It’s funny you call us dumb and say we can’t think outside our own desires/agenda, but you are literally doing the same thing.
I see the other point of view, I’m just trying to show others the other side and why we feel the way we do.
We had 5 years to prepare for a negotiation in 2026, and for the last 3 years, we knew Trump was a real possibility. The fact that the union did nothing to prepare for a possible negotiation with Trump in that time is a failure of the current and past NEB. Like I said, I hope the extension method works, I want us to succeed. But what happens if JD Vance is the next president? The longer we postpone negotiations, the bigger the ask becomes to get us to catch up.
The attack of cutting federal employees is real, but I don’t think ATC employees that work traffic day in and day out have anything to fear. Now if you’re on details or one of the many committees, I think it’s clear this administration wants to cut that way back if not eliminate completely. But the majority of NATCA employees are plugged in and talking to planes every day.