Speak out against ATC Privatization

[ATC United]

Speak out against ATC Privatization!


Guys, we need your help to dispel the myth that most controllers are supportive of Privatization.

If you have been following the news, you know that it is not a dead issue and is expected to be raised again in January as the Tax plan just got passed (Infrastructure is next!)

If you are a Controller interested in speaking out please email us: Atcunited1@gmail.com .

Please include your facility and a good number to get in touch. We are looking for folks all over the country to voice their opposition to this taxpayer swindle called HR2997 and every single voice counts!


Still not convinced Privatization is a bad idea? Read on:

Let’s start with the Architect of HR2997/AIRRACT, the Honorable Congressman Shuster, it’s your career, aren’t you curious about the guy who wants to Privatize it? read up:

https://www.politico.com/story/2015...ts-personal-relationship-with-lobbyist-117054

https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/bill-shuster-faa-bill-airline-lobbyists-219666

Shuster was going around back in Fall of 2014 getting support for Privatization

The Fall of 2014 (October 2014) was when our NATCA Constitution was amended to support Privatization (PSA-5, Minneapolis Convention)

An important plan such as this one isn’t cooked up overnight. It simply did not come out of the blue.


Back in 2003, when faced with the same Privatization threat, the response was remarkably different. Of course we did not have Rinaldi in charge then either

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266219847_Pitfalls_of_Air_Traffic_Control_Privatization

This was a NATCA funded study on why Privatization is bad business for everyone, written by respected economist Dr.Sclar or Columbia University.


Research a bit too old for you? Read this: It is from Delta, published 2016.

http://news.delta.com/sites/default/files/The Costs of Privatizing Air Traffic Control_0.pdf

No matter what you may have heard, NATCA is pushing for Privatization. They are lobbying for this to happen:

As Jordan Morales, NATCA Legislative activist from Columbia Metropolitan Airport writes in Greenville Online"

"We recently had the opportunity to show U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) around our facility and talk to him about this pressing issue. He got to see first hand the hard work that our controllers do to keep the flying public safe. We told him about the need for stable, predictable funding for the air traffic system and about the staffing crisis that we are in. We urged him to support this bill (HR2997) and your nation's air traffic controllers hope the public will do the same with their elected officials."

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/sto...ing-needed-air-traffic-controllers/491416001/

Jason Rebmann, NATCA Facility Rep for Tampa Tower writes in the Tampa Bay Times

"That is why we support current U.S. House legislation, HR 2997, the 21st Century Aviation, Innovation, Reform and Reauthorization Act, which would create a federally chartered, not-for-profit air traffic control corporation to operate the system. "

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/letters/wednesdays-letters-tampa-airport-tower-needs-work/2331472

Still not buying it? These two guys are independent citizens and could have done this without NATCA’s approval right? Watch this:

https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-future-of-air-traffic-control/

That 87 minute long video is filled with Trish Gilbert actively speaking out in favor of Privatization at the well respected Brookings Institute about a month ago. You can watch the whole video. The only person speaking out against Privatization is Jim Coon from AOPA.

What are some of the Unintended Consequences of Privatization?

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, Privatization will trigger Sequestration and across the board cuts to Medicare, Military Retirement, FEMA Flood Insurance and a lot more critical programs:

https://democrats-transportation.ho...yg_uploaded/CRS Sequestration DC 10-30-17.pdf

Here is another excellent letter written by De Fazio on the dangers of Privatization (also sits on the Transportation Cmte)

https://democrats-transportation.ho... ATC Privatization Concerns and Opponents.pdf


Privatization also increases the Federal Deficit by $100 Billion over just 10 years. That’s Billion with a B.

Here is what the non-partisan Congressional Research Service had to say on the matter:

https://democrats-transportation.ho...H.R. 2997 Budget Sequestration (CRS Memo).pdf


Only the Airlines and their Proxy groups (A4A, Citizens for On Time Flights) are backing Privatization.

The American Conservative Union refuses to support HR2997

http://conservative.org/hr2997/

It’s not even True Privatization. Privatization should mean Competition based on free market principles.

There is no bidding process here. It simply involves transferring more than $50 Billion of taxpayer assets to a new corporation for free! One that the airlines are pushing for. If this newfangled corporation ever goes bankrupt, (yes it can declare bankruptcy), we the American taxpayers will still be on the hook for a bailout! Talk about a taxayer swindle!

It’s your Career! Make an informed decision.

Going through 3 pages and links should take some time. And it should. It deals with life changing consequences, one that will negatively affect us all for years to come. If you can read the 7110.65 and SOPs and LOAs, please spend some time poring through this info. Read to Understand. Feel free to Pass it on to every single Controller you know. None of the information contained here has come from NATCA, not one of the hundreds of emails they sent out regarding Privatization mentions any of the facts talked about here. Everything posted is verifiable with Links provided.

