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NiW Today 2015

A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association

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NATCA LEGISLATIVE TEAM NATCA takes a comprehensive approach to its legislative and political program. The team is guided by NATCA's national leadership (the President, Executive Vice President, and Regional Vice Presidents), and includes National Office staff in the Executive Office, Government Affairs, Communications, Safety and Technology, Outreach and Special Events, and Labor Relations departments; the NLC, which is composed of one appointed member from each region; state and facility legislative coordinators; and, of course, our dedicated NATCAvists. While it is very important to be well represented in Washington, D.C., it is equally important that our program reach members of Congress back in their home states and districts. Here is a rundown on how NATCA makes its members voices heard in the legislative and political arenas. NATCA National Office NATCA's National Office works to carry out the goals and initiatives set by the Union's national executive board. NATCA influences U.S. aviation policy by educating elected officials in Congress and the executive branch (the White House, Department of Transportation, and the Federal Aviation Administration) about aviation safety-related maers and other policy issues affecting NATCA's membership at the federal, state, and local levels. The NATCA staff collaborates internally as well as with external organizations to conduct research on air traffic control issues for policy and position papers. The staff also works alongside the NLC to lead a stellar political program with the goal of increasing NATCA's visibility and influence on Capitol Hill. National Legislative Commiee (NLC) The NLC strives to advance the status, professionalism, benefits, and working conditions of all NATCA bargaining unit employees through political and legislative activism. The NLC accomplishes these tasks through grassroots activism, educating and training NATCA members on how to become effective legislative activists, as well as providing political education. NATCA is proud to have one of the most effective grassroots networks in all of organized labor. Working in conjunction with the National Office, the NLC helps craft these grassroots messages to make sure NATCA is represented on Capitol Hill. The NLC is responsible for ensuring our grassroots network of state legislative coordinators, facility legislative representatives, and most importantly, our member activists, is functioning at its best. • LEGISLATIVE TRAINING The NLC identifies the membership's legislative training needs and then develops training courses to address those needs. The NLC is primarily responsible for the development of NATCA's Basic and Advanced Legislative Activism classes. Commiee members also serve as instructors for those classes, working to develop NATCA's ever-growing army of legislative activists. • POLITICAL EDUCATION AND ACTIVITY The NLC educates our members about all of NATCA's political tools and the vital role each plays in the overall success of our organization. NLC members assist members engaging in political activity to back candidates who support NATCA's agenda. State Coordinator/Regional Legislative Commiee The NLC member from each region serves as the chair of their region's legislative commiee. Each regional legislative commiee is primarily made up of state legislative coordinators. State coordinators are highly knowledgeable of NATCA's legislative agenda. They receive grassroots action items from their NLC member and disseminate those action items to the facility legislative representatives within their state. They are the primary point of contact for all political activity and education within their state. State coordinators make sure that a professional relationship is established and maintained with their state's congressional delegation and staff. Other activists might cultivate relationships within their state, but it is the state coordinator's job to track and maintain those relationships. The state coordinator is generally the person who is responsible for scheduling congressional appointments for NiW and mini/ rolling lobby weeks, and they relay all pertinent legislative information to all facilities within their state. The coordinator is the conduit through which local political and legislative information flows back up to their NLC member. NiW Today n i w . n a t c a . n e t NiW Today n i w . n a t c a . n e t 8

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