August 2024 New England Bi-Monthly Regional Update #1

Aug 1, 2024

From Mick Devine, NATCA New England Regional Vice President

Brothers and Sisters of New England,

This will be my last update to you directly as RVP, and I want to let you know how much of an honor it has been to represent you over the last six years. As we transition to the next generation of leadership, I know the New England Region is in good hands.

Thank you to all the volunteer leaders in New England who made the idea of “Leadership Through We” a reality. Most of all, I want to thank the members of New England who have been braving six-day work weeks, low pay, missing family events, and spending more time at work than at home.

The election is now over, the ballots have been counted, and NATCA members have spoken. Now is the time for us to come together, to speak with one unified voice, and to do what we have been tasked: the work of NATCA members.

I leave you with two requests:

Please raise your hand and help the next RVP; he will need it. We have a contract to renegotiate, we have staffing issues that still need to be addressed, and we have mental health and fatigue issues that must be conquered before they conquer us.
Please keep your New England spirit; it is the New England spirit that makes this Region the best Region in the country.

Again, it was the honor of a lifetime to be trusted with this role. I’m very proud of the New England Region.

Introducing Your Next Regional Vice President

From Kevin Curtiss, NATCA New England RVP-Elect

I’m humbled to have been elected as NATCA New England’s next Regional Vice President. I want to extend my gratitude to many people. First, to the members of NATCA New England who returned their ballots at a higher percentage than the national average, exercising their right to choose who leads this Union for the next three years. To Mick Devine, for his past six years of leadership as he leaves big shoes to fill. Mick and I have already begun working together on a transition that allows New England to stay strong and not miss a beat. And to my opponent Bryan Krampovtis. Bryan has a passion for our labor union and a wealth of knowledge that New England will continue to tap into.

This is a fast-paced time of year as controllers work summer traffic and maximize their leave. Schedule negotiations are on the horizon and they look to be the most challenging since before COVID. Communicating For Safety is right around the corner, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we all have one more ballot to send in which will determine the future of our Union. The runoff ballots for NATCA President and Executive Vice President will be sent to members on August 16th.

I look forward to being there for New England and once settled, visiting each facility before the end of 2024.

Thank you again, New England. Talk soon. HK

Senior Advisor Update

From Scott Robillard, NATCA New England Senior Advisor

Hello NATCA New England! As I write this email, it is July 31st, 2024. I wrote my first regional update on October 1st, 2018. In those nearly six years as a regional leader, you have heard a lot from me. Today, as I write my last update, I want to thank you for the opportunity that I received; and that opportunity started way before 2018.

I want to thank the K90 membership for the first opportunity I received when I first became their Facrep on January 1, 2007, a position I held through most of the Imposed Work Rules and the transition to the Red Book in October 2009. We endured the conflict and in the end, found prosperity. During those years there were a couple of key moments and key people who helped me and helped forge my philosophy. Today I want to mention one key group that consisted of three people who arrived at K90 in early 2006, right before the imposed work rules.

You see, something was happening in the FAA that I was unaware of at the time. The FAA was engaged in the destruction of lives and families through the contracting out of Flight Service. When that contracting was finalized in late 2005 to early 2006, the FAA issued a REDUCTION in FORCE notice to all the Flight Service employees. Basically, the FAA fired all of them. Of the 3,000, around 100 ended up landing on their feet and relocated to FAA Air Traffic Control facilities.

As fate would have it, three found their way to K90 and their impact on the bargaining unit can’t be measured. It demonstrated with real-life stories and facts what an employer can do to you and your family. From that moment on, I did not view my work life the same. I saw it for what it was; a day-in-day-out struggle with the employer. Some see this as hatred for the management team, but that would not be accurate. What would be accurate is knowing that good people can and will make decisions based on numbers on a spreadsheet—and many will not consider the human cost. The choice you have is how you deal with those facts. Within a year of their arrival at K90, the FAA targeted them again, as well as NATCA, with the Imposed Work Rules.

As labor representatives, your main purpose is to understand your membership and represent their rights: to work on their behalf, to communicate, mitigate, facilitate, and negotiate.

Coming out of the IWRs, I was fortunate to have opportunities within the region and nationally, but I remained the K90 Facrep until my last day on October 14, 2017. On that day I left K90 as part of the K90 realignment transition to A90.

Within a year, we had run a robust regional campaign to change the direction of New England, and my roles and opportunities changed with it. But through it all, it was the lessons learned from our past that shaped how I’ve dealt with and how I currently deal with our employer.

As a new group of leaders begin to fill important roles, I offer this last piece of advice: Don’t ever forget where you come from. Don’t ever forget who you are. Work hard every day. And care for the most vulnerable among us.

For those who want to be part of the team: the task is simple; show up, care, and try!

For our leaders: understand the vision, align your people to the vision, and motivate your people to accomplish the vision.

National Committee Spotlight

From Ryan Herrick, NATCA Historical Committee Chair

The NATCA Historical Committee, referred to as the NHC, was established at the 2012 NATCA Convention in Denver. The NHC has the exclusive purpose of cataloging, documenting, and archiving the official history of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

The NHC currently consists of active members from the following Locals: Denver Tower – DEN, Minneapolis TRACON – M98, Minneapolis Center – ZMP, Washington Center – ZDC, and Engineers Northwest Mountain – ENM and an RNAV member from Engineers Alaska – EAL.

Recently, the NHC has developed an archive module for all NATCA Conventions that includes documentation, photos, and videos. NATCA Members can view the History of Conventions archive module at https://www.natca.org/natca-history-of-conventions/. Walk through time starting at the NATCA Founding convention held in Chicago, IL in 1986 and witness the growth and strength of our Union through transcripts of the Convention Business.

The NHC has also worked diligently to develop a timeline display of our NATCA History for all National Events. These 4 panels, 40-foot-long displays, highlight all notable events, leadership, and legislative victories that have helped shape this great Union. Look for this at this year’s ATX December 9-12.

Coming soon, the NHC will have an online archive of all NATCA newsletters, as well as bound books that can be utilized for Regional Meetings and Events and all the previous Collective Bargaining Agreements NATCA has made with the FAA in all the Units it represents in digital form.

For more information on the NHC, as well as links for the NATCA Update Archive, the NATCA Official Timeline of Notable Events, and NATCA In Washington Issues Booklets please visit: https://www.natca.org/committees/nhc/