Against the Wind - National Air Traffic Controllers Association

petition among its affiliates. If a second union tried to
organize the same group of workers, the original affiliate
could seek mediation to determine which one
should retain exclusive rights.
While AFGE publicly vowed to continue the
drive, it quietly held talks with ALPA throughout
the summer of 1985 about transferring the campaign.
AFGE’s ongoing money problems served as a
catalyst. In June, it laid off fourteen staff members,
including Thornton, Thomas, and Candaele.
Like a broken summer romance, ALPA ended
its flirtation in late August when its Master Executive
Council voted against the proposal. Insiders
believe it is likely that MEBA was a factor in
their decision.
The Marine Engineers Beneficial
Association had formally ceded its
rights to organize the controllers to
AFGE in the spring of 1984. When it
appeared that AFGE might try to sell
those rights to the pilots’ union, MEBA
strongly opposed the move.
Most controllers merely shrugged,
given their worries about dealing with ALPA as
a union. But they were bitterly disappointed, though
not too surprised, in September when the full FLRA
overruled its Washington regional director and disallowed
New England’s bid for a regional union.
The authority agreed with the FAA’s conten-
20
Sep.
Overruling its regional director, the full FLRA disallows New England’s bid
for a regional union. Citing PATCO and a similar FLRA ruling concerning
tion that it administered a nationwide air traffic
system primarily from headquarters. To support its
decision, the authority cited PATCO’s national bargaining
unit and a similar FLRA ruling concerning
the Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition
Service as precedents. In light of its decision, the
authority declined to rule on whether automation
specialists and air traffic assistants were entitled to
be a part of AATCC.
The determination, which came eleven months
after AFGE filed for a New England unit, sounded a
death knell for its stagnating effort. Layoffs
had wiped out AFGE’s organizing
department and the union appeared
disinclined to spend
much more money on
the controllers, who now
needed to obtain all new
signatures on petitions
calling for a national
union.
Heading for a Fall
Since June 1984, Barte had been holding
monthly telephone conferences among activists
in New England and other regions as they joined
AATCC. By now, the calls were about the only thread
holding the effort together and represented AFGE’s
Chapter 3: A Long and Winding Road
65
Gene DeFries: The MEBA president
repeated history by committing his union’s
resources to the controllers. MEBA also
organized PATCO. / NATCA archives
the Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service as precedents,
the authority mandates that only a national bargaining unit is appropriate.