US

Air Traffic Control Mistakes Double Amid Accusations of Lax Union Workers

WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — In a time of unparalleled aviation safety in the United States, reports of mistakes by air traffic controllers have nearly doubled — a seeming contradiction that has safety experts puzzled.

The latest incident — the near midair collision of an American Airlines jet with 259 people aboard and two Air Force transport planes southeast of New York City, has raised eyebrows in Congress and led to questions about a nonpunitive culture of error reporting in air-traffic control facilities.

A US Airways plane carrying 95 people crossed paths with a small cargo plane in September, coming within 50 to 100 feet of each other while taking off from Minneapolis. A few months earlier a US Airways Airbus 319 intersected the path of another cargo plane during an aborted landing in Anchorage, Alaska.

In fact, an air traffic controller at the Ronkonkoma, N.Y., radar facility that handled the American plane says he complained about a lax atmosphere at the facility — the second busiest of its kind in the nation — due to slacking union workers.

Read our original report on the union air traffic control workers.

Controller Evan Seeley, 26, said he ran afoul of the local union when he tried to prevent sick leave and scheduling abuses aimed at increasing overtime pay. Even more disturbing were Seeley’s charges that controllers sometimes watch movies and play with electronic devices during nighttime shifts when traffic is slower. He said he has sent his complaints to the Transportation Department’s inspector general and to the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates whistleblower charges. He claims his recent demotion from his position as a frontline manager was related to the complaints.

In the 12 months ending on Sept. 30, 2010, there were 1,889 operation errors — which usually means aircraft coming too close together, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s official tally. During the same period a year earlier, there were 947 errors. And the year before that there 1008 errors. Before 2008 the FAA used a different counting method, so a more historical pattern isn’t available.

The FAA administrator says the higher number of reported errors is due to better reporting and better technology that can determine more precisely how close planes are in the air.

Very few of the errors fall into the most serious category, which could result in pilots taking evasive action to prevent an accident. But those instances have also increased. In the year ending Sept. 30, there were 44 such events; 37 in the prior year and 28 in the year before that.

The situation has sparked concern in Congress. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was repeatedly asked about the error increase and Seeley’s claims at a hearing before the House aviation subcommittee earlier this week.

“We don‘t want to play ’gotcha.’ We do want, though, to have people know that we‘re concerned and we’re watching,” Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Wis., the panel’s chairman, told Babbitt. Petri said he may hold a hearing on the issue.

The FAA chief noted the dearth of major accidents. This Saturday will mark 24 months in a row in which there have been no fatal airline accidents. The last was the crash of a regional airliner on Feb. 12, 2009, near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people.

“That record is hard bought and we’re very proud of it,” Babbitt said.

Babbitt said the rise in the number of errors is because of a new safety program that protects controllers from punishment for errors they voluntarily report The program is aimed at increasing error reporting so trends can be spotted and new training methods, changes in procedures or other actions can be taken. It is modeled after a successful error-reporting program for airline pilots.

The program, which started in 2008 and was fully phased in last year, is receiving about 250 reports a week. But safety experts note that those reports generally aren‘t counted in FAA’s official error tally and thus don’t explain the surge.

Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Va., and a former controller, said there is reason to be concerned, but “how much to be concerned is difficult to determine because there are so many changes going on to sort out.”

“I know the FAA is paying close attention to controller errors right now,” Voss said. “The public face may be that they are ascribing it to the reporting system, but privately they are working very hard to improve the error rate at every level.”

Asked about this inconsistency, Babbitt said he has tried in general to create a collaborative climate where controllers and other employees feel freer to acknowledge mistakes.

The controllers‘ union has called Seeley’s allegations “wild” and “baseless.” The FAA sent a special team to New York this week to investigate his claims, which were first reported by the New York Post.

___

Online:

www.faa.gov

Comments (79)

1 2
  • ClockKing
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 3:14pm

    Part of the NWO: Reduce human travel and lock people into their local human habitats. Of course the elite can come and go as they please.

