NATCA garners support from both houses of Congress for bill
Dont let the FAA fly in the face of fairness and safety.
This mantra for NATCAs ongoing Fair FAA campaign has proven to be an effective rallying cry in the grassroots effort to garner support for bills in both houses of Congress each titled the FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006 that seek to prevent the Federal Aviation Administration from unilaterally imposing a contract on its employees in the event of a breakdown in contract negotiations.
The campaign, thus far, has yielded impressive results. In just the first few weeks, over 3,000 calls were placed to offices of members of Congress, via the campaigns 1-877-FAIR-FAA phone number to ask lawmakers to sign on to the bills, surpassing the total number of calls in past grassroots campaigns. And in the first few weeks of an aggressive effort to reach members of Congress electronically, nearly 14,500 participants sent over 35,000 letters by e-mail, using a format set up on the campaigns web site, www.fairfaa.com.
Members of Congress from both parties appear receptive to the message. Thirty-five Republicans were among the first 114 House members to sign on to a bill introduced by Rep. Sue Kelly, R-N.Y., and Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill. On the House Aviation Subcommittee, the key panel that oversees NATCAs issues, 20 of the 46 members had signed on to the bill by mid-March.
At the same juncture, 25 Senators had co-sponsored the bill introduced by Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
The strong show of support on Capitol Hill has raised the hopes of NATCA legislative officials, who feel emboldened by the surge of membership involvement at a critical time on a critical issue in the history of the union. It was also a validation of one of the most basic principles of representative government.
The country is governed by the will of the people who participate in the process. Supporting or opposing legislation does nothing to affect its defeat or passage unless you relay your feelings to your elected leaders and encourage other like-minded individuals to do the same, NATCA Legislative Committee Chairwoman Trish Gilbert said. In the case of the Senate and House bills and the Fair FAA grassroots initiative, membership activism is imperative to the outcome of this legislation.
Members of Congress need to hear about issues that are important to their constituents, the community and the flying public. The more personal the message, the better. However, the quantity of opposition or support through letters or calls, relayed to any particular office on an issue is also vital.
Lawmakers also tend to respond favorably to a message of fairness and accountability, which are the two main aspects of NATCAs legislation in seeking to prevent future recurrences of the fate which befell the unions multi-unit bargaining group two years ago: A contract imposed unilaterally by the FAA, after the agency ignored pending legal action and the will of several members of Congress by taking its final offer to Capitol Hill.
The bills seek to add impartial, third party binding arbitration to the current process used for collective bargaining at the FAA. Thats all there is to them, NATCA President John Carr said, and thats why just a week or two into their legislative lives they already have so many supporters.
Added Carr: The bills are designed to deny the agency the right to unilaterally impose its will on a workforce in complete disrespect and disregard for the collective bargaining process. What were seeking from Congress is a small change, but we believe it is a really important one because it restores balance to the process and most importantly helps us defend safety in the skies.
NATCA members have also done more than make phone calls and send e-mails as part of the campaign. They have reached out to their local media.
Bangor, Maine, Tower Facility Representative Steve Lindsay got a letter to the editor published in his hometown Bangor Daily News, writing, In Bangor, seven of our 19 controllers will be eligible to retire within the next year. If a contract is imposed, recruitment of replacements could well stall. I love my job and I am proud to have worked for the safest aviation system in the world. But we ask for the public to join us in standing up for fairness and safety in the skies.
Canton-Akron, Ohio, Tower Facility Representative Ronald Schultz also had his letter to the editor published, by the Akron Beacon-Journal.
Schultz wrote: Whether guiding planes safely through the sky on any ordinary day, or coordinating thousands of takeoffs and landings to provide relief during last fall's devastating hurricanes, air traffic controllers ensure the safety, integrity and efficiency of our nation's aviation system. That is why it is so shocking that this group of highly trained professionals, responsible for the safest aviation system in the world, is now forced to fight for fair and reasonable treatment by our employer.
