This Week in NATCA/Labor History
Monday, May 23, 2011



THIS WEEK IN NATCA/ATC HISTORY:

May 23, 1981 — PATCO announces strike deadline:
At its annual convention in New Orleans, PATCO sets June 22 as the deadline for agreeing on a new contract with the FAA. Robert Poli says the union will poll its members for a strike vote if agreement is not reached by then and that “the skies will be silent” if FAA negotiators don’t “come to their senses.”

May 28, 1997 — NATCA affiliation: The union files a lawsuit against MEBA, seeking the right to disaffiliate. The action follows a letter from MEBA opposing disaffiliation and threatening legal action against NATCA. In June, the two parties agree to an out-of-court settlement granting NATCA the right to formally sever relations.

May 22, 2000 — NATCA organizing: The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA’s AOS-200/260 engineers in Oklahoma City.

May 25, 2000 — NATCA organizing: The FLRA certifies NATCA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the FAA’s 600 traffic management coordinators.


THIS WEEK IN LABOR HISTORY:

1932:
Thousands of unemployed WWI veterans arrive in Washington, D.C., to demand a bonus they had been promised but never received. They built a shantytown near the U.S. Capitol but were burned out by U.S. troops after two months.

1962: The AFL-CIO begins what is to become an unsuccessful campaign for a 35-hour workweek, with the goal of reducing unemployment. Earlier tries by organized labor for 32- or 35-hour weeks also failed.