Michael Redmond for EVP

Mike Redmond has updated his campaign page, lots of good information for those that want to take the time to read

My Campaign

Mike goes in to elaborate detail about the issues facing us today, how he would address these issues, and wants to open the CBA for immediate negotiation and most important of all is an active 32 hour work week advocate.

I encourage everyone to take the time to read the issues and of course fill out a survey (made by Mike to gauge the membership) on what is most important to THEM! NATCA EVP
 
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Just in case you didn’t get it, here is Redmond’s email to the membership:

Dear NATCA Brothers and Sisters,



As many of you know, ballots for our national and regional elections were mailed on June 3, so you will soon be receiving them. Elections give each of us an opportunity to voice our opinions and be heard by our leadership. This cycle’s election is perhaps the most critical in years, as it will determine the future of not only our Union, but our occupation as a whole. I urge each and every one of you to not just vote, but to cast educated votes for the candidates you think will best lead our Union into an era of empowerment and enable us to repair working conditions and restore our ailing career back to the point of pride it once was.



When I was hired in 2003, air traffic control was a career field that one could be excited and proud to be a part of. After serving our country as a United States Marine, working as a controller for the FAA was the “golden ticket” and a pathway to a better and hopefully less strenuous life. The Green Book had just been adopted, reclass had been completed, and most controllers were content and carried themselves with a sense of pride. We had ample staffing in most facilities following the first of several hiring booms and life was good. It was an anomaly to work overtime, especially mandatory overtime. 6 days a week, and 10 hours days were most definitely not the norm. Until the last few years it was rare to hear of anyone resigning from the Agency. For the most part our workforce was happy. Fast forward 21 years and mandatory 60 hour work weeks are the norm in most facilities. Controllers are no longer able to advance their careers by taking a staff or traffic management position, nor can they be granted a transfer to a new facility because staffing shortages have reached a critical level in the majority of facilities throughout the NAS. People are resigning from the Agency at an alarming rate, both trainees and CPCs, because they are worn out and struggling to see their families or get much needed recuperative rest, looking for a better quality of life.



For too many years now I have watched our career slowly deteriorate into something almost unrecognizable. What used to be a unique career that we could all take pride in has become a grind and morale is at the lowest I have ever seen it. Our membership feels hopeless, frustrated and unheard by both their employer and the Union that we have always counted on to protect our rights and working conditions. It has become glaringly obvious that our employer doesn’t care anything about their employees. We are all just cogs in a wheel, here to cater to the the airlines and Elon Musk and any other billionaire with a rocket. We have hundreds, if not thousands of controllers working traffic at least one level above what they are getting paid for, and doing it 6 days a week every week. In some facilities, calling in sick or fatigued is not an option unless they want to be hassled by management or given sick leave abuse letters. We hear the agency speak about fatigue mitigations and work/life balance, however the FAA does everything in its power to ensure that these things don’t exist for controllers. They have no intention of doing the right thing by their employees and I know that I for one am tired of it! The basic job of any Union, and especially one as powerful as NATCA once was, is to negotiate pay and working conditions. It appears that we have not done that effectively in years. Our focus has been on collaboration and doing management’s job for them, and it is time to make a change back to basics.



Our Union leadership sat silent on many of these issue until election season rolled around. Now all those that have been sitting at or near the top for years just keep telling us this cycle will be different, making promises that they may or may not keep. This election started out as a mudslinging campaign with no real talk about any issues until the membership became so vocal that they could no longer be ignored. Now there is plenty of talk about issues but no real movement towards solving them or even plans for doing so. Still, the negativity between the candidates runs rampant and these personal attacks and propaganda have done nothing but cause divisiveness among our National Executive Board, rendering them virtually useless.



I was taught to leave it better than I found it and I believe in that wholeheartedly. I am eligible to retire in just under 3 years and I don’t feel that if I walk out the door with the status quo of our Union still in effect that I would be doing that. I am respectfully asking for your vote to help change the direction of NATCA, enabling me to shake things up at the top. It’s time to remind our leadership that we must embody the unity we speak of so often, cast aside our personal differences, and start representing our membership like we are elected to do. Let’s reclaim our once great career and restore it to its former glory!



This election is the first time in many years that WE as the membership have had an opportunity to exercise our voices with multiple choices. We have been robbed of our right to have a say in our last contract and we can’t let that happen again. Don’t let them rob US of our right to vote in a new Executive Board. Exercise your right and VOTE!



Thank you for your consideration and time.