    Report Post » ClockKing  
  • historypaper
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:34pm

    This is the union way, nonpunitive culture, which means nobody really cares until pay day.

    Report Post » historypaper  
  • jblovesAmerica
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:10pm

    lets see one of these union bozo’s have a plane crash-kill somebody-with sloppy work.
    may be time for prison for union bosses and Air Traffic Control folks.
    is that why the military works-when you goof-somebody dies.

    Report Post »  
  • Rowgue
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:03pm

    This is what you get with unions. Shoddy minimum wage quality work for six figures a year.

    Report Post »  
    • jblovesAmerica
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:19pm

      Unions=no matter what goes wrong“ it was not my fault”-
      when you sign up you know whats in store for you.
      digging a ditch or controlling planes.
      makers vs takers is the fight-Ron Reagan said go back to work-the rest is history.
      as the pendulum swings one way-it always goes back the other.
      we who are paying the bills are broke the bank has nothing . wake up.do your job, to the best of your ability, nothing short is acceptable.

      Report Post »  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 4:37am

      Really? Have you all separated airplanes lately? @JBLOVESAMERICA: Does your chosen profession require as much responsibility of you? If you make mistakes do people die? @ROWGUE I would like to see how well you would do with a headset and a radar scope, before you start talking about quality of work.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • OldVet
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 11:57am

    You are responding to what you read in this blog and not the real world. I have talked to Air Traffic Controllers who are working right now. Have any of you done that?

    I am going to insert a letter posted on AVIATION WEEK which you can find on the WEB. None of you realize that the Controllers union “NATCA” has not been able to negotiate a contract since 1998. Instead they are working under an “imposed” contract which has steadily been reducing their rights and pay.

    “ALL STATEMENTS BELOW ARE FROM MEMORY, ARE ACCURATE TO THE BEST OF MY MEMORY, AND ANY OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MINE ALONE AND NOT STATEMENTS OF FACT.

    Let’s lay it out as it is. Prior to the 1998 contract, the U. S. Government’s own watch dog agencies(such as GSA, GAO, FAA Inspector General) said controllers, with their unique job duties/stress levels/ attendant health problems, were underpaid by over 30%. The 1998 contract gave us approximately 2/3 of that shortage, and were only negotiated, I assume, because the Administration and FAA leadership agreed-they did not have to legally negotiate wages. The special wage scale this raise created unintentionally took us(controllers) out of the protections of GS scale employees and the protection in title 49 of US code that ensured unresolved contract issues would be settled by binding arbitration. It was not until 2005 that someone, somewhere, in the agency realized we were exposed and they could end our contract and change everything unilaterally. The 2006 “contract” was not ratified, agreed to, or anything else, and was therefore NO CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT. It changed many work rules unilaterally, not just pay. It forced many senior, extremely capable controllers to retire early, and average experience levels of CPCs, certified professional controllers(those who can work all positions without a trainer behind them)dropped precipitously.

    The new(2009) US Administration, Secretary of Transportation, and FAA administrator were committed to making this right, and we still do not have title 49 protection yet. The new contract, when ratified, will only bring pay scales back up to just above Pre-1998 levels in 2012-in other words, we are back down to just about the GS scales we were at through the early 1990s. We are in fact essentially going to re-start wages in 2012 as if we got no change in pay for 6 years(from pre-Nontract 2006 to 2012).

    We essentially have lost the raises that got us 2/3 closer to meeting the watchdog agencies guidelines-they are being ignored completely. But at least the new mass hires will be on a pay scale better than the one that was imposed on them in 2006. I checked that one-at my facility, new CPCs were being paid almost 1 1/2 GS grade equivalents below where we were prior to 1998; the new scale paid to a CPC protecting the flying public was the same as a freshly minted Class A commercial truck driver-even a local trucking company owner and private pilot was stunned at this. Senior controllers had their pay frozen as “out of the pay band”, put there by the pay scale change. They retired, where they DID get full COLAs annually, thus a “raise by retiring”. This caused a massive influx of new hires while we were shorter of qualified trainers nationwide-not a pretty picture, in my opinion. It also “unintentionally” set up conflict in our union, NATCA, as any unratified 2 tier pay scale would.

