National Air Traffic Controllers Association
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| Full name | National Air Traffic Controllers Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Members | 15,000 |
| Affiliation | AFL-CIO, IFATCA |
| Key people | Paul Rinaldi, President and Patricia Gilbert, Executive VP |
| Office location | Washington, D.C. |
| Country | United States |
| Website | www.natca.org |
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is a labor union in the United States. It is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, and is the exclusive bargaining representative for air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It also represents a range of workers related to the air traffic control (ATC) industry, and the FAA itself.
NATCA was formed in 1987, following the decertification of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO), the organization involved in the well known 1981 air traffic controllers' strike. NATCA promised to never condone an illegal strike but does actively pressure Congress and the FAA to hire more controllers and to accelerate the installation of advanced air traffic control systems.
Internationally, the NATCA is affiliated with the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA).
NATCA was involved in contentious negotiations with the FAA in 2005–06 under the Bush administration. When the parties could not reach an agreement on a new contract, the FAA chose to follow the process enacted by Congress and unilaterally implemented new terms and conditions of employment. NATCA filed Unfair Labor Practice charges asserting that the FAA negotiated in bad faith. The General Counsel of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), a political appointee, used her prosecutorial discretion to dismiss all charges filed by NATCA. The United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, affirmed her discretion to dismiss the charges.
In 2009, Paul Rinaldi was elected the sixth president of NATCA and began his three-year term. Before he became President, he was an air traffic controller for 18 years at Washington-Dulles Tower (IAD) and served three years as NATCA's executive vice president from 2006–2009. Rinaldi was re-elected to serve a second three-year term as President beginning September 2012. Rinaldi is the third two-term President of NATCA. In 2013, Rinaldi was elected as a Vice President of the AFL-CIO where he serves on its Executive Council.
In 2009 Trish Gilbert was elected Executive Vice President of NATCA. Before taking this position she spent 20 years as an air traffic controller at Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZHU). She led ZHU for three terms as its facility representative and chaired NATCA's Legislative Committee from 2005 to 2009. Gilbert was re-elected for a second three-year term beginning September 2012.
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