The privatization of ATC has brought the business factor into day to day operations. Where it used to be Government run, the system was used and abused by all employees, even managers. By privatizing, the government does not look like they are compromising safety to save a dollar. It is now the Company managing business, trying to teach old dogs new tricks.
The upper management are Monday to Friday people who only see $$$ in their sights. They have never talked to a plane, gone down the crapper, only to have your buddy help bail you out, or worked a midnight shift on Christmas Eve. They can't possibly understand the issues facing us, from their high rise, downtown, StarBucks kiosk, executive office building.
The management at lower levels are ATC's who have lost medicals, or separation too many times. The issue is training these people to be "managers." Give a person a few courses, a suit and tie, and now he is a shift manager for a multi billion dollar a day operation. Any other company in the world would have the best trained managers money could buy. Not 'buying' a manager to sell out the controllers he/she worked with for 25 years.