COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSAL FOR ATC REFORM
On June 5, the President proposed moving the air traffic control system to a not - for - profit,
non - governmental corporation. NATCA's respons e is below:
Press release – June 5
NATCA shares the Administration's commitments to infrastructure modernization and
providing the National Airspace System (NAS) with a stable, predictable funding stream.
We look forward to reviewing the specifics of the air traffic control (ATC) reform
legislation so we can evaluate whether it satisfies our Union's principles, including
protecting the rights and benefits of the ATC workforce.
NATCA considers the status quo to be unacceptable and will oppose any ATC refor m
proposal that would institute a for - profit model. NATCA previously supported a federally
chartered not - for - profit corporation model, as proposed in the Aviation Innovation,
Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act of 2016, because it met our four core prin ciples
for reform. For NATCA to consider supporting any new reform proposal, it must – at
minimum:
• protect the rights and benefits of the workforce;
• ensure that safety and effici ency remain the top priorities;
• provide a stable, predictable funding stream that adequately supports air traffic
control services, staffing, hiring and training, long - term modernization,
preventative maintenance, and ongoing modernization of the physical
infrastructure; and
• maintain service to all segments of our natio n's diverse aviation community.
NATCA NEB Message to Members – June 6
NATCA NEB Message to Members – June 7
SOME SELECTED EXAMPLES OF HOW OUR STATEMENT, OUR POSITION, AND
SOME OF OUR INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN CONVEYED IN THE MEDIA THIS WEEK
NBC NEWS : Controllers are cautious about handing the skies to a private
comp any and ensuring rural America is still served. " We need to ensure that we don ' t
disrupt the system, that we don't break anything as we ' re trying to fix it, " said Patricia
Gilbert (NATCA EVP).
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: " The union representing some 10,500
c ontrollers, stung by a staffing crisis due in part to erratic FAA appropriations, said it
shares the administration's commitment to modernization and will review the legislation
to see whether it protects its members."
THE WASHINGTON POST (June 6): "That National Air Traffic Controllers
Association (NATCA) backed Shuster's plan, saying the corporation would ensure more
stable funding than Congress could provide. Paul Rinaldi, president of NATCA, said his
union would "evaluate whether [the Trump plan] satis fies our union's principles, including
protecting the rights and benefits of the ATC workforce."