Sincerely,



Michael Redmond

[email protected]

www.redmond4evp.com
 
Now that ballots are out, I’m going to make one last pitch for this guy since I work with him every day. If you are on the fence about what to do at EVP and you feel like both Mick and Jamaal are bad options, Mike is an excellent option. I get how people feel about the lack of experience with JD and Redmond, but Redmond isn’t inexperienced when it comes to union stuff. That man knows the contract inside and out and isn’t afraid to stick it to the FAA to make sure that no BUE is getting stepped on. Every time I talk to him, he is talking about parts of the white book, green book, you name it color book and what could be improved upon in the union. Just like all of us, Mike is frustrated with the current state of the union. He is actually putting his money where his mouth is and trying to improve the union as a whole.

The guy has literally spent his time not at work (when he isn’t dealing with his area rep responsibilities) trying to get through the entire member list to email them personally and invite anyone who wants to talk to him to do so. And when people say they want to talk, he makes the time and gives them a call to hear what they have to say. He wants to help anyone and everyone in NATCA to improve upon their life and working conditions.

So while you may have never heard of Mike Redmond, he is a strong candidate to help bring the union back to a better spot.
 
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mrroberts said:
Just in case you didn’t get it, here is Redmond’s email to the membership:

Dear NATCA Brothers and Sisters,



As many of you know, ballots for our national and regional elections were mailed on June 3, so you will soon be receiving them. Elections give each of us an opportunity to voice our opinions and be heard by our leadership. This cycle’s election is perhaps the most critical in years, as it will determine the future of not only our Union, but our occupation as a whole. I urge each and every one of you to not just vote, but to cast educated votes for the candidates you think will best lead our Union into an era of empowerment and enable us to repair working conditions and restore our ailing career back to the point of pride it once was.



When I was hired in 2003, air traffic control was a career field that one could be excited and proud to be a part of. After serving our country as a United States Marine, working as a controller for the FAA was the “golden ticket” and a pathway to a better and hopefully less strenuous life. The Green Book had just been adopted, reclass had been completed, and most controllers were content and carried themselves with a sense of pride. We had ample staffing in most facilities following the first of several hiring booms and life was good. It was an anomaly to work overtime, especially mandatory overtime. 6 days a week, and 10 hours days were most definitely not the norm. Until the last few years it was rare to hear of anyone resigning from the Agency. For the most part our workforce was happy. Fast forward 21 years and mandatory 60 hour work weeks are the norm in most facilities. Controllers are no longer able to advance their careers by taking a staff or traffic management position, nor can they be granted a transfer to a new facility because staffing shortages have reached a critical level in the majority of facilities throughout the NAS. People are resigning from the Agency at an alarming rate, both trainees and CPCs, because they are worn out and struggling to see their families or get much needed recuperative rest, looking for a better quality of life.



For too many years now I have watched our career slowly deteriorate into something almost unrecognizable. What used to be a unique career that we could all take pride in has become a grind and morale is at the lowest I have ever seen it. Our membership feels hopeless, frustrated and unheard by both their employer and the Union that we have always counted on to protect our rights and working conditions. It has become glaringly obvious that our employer doesn’t care anything about their employees. We are all just cogs in a wheel, here to cater to the the airlines and Elon Musk and any other billionaire with a rocket. We have hundreds, if not thousands of controllers working traffic at least one level above what they are getting paid for, and doing it 6 days a week every week. In some facilities, calling in sick or fatigued is not an option unless they want to be hassled by management or given sick leave abuse letters. We hear the agency speak about fatigue mitigations and work/life balance, however the FAA does everything in its power to ensure that these things don’t exist for controllers. They have no intention of doing the right thing by their employees and I know that I for one am tired of it! The basic job of any Union, and especially one as powerful as NATCA once was, is to negotiate pay and working conditions. It appears that we have not done that effectively in years. Our focus has been on collaboration and doing management’s job for them, and it is time to make a change back to basics.



Our Union leadership sat silent on many of these issue until election season rolled around. Now all those that have been sitting at or near the top for years just keep telling us this cycle will be different, making promises that they may or may not keep. This election started out as a mudslinging campaign with no real talk about any issues until the membership became so vocal that they could no longer be ignored. Now there is plenty of talk about issues but no real movement towards solving them or even plans for doing so. Still, the negativity between the candidates runs rampant and these personal attacks and propaganda have done nothing but cause divisiveness among our National Executive Board, rendering them virtually useless.



I was taught to leave it better than I found it and I believe in that wholeheartedly. I am eligible to retire in just under 3 years and I don’t feel that if I walk out the door with the status quo of our Union still in effect that I would be doing that. I am respectfully asking for your vote to help change the direction of NATCA, enabling me to shake things up at the top. It’s time to remind our leadership that we must embody the unity we speak of so often, cast aside our personal differences, and start representing our membership like we are elected to do. Let’s reclaim our once great career and restore it to its former glory!



