Contract Tower FAQ's

Rogers ATCT (ROG) - Rogers, Arkansas

Frequently Asked Questions: Contract Controllers

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) ensures the safety of the nations flying public by representing the men and women who make the aviation system work. Your employer is motivated by profits. The company may try to tell you union representation is not in your best interest.  Here are answers to some questions frequently asked by contract controllers. Decide for yourself what is best, mapping your own future, or allowing a financially driven corporation to determine your fate.

Q:  Why should I join the union?  What has it done for me? 

NATCA has proven time and time again its dedication to members through strong labor relations advocacy. The union successfully helped a contract controller get his job back when his employer fired him for taking a leadership role in organizing his tower. NATCA will ensure your employer doesnt take advantage of you or force you to work under unsafe conditions.  It will help you negotiate a contract that best suits your needs and eliminates arbitrary corporate policies. 

Q:  My employer told me the union bosses who come to talk about joining NATCA are only interested in collecting my dues money to increase their own salaries.  Is this true? 

There is no such thing as a union boss. NATCAs member leadership and their salaries are decided by the membership. The amount they are paid does not depend on the number of people in the union. Our constitution states the National Executive Board must be comprised of air traffic controllers in good standing with the union. Remember - NATCA IS ITS MEMBERS!

You call the shots with NATCA, not some executive concerned with making money. Unlike the company for which you work, NATCA is not profit driven. Our number one priority is to guarantee the safety of the nations airways. To do this, we must protect the men and women controlling the aviation system from abuses in the workplace, whether they are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration or by a private corporation.

Q:  Who runs the union? 

The company says that the union is just a bunch of outsiders. The truth is that YOU run your own union. You prepare your own list of improvements that you want included in your union contract. You elect your leadership. The union is NOT made up of  outsiders it is you, the controller, who makes the union.

Q:  What benefits will the union guarantee?

The union can guarantee only one thing: strength and unity of fellow contract controllers like yourself. We will be able to work together to win the best over-all benefit and wage package possible. The bottom line: There is strength in unity.

Q:  Can I get fired for helping NATCA or for attending a union meeting? 

It is illegal for you to be fired, punished or harassed for attending a union meeting or for supporting the union. The law protects your right as a worker to improve your working conditions.

Q:  What if my company cannot afford a union contract?

No one wants your company to close, especially an organization such as NATCA, which represents the best interests of all controllers. If your contracted employer says that they cant afford the wage and benefit increase you want, we say it must then prove this by releasing its financial records. Then decisions can be made based on real information, instead of company propaganda.

Q:  Can NATCA force us to go on strike? 

No! No one can force you to go out on strike. You are the union and therefore your individual involvement in negotiations will help to prevent such actions. Let us remember that wise unions strike only when they know they can win.

Q:  What can we expect the company to do to try to get us to vote against NATCA representation? 

Usually, the company tries to influence employees with scare-talk, anti-union rhetoric and letters. On the other hand, be prepared for the company to be on their best behavior until the final vote is in. Some companies even make improvements during a union campaign, hoping that employees will forget about past problems. 

Q:  Why choose NATCA rather than some other controller union?

• NATCA is the largest union for Air Traffic Controllers in the world and is the only controller union directly affiliated with the AFL/CIO.
• NATCA has its National HQ in Washington, DC and ten Regional Offices throughout the U.S. with a total staff of nearly 50 professionals working for you. 
• NATCA represents, at present, 52 Contract Towers. This is more than any other controller union.
• NATCA members transferring from a Contract Tower to a FAA Facility have all of their NATCA seniority carry over to the FAA bargaining unit.
• NATCA is the ONLY controller union that gives a portion of your dues back to your facility union local for the use and benefit of the local members.
• NATCA has nearly 50 Member Only Benefits which include everything from discounts at major retailers and disability insurance as well as free services including Legal Referral Service, Credit Counseling and Aeromedical Consultation.

For more information on NATCA's Contract Tower Program:
Lew Zietz, NATCA Director of Membership, Marketing, & Organizing
lzietz@natcadc.org
Tom Bertelsman, NATCA FCT Organizer
tbertelsman@natcadc.org

1325 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: 800-266-0895
Fax: 202-628-9558 

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