    Is the new contract an increase in FAA costs compared to the last 3 years? Yes. Is it an increse from where it should currently be-heck no, it is still a DECREASE in thei costs, and will be forever. It will take 3 years to phase in. The costs are not increases, as the agency has saved BILLIONS since 9/6/06, and they will still be saving(compared to where we really should be) right up until the first full pay period of 2012. BILLIONS. And they will be saving forever, as 6 years of overall raises have vanished, and High-3 retirement calculations are artificially lowered permanently

    Meanwhile, pay for management is still based on THE WAGES THAT WE, THE CONTROLLERS WHO REALLY DO THE JOB, NEGOTIATED IN 1998! No new “B” pay scale above the rank and file. Go figure how that makes sense. The agency will be saving money forever, as we are not being made whole with back pay, everyone’s pay will still be significantly below where it would have been pre-NONTRACT, and retirees high-3 will have barely moved 3% from 9/6/09 until Jan 2012. No wonder so many of my outstanding peers retired ASAP(which the agency must love, as they will be saving on retirees forever).

    The topper is that the new contract will go effect, whether we ratify it or not. The arbitrated items will go in effect-period. The vast number of negotiated and agreed upon items are the only ratifiable items; if non-ratified, I suspect the agency will install them unilaterally(as in the ‘06 imposed work rule) as their last best offer.

    What controllers need, in order to not be second class citizens as Federal employees go, is to be included under the Title 49 umbrella protection of arbitration, or this will happen again within the next 20 years. I do not believe that the money the agency saved has been worth the rancor the NONTRACT has created. Just do a search of Federal employee attitude surveys for federal agencies-the FAA is usually in the bottom dozen of over 120 agencies. The collaborative atmosphere was shut down for the last 3 years. Any reader of Tom Peters books and students of successful business management over the last 2 decades(which the agency taught me as part of a supervisory qualification and identification program) knows that the EMPLOYEES AND THEIR INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY are an organization’s most important asset. Forcing mass retirement at over 2.5 times the rate that was forecast pre-NONTRACT does not contribute to those assets being satisfied at work, many of my peers chose not to stay through the pay freeze and rancor. And don’t say this is government-they put a corporate structure in place over the last decade, federal service or not.

    I as a controller went from feeling valued and important to feeling as if a new employee is viewed as the equal of an experienced one. Not true in this safety first environment. A recent Canadian Psychiatric study of 5-10 year controllers versus 20+ years(you’ll have to search that one out, but I read it) found that older controllers performed at least equally to the newer ones, but were able to do it through better planning, making less moves of traffic and less transmissions, resulting in a smoother flow,less confusion, and less frequency congestion-all important goals. It was a perfect example of what I preach to trainees: Be Pro-active, not Re-active. It just works better, and better is good in safety related careers.

    I’m sure this will be attacked as us being overpaid and spoiled, but that is a short sighted reaction. The agency saved billions with what I feel is an ethically challenged behavior in 2006. I believe they were chafing at the bit to void our old contract, pay scales, work rules, and collaborative labor/management environment. I do not even want to make this about prevailing politics at the time(small government movement). I personally am fiscally conservative yet socially liberal, and never vote party lines, but vote regularly for the best person to represent our country. I thank President Obama for his original Senate bill and support to resolve the contract in 2005, and again by making resolving the NONTRACT issue a primary goal for both DOT Secretary LaHood and Administator Babbitt.

