COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
NATCA DISASTER RELIEF
NATCA has activated its disaster relief fund to assist members affected by the storm in
Texas and along the Gulf Coast region.
While the extent of the damage is unclear at this point, the need for aid will be significant.
NATCA is preparing to assist our brothers and sisters who are in the disaster zone.
There are 500 members from FAA and FCTs who live and work in the gr eater Houston
area alone, with many more located in other hard hit areas.
We have set up a GoFundMe page where you can make a donation. Please click here .
We are using our social media feeds to provide real - time updates and news on the storm
and how it's affecting our members and facilities.
Facebook: facebook.com/NATCAFamily
Twitter : Follow us on Twitter .
Instagram : http://instagram.com/natcanational
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company - beta/92749/
NATCA F IGHTING TO PROTECT MEMBERS' RETIREMENT BENEFITS
A third of U.S. air traffic controllers are currently eligible to retire - and they ' re likely to
retire earlier than anticipated in order to avoid harmful cuts to retirement benefits, such
as those proposed i n the House Budget Resolution . The exodus o f retiring controllers
would be detrimental to t he National Airspace System.
Many of our members last week continued to host members of Congress and their staffs
during facility tours that have taken place over this current congressional recess. We
chroni cled many of those visits in the NATCA Insider last week . Read more .
Letters to the Editor, Local Newspapers in Key Districts: We worked with ou r local
legislative reps in Wisconsin and South Carolina last week to send letters to the editor
raising the issue of the proposed retirement benefit cuts. Here's language from one of
the letters:
"We have reached a 28 - year low of fully certified profess ional controllers, and the
problem will likely get worse before getting better. A harmful proposal being considered
in Congress would eliminate the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) annuity
supplement currently paid to retiring air traffic control lers, law enforcement officers, and
firefighters, who are subject to mandatory retirement before they reach Social Security
eligibility.
"Any reduction in air traffic controller retirement benefits – especially eliminating the
FERS annuity supplement – co uld cause controllers to retire before they had otherwise
planned and the Federal Aviation Administration had projected. Nearly one - third of
controllers nationwide are eligible to retire today, including 29 percent of controllers here
in South Carolina. A large wave of unanticipated retirements could exacerbate the
controller staffing crisis and cripple the NAS."
