FAA Imposes Work Rules on Controllers
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FAA Imposes Work Rules on Controllers
Howdy all;
Well it is Labor Day weekend here, and as of today the FAA has imposed thier own set of work rules on the controller work force who works for the FAA. They are mandating that their managers call it a contract, and when they talk with us about it, call it a contract. If you hear this, it is nothing but bunk! We have agreed to NOTHING and they have just imposed work and pay rules upon us... This has become the era of SUCK to say the least under Marion Blakey...
regards
Scott H. Voigt
NATCA Southwest Region
Safety and Technology Chairman
Well it is Labor Day weekend here, and as of today the FAA has imposed thier own set of work rules on the controller work force who works for the FAA. They are mandating that their managers call it a contract, and when they talk with us about it, call it a contract. If you hear this, it is nothing but bunk! We have agreed to NOTHING and they have just imposed work and pay rules upon us... This has become the era of SUCK to say the least under Marion Blakey...
regards
Scott H. Voigt
NATCA Southwest Region
Safety and Technology Chairman
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Scott,
Hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend and if you're working throw the defiintion of a contract at your Manager. My Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as 'an agreement between parties' but you've got me intreged now; I must look it up in my American/English phrasebook and see if there's any difference.
Hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend and if you're working throw the defiintion of a contract at your Manager. My Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as 'an agreement between parties' but you've got me intreged now; I must look it up in my American/English phrasebook and see if there's any difference.
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Yeah we have done that and they just tell us to be quiet... This is going to be very, very interesting to say the least... They think that we will NOT retire, because we are too spoiled... I think that they are already starting to see a ramp up in retirements this month...
regards
Scott
regards
Scott
Its my understanding that this agreement (I use the term loosley) has quite a wide scope, far beyond simply pay issues. Are there many militant types mentioning plans for possible disruptions?
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How's the dress code going? Many 1970's Safari Suits surfacing?
Seriously though good luck to you all; keep the fight alive, the PR was really good stuff even making it across the pond. Unfortunately the PR war is where the real battle lies.
Seriously though good luck to you all; keep the fight alive, the PR was really good stuff even making it across the pond. Unfortunately the PR war is where the real battle lies.
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West Coast;
Nope nothing disruptive going on or planned... We just try to make light of the stupid stuff that they do and put our own twist on it. Some of the clothing that conforms with the dress code is very, very outlandish <G>. Luckly for me, what I normally wear meets the code other than no shorts, but we have finally gotten under 100 so it isn't quite so bad. Control room was rather warm today with high humidity so it was quite a bit uncomfortable while working.
I expect that we are going to kill a few forests though with all the grievances that are going to be filed...
regards
Scott
Nope nothing disruptive going on or planned... We just try to make light of the stupid stuff that they do and put our own twist on it. Some of the clothing that conforms with the dress code is very, very outlandish <G>. Luckly for me, what I normally wear meets the code other than no shorts, but we have finally gotten under 100 so it isn't quite so bad. Control room was rather warm today with high humidity so it was quite a bit uncomfortable while working.
I expect that we are going to kill a few forests though with all the grievances that are going to be filed...
regards
Scott
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Flower;
Lord where do I start??? If I can find a link where it all can be shown, I will put it on here. The FAA had it on their site and pulled it when the news media was looking at it and beating them about the shoulders with it <G>...
Minor stuff like dress code, and major stuff like five year pay freeze and draconian pay rules for everyone. The new hires are coming in as a B-scale and will get much less then the certified controllers who are here now. The agency is also looking at downgrading many facilities and with the new pay rules there is no save pay for the folks that are there, you just get a pay cut.
Lets see there is also only guaranteeing <sp> you two weeks of bid leave a year the rest you grab as you can. Watch schedule that is going to be even more draconian than what we work now so as to staff to traffic <sigh>... Being able to force you to take vacation when you don't want to, they can call you in for two hours overtime whenever they want, hold you over for an hour whenever they want, and the list goes on and on... It's really a wonderful thing...
regards
Scott
Lord where do I start??? If I can find a link where it all can be shown, I will put it on here. The FAA had it on their site and pulled it when the news media was looking at it and beating them about the shoulders with it <G>...
Minor stuff like dress code, and major stuff like five year pay freeze and draconian pay rules for everyone. The new hires are coming in as a B-scale and will get much less then the certified controllers who are here now. The agency is also looking at downgrading many facilities and with the new pay rules there is no save pay for the folks that are there, you just get a pay cut.
Lets see there is also only guaranteeing <sp> you two weeks of bid leave a year the rest you grab as you can. Watch schedule that is going to be even more draconian than what we work now so as to staff to traffic <sigh>... Being able to force you to take vacation when you don't want to, they can call you in for two hours overtime whenever they want, hold you over for an hour whenever they want, and the list goes on and on... It's really a wonderful thing...
regards
Scott
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they can call you in for two hours overtime whenever they want, hold you over for an hour whenever they want, and the list goes on and on... It's really a wonderful thing...
I'm in one of those moods
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Scott
.
... so if they are imposing so called work rules …. By Jove then I suppose in this day and age you will have to comply
by working to rule … whilst dressed in the appropriate safari suit and metre wide tie!! 
.
…does the International Federation have a view on this stuff?
