Slate Book extended until July 2026

And you guys thought I was nuts when I was pushing privatization lol. Privatization would have been great, it would have been like a huge defense contractor being the only provider of a indispensable service and can not be replaced until AI takes over. Pay scales and increases would have far exceeded the new contract, plus you could still have collectively bargained the worker protections, etc....
Boo, we have a privatized ATC system in the US and they suck. You’re crazy if you think we would stay in a good position after privatization.
 
They dont have to tell you every little thing going on behind closed doors. NATCA could literally cure cancer and you would whine that they didnt consult you or they didnt do it fast enough.
In their defense extending a CBA isn't a little thing. It's pretty jacked up that members don't hear about it until its signed.
I do agree with you in the sense that compared to other jobs for the most part we are over payed especially since some of these jobs people are legitimately working 8+ hours in a shift non stop, and we don't work close to our entire shift on position. But on the flip side is there any harm in asking for more than what we have, nope.
 
In their defense extending a CBA isn't a little thing. It's pretty jacked up that members don't hear about it until its signed.
I do agree with you in the sense that compared to other jobs for the most part we are over payed especially since some of these jobs people are legitimately working 8+ hours in a shift non stop, and we don't work close to our entire shift on position. But on the flip side is there any harm in asking for more than what we have, nope.
I agree Waterboy, I think the worst part of this is that the membership will not even get to vote to ratify it, and there was no mention of the possibility of an extension before it was signed. I also don't think there was any harm in asking, even aggressively asking for more. The talking NATCA heads who say "you have to be careful when you negotiate things here or you could lose more then you gain", are in this case, totally nuts, or straight up lying to you. It is the self proclaimed "most labor friendly administration ever". And in the last year they have given out so many trillion that some parts of government still have hundreds of billions left to spend from it they haven't gotten to yet. Pair that with the Infrastructure Bill coming, and it will likely be Biden's priority to get that done as his last major piece of legislation before the Dems are wiped out in mid term elections. Tons of additional money or perks could have went to ATC though those bills.
 
They dont have to tell you every little thing going on behind closed doors.
Why should I be a part of a union that doesn’t look out for my interests, thanks for securing my job, my pay, my time off. For them not to talk to the membership should be taken as a slap in the face to every member. It’s a “your opinion doesn’t matter”

and not a damn thing should be behind close doors, it should all be written and collaborated.
 
Fire Trash GIF
 
Oh the irony of people complaining about extending the slate book when they weren’t even around for the last extension or the white book or even a CPC. And the narratives of “NATCA took money from trainees” or “the feds are giving away trillions, why not us?” Woe is me...

New title for this thread:

Are Air Traffic Controllers Really That Entitled
 
Oh the irony of people complaining about extending the slate book when they weren’t even around for the last extension or the white book or even a CPC. And the narratives of “NATCA took money from trainees” or “the feds are giving away trillions, why not us?” Woe is me...

New title for this thread:

Are Air Traffic Controllers Really That Entitled
Biden won the election if you didn’t notice. Labor friendly, and they pushed it to Desantis 2024.
 
And you guys thought I was nuts when I was pushing privatization lol. Privatization would have been great, it would have been like a huge defense contractor being the only provider of a indispensable service and can not be replaced until AI takes over. Pay scales and increases would have far exceeded the new contract, plus you could still have collectively bargained the worker protections, etc....
Privatization would have been the worst thing to ever happen to ATC. Ask the FSS guys that were the only provider of an indispensable service who were privatized 16 years ago how their working conditions, pension and pay ended up after privatization. Ask any current contract tower controller how their working conditions and pay are now. Ask the contract tower controllers about their pension.

Current FAA controllers would have gotten royally screwed if that privatization scheme went through. There is a reason NATCA used to fight tooth and nail against privatization. The only people who would have benefitted in any way were the ones who were actually "sitting at the table".
 
Can’t you amend/cancel MOUs as long as both parties agree? Doubt it happens but it’s possible.
 
Oh the irony of people complaining about extending the slate book when they weren’t even around for the last extension or the white book or even a CPC. And the narratives of “NATCA took money from trainees” or “the feds are giving away trillions, why not us?” Woe is me...

New title for this thread:

Are Air Traffic Controllers Really That Entitled
Wait, so people who are concerned about ending up in another possible white book situation via a slate book extension into the next administration (which could swing back in a very bad way towards a gop that is increasingly anti labor and anti fed employee) are entitled for not wanting the thing you are bitching about to be a possibility?

And moreover, yes, everything I have heard about the whitebook days sucked, but just because I wasn't around for them (hired in the middle of the red book days) doesn't mean my opinion is invalidated when it comes to transparency or wanting a say in my contract. That's kind of the whole point of paying union dues.

I suppose I need gray hairs on my ass before my opinion is valid?
 
I can’t find the emails, but if I remember correctly last time we voted for a contract (probably the slate book ?) we barely got enough participation from membership to approve it. Ratify it. Whatever they call it. Lots of communication then as well.
 
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Privatization advocates like to talk about how it makes sense and everything would get better. When the profit motive is prioritized above all else, have things ever gotten better for those at the lowest level? Everyone wants to be a capitalist until they realize they don't have any actual capital.

It doesn't help when our union doesn't clue us in on anything except to say when they are fighting to get rid of gendered pronouns in our industry; but unless your title starts with a Chief, Vice, or Director you're likely never going to see the bounty of the labor force.

That's the club, and we ain't in it.

Catching Fire Katniss GIF by The Hunger Games
 
For what it's worth, I #justemailedpaulandtrish and got a response saying:

  • Our contract is very strong and very good
  • When negotiating a new contract, you cannot expect to only gain concessions without giving some things up yourself, even when bargaining with a pro-labor administration
    • The gov't is in a budget crunch with COVID and all, we might feel that squeeze
    • The paid parental leave was mentioned as a benefit which, despite being the law now, might have to be "paid for" by giving up other things if we negotiated a new contract
  • They'll keep an eye on things; if it looks like the next administration will be decidedly anti-labor they will try to negotiate with the lame-duck Biden administration for a further extension of the Slate Book
All valid points I guess, though the PPL angle seems like it's either really disingenuous on NATCA's side (to make that a reason for extending if the agency hasn't brought up the issue) or really scummy on the agency's side (if they are going to ask for concessions in exchange for giving us legally mandated leave).
 
  • The gov't is in a budget crunch with COVID and all, we might feel that squeeze
Since when???? Have you seen how much money the government has wasted on so-called covid "relief"

They are printing money left and right. I don't want to hear one person, left or right, complain about the other side spending money bc both have spent far enough this past year
 
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