| In August 1981, 11,500 air traffic controllers who | | | | travel within the U.S. airspace system. According to |
| belonged to the Professional Air Traffic Controllers | | | | the FAA administrator's fact book for March 2005, in |
| Organization, known as PATCO, were permanently | | | | 2004 air traffic in the national airspace system |
| fired by President Ronald Reagan, two days after | | | | included over 46 million flights and 647 million |
| their strike began, due to their violation of federal | | | | travelers. That translates into as many as 7,000 |
| law. The president felt that the union did not | | | | aircraft, including commercial and military, all flying at |
| seriously consider the 'no-strike' provision of their | | | | any one time. Given those numbers, the number of |
| contract and had no other choice, in order to avoid a | | | | incidents including accidents and fatalities are very |
| disastrous disruption in United States airspace. | | | | few, and both figure into the arguments of both |
| PATCO workers were then replaced with | | | | negotiating sides. |
| non-unionized employees. Further to the firing, | | | | According to NATCA the dependability of the |
| President Reagan through an Executive Order in | | | | system is crucial to the number of workers in |
| 1982, prevented any of the fired air traffic controllers | | | | addition to restricting the amount of overtime |
| from being rehired in the future by the Federal | | | | necessary to keep the air traffic control towers, |
| Aviation Agency (FAA), which oversees U.S. air | | | | Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities, Air Route |
| traffic control. Over the next 3-4 year period new | | | | Traffic Control Centers and the Air Traffic Control |
| controllers were hired and trained in order to replace | | | | System Command Center all functioning smoothly. |
| those fired, provided with supplementation by the | | | | And by virtue of the success of the system, the |
| U.S. military, in order to keep planes in the air. In 1993, | | | | FAA says the needs are not as dire as depicted by |
| also by Executive Order, President Bill Clinton | | | | the union. |
| rescinded Reagan's Order, allowing previously fired | | | | Yet, aviation safety investigators for the National |
| PATCO workers to be hired again by the FAA, which | | | | Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found as of |
| presently includes several hundred of the previously | | | | September 30, 2005, 324 incursions, or near misses, |
| dismissed. | | | | involving various types of aircraft including three near |
| Now, nearly 25 years later, the newly named air | | | | misses of commercial jet liners in the past six months |
| traffic controllers union, National Air Traffic Controllers | | | | in Boston, New York and Las Vegas. The most |
| Association (NATCA), is in prolonged contract | | | | recent incident involved US Airways and Comair |
| negotiations once again with the FAA, which began | | | | flights on November 9, 2005 in which the US Airways |
| July 13, 2005. The present contract, which expired in | | | | jet aborted its landing at the last possible second |
| 2003 was extended until September 30, 2005, with | | | | when approaching Ft. Lauderdale's airport, missing the |
| salaries frozen and benefits continued until new terms | | | | Comair jet by a mere 100 feet. |
| were met. As of September 30, 2005, the contract | | | | A new software program for runway surveillance has |
| has expired but continues under an "evergreen | | | | been pressed for by the NTSB for all major airports |
| clause," allowing for the original contract to remain in | | | | for several years. Presently, nearly all major airports |
| effect as long as talks continue. Similarly to the | | | | use the Airport Movement Area Safety System |
| negotiations which led to the 1981 strike are the | | | | (AMASS) which routinely fails or has limitations during |
| issues of increased salaries and reduced working | | | | periods of precipitation. The Airport Surface |
| hours. But more differences than similarities exist in | | | | Detection Equipment-X system uses additional |
| the present talks. | | | | sensors to complement radar detection, and |
| Since the last agreement was negotiated in 1998, | | | | compensates for deficiencies in radar-only surface |
| NATCA members are working longer hours and have | | | | surveillance systems as is AMASS. In addition, |
| more security responsibilities in the wake of | | | | ASDE-X is less sensitive to precipitation. However, |
| September 11, 2001. In addition, after the initial tailing | | | | missing from both systems is a direct warning |
