Tell Members of Congress They Need to Protect Retirement Benefits for Air Traffic Controllers

The Origin of the NATCA Name and Logo
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The evolution of the NATCA logo from the AATCC organizing effort to NATCA name we all know today. The left image is Barte’s first AATCC logo. The middle image is a cleaned up version a commerical artists assisted Barte with. The last image is the NATCA logo as it exists today after a MEBA-affiliated artist switched out AATCC for NATCA after MEBA agreed to fund the young union. |
In 1981, Ronald Reagan took office as President and the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) went on strike, two events that set into motion a new age for organized labor in aviation. Frustrated with the status quo, PATCO members demanded better working conditions, better pay, and a 32-hour workweek. Three hours before the proposed strike, the Reagan administration opposed any further concessions to air traffic controllers, forcing PATCO to vote on whether to strike. They narrowly met the strike authorization point, with 80.5 percent of the membership voting in favor.