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As NATCA began to grow, a provisional Executive Board was put into place beginning in 1984. At NATCA’s first organizing meeting on Jan. 11, 1986, the nominally elected members all came together to establish local goals regarding NATCA.

At the meeting, leadership envisioned that NATCA would become much more than a trade union, imagining a professional organization that would exercise influence over such matters as retirement, stress reduction, and restoring immunity programs for controllers who reported operational errors.

On Jan. 5, 1987, NATCA filed an election petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to be the sole bargaining agent for all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operational GS-2152 air traffic controllers. The proposed union needed 3,750 signatures — 30 percent of the workforce — but was able to submit 5,800 signatures, or 46 percent. On March 4, 1987, the FLRA scheduled an election to decide whether NATCA would represent the nation’s controllers. On June 11, 1987, more than 80 percent of all controllers voted in NATCA’s certification election. Seventy percent approved the union as their sole bargaining agent.

During NATCA’s early years, organizers John Thornton and Howie Barte found funding for the controllers’ organizing efforts after initial support and money from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) was exhausted by late 1985.

In October 1985, Marine Engineers Beneficial Association President Gene DeFries called Barte to say MEBA would fund them. While this relationship would define the organization for the rest of the 1980s, the Union was ready for a change by the 1990s.

1993: NATCA’s First Lobby Week
Background: NATCA’s first national legislative week began on Sept. 20, 1993. At the time, more than 250 members participated in the inaugural “Lobby Week.” The Union launched the program to raise legislative awareness and provide an opportunity for members to meet their congressional representatives.

Notable Issues: NATCA members descended on Capitol Hill in support of H.R. 2663, also known as The Air Traffic Controller Incentive and Retention Act, which included premium pay for working Saturdays and boosted the controller operational differential from 5 to 15 percent. As a result of our members’ legislative activism, the number of co-sponsors for the legislation increased from 10 to 41.

While the bill was ultimately not enacted, it was a promising first effort by NATCA to influence the legislative process and began a yearly tradition of activism on Capitol Hill.

Dinner at: Mastro’s Steakhouse 600 13th Street, NW 8:00 PM (After the Congressional Reception)

Dinner at: Hill Country Barbecue 410 7th Street, NW 8:00 PM (After the Congressional Reception)