This Week in NATCA/Labor History
Thursday, September 30, 2010


THIS WEEK IN NATCA/ATC HISTORY:

October 1, 1981, FAA reorganization: Agency operations are reduced from 11 regions to nine. Western and Pacific-Asia regions consolidate into a new Western-Pacific Region, with headquarters in Los Angeles. Rocky Mountain and Northwest regions consolidate into the Northwest Mountain Region, with headquarters in Seattle. The states of North and South Dakota are reassigned from Rocky Mountain to Great Lakes Region.

October 2, 1981, Rebuilding the controller workforce:  The FAA awards a $10 million contract to the University of Oklahoma to provide certified instructors to the FAA Academy to help the agency train new controllers.

October 1, 1995, NATCA finances:  The union pays off its loan to MEBA with a final check of $34,975.09. In 1990, NATCA renegotiated with MEBA to consolidate eight different loans into one note at lower interest. The loan was renegotiated again in 1992 for a three-year term at 3 percent interest. Overall, the union saved about $982,000 in interest and accelerated repayment by 10 years.


THIS WEEK IN LABOR HISTORY:

1909: International Ladies' Garment Workers Union begins strike against Triangle Shirtwaist Co. This would become the "Uprising of the 20,000," resulting in 339 of 352 struck firms—but not Triangle—signing agreements with the union. The Triangle fire that killed 246 would occur less than two years later.

2002: Twenty-nine west coast ports lock out 10,500 workers in response to what management says is a worker slowdown in the midst of negotiations on a new contract. The ports are closed for 10 days, reopen when Pres. George W. Bush invokes the Taft-Hartley Act.