    We do not feel made whole, by any measure-only back pay(which will never happen now) and a fix for our Title 49 rights that were abrogated(good chance that Congress will follow through on their promises to fix it) will help with this disdain for the way we were dealt with. I’m personally down approximately 20 thousand dollars over the last 3 years, will lose thousands more over the installation period until 2012, and perhaps another 5 thousand dollars every year for the rest of my life. Those at the busiest, most complex facilities may be down 3 times as much-forever. Let us hope that no contract, of any federal employees, ever gets manipulated unilaterally like this again. It is counter productive to an agency being able to deliver the absolute best product to the public-something we all should strive for as employees, and have a right to expect as citizens.

    Name Withheld
    NATCA Charter Member
    26+ years Certified Professional Controller
    Dedicated Federal Civil servant”

    Report Post » OldVet  
  • Midwest Blonde
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 11:47am

    We all know that union workers nowadays are a lazy bunch. I wisn Reagan was still president he fired the controllers for striking….. he could fire them for being lazy. You think Obummer will do that? Not on your life – which it may come to “your life” if you fly.

    Same for the TSA….

    Report Post » Midwest Blonde  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 3:51am

      I’ll ask this of you as well; have you spent much time in a TRACON? Try it some time, and then tell me about lazy. Walk a mile in a controller’s shoes before you talk about lazy. You don‘t know the meaning of mental exhaustion until you’ve spent two hours on postion, at a flow-rate of 114 airplanes per hour.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • drattastic
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 11:35am

    Unions bring out the worst in everyone unfortunately .Lazy barely scratches the surface of what I’ve been witness to.When there is no fear of losing your job ,many will take advantage of it .I’ve seen them stoned,drunk,sleeping you name it.

    Report Post » drattastic  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 2:39am

      Really? Have you spent much time in a TRACON? Try it some time, and then tell me about lazy.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • jeckelmyhyde
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 11:13am

    The Gipper is looking down with a frown.

    Report Post »  
  • sbleve
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 11:05am

    What is stupid. Some have said that of me. So be it. Sticks and stones. Putting man on Mars even in the next 100 years is stupid. Challenger disaster – caused by the elite rulers of NASA having a PhD in posteriorpokin. College education in this case did not make the CEO of NASA smart.

    Decades ago an invite to LAX tower, observer, no purpose other than “oh I see”. Brief ops procedure lesson, earphones, no mic-listen only. Lesson – get all the ducks in a row, if one duck gets out of line, smack with long stick, keep other ducks moving toward the gate, keep one-eyed duck in line, etc etc.

    Not so different than ICS wild land fire management. Ducks in a row. Ever herded ducks? Dynamic ducks – moving fast. Some ducks that should have had their wings clipped. Some duck herders that make better nose pickers.

    The Operational Guide – for departure as an example, had time-space-flight speed dynamic considerations. Dynamic meaning changing all of the time. This guide book was a three ring binder-2inch rings with 16 pages in it, tabbed for digit manipulation. I used this extensiviely for brief review of data set during my novice experience. Because of incoming-outgoing airtraffic, the regulatory mandate was not reachable – and still move airplanes for customer satisfaction . Guess who won the written regulation time/space departure rule, the air traffic controler or the buearacrat? Today the same guide books are measured in pounds not pages. About as useful as the milking-nipples on a boar.

    The President is asking for “infrastructure” budget money. Infrastructure will take, under his NEPA oversite some 10-30 years to get into place.what is he really saying? Infrastructer is not a “wax on, wax off” event. Our national government has used the pok’in a dead duck mentality for 60 years. In otherwords, Interstate highways have been abused – money’s that should have been onely for the interstate are earmarked for some one-eyed duck fun bash at interchange “butification”. Air traffic at LAX is govened by the time-space rule times 60 seconds. There is only so much time and space availabe. That is the problem. You come up with a fix, because congress is not mentally cabable of keeping their Eye on the ball. They just are not – attention span is very short. Instead of health care (this is a disaster waiting to happen) infrastructure should have been the priority. Does the President understand the event of start stop start stop some infrasture priority? No, and that is why We have a congress. No matter what your fix might be, my grand children will pay the bill. Put it off 10x more expensive, start and stop 20x more expensive.

