Against the Wind - National Air Traffic Controllers Association

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Against the Wind
Guy Molinari: The New York Republican
congressman advocated rehiring some of
the fired strikers to ease staffing shortages
during the 1980s. / Stan Barough
* Despite 145 co-sponsors, H.R. 4003 never
came to the floor for a vote. Molinari tried
again in the next Congress. Although the
House passed his bill, the Senate never voted
on it.
** The Salt Lake Center election served as a
noteworthy litmus test on the competition
between AFGE and MEBA. Local President
Gary Molen supported NATCA while Vice
President Jim Edmunds preferred to stay
with AFGE (he was voted AATCC national
vice president in a separate election that the
group held in April).
1986
26
Mar.
tified before Congress about continued low staffing
to generate support for a bill that would authorize
rehiring at least 1,000 PATCO
strikers. Reflecting the
polar differences of its
membership, NATCA
walked a fine line on
the emotional rehire
issue.
While Gilbert
and Thornton acknowledged
that the ratio of air
traffic to full-performance level controllers had begun
“to exceed the acceptable, prudent level,” NAT-
CA shied away from formally endorsing the bill.
Nevertheless, Rep. Molinari, the bill’s sponsor,
met privately with Thornton and Gilbert after
the hearing and pledged his support to the NATCA
organizing. *
The following month, NATCA appeared before
a Senate committee to support the creation of the
Aviation Safety Commission. The proposed panel
would be charged with presenting recommendations
to President Reagan on improving air safety.
The four events highlighted a key difference
between AFGE and MEBA. Where AFGE preferred to
focus on organizing and ignored the controllers’ desire
to lobby Congress, MEBA plugged them in right
away on Capitol Hill.
MEBA organizer Kelly Candaele coordinates a NATCA Western-Pacific
conference in San Francisco, which is attended by more than thirty con-
“That was really what was needed,” Thornton
says. “MEBA not only put up money, they put up
some of their political capital.”
The Home Stretch
Meanwhile, the drive to collect 3,750
election petition signatures was in full swing.
Some controllers grumbled over signing for the
third time—once for a regional union, another
for a national AATCC, and now for NATCA. But
sign they did. In February 1986, Salt Lake Center
controllers voted 22-0 to join NATCA. ** In March,
the Professional Controllers Alliance at Indianapolis
Center climbed aboard. Cleveland Center held its
first organizing meeting in April and 140 controllers
signed up in two weeks. By the time Minneapolis
Center got involved, organizers could see the nationwide
movement start to jell.
NATCA had collected more than 3,000 names
when AFGE and MEBA argued their case at the Article
20 hearing in June. After two years of false starts
and stagnation, the numbers were climbing steadily.
The almost constant travel to endless meetings with
controllers, answering familiar questions, and allaying
common fears gave Thornton, Candaele, Thomas,
and a cadre of former AATCC activists a sense of déjà
vu. Joining them during this second national campaign
were new NATCA activists and another MEBA
trollers from all regions except Alaskan. Rep. Norman Mineta, chairman of
the House Subcommittee on Aviation, also attends.