2024 NATCA President Election

[CoffeeIV]

“Not less than time and one-half.” I think it’s time to start rethinking time and a half for overtime. And I think it’s time for Saturday pay. If we can’t set our base pay outside of the federal maximums then it’s time to start rewarding us much more for the sacrifices we make.

NATCA definitely needs to address all the premiums. Too many times my facility has to cover CIC. I want more than 10%. Sunday premium is nice and all but Saturday is just as important. You're working the weekends and not getting the ability to spend time with your kids that are out of school. Same as night diff. All of them should be raised across the board.

Overtime pay is an issue nationwide. It should never be beneficial for an organization to schedule overtime rather than hiring more people. Entice me with 3x pay and maybe Ill come in for those OTs rather than banging out.

 

[Scizorx]

NATCA definitely needs to address all the premiums. Too many times my facility has to cover CIC. I want more than 10%. Sunday premium is nice and all but Saturday is just as important. You're working the weekends and not getting the ability to spend time with your kids that are out of school. Same as night diff. All of them should be raised across the board.

Overtime pay is an issue nationwide. It should never be beneficial for an organization to schedule overtime rather than hiring more people. Entice me with 3x pay and maybe Ill come in for those OTs rather than banging out.

This is one of the big issue that need to be address. Simply if we are mandatory 6 days work week and some of us also work weekend, we need higher premium pay for doing it.

 

[Phillyman2633]

Please. I do have a 4 day weekend starting Saturday, help is always appreciated.

All these mark ass bitches want to talk shit but nobody wants to put their money where their dicks are.

I'll help you, you bitch.

 

[GulfCharlie]

All these mark ass bitches want to talk shit but nobody wants to put their money where their dicks are.

I'll help you, you bitch.

I'll send the text today. Just been busy.

 

[RadarRick]

If Rich didnt extend the slate book, and the point of his latest video is that was Paul Rinaldi's fault, why is NATCA still paying Rinaldi $250k for consulting?

 

[Hal9000]

Yeah I wont support Mick because what he said is misleading.

From my experience with Midwest ATC and I'm sure SERCO/RVA are similar he conveniently left out:

• FCT controllers don't get a pension.
• FCT controllers don't get a social security supplement.
• FCT controllers have hardly any if any matching for their 401k (could have changed since I worked).
• FCT controllers health insurance is more costly.
• FCT controllers do not get a presidential raise like FAA controllers.
• FCT controllers earn far less annual leave
• FCT controllers get 2 personal days vs 13 sick days. Oh you get hired in February? Too bad you don't get those days until January 1st unlike sick leave accrual throughout the year.

So sure, that LEB tower gets paid like $0.75 more on base pay than those level 4s but it won't come January 1st with the huge presidential raise. Plus with all the differentials there is no way those facilities are making less money.

But FCT controllers have some great benefits:

• Working alone when it's very busy for hours on end, by themselves, and having to piss in bottles.
• Getting a solid 8 hours of TIP on the first day of the month.
• Enjoying a 15 minute break for the day and maybe 20 minutes for lunch.
  • But staying in the tower cab because the one guy who somehow got rated is a danger to everything around him and can't separate tied shoelaces.
• Receiving no respect from peers, and when asked what one does for a living, replying that you're a contractor.
  

Now, with all that said, I've turned down the FAA and my wife keeps us afloat, but some FCTers get paid garbage for the effort they're putting forth, and as we're all controllers, I'd hope that we'd want them to be treated better than they are. (Granted, plenty of other FCTs are really just FWA factories which should be CTAF.)

 

[CoffeeIV]

But FCT controllers have some great benefits:

• Working alone when it's very busy for hours on end, by themselves, and having to piss in bottles.
• Getting a solid 8 hours of TIP on the first day of the month.
• Enjoying a 15 minute break for the day and maybe 20 minutes for lunch.
  • But staying in the tower cab because the one guy who somehow got rated is a danger to everything around him and can't separate tied shoelaces.
• Receiving no respect from peers, and when asked what one does for a living, replying that you're a contractor.

Now, with all that said, I've turned down the FAA and my wife keeps us afloat, but some FCTers get paid garbage for the effort they're putting forth, and as we're all controllers, I'd hope that we'd want them to be treated better than they are. (Granted, plenty of other FCTs are really just FWA factories which should be CTAF.)

Were breaks an option lol? I got lucky and the contract tower I was at had great people and a great manager. No personality issues. You worked your ass off around 9am to 6pm on any day that was sunny but it typically died down after 6pm. I don't miss our piss cup.

 

[ajmezz]

Were breaks an option lol? I got lucky and the contract tower I was at had great people and a great manager. No personality issues. You worked your ass off around 9am to 6pm on any day that was sunny but it typically died down after 6pm. I don't miss our piss cup.

I didn’t do it, but heard some previous folks used the sink from time to time. Granted it was a really old tower and the water smelled like rotten eggs so nobody used it anyways..

 

[GulfCharlie]

I didn’t do it, but heard some previous folks used the sink from time to time. Granted it was a really old tower and the water smelled like rotten eggs so nobody used it anyways..

Texas is still hot this time of year.

 

[Phillyman2633]

Texas is still hot this time of year.

Your mom is hot this time of year

 

[CaptainObvious]

Your mom is hot this time of year

Any time of year

 

[Atcbrownie]

I have 4 contract towers and two FAA towers in my airspace, the contract towers are always easy to work with and do a great job. Thanks FDK, HGR, MRB, and JYO!

Also thanks to IAD and HEF! NYG thank you as well!

AW

 

[FightingIrish2012]

Never realized FCT's were so annoying until this election kicked off. Minor league traffic, Major league crybabies.