| off of air travel at the end of 2001 and the beginning | | | | system, meaning it requires the information be |
| of 2002, there are now more flights in the air at any | | | | dispatched to air traffic controllers to then be relayed |
| one time in the history of aviation travel, but with | | | | to flight crews on the runway. Thus, a matter of a |
| fewer controllers watching over more airplanes in the | | | | few seconds could be crucial in matters of near |
| U.S., which has the world's busiest airspace. However, | | | | misses when planes are taking off and landing within |
| in the last two years, the FAA has lost 1,000 | | | | seconds of each other. Nevertheless, the equipping |
| controllers. | | | | of the ASDE-X systems exists at only 16 major |
| But at the crux of the problem is that many of the | | | | airports with only additional select airports to be |
| controllers today are those who were hired in the | | | | provided with the ASDE-X system by 2011, according |
| early 1980's and are set for retirement either | | | | to the FAA. |
| immediately or in the near future. There is a federal | | | | But with labor costs accounting for 80% of the |
| mandate which requires all controllers to retire at age | | | | FAA's $8.2 billion operating budget, the FAA's first |
| 56 whether or not there are employees to replace | | | | priority is the freezing of controllers' salaries with |
| them. The FAA admits that 2,580 controllers are set | | | | merit-based pay raises replacing cost-of-living |
| to retire between 2005 and 2007 while only hiring an | | | | increases. The current air traffic controllers' average |
| additional 13 in 2004. Additionally, there are not | | | | salary is $128,000, excluding benefits and overtime |
| enough replacements in waiting in order fill the quota. | | | | pay. NATCA has supposedly asked for a 5.6 % pay |
| Instead of the originally promised 1,248 hires for | | | | increase each year over the next five years, |
| Fiscal Year 2006, the FAA will now only hire 595 and | | | | although the union has publicly disputed such figures. |
| phase in the remaining 654, by replacing one retiree | | | | Regardless of the figures, however, the union also is |
| at a time. | | | | under the gun, much like unions in the private sector |
| With 9,000 of its 14,500 current number of air traffic | | | | these days, with threats of outsourcing by the FAA, |
| controllers having been hired in the early 1980's, the | | | | should negotiations fail. In addition, should both sides |
| FAA has dragged its heels on implementing a | | | | reach an impasse as declared by a federal mediator, |
| replenishment system known about for years. In a | | | | which the FAA has already called for, the FAA gets |
| Government Accountability Office report issued in | | | | closer to calling upon the Congress for a review of |
| June 2002, it stated that "The FAA has not done | | | | its proposal. Should the Congress fail to act on its |
| enough to plan for the impending staffing crisis and | | | | proposal within 60 days thereafter, then the FAA |
| needs to do so as soon as possible. It has not | | | | could unilaterally impose its contract upon NATCA. |
| developed such a comprehensive workforce strategy | | | | And while there are many concerns remaining |
| to address all of the challenges it faces in responding | | | | regarding air travel security, such as the lack of |
| to its impending need for thousands of new air traffic | | | | inspection of cargo on commercial airliners, it is hard |
| controllers, thus increasing the risk that the FAA will | | | | to argue that it is crucial for the FAA to implement a |
| not have enough qualified controllers when necessary | | | | program that both maintains and improves airspace |
| to meet air traffic demands." Sadly, the FAA took | | | | safety, which includes both personnel and |
| two more years to acknowledge their shortcomings | | | | infrastructure needs. Regardless of the negotiations |
| regarding staffing needs, publishing a similar report of | | | | and political posturing by both the FAA and NATCA it |
| their own in 2004, but has recently promised to add | | | | would serve them both well to stay on point during |
| 12,500 controllers over the next ten years. | | | | deliberations in order to remain on the key issues, |
| The FAA is an agency under the jurisdiction of the | | | | keeping in mind the welfare of the flying public as |
| Department of Transportation (DOT), whose central | | | | well as the national security of the U.S., which |
| responsibility is to ensure the safe and efficient air | | | | essentially should be their main mission. |