NATCA Bookshelf

Q & A: H.R. 4441, THE AIRR ACT Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A Q A What exactly is being proposed as the new structure for air traffic control services? Would controllers and support staff be government employees in the new corporation or would they become employees of a contractor? Which groups or job series will move to the ATC Corporation? Will NATCA have a seat on the corporation's board? Who will run the corporation? Would the corporation's management be our bosses? And would they also be bargaining unit employees? With just one seat on the proposed board of the corporation out of 13 total seats, is there concern that NATCA will be "outnumbered" and, thus, lose leverage in contract negotiations? The ATC operational workforce would be employees of the new non-profit corporation, not a contractor. The corporation would be the provider of the ATC service. The employees subject to transfer have not been determined, nor have the transition rules. The only specific change is that the FAA (Safety and Regulatory) and ATC Corporation (Operational and Operational Support) would become two distinct entities. Regardless, NATCA will continue to represent all members whether in the new corporation or within the FAA. The same is true for all of our bargaining units. The bill includes an obligation to negotiate transitional issues with a dispute resolution process of mediation and binding arbitration if we don't agree. NATCA will be able to nominate a member of the corporate board. However, the board member cannot be a NATCA member or employee of the union. The board's obligation is to the ATC system, not the entity that appointed them. Board members are there to provide subject matter expertise on behalf of labor, general aviation (GA), air carriers, and government appointers. The duty to bargain the many mandatory subjects of bargaining is separate. The corporation will have a CEO who will run the day-to-day operations and appoint and oversee employees such as those in Human Resources and Labor Relations. The corporate board would appoint the CEO, who must be a U.S. citizen with a professional background and experience that qualifies them to manage the corporation. Managers and supervisors would be non-bargaining unit employees and not eligible to be NATCA active members. No. We would negotiate with the corporation, not the corporate board, through collective bargaining, just like we do with the FAA. The AIRR Act proposes the establishment of a "government-chartered, fully independent, not-for-profit" corporation to handle air traffic control services. The American Red Cross is the closest in terms of congressional charter, independence, and not-for- profit status. CORPORATION STRUCTURE 38

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