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THE DELEGATE WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 1, 2014 3 Southern Regional Vice President Victor Santore will moderate a panel on the important dues restructuring issue that delegates will consider today. NATCA's dues are currently tied to the pay band minimums. Because pay band minimums are subject to negotiations, NATCA does not have sole control over the changing of pay band minimums, so we do not have control over our dues income. Furthermore, when facilities are downgraded, employees' pay is protected, but dues are reduced. Under the current contracts, bands increase at the same rate as the General Schedule increases, resulting in no movement some years and little in others. As the Dues Workgroup has made clear, the Union's income must be stabilized and completely isolated from the whims of the Agency and political winds. NATCA must remain financially prepared for the future. Today's panel includes Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert, Southwest Regional Vice President and Dues Workgroup member Tim Smith, Region X Vice President and Dues Workgroup member Mike MacDonald, Finance Committee Chairman Ed Szczuka, Dues Workgroup and National Validation Team member Eddie DeLisle, and Special Counsel to the President Eugene Freedman. Based on the Dues Workgroup's projections, if no change is made to the dues structure, NATCA's income will drop dramatically; by 2016 NATCA will take in over $2 million less than it did in 2012. This is partly due to retirements, but mostly due to facility downgrades. Furthermore, NATCA needs to protect its dues structure against economic downturns that reduce air traffic, thus also reducing facility pay levels. As the panel today will explain, the proposed change that will be put before the delegates this week addresses all of the issues identified by the Dues Workgroup. It would mean NATCA's income would remain at, or slightly above, 2012 levels, delivering sustainability for the services and benefits provided to members. Please see the proposed resolution (R14-02) for more information. If you've attended Convention before, you will notice a conspicuous absence this year on the dais. NATCA's Executive Director, former two-term president Barry Krasner, will retire soon. Few people in the history of NATCA have made the kind of selfless contribution to the rights and wellbeing of American aviation safety professionals that Barry has, and for this, we will all be forever grateful. Barry started his career as an air traffic controller at New York TRACON (N90) in 1982, five years before NATCA was certified by the FLRA. By 1991, Barry had risen through the union ranks, and on January 31, 1991, he was elected NATCA's second president. He was reelected in 1994, the first NATCA president to serve two terms. During his time in office, Barry dedicated himself tirelessly to fighting for his membership. He played a key role in the reclassification of air traffic facilities. This major effort helped pave the way for unprecedented pay increases for controllers when the Union's contract with the FAA took effect in September 1998. Barry also worked hard to earn NATCA's affiliation with the AFL-CIO. By 1997, aer Barry le the presidency, NATCA was finally recognized as a direct affiliate of the AFL-CIO, a major victory for a small union. He was also NATCA's chief negotiator for over 14 years, a hard-nosed union representative who was ceaselessly committed to protecting the collective bargaining rights of his membership. In 2008, aer retiring from the FAA, Barry joined the staff at the National Office as NATCA's Executive Director. His years of experience with contract negotiation, labor relations, and parliamentary procedure have served him well in that role. As Executive Director, Barry has been NATCA's tactical negotiator and a cornerstone to the future of our great Union. "When I think about NATCA, I think about Barry," NATCA President Paul Rinaldi said. "We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his years of dedication and sacrifice to the union he loves so much. NATCA is better, our working environments are better, and I think the National Airspace System is better because of him. I am proud to call him my mentor and my friend, and most of all, my brother." DUES PANEL TO DISCUSS STRUCTURE, FUTURE OF NATCA A LEADER, A BROTHER, A FRIEND: FORMER NATCA PRESIDENT BARRY KRASNER TO RETIRE New York TRACON (N90) FacRep Dean Iacopelli said he was honored to have been the FacRep when Barry Krasner retired from active FAA duty several years ago. On that occasion, the N90 membership gave Krasner a plaque honoring his time spent as an air traffic controller. For all of Krasner's legendary accomplishments in helping to build, lead, and grow NATCA, Iacopelli said, "I have to believe the thing he's most proud of is when he was a controller vectoring airplanes in the LaGuardia Area." It was in that spirit of true brotherhood with the tight-knit N90 local that the New York TRACON Barry Krasner Award was created. It's presented at each convention to a member of the Union or the National Office staff. Past recipients include former President John Carr, former National Office Executive Assistant Adell Humphreys, and former Labor Relations Director and contract negotiator Bob Taylor. The most recent recipient, honored at the 2012 Denver Convention, is Special Counsel to the President Eugene Freedman. A Special Tribute 13th Biennial Convention, Honolulu, September 2010

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