    And what would one imagine that congress would do, or the president, to fix some near mid-air?

    Report Post » sbleve  
  • thebertmanlives
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:38am

    The sooner WE eliminate all unions the sooner WE can reach the Capitalistic Utopia, Just think no more accidents,overtime,health benefits,pensions,weekends and the CEO’s will be so happy they will trickle down some spare change. LOL, The average BeckerHead is such a vile, Brainwashed person that they will SELLOUT their fellow Americans because of a few bad apples BTW every workplace always has a slacker or two, union or non union. Keep it up, I’m sure Bin Laden is very proud of you. I’m NOT.

    Report Post » thebertmanlives  
    • MHP
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 8:17pm

      There should be no public employee unions, period.
      Private unions, no problem.

      In some states public employees are forbidden to strike due to State Law. If they do, they can go to jail
      this happened to the teacher’s union in WA State. they stayed out 40 days, so no school could be held.
      A district judge told them you go back to work Monday, or go to jail. they went back to work…..without a union contract.

      Report Post » MHP  
  • BubbaCoop
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:11am

    “LAX”…not to be confused with Los Angeles International

    Report Post »  
  • psst
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:55am

    Trumka said Blaze posters must be unionized and must pay union dues.
    Soetero said “ya suh boss, I’ll get right er left on it”
    geez! I wonder how much this is gonna cost me?
    But what da hey. I may be able to deeee-duct it (IOW, Duck out of it-quack )from my fed taxes.

    Report Post »  
  • JeffersonJohn
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:51am

    Having completed a career in the FAA, I know that you can’t believe a word that comes from senior management and that, for all practical purposes, senior management at FAA is serving as a mouthpiece for NATCA. We owe the safety of our aviation system to the pilots.

    Report Post »  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 4:51am

      For some reason, I doubt you were an air traffic controller. You may have worked for the FAA, but not as a CPC.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • Volsense
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:43am

    When you have an union organizer as a president, what the hell would you expect? Obama was chosen to be the spokesman for the labor movement that has more control now than anytime in our history. It is a system that has always failed and will again. The exploitation of the ignorance created by these unions will engulf our entire economy.

    Report Post »  
    • gramma b
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:53am

      “Spreading the wealth” also means forcing unqualified, lazy people into positions they will screw up. After all, why should your paycheck have any relationship to your merit?

      Unions are essentially parasitic. They suck resources out of productive enterprises, and force businesses to employ parasitic, unproductive employees. Just as socialism feeds and encourages parasitism.

      We now have a government by the parasites, for the parasites, and of the parasites.

      Report Post »  
  • psst
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:43am

    Evan was lucky only to be demoted.
    I bet someone got knee-capped about this mistake.(of only demoting him)

    Report Post »  
  • Taxpayer550
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:37am

    If you want to know what it will be like when the TSA unionizes, just think of the Post Office.

    Report Post » Taxpayer550  
    • Kevin
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:53am

      No GOV job should even be allowed to unionize. They work for the government for Christ sake.

      Report Post » Kevin  
    • sbleve
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:19am

      In the 70′s a mysterious occurrence became the norm. Government employees, for the first time with gusto, began to strut the proposition that they, the person, did not work for the public/people, but had a chain of command at eventually that command function spoke to the people.

      This allowed separation of duty from reality. Imagine a twisted version of this separation. An Army private, infantry, is called to duty to muster happenings of some natural disaster. The Captain gives the order to vehicle/recon the streets of a village to ascertain the validity that open gunfire conflict is occurring (Katrina). This private decides that mission is less important than his well being.

      Report Post » sbleve  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 2:37am

      Yes, the Post Office, all of whose employees returned to work after a 42-day strike in 1981. I think someone might have had an agenda. Do your own homework.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:30am

    I guess they are going to have to have a 5 or 6 plane mid air collision before they do anything about UNIONS. But it will be too bad for the people in the planes. But that’s how they work. Then the UNIONS will try to blame someone or something else to the collision. Bet you bottom dollar that the UNIONS won’t take the blame.

