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When a group of new FacReps gather next week in Las Vegas for the first of four NATCA Academy Basic Rep Training classes scheduled for this year, they will continue a proud and valuable tradition in this Union of training and education that began with a few classes in 1989 and the launch of a formal training program in the same year.

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Reproduced below is an article published in 1989 in the NATCA Newsletter.

NATCA Gets Big Win in Arbitration Case

(Washington, D.C., July 12, 1989)

An arbitrator ruled today in favor of NATCA on the question whether a facility representative may leave the facility to perform official representational duties while on official time.

While NATCA was a union composed of a different generation of controllers than those who were members of PATCO, many employees at the Federal Aviation Administration remained the same and the new union’s personalities began to matter. As the time for a new NATCA-FAA agreement crept closer, NATCA had exceptional leadership with President Steve Bell and Executive Vice President Ray Spickler, who served from 1988-1991. Bell believed strongly in collaboration and Spickler followed a personal philosophy of believing in someone until they betrayed his trust. This began to lay the groundwork for more openness from both sides.

NATCA’s Founding Convention
When: Sept. 23-24, 1986
Where: Chicago, Ill.
Theme: “Getting Down to Business”
What:

• Marked as a “turning point” for air safety;
• Ratification of the constitution, defines NATCA, relationship between NATCA and MEBA (Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association), permits changes and amendments;
• Controllers’ first show of unity since they lost their collective bargaining rights five years prior.

As NATCA began to spread its wings after its June 19, 1987, certification, the founding members of the union continued to face issues from the Reagan Administration. While PATCO had been decertified, the issues that plagued the workforce remained. One problem was related to punitive actions against the workforce.

Steve Bell arrived at NATCA headquarters as President in August 1988. At the time, the Union was lobbying Congress on an issue that had fueled the initial organizing effort: the Federal Employees Liability Reform and Tort Compensation Act of 1988 (FELRTCA). A bill by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., would immediately substitute the government for federal employees as the defendant in civil lawsuits.