Rooster
New Member
With 30% pay cuts across the board, arbitrarily imposed work rules, and experienced controllers leaving the profession in record numbers, this is arguably the worst time to be an Air Traffic Controller.
From July 2005 to April 2006 the FAA and NATCA were unable to agree on a new contract after the previous one had expired. Despite phraseology in that contract that read: "If negotiations are not completed prior to the expiration date, this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until a new Agreement is reached.", the FAA ended contract negotiations and instead sent their "best offer" to Congress.
Congress then had 60 days to review the FAA’s proposal and NATCA’s objections. By statute, the FAA was authorized to implement its proposal if Congress does not act otherwise within the 60 days. This is what happened.
On September 6, 2006 the FAA imposed their non-negotiated rules on the controller workforce and has continued to do so ever since.
So what needs to happen to get both NATCA and the FAA back to the negotiating table so that they can come to an agreement? I imagine that Obama would need to be running the White House for there to even be a chance of this happening, but how long would it take him to address it? What do you think needs to happen before a contract can be negotiated? Will it EVER happen?
From July 2005 to April 2006 the FAA and NATCA were unable to agree on a new contract after the previous one had expired. Despite phraseology in that contract that read: "If negotiations are not completed prior to the expiration date, this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until a new Agreement is reached.", the FAA ended contract negotiations and instead sent their "best offer" to Congress.
Congress then had 60 days to review the FAA’s proposal and NATCA’s objections. By statute, the FAA was authorized to implement its proposal if Congress does not act otherwise within the 60 days. This is what happened.
On September 6, 2006 the FAA imposed their non-negotiated rules on the controller workforce and has continued to do so ever since.
So what needs to happen to get both NATCA and the FAA back to the negotiating table so that they can come to an agreement? I imagine that Obama would need to be running the White House for there to even be a chance of this happening, but how long would it take him to address it? What do you think needs to happen before a contract can be negotiated? Will it EVER happen?