This election is the first time in many years that WE as the membership have had an opportunity to exercise our voices with multiple choices. We have been robbed of our right to have a say in our last contract and we can’t let that happen again. Don’t let them rob US of our right to vote in a new Executive Board. Exercise your right and VOTE!



Thank you for your consideration and time.



Sincerely,



Michael Redmond

[email protected]

www.redmond4evp.com
Click to expand...
Count Me In Rick And Morty GIF
 
HurryUpandWait said:
my brother in christ what do you think the FAA will do? only collab when natca gets something?

"Part of the reasoning of me deciding to run is the simple fact that after the 5 Center upgrade/not upgrade announcement myself and several others from my facility emailed the board and asked them to unite and send out a statement from the whole NEB to solidify that they all believe in working towards getting the 5 Centers upgraded. Our ask wasn't even making promises, just the fact of putting in writing that they would all work towards doing what they are elected to do as one moving forward. While several members of the Board have had telephone discussions with myself and some of the union members who wrote them as well, the board as a whole still will not make a statement together. This shows the level of dysfunction at the NEB level and the lack of doing the basics of what they are elected for."

This isn't good.
Click to expand...
We need a fighter. Remember what labor unions USED to be. They would impose work stoppages and wouldn’t give a fiddler’s fuck what the employer said because they [unions] knew they could fight for what was right for the workers. Now, this was obviously in a different time well before now. But the sentiment should be alive and well in every single one of us. We need a union that’s going to fight for its workers no matter what, not some cuck like Rich who rubber stamps everything the agency puts across his desk until it’s an election year…

Mike has my vote! Him and JD seem passionate, hardworking and employ some conviction and concern about the current state of our workforce and what they plan to do about it. Conversely, they don’t strike me as pandering two-faced shills possessed by agendas similar to that of Washington. It’s a no brainer to me.
 
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SquawkHijack said:
We need a fighter. Remember what labor unions USED to be. They would impose work stoppages and wouldn’t give a fiddler’s fuck what the employer said because they [unions] knew they could fight for what was right for the workers. Now, this was obviously in a different time well before now. But the sentiment should be alive and well in every single one of us. We need a union that’s going to fight for its workers no matter what, not some cuck like Rich who rubber stamps everything the agency puts across his desk until it’s an election year…

Mike has my vote! Him and JD seem passionate, hardworking and employ some conviction and concern about the current state of our workforce and what they plan to do about it. Conversely, they don’t strike me as pandering two-faced shills possessed by agendas similar to that of Washington. It’s a no brainer to me.
Click to expand...
The last time we had a union that tried a work stoppage they all got fired 🤣

JD seems weak. Have you seen his videos ? Not my guy, sorry. I guess we’ll see how many people think JD is strong fighter here soon enough.

All the candidates have access to the emails, he’s sent out 2 weak videos with no conviction. WEAK
 
Nothanks said:
The last time we had a union that tried a work stoppage they all got fired 🤣

JD seems weak. Have you seen his videos ? Not my guy, sorry. I guess we’ll see how many people think JD is strong fighter here soon enough.

All the candidates have access to the emails, he’s sent out 2 weak videos with no conviction. WEAK
Click to expand...
I didn’t say we should all participate in a work stoppage. I was saying we should have a stronger mindset similar to the SENTIMENT of what unions did back in earlier times…
 
Nothanks said:
The last time we had a union that tried a work stoppage they all got fired 🤣

JD seems weak. Have you seen his videos ? Not my guy, sorry. I guess we’ll see how many people think JD is strong fighter here soon enough.

All the candidates have access to the emails, he’s sent out 2 weak videos with no conviction. WEAK
Click to expand...
PATCO had numerous job actions throughout the 70s most of which resulted in positive results for the union and only on a few occasions some leading activists were fired.
 
inthrewtheoutdor said:
PATCO had numerous job actions throughout the 70s most of which resulted in positive results for the union and only on a few occasions some leading activists were fired.
Click to expand...
PATCO also over played their hand and pissed off the pilots and flying public which ended up isolating them when they went on strike, ALPA did not back PATCO behind close doors.
 
GulfCharlie said:
Redmond posted an update with his survey results: BLOG | Redmond4EVP
Click to expand...

​

Election Day!

