Air Controllers Chafe at Plan to Reduce Staffing Levels

[DoYouEverWonder]

DALLAS, Sept. 13 — A drive by the Federal Aviation Administration to cut the number of air traffic controllers nationally by 10 percent below negotiated levels, and even more sharply at places like the busy radar center here, is producing tension, anger and occasional shows of defiance among controllers.

At the radar office that controls planes around Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and at a cluster of other airports where staffing levels are falling fast, unhappiness is usually not visible in the darkened radar centers where they work, except when it is glaringly obvious.

Like the recent day when a controller here went to work in lime green pants and a clashing brown jacket, along with hair dyed blue, to protest a new dress code. Elsewhere, male controllers have rebelled by going to work in dresses.

Most controllers here say they are far more concerned with workplace changes that do not involve wardrobe, including salary caps, lower pay for new hires and stricter control of vacation schedules and sick leave.

The F.A.A. imposed the changes on Sept. 3, three months after it declared an impasse in contract talks. Most of the changes have had little effect on the public. But one in particular may have safety implications, controllers and some outside experts said. That is the ending of contractual protection against being kept working on a radar screen controlling traffic for more than two hours without a break.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/washington/20control.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

We're spending billions to fight the bogus war on terra so that planes don't get hijacked again, yet they don't want to spend the money to adequately staff our control towers. What's wrong with this picture?

[Cooley Hurd]

1. BAD idea...

The LAST people you want to overwork are ATC's. Christ... between massive automaker layoffs and now screwing over ATC's, I have to wonder if we've traveled back in time to the 1980's.:crazy:

[Democrat 4 Ever]

2. They might want to refer to the incident at the Bluegrass Airport

in Lexington, KY a few weeks back. There are 49 people no longer with us and it looks like one of the reasons is there was only one air traffic controller on the job at the time (despite FAA regs that two are required so the backup can check instructions given by each other) and the one that was working was doing so on only two hours of sleep. The airport had recently done some changes in the runways and the pilot took off from a runway too short and unlit but the tower didn't catch these errors until after there was a horrible crash.

Somehow I don't think those families give a damn about how the government's cost cutting efforts.

Hearing this story makes me glad that I don't have to do a lot of air traveling. Wonder how many more airports are forced to run their personnel on a shoestring? We can have 50 people standing around to make grandma take her shoes off and dig through your luggage while everything going into the cargo hold slides by and people in the control tower are working on two hours of sleep. Only in Georgy's America.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. More proof

that the war on terra is a war on us.

[magellan]

3. Let me guess: there's a Repug in charge of the FAA

Irresponsible bastard.

[tanyev]

4. All the strip searches in the world won't help you if you get clobbered

by another plane in mid-air right after takeoff.

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Or take off from the wrong runway

Why is it Repugs only want whats bad for us?

[elehhhhna]

15. ...or on the ground, for that matter.

[DemoTex]

7. It's just more preparation for the attack on Iran ..

When Bu$hco attacks Iran, and Iran responds by sinking part of the US fleet in the Persian Gulf in two hours, oil will skyrocket to well over $100/barrel. With oil over $100/bbl, every airline in this country will fold-tent in a matter of weeks. Then the only airplanes for ATC to control will be the fatkatz' Gulfstreams and Lears.

I wish that I could append this response with ":sarcasm:", but with Dick Cheney's transfer of most of his investments overseas, I fear we are in for some very bad times. Times during which the civil transport fleet will be gathering moths and rust in the Arizona desert.

That said, I'm certainly with the ATCers, as I was during the PATCO strike on August 3, 1981. I feel now, as I did then, that the ATCers' best labor weapon is not the strike (which is not a viable option now, anyway), but a devastating by-the-book (BTB) slow-down.

My gloom-and-doom above notwithstanding, the ATCers need to engage in some legal self-help .. ASAP. A BTB slowdown, along with an aggressive public information campaign might be the only way the ATCers can win Congressional support to counter what the Bu$h administration is trying to steal from our ATC system.

I don't know what remedies (short of strike) ATCers are allowed in their post-Raygunz labor environment, but by-the-book always looked good to me. However, I'm sure that the Bu$hco "Justice Department" (HA!) already has conspiracy charges inked-up for anything the ATCers might try.

[libnnc]

12. Oh but Demo, the FAA is just hoping for a slowdown

ANY kind of slowdown, even if it remotely smells like a slow down is considered a "job action" and is subject to dismissal. Slowdown = firing.

They're trying to piss off enough controllers so that they'll all just quit in disgust. My dear SO has been wearing all black to work since the "non-tract" imposed work regulations were put into place a couple of weeks ago. NATCA guys and gals are not happy campers right now. The FAA has NATCA by the balls and they know it. The only recourse is for NATCA controllers is to file grievances...tractor trailer loads of grievances.

Bury the fuckers in paperwork. Maybe they'll bleed to death from the paper cuts.

We're The FAA--We're Not Happy 'Till You're Fucking Miserable!

[w4rma]

8. Stupid idiots. (nt)

[bushisanidiot]

9. Why do repukes hate Air Traffic Controllers??

gawd.. did anyone see how air traffic controllers were depicted on Path to 9/11? They showed them with their feet up on their desks, snacking and goofing off. Gawd.. that's one hell of a stressful job.

I guess it's "Union Hate" or something..

[indepat]

10. More administration efforts to keep us safe

[Scout1071]

11. This is a huge problem.

I am friend with several air traffic controllers and they have become so unhappy in the last 2 years that many are making up their minds to change careers.

Just think what they did to FEMA.....that is what they are doing to the FAA.

[truthisfreedom]

13. WRITE YOUR CONGRESSPEOPLE! this is a perfect issue for the Fall elections!

it's time for the Democratic Party to take complete control of ALL SAFETY ISSUES in the United States! the thugs have dropped the ball!

[calimary]

14. This, TOO, is National Security. Feeling safer?

Just another republi-CON penny-wise, pound-foolish shit-for-brains idea.

Playing fast and loose with our money AND our lives!!!