever truly been made with virtual meetings?

Personally I'd rather see a lot less money spent on the convention and a lot more spent locally on better NATCA offices/Breakrooms, parties, meetings, whatever. I feel like the union is being destroyed from the inside ever since the privatization crap.

 

[Termine]

Training unsafe. Getting a bunch of people in a room in Texas safe. Know the difference

What was done there could have been done over zoom.

I watched some too. I could almost taste the cognitive dissonance seeing them argue and debate over whether larger facilities should get more delegates, and whether smaller facilities should get more subsidies to send delegates—all so they can come participate and "represent their coworkers" via goddamn voice votes. Jesus Christ. Zoom has a built-in poll feature but that might introduce too much accountability...

 

[Mike Kilo]

I watched some too. I could almost taste the cognitive dissonance seeing them argue and debate over whether larger facilities should get more delegates, and whether smaller facilities should get more subsidies to send delegates—all so they can come participate and "represent their coworkers" via goddamn voice votes. Jesus Christ. Zoom has a built-in poll feature but that might introduce too much accountability...

I mean, make sure your delegate can yell really loud I guess. Should count as three regularly voiced delegates!

 

[ATC Zero]

I don't necessarily disagree with you and I doubt I will ever attend a convention unless it's within 30 minutes of me but on the other hand how much camaraderie or team building has ever truly been made with virtual meetings?

Personally I'd rather see a lot less money spent on the convention and a lot more spent locally on better NATCA offices/Breakrooms, parties, meetings, whatever. I feel like the union is being destroyed from the inside ever since the privatization crap.

I couldn't agree more with you on everything said, privatization isn't the main focus I hear about, it is the piss poor job of how long it takes to get people in the door and then of course NCEPT.
My local tried to have stuff voted on to spend more money, everyone acted like it was their own money and were being tight wads and only wanted to spend money on T-shirts, well I can tell ya what $6,000+ can buy an awful lot of those....and we only have like 12 BUES, its a joke.
It will be interesting to see what happens and what the talking points will be when this contract expires during a Republican administration......you know that's totally happening.

 

[Mike Kilo]

I couldn't agree more with you on everything said, privatization isn't the main focus I hear about, it is the piss poor job of how long it takes to get people in the door and then of course NCEPT.
My local tried to have stuff voted on to spend more money, everyone acted like it was their own money and were being tight wads and only wanted to spend money on T-shirts, well I can tell ya what $6,000+ can buy an awful lot of those....and we only have like 12 BUES, its a joke.
It will be interesting to see what happens and what the talking points will be when this contract expires during a Republican administration......you know that's totally happening.

Privatization has faded into the background. If it was still being voted in and pushed by Natca as “stable and predictable funding “ you would hear a lot more about it. They even went on a Facebook campaign promoting privatization. Had a panel of privatized ATC countries talk at CFS. Was a load of BS and one of the few things that made me debate leaving the union.

 

[Robert_Boucher]

Can’t vote for things remotely on zoom. Impossible

Never said you could vote over zoom.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Privatization has faded into the background. If it was still being voted in and pushed by Natca as “stable and predictable funding “ you would hear a lot more about it. They even went on a Facebook campaign promoting privatization. Had a panel of privatized ATC countries talk at CFS. Was a load of BS and one of the few things that made me debate leaving the union.

They said those words in their last email

 

[Mike Kilo]

They said those words in their last email

It’s their favorite catch phrase. While I personally always get paid so stable funding for the FAA doesn’t make my top 5 things to fight for lol.

 

[32andBelow]

Never said you could vote over zoom.

Point is that they do nothing to help trainees that can’t get raises but then they go into Houston tj have a party instead of just voting over zoom

 

[Mike Kilo]

Point is that they do nothing to help trainees that can’t get raises but then they go into Houston tj have a party instead of just voting over zoom

My point was Natca training classes. Not in facility training. There are whole e boards out there that haven’t been able to get any training on their roles in the union. It’s pathetic.

 

[32andBelow]

My point was Natca training classes. Not in facility training. There are whole e boards out there that haven’t been able to get any training on their roles in the union. It’s pathetic.

Yah that too

 

[Soham]

Let's start our own union, with blackjack and hookers.

Seriously though, if someone tried to start a new union. How would that even work? Would you basically have to get an entire facility to join to get the FAA to recognize you? And would NATCA/FAA try to crush you?

 

[32andBelow]

Let's start our own union, with blackjack and hookers.

Seriously though, if someone tried to start a new union. How would that even work? Would you basically have to get an entire facility to join to get the FAA to recognize you? And would NATCA/FAA try to crush you?

I think it would be easier to just vote these people out then to get enough people to join a new union

 

[TowerChower]

Let's start our own union, with blackjack and hookers.

Seriously though, if someone tried to start a new union. How would that even work? Would you basically have to get an entire facility to join to get the FAA to recognize you? And would NATCA/FAA try to crush you?

Without joking it would be a long and hard process. The FAA would have no opinion, officially and legally. NATCA can and will fight every step of the way. There would need to be basically the same process for certifying a union but decertifying. Collect signatures, present it to the union, have a vote, all of which will take legal challenges. And I don't think it can be facility by facility like for private towers, I think there would have to be a decertification election agency wide, but there may be some exceptions for our friends in Alaska. Then go through the whole process of certifying a union, for which NATCA will probably get on a ballot to compete with whatever other union forms.

 

[Termine]

How can we change unions? – Association for Union Democracy

uniondemocracy.org

Long story short, it would require

1) 30% of the current bargaining unit (not membership) to sign a petition for decertification, thus triggering a vote, and
2) A majority of voters choosing to form a new union.

Sounds very difficult. IMO it would be easier to try to advocate change from within, which sounds difficult... but wasn't it something like 12/13 RVPs that ran unopposed this last time around? Seems like low-hanging fruit. The problem is people not being involved in the current union. Reading Against the Wind they kept mentioning the organizing drives, and people going facility-to-facility to advocate for forming a union, and members writing about it in their facility newsletters. How many of you have a facility newsletter? How many of you get anything from NATCA regional that isn't some cookie-cutter feel-good news bulletin? It seems like people just don't have that drive these days. [Insert boomer "hard times, strong men, good times, weak men" meme here.]