This Week in NATCA/Labor History
Friday, January 27, 2012

THIS WEEK IN NATCA / ATC HISTORY:

January 25, 1990: An Avianca 707 crashes in Cove Neck on Long Island, N.Y. after running out of fuel while waiting to land at JFK. The accident kills 73 of the 158 people onboard the plane. One month later, demonstrators drive a procession of vehicles through JFK to highlight their contention that controllers mishandled the flight. Subsequently, the NTSB cites the flight crew’s failure to manage the plane’s fuel load and notify controllers of their situation by declaring an emergency. However, the board also notes that inadequate traffic flow management and a lack of standardized terminology for fuel emergencies contributed to the accident.


THIS WEEK IN LABOR HISTORY:

1913: 10,000 clothing workers strike in Rochester, N.Y. for the eight-hour day, a 10% wage increase, union recognition, and extra pay for overtime and holidays. Daily parades were held throughout the clothing district and there was at least one instance of mounted police charging the crowd of strikers and arresting 25 picketers. Six people were wounded over the course of the strike and a sweatshop contractor shot one worker, 18-year-old Ida Breiman, to death. The strike was called off in April after manufacturers agreed not to discriminate against workers for joining a union.