Please helps us get this out to as many Controllers as possible.

Twitter.com/ATC_United

Facebook.com/ATCUnited

 

[Flying Saluki]

I'm for privatization because I've yet to see the government do something better than the private sector, except fight a war. Change my mind.

 

[Stone Cold]

I'm for privatization because I've yet to see the government do something better than the private sector, except fight a war. Change my mind.

FSS

 

[greg1016]

The problem with the private sector is that when it comes to government contractors, all it does is add a level of bloat. Usually the result is a few at the top get rich on the backs of the workforce who get poorer and do the same job. There would be no airline industry if not for the government providing ATC services and airworthiness guidelines.

 

[drunkenbeagle]

There would be no airline industry if not for the government providing ATC services and airworthiness guidelines.

Well, not to mention lots of public use airports. And turbine engines that were for the most part adapted from R&D money spent on defense.

Airlines are a great example of something the private sector seems to be terrible at. They have historically lost money. They fail a lot. While we complain about some of them getting unfair subsidies -- would we really be worse off if they were all subsidized?

 

[Flying Saluki]

The problem with the private sector is that when it comes to government contractors, all it does is add a level of bloat. Usually the result is a few at the top get rich on the backs of the workforce who get poorer and do the same job. There would be no airline industry if not for the government providing ATC services and airworthiness guidelines.

I agree we need ATC, but I don't accept the premise that a government-run ATC somehow makes things better. What makes our ATC system work is the procedures, hardware, and software. So what is it about a government employee that somehow makes it better?

 

[greg1016]

I agree we need ATC, but I don't accept the premise that a government-run ATC somehow makes things better. What makes our ATC system work is the procedures, hardware, and software. So what is it about a government employee that somehow makes it better?

Safety being the motivating factor instead of profit

 

[Roger Roger]

Well, not to mention lots of public use airports. And turbine engines that were for the most part adapted from R&D money spent on defense.

Airlines are a great example of something the private sector seems to be terrible at. They have historically lost money. They fail a lot. While we complain about some of them getting unfair subsidies -- would we really be worse off if they were all subsidized?

I dunno, I think airlines do OK-I mean, they’re the safest form of transportation the world has ever known, they provide unmatched product for the price, and for at least a few work groups they still provide a pretty financially rewarding career for relatively low level of required education. The fact that they have historically incinerated large amounts of investors’ money, well, that’s capitalism for ya.

 

[NovemberEcho]

I dunno, I think some airlines do OK-I mean, they’re the safest form of transportation the world has ever known, they provide unmatched product for the price, and for at least a few work groups they still provide a pretty financially rewarding career for relatively low level of required education. The fact that they have historically incinerated large amounts of investors’ money, well, that’s capitalism for ya.

 

[NovemberEcho]

So what is it about a government employee that somehow makes it better?

Why do you think it would be better privatized? Do you honestly feel it would run better with a board primarily made up of airline cronies?

Personally, there are some things I think should just be run by the government. Our nations airspace is one of those things. Otherwise why not privatize law enforcement? Or the Coast Guard?

On a more personal note, I fear for my pay, benefits, pension, and working conditions under privatization. Airlines certainly have no qualms asking their pilots to take pay cuts, I don't want anything to do with that.

 

[Roger Roger]

Even the Allegiants of the USA are safer on a per-mile basis than any of the idiots on the road, and if your time is worth anything at all very cost effective.

 

[NovemberEcho]

Even the Allegiants of the USA are safer on a per-mile basis than any of the idiots on the road, and if your time is worth anything at all very cost effective.

I meant that in an economical way, not a safety way.

 

[Flying Saluki]

Why do you think it would be better privatized? Do you honestly feel it would run better with a board primarily made up of airline cronies?

Personally, there are some things I think should just be run by the government. Our nations airspace is one of those things. Otherwise why not privatize law enforcement? Or the Coast Guard?

On a more personal note, I fear for my pay, benefits, pension, and working conditions under privatization. Airlines certainly have no qualms asking their pilots to take pay cuts, I don't want anything to do with that.

Well, to be fair, I don't KNOW that a privatized ATC would be better, just as you don't KNOW that the reverse is true, and for the same reason; We've never tried it. But the reason I think that a privatized ATC system would be better is because the record of history informs us that it will be. Wherever competition and the profit motive exist, you find a record of improved service, lower cost, and increased safety, regardless of industry or product.

 

[NovemberEcho]

Wherever competition and the profit motive exist, you find a record of improved service, lower cost, and increased safety, regardless of industry or product.

Well I hate to disappoint but it's a non-profit government corporation model that's proposed, not a for-profit model.

