Against the Wind - National Air Traffic Controllers Association

with heavy support from Boston Center, the
region’s largest facility.
Northwest Mountain: Incumbent Gary
Molen from Salt Lake Center easily withstood
a challenge by Robert Fletcher from Denver
Center.
Southern: Pensacola Tower/TRACON
controller Dennis Delaney was unable to win
a majority over challengers Lee Riley from
Atlanta Center and Tim Leonard from Miami
Center. Riley, who served as Delaney’s alternate
on the provisional board, triumphed in
a runoff election thanks to healthy backing
from his facility.
Southwest: Incumbent Ed Mullin from
Dallas Love Field ran unopposed.
Western-Pacific: Karl Grundmann’s
alternate, Richard Bamberger from San Diego
Lindbergh Tower, held back challenges from
three other candidates.
immediately substitute the government for federal
employees as the defendant in civil lawsuits.
For years, accident victims’ next of kin had
periodically sued controllers, costing them thousands
of dollars in legal fees and hampering their
ability to buy and sell real estate and obtain loans
until the government stepped in.
Many controllers signed petitions for NATCA
after five of their colleagues at New York TRACON
were named in a lawsuit stemming from the midair
collision over Cliffside Park, New Jersey, in 1985.
In a concerted lobbying campaign, John
Thornton spoke with Frank’s staff several times and
enlisted support from
MEBA, which earmarked
political action committee
money for the tort
reform bill.
NATCA welcomed
the financial help. Although
the union had
formed constitution,
finance and safety committees,
no PAC existed
yet. NATCA also joined
a coalition of federal-sector
unions formed by the
Public Employees Department
of the AFL-CIO
Nov. Dec.
18
NATCA’s provisional Executive Board votes to hold national
elections. February 1, 1988, is the opening date for nominations
for president, vice president, and regional representatives.
3
Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built
101
NATCA archives
Leading the PAC: NATCA retained John Thornton as senior director of legislative
affairs and, in 1989, director of its new Political Action Committee.
James H. Burnley takes over as transportation secretary. Burnley,
former deputy secretary, also served as general counsel and
as associate deputy attorney general in the Justice Department.