.
... so if they are imposing so called work rules …. By Jove then I suppose in this day and age you will have to comply
by working to rule … whilst dressed in the appropriate safari suit and metre wide tie!! .
…does the International Federation have a view on this stuff?
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Scurvy;
Work to rule would be considered a job action here and thus could get the union decertified, and the employees who work to rule fired (go figure, do what the govt. rules say and get fired for it.). We just file our paper work and continue working away doing what we have enjoyed doing for so long, but doing it for an employer who has NO respect what so ever for the workers who actually keep everything moving...
regards
Scott
Work to rule would be considered a job action here and thus could get the union decertified, and the employees who work to rule fired (go figure, do what the govt. rules say and get fired for it.). We just file our paper work and continue working away doing what we have enjoyed doing for so long, but doing it for an employer who has NO respect what so ever for the workers who actually keep everything moving...
regards
Scott
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Flower;
We do indeed have a union, and it was a pretty powerful and good union. Under Bush though, who seems to hate workers, he has pretty much directed the different govt. agencies to do what they can to neuter anything or anyone in labor. They have the supposed rules on thier side too, but we are going to challenge them in court. The problem with that is that the courts take forever to get anything done. The govt. agency that oversees labor issues has had all the leadership replaced by labor unfriendly folks who continually rule against labor. Hopefully the pendulum will swing come election time. We will see... I expect that I will no longer being working for the FAA when that happens though. I will probably be retired...
regards
Scott H. Voigt
NATCA Southwest Region
Safety and Technology Chairman
We do indeed have a union, and it was a pretty powerful and good union. Under Bush though, who seems to hate workers, he has pretty much directed the different govt. agencies to do what they can to neuter anything or anyone in labor. They have the supposed rules on thier side too, but we are going to challenge them in court. The problem with that is that the courts take forever to get anything done. The govt. agency that oversees labor issues has had all the leadership replaced by labor unfriendly folks who continually rule against labor. Hopefully the pendulum will swing come election time. We will see... I expect that I will no longer being working for the FAA when that happens though. I will probably be retired...
regards
Scott H. Voigt
NATCA Southwest Region
Safety and Technology Chairman
...... surely one cannot be fired for doing ones job?!?! 
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Hang on for a few months
There is "change in the wind" politically--the cutbacks are because our lovely government has seen fit to spend wildly beyond its means and have the Iraq war off the "balance sheet" of the budget--yet the dollars have to be printed to pay for it.
Once the Democrats retake the House and possibly the Senate in November, expect some weight to be thrown around in Washington. As of November 7, George W. is going to wake up and find himself a lame duck and neutered politically, with everyone in the GOP hating his guts for causing them to lose the Congress.
Once the Democrats retake the House and possibly the Senate in November, expect some weight to be thrown around in Washington. As of November 7, George W. is going to wake up and find himself a lame duck and neutered politically, with everyone in the GOP hating his guts for causing them to lose the Congress.
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Scott,
I am a past President of the UK Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO), although defintely not a union, the behaviour of the FAA is at the very least causing additional stress in an already stressful job - which is one of the targets for both GATCO and UK unions - stress reduction - certainly not increasing it! My daughter lives in PA, and I have got her and my son in law to write several letters to their Congressman and Senators, and they are getting their riends to do the same. All strength to NATCA - and may the international ATCO world speak out as well in support of you all.
I am a past President of the UK Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO), although defintely not a union, the behaviour of the FAA is at the very least causing additional stress in an already stressful job - which is one of the targets for both GATCO and UK unions - stress reduction - certainly not increasing it! My daughter lives in PA, and I have got her and my son in law to write several letters to their Congressman and Senators, and they are getting their riends to do the same. All strength to NATCA - and may the international ATCO world speak out as well in support of you all.
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Hi Aged;
Thanks, the folks here are going to need all the help that they can muster. Things are not going to get better anytime soon, and if there is any relief, it will probably come from the courts, and we all know how long that can take.
Thanks for the kind words...
regards
Scott
Thanks, the folks here are going to need all the help that they can muster. Things are not going to get better anytime soon, and if there is any relief, it will probably come from the courts, and we all know how long that can take.
Thanks for the kind words...
regards
Scott
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Hey Scott,
What happened to themainbang weblog?
I have been following the whole war between NATCA and the FAA/GOP for the last couple fo years, and really enjoyed the blog. I guess it is for reasons fo protecting yourselves.
What is going on in the US is absolutely insane - I interpret it that they are trying to goad you in to another PATCO style walk out - as if that is somehow going to solve the problem they have created/ignored!
Absolutely bloody amazing!
All I can see is all those who can afford to leaving asap - and making the situation a lot worse a lot quicker. I can only muse: Just how dumb are these Republicans?
What happened to themainbang weblog?
I have been following the whole war between NATCA and the FAA/GOP for the last couple fo years, and really enjoyed the blog. I guess it is for reasons fo protecting yourselves.
What is going on in the US is absolutely insane - I interpret it that they are trying to goad you in to another PATCO style walk out - as if that is somehow going to solve the problem they have created/ignored!
Absolutely bloody amazing!
All I can see is all those who can afford to leaving asap - and making the situation a lot worse a lot quicker. I can only muse: Just how dumb are these Republicans?