Well, its Election Day, just a little bit ago I am sure NATCA National went and picked up the ballots and are currently counting. I have to work tonight, so I won't be making the count. As many of us have seen this election is different than in the past, it’s been polarizing, toxic...
www.redmond4evp.com www.redmond4evp.com


Election Day!​


Well, its Election Day, just a little bit ago I am sure NATCA National went and picked up the ballots and are currently counting. I have to work tonight, so I won't be making the count. As many of us have seen this election is different than in the past, it’s been polarizing, toxic, heartbreaking and at times just embarrassing. It’s somewhat tried to mimic our national politics and campaigns, highlighting the fact of how removed most of our leadership of the Union is with the very people it represents.

However, it has also highlighted some things that hopefully the future electee’s change. Regardless of who wins, whether I win, lose or make it into a runoff, hold all of us accountable! By now the voting is complete and the results will be what they will be. However, I am hopeful that some of the following gets put into place next convention:

· Pass a constitutional amendment forbidding any Union Representative from endorsing any candidate for any position within NATCA. It is a Union Representatives job to provide information to its membership, not influence the very members they represent. (This includes article 114 representatives) People should be representing us, not being involved in politics or being concerned about their position when the elections are over.

· Ensure that no candidate can campaign until AFTER the nomination period has opened and said nomination has been accepted and vetted. It is insane that our members have had to deal with campaigning for almost a year. Not only has this impacted the membership but has taken away from work that should have been done at the national level.

For you, the members:

· If you saw something you didn’t agree with, make the amendment, bring change.

Whoever has been elected to your new executive board, regardless of who it is, hold them accountable. Question them often and demand answers, remind them they work for you, the membership!

· This Union is your Union, your employer sure as hell is not going to do right by you, if your Union isn’t as well it's not the Union, its who we keep putting into these positions. Change it from the bottom up. Replace the people who are not representing you!

· If you have watched any of your local leaders act in a way that was hateful, or disrespectful toward ANY candidate, replace them. They more than likely are not representing your best interest but their own, this more than likely carries over to other things they represent you on.

· Demand change, whether you want to recognize it or not it works. You have changed the direction of some of the candidates, things that were not at the forefront in the beginning of this election cycle now are. Now you must hold them accountable to follow through!

· If you are not happy with NATCA Policy and your local leadership are just going along with national instead of attempting to make change so they can get a position, challenge them. Run against them, replace them. Get our Union back into having the robust conversations that made us move forward so well years ago.

· Lastly and AGAIN, DEMAND CHANGE!

For our leadership:

· Recognize the fact that WE have been failing over the past several years, we are not in a good place. We are underpaid, fatigued, work in unacceptable and aged facilities and with aged equipment. We do most of the heavy lifting in the facilities!

· Start holding management accountable and STOP doing all the work for them.

· Start recognizing that your members are fatigued and tired of being treated like trash by the very people you are so collaborative with.

· Recognize that you have created two classes within our workforce, the worker bees and those that have been off the boards for years. While you want to call us “brothers & sisters” you are out living a different life than those of us that are left working in the facility with 4 days off a month and not being able to spend much time with our families. Check yourself and come back down to our level, have compassion, recognize it, stop being so defensive.

· Start representing your dues paying members or you may not have many left.

I end this with, I am truly hopeful that regardless of who gets elected, that your new executive board gets to work, brings the needed change moves us forward and does it rapidly. This occupation and Union are at a crossroads and needs to figure it out quickly!

For those that spoke with me and interacted over the past few months, thanks for the conversations, the ideas and having a vested interest in wanting our Union to do better!
 
Lol, I like why this guy says, but he should have actually campaigned. What if he actually won today? Would he move to Washington, or say he needs to work OT next week lol?
 
miker1369 said:

Election Day!​

· Pass a constitutional amendment forbidding any Union Representative from endorsing any candidate for any position within NATCA. It is a Union Representatives job to provide information to its membership, not influence the very members they represent. (This includes article 114 representatives) People should be representing us, not being involved in politics or being concerned about their position when the elections are over.
Click to expand...
I completely disagree with this.

Attempting to silence the opinion of hundreds of members is wildly undemocratic, and opposite to the idea of a union in general. Everyone gets a voice, even if you disagree with it.
 
FightingIrish2012 said:
Lol, I like why this guy says, but he should have actually campaigned. What if he actually won today? Would he move to Washington, or say he needs to work OT next week lol?
Click to expand...

FightingIrish2012 said:
Lol, I like why this guy says, but he should have actually campaigned. What if he actually won today? Would he move to Washington, or say he needs to work OT next week lol?
Click to expand...
Yes, I would move. Could not really bid leave based on an election count that I didn't plan on running for.
 

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