2024 NATCA President Election

[hpwjuicebox]

Truth is NATCA doesn't have the funds it needs to be effective. With inflation sky high NATCA dues dont go as far as they used to. A gallon of milk is $8 where I live. I wouldn’t be surprised if new leadership got us a raise snd then double membership fees. At the end of the day it takes money to make money.

You are slipping. The trolling is becoming more obvious.

 

[32andBelow]

Truth is NATCA doesn't have the funds it needs to be effective. With inflation sky high NATCA dues dont go as far as they used to. A gallon of milk is $8 where I live. I wouldn’t be surprised if new leadership got us a raise snd then double membership fees. At the end of the day it takes money to make money.

Alright it’s not the time anymore it’s time to go to war.

 

[HurryUpandWait]

Yeah I think PATCO way over played their hand, we don't even have a hand with this union. Our figurative NATCA hands are in the FAA's back pocket following them around like a prison bitch.

PATCO also had a shady change of leadership the year prior and that fractured the leadership team causing some of their strong leaders/negotiators to step away or retire (Mike Rock & Leyden) Hence why they failed miserably and had no plan B or C

Might be a dumb question but do you have to wait for the next contract to negotiate pay? That’s the only time it can be changed?

No, it isn’t but you have to be tactical about it. We all want pay raises so everyone demands they open negotiations on pay. What they don’t realize is that when you open it up everything is on the table. We’re in a dogshit economy right now with government spending out of control. Half of the government at least pretends like they are fed up with the debt and overspending.

No one here ever thinks of the repercussions or devils advocate side of things. They just think they can be Tony Montana and get what they want whenever they want. Real world doesn’t work like that.

Email was sent out yesterday to Region X members. NATCA provided notice to the FAA that they intend to open the Region X CBAs.

I was frustrated to learn that NATCA will not be renegotiating the Light Blue & Purple Books in full. Instead, they will select only a limited number of articles from the existing CBAs and attempt to negotiate changes to those.

Isn’t that normal? They both go to the table with the articles they want to open negotiations with and the articles they want to continue…

Less about premiums more about money that will count towards your retirement, you are retired for around the same time as working. In alot of cases more time getting paid in retirement.

Premiums should be added into retirement imo. Well at the minimum OT should be included

It's also important to know what things NATCA can bargain for and what is dictated government-wide. If we are strictly going off of what are easily-known variables...

In the Purple Book article on pay (CBA for Support Specialists and more that is currently set to expire this July), they have a section dedicated strictly to a one-time lump-sum payment that happened in June 2013 (Article 108, Section 4). It is ABSOLUTELY REASONABLE for NATCA to bargain to do the same thing (but larger), as well as amend the section before it to "update" the length of service adjustment; and it should be downright simple for them to do so. They could go to the table asking for a basic pay adjustment (a one-time raise), a one-time "bonus" that wouldn't increase your basic pay, or they could ask for both. All 3 (length of service, one-time raise, and one-time bonus) should be their starting point, length of service and one of the other two should be their landing point.

They also owe it to membership to renegotiate the article on medical qualifications (Article 66) to put the onus on the FAA for those in a medically dq'd status. Regardless of the scammers it might bring out, if someone loses their medical then they should be automatically on other duties; let the FAA light a fire under the RFSs to start doing their jobs. Everything I've seen so far points to the Regional Flight Surgeon being the choke point for how terrible the entire medical qualification system is and it screws a lot of people and facilities over. I am grateful I don't have to worry about ever having to deal with that system.

If echster is correct and they truly are opening up only specific articles to negotiate for the Purple & Light Blue renewal, then anything less than updating the length of service adjustment to 2.5% (at minimum) and some additional form of a one-time raise (or an even larger "bonus") is an abject failure on NATCA's part.

OPM already has simple language for a retention incentive at up to 25% of basic pay, and up to 50% "based on critical agency need." To me, it seems like it should be easy enough for Purple & Light Blue to get a 25% one-time bonus and for NATCA to "update" that language for the Slate book contract to 50% for controllers when the time comes. Pair that with adjusting the length of service to 2.5-3% every year and NATCA can blast that out as a massive victory when it truly doesn't cost them or the agency that much at all in the long run. A massive one-time bonus means that the FAA will still get to abuse OT instead of worry about staffing & scheduling, won't impact retirement calculations, and it wouldn't compound year-over-year with other raises.

As much as I hesitate to ever be in agreement with 32andBelow on something, I believe they are correct that NATCA owes it to simply try to bring in line other benefits that are available to federal employees. Things that are simple such as:

1.) The Student Loan Repayment Program: pays off up to $60k of federal student loans in $10k yearly increments that helps to boost retention. Suddenly those CTI grads can burden being stuck at a level 4 for 6 years because each year they stay knocks off $10k of their loans.

