NATCA Bookshelf

NIW Today | 3 Welcome Paul Rinaldi president Patricia Gilbert executive vice president Steve Weidner national legislative committee chairman Brothers and Sisters, On Tuesday, Feb. 5, just a week after the 35-day government shutdown ended, 12 dedicated NATCA legislative activists gathered at the NATCA National Office before heading to Capitol Hill to join their respective members of Congress who had invited them to be their guests at the State of the Union address. We are proud that these activists were selected to represent our great Union and our professions for this rare and prestigious honor. These members of Congress sought to highlight the vital work performed by the nearly 20,000 men and women represented by NATCA during the longest government shutdown in American history. What we accomplished as a Union, in the face of extreme adversity, was remarkable. We worked hard to highlight the negative effects on our National Airspace System and on the aviation safety professionals who operate and oversee that system. The State of the Union invitations were a testament to the respect that our members and our professions have earned on Capitol Hill and across the country. NATCA has worked diligently to elevate the level of professionalism among air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals, expecting the highest standards for ourselves and our colleagues. It's already been a challenging year. During the shutdown, we had several dozen of our activists in Washington, D.C., for a series of mini-lobby weeks to carry our message to the Hill about the effects that it was having on the system and our members. As we gather this week for our 26th annual NATCA in Washington event, you are joining us for what seems like our fourth lobby week of 2019. Those previous mini-lobby weeks set the stage for the 'main event' this week, and we are excited to bring more than 450 dedicated NATCA members to Capitol Hill to continue these important discussions. You represent your entire profession and have an important role this week. We're excited to share this briefing book with you. Copies soon will be sent to your home facilities so your fellow Brothers and Sisters can learn more about the important issues we are addressing on the Hill. This book – and this week's event – represents the start of our year-long commitment to increasing our legislative activism and strength. Although we will meet again for NiW 2020 in just 10 short months (March 23-25, 2020), we will call upon you to take what you have learned this week in Washington, D.C., and keep building relationships and educating your members of Congress and their staffs back in your home districts. This is an exciting – albeit challenging – time to be in Washington, D.C. If this is your first time in our nation's capital, we welcome you and invite you to fit as many experiences into your time here as possible. If you are an experienced veteran of our NATCA in Washington events, welcome back! We have a lot to discuss and much work to do. We must rise to this occasion with one voice and advocate for our membership with the same passion, dedication, and solidarity that we did during the shutdown. We also hope that you enjoy this time with your fellow activists from around the country. Take this opportunity to renew old friendships with your Brothers and Sisters and hopefully form some new ones as well. We are happy that you are here and look forward to a great week! In Solidarity,

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