And the federal contract towers seem to dispute your argument. Their equipment and staffing is even older/worse than ours. RVA, SERCO, Midwest, they keep their towers bare bones and pocket the rest.

 

[greg1016]

Do you really think the airlines would have stepped up and in on their own after the Grand Canyon mid-air that sparked the modern ATC system? I think not. People would have just stopped flying. Do you see a lot of de Haviland jets flying passenger service these days? The perception of poor safety tanked their civilian jet division. How about all the airlines that folded or merged after high profile accidents? If the government had not stepped in and created the ATC system (which the rest of the world is modeled after), what do you think would have happened? The last mid-air in the United States involving a 121 carrier was in 1990 and the only fatalities were in the Cessna that it got tangled up with.

 

[cmac88]

I think there are certainly ways everything comes out better in the not for profit idea although I dont agree with airlines holding the majority say in a board. One of the beautiful things of our current system is we truly serve every player equally and safely which is why GA actually exists in this country.

On a more personal note, I fear for my pay, benefits, pension, and working conditions under privatization. Airlines certainly have no qualms asking their pilots to take pay cuts, I don't want anything to do with that.

Sure there are unknowns but have you seen the new major contracts.... as long as we are still a strong bargaining unit I actually think conditions could certainly be better. Change is always a scary thing though. At this point keeping a pension around actually scares me more then converting it to just more into a 401k. Problem with that is how to effectively change the program without completely screwing someone. I just worry they are only going to make me pay more and more into something I will never benefit from. Give me the straight 16% some of the airline guys are getting. I'm ok with that. I'm not sure what I'm for anymore but if it goes that direction I dont think its necessarily all doom and gloom.

 

[Flying Saluki]

Do you really think the airlines would have stepped up and in on their own after the Grand Canyon mid-air that sparked the modern ATC system? I think not. People would have just stopped flying. Do you see a lot of de Haviland jets flying passenger service these days? The perception of poor safety tanked their civilian jet division. How about all the airlines that folded or merged after high profile accidents? If the government had not stepped in and created the ATC system (which the rest of the world is modeled after), what do you think would have happened? The last mid-air in the United States involving a 121 carrier was in 1990 and the only fatalities were in the Cessna that it got tangled up with.

It's true the Grand Canyon collision led to the creation of the modern ATC system. But nothing about that says that the Feds can do it better than the private sector. And the reason I know this is because we have TCAS and GPWS and GPS, and a host of other safety and efficiency enhancing systems out there. None of which were produced by the Federal Government. Mandated yes, but not produced.

It was the private sector that took us to the Moon. The government just wrote the check.

 

[NovemberEcho]

It's true the Grand Canyon collision led to the creation of the modern ATC system. But nothing about that says that the Feds can do it better than the private sector. And the reason I know this is because we have TCAS and GPWS and GPS, and a host of other safety and efficiency enhancing systems out there. None of which were produced by the Federal Government. Mandated yes, but not produced.

It was the private sector that took us to the Moon. The government just wrote the check.

Uhhhh gps is not only a product of government but the military still controls the satellites that make it work. And it was the FAA that mandated and initiated design and development of TCAS. FAA funded most of the development and design of the system. Mitre developed the system logic, and the FAA Tech Center and a team of contractors handled software verification and validation and performed operational tests. MIT Lincoln Laboratory developed air-to-air surveillance. So 2 of your 3 examples are around directly because of the government.

 

[drunkenbeagle]

Wherever competition and the profit motive exist, you find a record of improved service, lower cost, and increased safety, regardless of industry or product.

Health care is for the most part profit driven in the US. It is the most expensive in the world, and we don't have better health outcomes.

For profit higher education is not cheaper, and is a lower quality product by pretty much every measure.

 

[nabbyfan]

Well, to be fair, I don't KNOW that a privatized ATC would be better, just as you don't KNOW that the reverse is true, and for the same reason; We've never tried it. But the reason I think that a privatized ATC system would be better is because the record of history informs us that it will be. Wherever competition and the profit motive exist, you find a record of improved service, lower cost, and increased safety, regardless of industry or product.

You conveniently ignored the first person to tell you, but the only thing similar to ATC in the USA that has been privatized is FSS, and that "record of history" certainly doesn't tell us that ATC will be better off run by Lockheed Martin or whatever they call ATC Corp.

While the union leadership is for some reason seeming to push privatization, where, interestingly enough, our Union president is a member of a Think Tank that has pushed ATC Privatization for some time, Im very much against it. I don't know a single controller that isn't a Paul/Trish Kool-Aid Drinker that thinks its a good idea. I like my pay, my benefits, my ability to retire with a pension at 48 years old. I don't want a corporate board dominated by airlines to decide that Im too expensive and take that all away.