Against the Wind - National Air Traffic Controllers Association

Training the Troops (continued)
translates legal jargon into plain English,
provides a liberal dose of practical tips,
and often exhorts the students, “Do not
fear this, people.”
Andy Cantwell, considered a guru
on the 1998 contract, explains every article
of the agreement. Finance Committee
Chairman Dale Wright covers money
matters and Mike Hull, the current Air
Traffic Resources (ATX) liaison, brings
the class up to date on ongoing negotiations,
human resource issues, and technical
projects.
“They are true experts in their
fields,” Llafet says. “No one talks to my
class unless they have worn the shoes.”
Since Llafet took over training,
NATCA revived its Advanced Representation
course. The union also offers a oneday
seminar for liaisons and technical
representatives who deal with the FAA,
training for leaders of new bargaining
units that don’t yet have a contract with
the agency, and two arbitration advocacy
courses. The overall curriculum represented
a $300,000 investment in 2001.
NATCA also created an external
program in cooperation with the George
Meany Center National Labor College in
Silver Spring, Maryland. Participants can
earn a bachelor’s degree by completing
five courses that supplement their work
and union leadership experience, and
technical and labor training.
In early 2002, Llafet launched an
initiative to provide Web-based instruction
by posting the Formal Discussions
module on NATCA’s site. Many segments
of the basic facility rep course are also
available online for reference.
Although the training provides a
firm grounding in traditional labor-management
procedures, it also emphasizes
working relationships with the FAA. This
philosophy, coupled with a new process
called Alternate Dispute Resolution, has
helped to significantly reduce grievance
arbitrations.
During 1998 contract negotiations,
more than 900 grievances were pending.
Typically, most are resolved before going
to arbitration. Even so, Taylor successfully
pushed for an expedited arbitration
process, which was written into the
Chapter 4: The House that NATCA Built
contract. He also sought a way to settle
disputes under less adversarial conditions
by inventing procedures for ADR.
Aside from faster resolution of
grievances, Taylor lauds the program for
providing substantial cost savings. Arbitrations
usually cost $5,000 to $8,000
or more, depending on the length of
the hearing. With ADR, a mediator can
handle five to eight grievances a day for
about $2,000.
The savings stem from ADR’s accelerated
and simplified procedures. At
traditional arbitration hearings, witnesses
representing the union and management
may testify for days. Under ADR, each
side receives about fifteen minutes to
present its case. Based on the testimony,
a mediator renders an advisory opinion
that both sides are encouraged to accept.
If either party forces the issue to arbitration,
the ultimate loser pays all expenses
arising from the dispute.
Since NATCA and the agency
formally adopted ADR three years ago,
arbitrations have declined 44 percent to
just ten cases in 2001.
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