Against the Wind - National Air Traffic Controllers Association

202
Against the Wind
Krasner found himself
in an awkward
meeting with a former
PATCO controller—a
man widely regarded
as instrumental in
NATCA’s creation—
John Thornton.
2000
28
Feb.
previous week in Pittsburgh, where a protracted yet
heartfelt discussion ensued concerning a man widely
regarded as instrumental in NATCA’s creation—John
Thornton.
While acknowledging his contributions, several
board members believed Thornton was out of his
element as senior director
of legislative affairs, a
sentiment that had been
growing over the past
year. It culminated with
the feeling that he wasn’t
doing enough to block the
looming loss of Chapter
71 rights. Congress was
talking about stripping
away FAA workers’ rights
to union representation
and collective bargaining
in a Transportation
Department appropriations bill it had introduced in
July and would soon vote on the measure.
The board members harped about his job performance
and accused him of “dropping the ball.”
Legislatively, “people weren’t happy with the direction
we were going in,” Eastern Region Vice President
Joe Fruscella says now.
James Ferguson, the Northwest Mountain Region
VP, agrees: “We felt like it was time for a change.
The union moves into its newly purchased office building at 1325 Massachusetts
Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. AFGE owned the structure
“
When I think of NATCA, I
think of John.
He had done excellent work, but there were some
mistakes being made.”
Another incident that tripped up Thornton and
the 1988-91 National Executive Board concerned
NATCA’s stance on a law known as the Wright
Amendment. Named after former Texas Democratic
Rep. James Wright, the
1979 law prohibited airlines
at Love Field in Dallas
from flying beyond
the four states bordering
— Former Executive Vice President
Ray Spickler
Texas, an anticompetitive
limitation that helped to
ensure success for the
new DFW Airport. Noting
that Love Field and
DFW are just eight miles
apart, supporters justified
the Wright Amendment
on safety grounds.
Their argument incensed Southwest Regional
Rep Ed Mullin. “Chicago’s airports are busier. New
York’s are closer. L.A.’s are more numerous,” he says.
“It was strictly a marketing issue, but they framed it
as a safety issue.”
When Congress considered repealing the
Wright Amendment a decade after it was enacted,
Mullin persuaded the National Executive Board
to publicly support the move. However, the union
during the mid-1980s, and John Thornton briefly worked in the offices
while organizing AATCC.