2.) A Tuition Assistance Program: varies from agency to agency, but most are somewhere in the ballpark of $5k per calendar year and it would be an easy PR win for both NATCA and the FAA to brag about this program that few NATCA members would ever use.

Post more.

This clown is so oblivious he thinks the union is some guy he don’t like.
Actively lobby for everyone quitting and weakening the union and also complain about how said weak union that you’re not apart of doesn't get a raise for you.

I mean that decision by the NEB is pretty damning. I am trying to think of their reasoning why to turn it down? Were they afraid they would get downgraded if they looked into? It’s preposterous.

But also it does feel like some want natca to fail just so they can say they were right

Makes you wonder what else has been decided or lacked action in those meetings…

 

[32andBelow]

No, it isn’t but you have to be tactical about it. We all want pay raises so everyone demands they open negotiations on pay. What they don’t realize is that when you open it up everything is on the table. We’re in a dogshit economy right now with government spending out of control. Half of the government at least pretends like they are fed up with the debt and overspending.

No one here ever thinks of the repercussions or devils advocate side of things. They just think they can be Tony Montana and get what they want whenever they want. Real world doesn’t work like that.

Most of our benefits are government wide so what the fuck are they going to cut

 

[HurryUpandWait]

Most of our benefits are government wide so what the fuck are they going to cut

Your pay.

 

[32andBelow]

Your pay.

Nah. Don’t be scared. That’s weak talk.

 

[HurryUpandWait]

Nah. Don’t be scared. That’s weak talk.

well I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. The damn FAA agreed to give an upgrade and NATCA turned it down. I’m still in shock

 

[Move78]

well I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. The damn FAA agreed to give an upgrade and NATCA turned it down. I’m still in shock

This is the question everyone needs to ask Santa and Daniels and Devine and every RVP directly and in public.
If this is true the union is beyond repair.
As shocking as this would be, i’d be just as shocked that it was kept secret for so long. Everything leaks because they all hate each other.
The whole NEB as a unit is a catastrophic disfunction. You couldn’t build a worse board in a lab.

Please don’t disrespect our military

Ralphy from the top rope

 

[jdatc]

Is he dead? Maybe they took him out? Not a word since he started his website.

I’m still around. I have been reading more than writing of late. If anyone wants to contact me as well, my site has an option. I’ll talk to anyone. Santa and Mick are coming to my facility this coming Wednesday, so the membership gets to engage them. I’ll be there.

 

[GulfCharlie]

Ralphy from the top rope

I should have added better context for good old Ralph:
During the PATCO strike the Agency brought in the military to keep airports open, today there is no feasible path to do such a thing. Hell the DoD facility I left was projected at 60%. There were some expectations, but most struggled with simple level 5/6 traffic, so taking them and throwing them to even mid levels would be a stretch.

This is the question everyone needs to ask Santa and Daniels and Devine and every RVP directly and in public.
If this is true the union is beyond repair.
As shocking as this would be, i’d be just as shocked that it was kept secret for so long. Everything leaks because they all hate each other.
The whole NEB as a unit is a catastrophic disfunction. You couldn’t build a worse board in a lab.

Agreed, and it is something the membership needs to push on for answers. It was not a total secret, Smitty / PushingTin (RIP), alluded to almost a year ago (once you deciphered his ramblings) that there was a massive "civil war" amongst the NEB. NATCA at its core is a necessity for representation, but watching people support the corruption baffles me. Sure some people have gotten to where they want, or gotten positions they crave, but the defence of such corruption just blows my mind. People need to step up and run, incumbents need to be voted out, and we need terms limits voted for at convention.

 

[echster]

Friend provided me with the email from the Region X RVP, Brad Davidson. Highlighted/underlined portions are mine.

NATCA Provided Notice To The Agency Intent To Open Contracts

Brothers and Sisters,

I am writing to inform all of our members that we have provided notice to the agency that NATCA intends to open our Collective Bargaining Agreements. This notification is required in order to proceed with our planned limited opening of the CBA's.

While this message is intended to only keep you updated of our notification, we will be sending out further details of what this will mean for us moving forward. In the meantime, rest assured that we have been working collectively and collaboratively with representatives across our Region to identify the most important items to negotiate on behalf of our membership.

There are some finishing touches that will be wrapped up at the national level in the coming days which will help us plot our course forward regarding the limited articles we intend to negotiate. Once those discussions are completed, we will update you with more on the details.