    Report Post »  
    • Xcori8r
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:47am

      I believe that the New York tour helicopter/private plane crash over the Hudson a while back involved a controller texting while on duty. Air traffic control need to be run like a war time military command center, always alert and scanning for threats, not like a Wall Street computer trading desk trolling for opportunities.

      Report Post » Xcori8r  
    • brntout
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:20am

      Airforce command center,,,,Hmmm I like.Worked in one for 6 months as part of extra training you would be amazed at the efficiency.Only gov’t program that works is the military!

      Report Post »  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 3:42am

      Talk about exaggeration; a 5 or 6 plane mid-air. Muslims will actually be a religion of peace before something like that ever occurs. There is a thing called TCAS, which all air carriers are equipped with, and alerts flight crews of a thing called a resolution alert (RA) when there is a loss of separation. This compensates for those “lazy” controllers you all speak of, or crappy flight crews who ask for clearances to be repeated numerous times because they aren’t paying attention. When ATC is notified of an RA, that is reported to the Domestic Events Network (DEN), and an accounting is made for why the loss of separation occurred. Mid-air collisions are becoming a thing of the past, which ironically is what brought Air Traffic Control, as we know it today, into existence. If you don’t know what I mean, here is a hint: Grand Canyon, 1956. Do your own homework.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • hologram5
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:30am

    Lax Union workers?! Say it isn’t so…
    /sarc…

    Report Post » hologram5  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:39am

      Imagine if the crew of the USS Enterprise were unionized at key times in the TV series:

      (Kirk surrounded planetside by hostile Klingons: “Scotty, beam me up…, what do you mean your on the union break just now…Scotty…listen, I need…yes I understand Union Rules and such…an hour is when you can beam me up…ulp.”

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • stopthespending
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:29am

    All unions need to be kick out, then rehire all that want to get off their @ss and work without unions.

    Report Post » stopthespending  
    • sbleve
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:06am

      Yep. Aug 1981 a broken overtaxed infrastructure-airports and passengers came to nearly half. DOT employees (air traffic controllers) for the FAA managed air port ground and air flight corridors decided that their pay and benefits were not enough. Strike. The then president drew the line – 48 hours those that did not return to work, were fired. Permanently. Although some did at a later date humbly returned-with penalty. Unfortunately the perceived and legislated fix only made the regulation manuals too heave to pick up and use.

      Report Post » sbleve  
    • Rowgue
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:12pm

      If they were fired they didn’t return. The FAA was banned from ever rehiring anyone that was fired under the action.

      Report Post »  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 3:11am

      You are talking out of your @ss. Gee, it looks so sanitized when you use the “@“ instead of an ”a”. You know, we are all adults here, and I think we can figure out what “@ss” means, so why not just spell “ass” correctly, or don’t use it at all.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:26am

    If you had any doubts about UNIONS, this should dis-spell the inadequacies of any UNIONS. Climb aboard if you feel the need to put your life in their hands. For me, I will stay far far away from airlines.

    Report Post »  
  • RobR
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:25am

    Why isn’t Obama speaking out on these issues? It is a matter of life and death for American citizensafterall, not to mention a potential breech of National Defense protocols.

    Come on Barack, do your damn job for a change. No more excuses or blaming those around him.

    The president must get on the stick, or get the hell out. Our very lives depend on it.

    Report Post » Barack Must Go  
    • Eaglesnest
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:59am

      Why would he speak out? He loves unions because they are an additional arm of his transformational plans. All you have to do is look at all the little sub groups associated with the democrats; unions, socialists, community organizers, communists, illegal immigrants and add all these groups to the media, education, most minority groups and the trial lawyers and you get a transformational army. They don’t all agree with each other, but they tolerate each other for their greater cause. It;s all part of the plan.

