Member Focus: Victor Santore // August 03, 2012
Victor Santore, RVP, Southern Region
Victor was born in Middletown, N.Y., and grew up in eastern Pennsylvania. He was hired by the FAA in December of 1985.
How and why did you become an air traffic controller?
When I got out of high school, I knew I didn’t want to work as a laborer in construction for my whole life. One day, I went to Allentown Tower and all the controllers working had been controllers in the military prior to working for the FAA. So, I enlisted as a controller in the Air Force intending to complete a four-year enlistment and apply to work for the FAA.
Do you have a family history of unionism?
My grandfather worked in the coal mines in Pennsylvania. Bethlehem, where I attended elementary school through high school, was a union town and home to Bethlehem Steel. It was the major steel producing plant in the United States before our entire steel industry moved overseas.
Do you have any hobbies outside of work?
I enjoy a lot of music, so as a hobby I like to play the guitar.
Of all your time at NATCA what is your favorite memory?
There are so many things. I don’t think I can narrow it all down to just one. I tend to remember the victories that we’ve had more than anything else. The various contracts that were signed that continued to better our Union. And there are some arbitration victories that were particularly memorable for me, as well.
What do you enjoy about being a NATCA Regional Vice President?
That’s a tough question to answer. It’s the toughest job I’ve ever had, while also the most satisfying. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