In solidarity,
Brad

 

[KP-ATC]

No, it isn’t but you have to be tactical about it. We all want pay raises so everyone demands they open negotiations on pay. What they don’t realize is that when you open it up everything is on the table. We’re in a dogshit economy right now with government spending out of control. Half of the government at least pretends like they are fed up with the debt and overspending.

No one here ever thinks of the repercussions or devils advocate side of things. They just think they can be Tony Montana and get what they want whenever they want. Real world doesn’t work like that.

We should wait until we have what NATCA thinks is the most labor friendly administration in the white house.
Oh, wait...

 

[Mike Kilo]

Interesting no one here is talking about the Santa town hall he had for northwest mountain last night. He did address the whole thing clearly. Happened as laid out by mick.

Most of the people I talked to didn’t even know it was happening until after it started, myself included.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Interesting no one here is talking about the Santa town hall he had for northwest mountain last night. He did address the whole thing clearly. Happened as laid out by mick.

Most of the people I talked to didn’t even know it was happening until after it started, myself included.

He addressed it but yeah just basically confirmed the validity of the situation. He didn’t roll on the NEB though. He also didn’t provide any info on where they’re going forward after that happened. Said it happened during the San Antonio meeting and minutes should be up soon though for those that were wondering

 

[Move78]

I should have added better context for good old Ralph:
During the PATCO strike the Agency brought in the military to keep airports open, today there is no feasible path to do such a thing. Hell the DoD facility I left was projected at 60%. There were some expectations, but most struggled with simple level 5/6 traffic, so taking them and throwing them to even mid levels would be a stretch.


Agreed, and it is something the membership needs to push on for answers. It was not a total secret, Smitty / PushingTin (RIP), alluded to almost a year ago (once you deciphered his ramblings) that there was a massive "civil war" amongst the NEB. NATCA at its core is a necessity for representation, but watching people support the corruption baffles me. Sure some people have gotten to where they want, or gotten positions they crave, but the defence of such corruption just blows my mind. People need to step up and run, incumbents need to be voted out, and we need terms limits voted for at convention.

The civil war was no secret. I meant the actual accusation here. The FAA agreed to upgrade 5 centers and Rich’s political enemies on the NEB stopped it?
Who from the FAA did the agreeing? Names.
Was it written down? If so why haven’t we seen that?
Was it verbal? If so who was present to hear it?
Who exactly on the NEB stopped it?Names.
And how did they stop it without a vote?
If there is a way to stop such a thing without a vote why would they do such a thing?

He addressed it but yeah just basically confirmed the validity of the situation. He didn’t roll on the NEB though. He also didn’t provide any info on where they’re going forward after that happened. Said it happened during the San Antonio meeting and minutes should be up soon though for those that were wondering

Did they go back to SAT recently? The 10/22 SAT minutes have been posted for a year and there’s nothing in them on this.

 

[ATC Zero]

Did they go back to SAT recently? The 10/22 SAT minutes have been posted for a year and there’s nothing in them on this.

Shady as hell that it took 14 months to come out that this went down. They would have lost a ton of members Jan 23 and 24.
It’s about to go down in 25. All their skeletons coming out of the closet for this election.
Santa and Mick not playing around, if Santa delivers on these two contacts being opened up! Say bye Felecia Nick and Jamal can disappear.

 

[RazeWen]

Shady as hell that it took 14 months to come out that this went down. They would have lost a ton of members Jan 23 and 24.
It’s about to go down in 25. All their skeletons coming out of the closet for this election.
Santa and Mick not playing around, if Santa delivers on these two contacts being opened up! Say bye Felecia Nick and Jamal can disappear.

I must admit I was drinking the kool-aid early on and wanted Santa gone. As things come out Nick Daniel’s is really selfish. Team Santa now.

Hide your wives Nick Daniel’s is coming to a facility near you.

 

[Mike Kilo]

I must admit I was drinking the kool-aid early on and wanted Santa gone. As things come out Nick Daniel’s is really selfish. Team JD now.

Hide your wives Nick Daniel’s is coming to a facility near you.

Fixed it for ya.

 

[rugbydog11]

Please don’t disrespect our military

 

[FightingIrish2012]

I just don’t know yet, it seems unfathomable to me that half of more of the NEB would block something like this because they thought it would promote Santa. All it does is give those places raises they earned years ago, Santa opponents could have argued “why did it take so long”.

Especially if this happen in Fall2022? That San Antonio meeting? That’s not 5 months ago, it’s about 18 months ago. I can’t imagine they were thinking about this election then.