      Report Post » Eaglesnest  
  • Kevin
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:23am

    Unions hard at work! Just think about how many terorist are going to sneak by when the TSA goes union. Why can’t we do away with unions? After all they were created because the gov. failed to look after the workers. Lets do away with them and put the trust back into the gov. Have the states take care of the workers in their state. The Feds should make sure that the states aren’t in bed with the companies. Their is only one union and that America

    Report Post » Kevin  
    • brntout
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:36am

      The average union worker is so comfortable having someone else looking after them ,they don’t pay attention to the politics behind the scenes.That is why they have such massive pull.If you were to ask them to stop paying their dues, you would get a “why would I want to do that?”Believe me Iknow alot of them both current and past employees

      Report Post »  
    • Kevin
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:49am

      I know what you mean BRNTOUT. I was a rep in local 14614 of the USW. Their I realized that the union workers were pawns and the local leaders were their to keep the pawns tame while the big boys in Pitt. used our money for their political gain. Union workers will pay dues because they know the union will back them… why can’t their dues go to the state. Knowing that their state will back them.. I think thats where we need to try to get to.

      Report Post » Kevin  
  • brntout
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:21am

    Maybe the threat of TSA patdowns before they enter the tower might wake them up.

    Report Post »  
    • SpankDaMonkey
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:27am

      .
      More like they watching Porn, eating Cheetoes, and turning their Junk orange……..

      Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • gramma b
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:50am

      Spank obviously has a fixation.

      Report Post »  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 1:50am

      I guess you aren’t familiar with the layout at Denver International Airport. The tower cab is located in “C” Concourse, which means that the controllers who work in the tower are required to submit to the same security screeing that the passengers and pilots go through (i.e., “patdowns”). They even have to ride the same train as everyone else to get to “C” Concourse. If you worked there, and had an early morning shift, after going through TSA’s scrutiny, you might be lucky if the train even showed up.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:19am

    .
    Need to fire the whole bunch and start over……………..

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:27am

      It’s been done before!

      Report Post » Gonzo  
    • grandmaof5
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:56am

      They need to make all of them re-apply for their jobs as non-union employees (baggage, ticket, mechanics, etc.) on a rotation basis. Their files need to be reviewed carefully and the lax/incompetent ones need to go. You would see them turning on each other in a heartbeat, but you would end up with the ones who want to work and take pride in the job they do.

      Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:14am

      @Grandmaof5

      Agree with you there; non union workers and rotations will be of a major advantage, along with the constant testing of their training and responsiveness at the security points.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • oldoldtimer
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:22am

      They are not all like this. There are many good hard working controllers. It is the 10% that is causing the problems that need to be fired. That is the problem with the unions. You can not fire them until they cause a crash and kill a bunch of people. You can not fire them when they fail an evaluation. you have to give them several chances to finally pass. Do you want your plane controlled by some one that took 3 attempts to pass their certification? Not me.

      Report Post »  
    • Robert-CA
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:47am

      While @ work they just need a massage & a happy ending , isn’t it Al Gore .

      Report Post » Robert-CA  
    • JD Carp
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:02pm

      Ronald Reagan could fix this in a jiffy!

      Report Post » JD Carp  
    • GODSAMERICA
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 1:20pm

      @JD Carp
      I believe that being fired would fix it too.

      Report Post » GODSAMERICA  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 1:53am

      You need to go back to doing what your name suggests.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:17am

    The TSA is soon to unionize, the air traffic controllers have a union that is allowing them to drop off their duties and the increases of air travel continues to mount while the administration is pushing to modernize the systems, even while security around the airports and staff are so lax and full of holes that any kind of bad or lame joke shines in comparison.

    Watch the other hand, for something smells mighty fishy here.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • cnsrvtvj
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:23am

      Right on Snowleopard. If you think there are already too many flight delays before the TSA gets a union, you haven’t seen anything yet. Imagine how that will affect the price of an airline ticket as well. This story doesn’t surprise me the least bit.

      http://www.donsmithshow.com – see the Mubarak video on political humor

      Report Post » cnsrvtvj  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:25am

      @Cnsrvtvj

      Agree with you there. We have seen nothing yet at this time; so while we are being assailed on the one side by the TSA and the administration what is the other hand doing out of our sight?