I can’t believe that they think they have a say or that NATCA cares about them. Has NATCA ever worked against or even said a word about their shit staffing, no breaks, two weeks max vacation, public option healthcare, etc….

 

[Rjb301]

I have 4 contract towers and two FAA towers in my airspace, the contract towers are always easy to work with and do a great job. Thanks FDK, HGR, MRB, and JYO!

Also thanks to IAD and HEF! NYG thank you as well!

AW

Hell yea, thanks for the patience with our trainees - NYG

 

[Eagle1Fox2]

When I worked at the FCTs, our ATM was cool.. all you had to do was call downstairs and say “hey can you come up?” he’ll work for however long it took you to do whatever food run, shit, etc. but that was with great leadership. After 6pm it would die down so you got a 4hr break everyday literally just make an ATIS that’s it. At 20yrs old making 80k there wasn’t a complaint out of my mouth. The no leave for the first year does blow though. Eventually you do get bored and strive for more you go to the FAA the first facility I went too was not where I wanted to be but I got lucky with the NCEPT I’m saying all this because all the negatives was explained to be while getting hired for the FCTs so I knew it and accepted it I just looked at it like a stepping stone as far as NATCA we weren’t a NATCA tower and no one there wanted to be one because NATCA doesn’t care about FCTs and never will you’re just a tally they want they get more members and what ever little pay you give them in dues and you get nothing

 

[FightingIrish2012]

When I worked at the FCTs, our ATM was cool.. all you had to do was call downstairs and say “hey can you come up?” he’ll work for however long it took you to do whatever food run, shit, etc. but that was with great leadership. After 6pm it would die down so you got a 4hr break everyday literally just make an ATIS that’s it. At 20yrs old making 80k there wasn’t a complaint out of my mouth. The no leave for the first year does blow though. Eventually you do get bored and strive for more you go to the FAA the first facility I went too was not where I wanted to be but I got lucky with the NCEPT I’m saying all this because all the negatives was explained to be while getting hired for the FCTs so I knew it and accepted it I just looked at it like a stepping stone as far as NATCA we weren’t a NATCA tower and no one there wanted to be one because NATCA doesn’t care about FCTs and never will you’re just a tally they want they get more members and what ever little pay you give them in dues and you get nothing

Thank you for a honest and legitimate assessment of your time in FCT and their standing in NATCA, brining back a degree of civility and balance to a forum which constrain so much vitriol regarding the subject.

 

[abc1234]

NATCA definitely needs to address all the premiums. Too many times my facility has to cover CIC. I want more than 10%. Sunday premium is nice and all but Saturday is just as important. You're working the weekends and not getting the ability to spend time with your kids that are out of school. Same as night diff. All of them should be raised across the board.

Overtime pay is an issue nationwide. It should never be beneficial for an organization to schedule overtime rather than hiring more people. Entice me with 3x pay and maybe Ill come in for those OTs rather than banging out.

Night differential should be ANY HOURS outside of 9-5

 

[RB]

When I worked at the FCTs, our ATM was cool.. all you had to do was call downstairs and say “hey can you come up?” he’ll work for however long it took you to do whatever food run, shit, etc. but that was with great leadership. After 6pm it would die down so you got a 4hr break everyday literally just make an ATIS that’s it. At 20yrs old making 80k there wasn’t a complaint out of my mouth. The no leave for the first year does blow though. Eventually you do get bored and strive for more you go to the FAA the first facility I went too was not where I wanted to be but I got lucky with the NCEPT I’m saying all this because all the negatives was explained to be while getting hired for the FCTs so I knew it and accepted it I just looked at it like a stepping stone as far as NATCA we weren’t a NATCA tower and no one there wanted to be one because NATCA doesn’t care about FCTs and never will you’re just a tally they want they get more members and what ever little pay you give them in dues and you get nothing

I had a similar experience. Manager was awesome, upstairs working the line every day. Breaks were short during the day, but not anyone's fault it was just due to staffing. When we could accommodate a longer break people got em. Didn't have anyone banging out sick unless they absolutely had to because staffing was so short that we knew it'd leave the facility in a bind. I got there right out of the military, left 1 year on the dot to go to the FAA. Checked out there and got a golden ticket with NCEPT in a little over a year of being at my first facility I was gone to the end goal facility.

FCT definitely set me up very well for the FAA, but I was at one of the busier ones so it made my transition to my first facility super smooth.

 

[abc1234]

the FAA is funded mostly by the airport and airways trust fund, which receives revenue from passenger taxes, fuel and cargo taxes, right?

US airlines are on track to carry 1 BILLION PAX this year. Not even counting international carriers. If we raise the tax by ONE DOLLAR per ticket to fund raises for our overworked and understaffed ATC, we could have $1B extra for the payroll.

Divided by what, 13,000 controllers? We are looking at a $75,000 raise PER CPC.

Don't let them tell you there's no money for raises, for increased OT rates, better differentials. There are plenty of opportunities to find money outside of the federal pay caps. Give every controller a $10,000 cash award right fucking now for the past 15 years of mistreatment. Raise the ticket tax by ONE DOLLAR!!

 

[Motodog]

NATCA definitely needs to address all the premiums. Too many times my facility has to cover CIC. I want more than 10%. Sunday premium is nice and all but Saturday is just as important. You're working the weekends and not getting the ability to spend time with your kids that are out of school. Same as night diff. All of them should be raised across the board.

Overtime pay is an issue nationwide. It should never be beneficial for an organization to schedule overtime rather than hiring more people. Entice me with 3x pay and maybe Ill come in for those OTs rather than banging out.

You’re right on with OT. Fact is, it IS greatly beneficial for them to pay OT, vs hiring another warm body, pay em salary, sick, medical, dental, vacation and retirement