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THE DELEGATE THURSDAY • OCTOBER 2, 2014 5 CHAIRMAN OBERSTAR: NATCA CHAMPION AND TRUE SENTINEL OF SAFETY Congressman Jim Oberstar was a tireless advocate for aviation, air traffic control, and NATCA during his tenure in Congress and as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee. He routinely supported NATCA at Communicating for Safety (CFS) and NATCA in Washington (NiW). It is profoundly sad that we were suddenly faced with saying goodbye to our dear friend on May 3, 2014, just a few weeks before the start of NiW. But as we sit here at our Biennial Convention in his home state, we continue to feel inspired by the Congressman's legacy and the great lessons he taught us about solidarity. Just a few months aer the Red Book took effect in 2009, NATCA invited Congressman Jim Oberstar to return to the NiW podium he already knew quite well. This time, NATCA had a special gi for him: a copy of the Red Book. The Congressman was truly touched by the gesture. His remarks had always come from the heart, but on this day he shared deep emotions. Clutching the contract close to his chest, he spoke lovingly about growing up in Chisholm, Minn., the son of an iron miner. He recounted how he was inspired by the activism of his father, who organized fellow miners to form a union to fight for safe workplaces and fair pay. His voice cracked when he told NATCAvists that giving him this contract was like giving him back a piece of his father. NATCA also welcomed Congressman Oberstar to CFS 2011 where he addressed the membership during a luncheon. "This is like homecoming. This is like a family reunion. Thank you so very much for a warm, warm welcome. "Aviation doesn't work well if you don't have air traffic controllers. Every day you guide 2.5 million people in the airspace above us and you bring them safety and securely back to Earth. And there is no service sector, no economic sector, in any country that can compare with America's air traffic control system. None. You are the gold standard. And you know it. You're proud of it. And you say that every time you utter a command and issue an order to a flight deck." "It's in your hands. Good hands. Great hands. Great minds. Great people. NATCA people." Congressman Oberstar didn't just talk about unions or work with unions. He was Union. He understood our work ethic, our passion, our issues, our challenges, and our battles for fairness better than anyone. No matter what, he had the backs of every NATCA member. This is why NATCA is honored to announce the renaming of the Sentinel of Safety Award to the James L. Oberstar Sentinel of Safety Award. Congressman Oberstar truly enjoyed his time with NATCA members and dedicated his career to the advancement of the National Airspace System. Today, we welcome the late Congressman's wife, Jean, to our Convention to celebrate and honor his commitment to NATCA. DUES PANEL EXPLORES, ADVOCATES REVISED DUES STRUCTURE Before Wednesday's roll call vote to fix the issue, Southern Regional Vice President Victor Santore called the problem of dues destabilization a "ticking time bomb" for the membership, straight out of what he recalled from the famous Bugs Bunny cartoons. "The fuse is lit," he said during a panel discussion he chaired, "and we're asking you to put it out." NATCA's dues are currently tied to the pay band minimums. Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert outlined the numbers and emphasized that the Union can't increase its revenue if it can't adjust the pay bands. The dues proposal coming before the convention body this week, she said, "is not to bring more revenue into the union coffers, it is to stabilize what we have now." Southwest Regional Vice President Tim Smith said he and the rest of the Dues Workgroup members began their work in earnest in July 2012. They looked at other unions and crunched many numbers. "This comes down to what kind of union you want," Smith said. "The last thing I want to see is this Union become less of a union." National Validation Team member and panelist Eddie DeLisle (Portland TRACON) made an impassioned plea for the restructuring, using the example of his own substantial pay raises made possible by NATCA, not the Agency or local management. "They didn't give you raises because they liked you," he said. "It was the Union." Gilbert closed her remarks by saying, "We believe it is well worth the change, to keep the Union as strong as it is today but also stronger in the future for our next generation to deal with all of these challenges that we have." Dues panel participants: Eddie DeLisle, Ed Szczuka, Tim Smith, Mike MacDonald, Eugene Freedman, Trish Gilbert, and Victor Santore.

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