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • felina g
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:27am

      New Ulsterman Insider: Interesting

      http://newsflavor.com/politics/world-politics/white-house-insider-michelle-obama-is-flat-out-lying/

      Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:36am

      @Felina G

      Thanks for the link, and this has come as a suprise for no one at the Blaze and most of the world.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • Dustyluv
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 9:45am

      Where’s Reagan when you need him? Oh yea that’s right…we have a MARXIST as President now.

      Report Post »  
    • Lantern
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:15am

      Sounds to me like nothing will be done until people get killed.

      Report Post » Lantern  
    • oldoldtimer
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 10:17am

      People are going to get a real kick in the pants when they find the Controllers union will be the ones doing the slowdowns in support of TSA after they are unionized. Lok at the past. A union goes on strike, another union refuses to cross their picket lines. They do a slow down in support. All the controllers have to do is maintain the ‘mandatory’ spacing between aircraft. They will back up all the way to the West coast. Since it will probably be illegl for them to picket they will just call it an informational picket and not a strike.(Postal unions do it ). they can assist each other by TSA taking their slow easy time and be thorough with their pat downs increasing the time required. There is so many ways of getting around the rule why even bother with rules. Gov’t worker unions are dangerous.

      Report Post »  
    • Fletch
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:09pm

      “Stroke of the pen. Law of the land. Kinda cool.” — Clinton presidential aide Paul Begala, July 1998

      President Kennedy’s Executive Order 10998, allowing Federal unions, is what opened the door for public sector unions at the state and local level, which is leading to bankruptcy from bloated public sector salaries, benefits, and retirement plans.

      Businesses that offered plans like many governments have would go bankrupt. Gov’t entities will, too, eventually, but it will be much more painful.

      Members dues money and politicians are a volitile mix and public sector unions have even fewer reporting obligations under the newly revised LMRDA than do private sector unions … WHY?

      This is yet another reason why unions should again be outlawed for public employees.

      All government unions should be banned. The idea that government workers need protection from guess who?? THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, is ridiculous. remember, even teachers are government employees.

      Ban government unions.

      Report Post » Fletch  
    • GODSAMERICA
      Posted on February 11, 2011 at 12:36pm

      @Snowleopard – You are correct about that!
      What we have here is an agreement created by the union that if you screw up and you turn it in yourself then you won’t be held accountable. That way the unions get a license to kill whenever they choose.

      “The program is aimed at increasing error reporting so trends can be spotted and new training methods, changes in procedures or other actions can be taken” – maybe instead of trying to create changes in methods or procedures, try holding these slackers to 100% accountability with errors causing death, hold them liable for manslaughter at the least and then see how the errors are reduced and improve the overall safety.

      Report Post » GODSAMERICA  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 1:31am

      Have you ever put on a headset and vectored any air traffic? If not, then I respectfully submit that you do not know from which you speak. NATCA membership does not allow one to “drop” one’s duties as an air traffic controller. Try “dropping” your duties while working Feeder or Final at a Level 11 facility, and you won’t be on position for very long.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 1:41am

      @OLDOLDTIMER

      I can assure you that the farthest thing from an air traffic controller’s mind during an arrival or departure push is causing a slow-down on behalf of TSA agents.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
    • USMC3BNMCO
      Posted on February 12, 2011 at 2:11am

      @DUSTYLUV

      Mr. Peabody, set the Way-Back Machine to 1981. Yes, let’s fire the all the striking air traffic controllers trying to improve the system, who are highly skilled employees and require years of training depending on the facility. However, let’s give in to every demand of the postal workers whose job is simplistic at best, and not fire any of them, even though the worst National Guardsman could easily accomplish the job. That makes perfect sense to me.

      Report Post » USMC3BNMCO  
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