Against the Wind - National Air Traffic Controllers Association

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Against the Wind
1992/93
later served as Central Region vice president. “QTP
gave us a façade of working together, but tough issues
we never really worked on together.”
Paul Williams, a former facility rep at Washington
Center, says QTP
“took away one of our
biggest weapons.”
Williams acknowledges
that cooperative
relationships are possible.
But he also believes
“consensus negates
leadership.” Under QTP’s
committee structure,
one person—either in
management or with the
union—could undermine
a decision everyone else
thought was fine. “It’s led
to a lot of weak decisions,
watered-down decisions,
half-hearted language.”
Others looked at collaboration differently.
Carol Branaman, who served in leadership roles
with PATCO and was elected NATCA’s Northwest
Mountain Region vice president in 2000, contends
the program opened doors for the union.
“Everyone maligns QTP, but it was a huge leap
for the FAA,” she says. “In many ways, it gave the
Nov. Jan.
T. Craig Lasker from Boston Center takes over as New England
Region vice president for Jim Breen, who retired as a controller
after suffering a mild stroke and vision loss.
“
Everyone maligns QTP, but it
was a huge leap for the FAA.
In many ways, it gave the
union tremendous influence
that it never had before.
union tremendous influence that it never had before.
It was the first time they acknowledged the union
had a role in everything that affected the facility.”
Barry Krasner notes that the law allows both
sides to engage in protracted
disputes over grievances
that can take years to resolve.
QTP provided a way
to settle them faster. Bill
— Northwest Mountain Region
VP Carol Branaman
20
Murphy from Kansas City
Center, who succeeded Mc-
Nally as national QTP coordinator
in 1994, says it came
down to common sense. “If
you beat up someone, what
are you going to get back?
You’ll get beat up.”
Aided by follow-up
training sessions, the tenor
of labor relations in the
FAA gradually improved—
though not everywhere.
But in 1996, QTP was among nine agency programs
totaling $29 million that were cut by the Republicancontrolled
Congress as part of its “Contract With
America” to balance the budget.
“QTP was not a failure. It left its mark,” says
Howie Barte, who continues to believe in collaboration.
“Where it was successful, it’s still successful.
FAA Administrator Thomas C. Richards leaves after serving
since June 27, 1992. Transportation Secretary Andrew H. Card
Jr. resigns after serving since February 24, 1992.