Against the Wind - National Air Traffic Controllers Association

lers formed in New York, Washington, Minneapolis,
at LAX Airport and Los Angeles Center in Palmdale,
and elsewhere.
A Union is Born
The local unions exercised little power, limited
by their size, relative isolation, and an agency loath
to take them seriously. Controllers continued to eat
lunch on position much of the time. If someone needed
to visit the restroom and no one was available to
step in, another controller worked two positions during
the interim. Guaranteed breaks were unheard of.
Unless supervisors authorized time off, controllers
guided planes continuously throughout the day—in
white shirts and black ties, dark dress slacks, and
leather shoes.
Two aspects of the FAA’s culture exacerbated
discontent over these conditions.
At towers, TRACONs and centers, large and
small, many managers ruled with a militaristic, command-control
style. They largely ignored the partnership
role that controllers could play in developing
operational procedures, improving equipment, and
generally ensuring air safety.
“We were lectured to rather than consulted
with,” says Dave Landry, who spent most of his career
at a small tower in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
“The people who made the rules never pushed tin.”
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Jan.
Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis takes over from Neil E. Goldschmidt,
who resigned after eighteen months in office when Ronald Reagan
was inaugurated as president on January 20, 1981. Lewis, a business
Overbearing managers sometimes dwelled on
seemingly inconsequential issues, such as the dress
code, which could lead to regrettable outcomes. An
Oakland Center controller reported for work one day
in 1968 wearing a pastel yellow shirt. Managers told
him to go home, change into a white one, and put on
a different pair of leather shoes.
“These shoes cost more than the suit you’re
wearing,” retorted the controller, who believed his
attire was appropriately professional.
“That’s it,” the manager shot back. “You’re fired
for insubordination.” 4
Without an established grievance procedure,
the controller had little recourse and never retrieved
his job.
“It was the reason I got involved,” says Domenic
Torchia, who went on to serve as a PATCO
regional vice president, was fired in the strike, and
joined NATCA after the agency rehired him in the
late 1990s.
A second cultural aspect also affected working
conditions. The doors to many facilities revolved
every year or two with new managers who were
working their way up the hierarchy. Too often, career
motivations overshadowed a facility’s long-term
interests, allowing many problems to fester. Fred Gilbert
encountered that philosophy when he started at
Chicago Center in 1970.
“There was no interest in what controllers’
Chapter 1: ATC Comes of Age
management specialist from Philadelphia, ran unsuccessfully for governor
of Pennsylvania in 1974. He later became deputy chairman of the Republican
National Committee.
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