NATCA should be encouraging their members to take care of their physical and mental health, and not work 6 day weeks months/years on end. It’s been a decade plus of it at some facilities. It’s far too late for me to give them any credit for strong arming the FAA into getting us enough people.
IMO, the union would encourage their members to take care of themselves, and then let the agency figure it out when they don’t have enough people. If that means heavily curtailing services and massive delays, that’s what should happen.Let the leadership of the FAA answer to congress and the media about why ATC towers and radar facilities are closed for staffing, in an allegedly first world country. Instead we have this Frankenstein system where somehow your salary with 500 hours of OT is quoted as normal, and union reps seemingly silent on the need of the workforce to have more than 4 days off a month.